Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Middle Tennessee State
Softball Opens Season With Split At Middle Tennessee
2/13/2011 2:23:36 PM | Softball
Murray State softball split the 2011 season opener at Middle Tennessee, coming back from a disappointing 16-13 loss to knock off the Blue Raiders 3-2 in game two.
Murray State (1-1) appeared to be heading to an opening game win, scoring six runs in the first two innings and claiming an 8-0 lead after three and a half.
Box Score Game 1
Box Score Game 2
Freshman Meghan Sims put the Racers on the scoreboard in the second at bat of the game, taking a 1-2 offering deep to left center for a solo home run in her first career plate appearance.
Senior Jenna Bradley followed with a triple to the warning track in center field after center fielder Kelsey Dortch lost the ball in the sun. The triple equaled her total for the entire 2010 season.
After Stephanie Mattocks reached on a full-count walk, Ellyn Troup pulled her first pitch down the left field line to put MSU ahead 4-0 and chase Middle Tennessee pitcher Jordyn Fisherback after four batters.
Lauren Buch led off the second inning with a double to the gap in right field. Megan Glosser moved her to third two batters later with an infield hit to third and stolen base of second on the first pitch of the next at bat. Bradley collected her first RBIs of the season with a double to right field to give the Racers a 6-0 lead.
MSU starting pitcher Shelby Kosmecki got out of trouble in the bottom of the frame with runners on first and second and a 3-0 count to Kristi Marquez. Kosmecki threw three straight strikes to sit Marquez down swinging to keep the lead at six.
The Racers added to their lead in the top of the fourth, scoring two more as Glosser scored Buch on a fielders' choice to shortstop and coming in to score on a Bradley sac fly to center. Two consecutive hits from Troup and Mattocks loaded the bases with two outs but MSU failed to capitalize as Stephanie Edwards struck out swinging to end the inning.
Middle Tennessee (1-1) came back in a hurry, taking the lead with 12 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning before recording an out. The Blue Raiders hit a pair of home runs, including taking the lead for the first and final time on a bases-clearing grand slam to left center field by Nina Denver.
MSU kept fighting, scoring one in the sixth and four in the seventh as Mattocks doubled to right center with the bases loaded to score three before a pair of outs ended the game.
Trailing 2-1, Buch hammered her fifth hit of the night off the light tower in left center for a solo home run tie the game in the top of the fourth.
Starting pitcher Chelsey Sullivan settled down after a shaky first inning that saw two runs score and five Blue Raiders reach base. She held nine consecutive MTSU batters off the base paths in the second through fourth innings.
Buch's sixth hit of the evening, a double to the gap in left, scored pinch runner Christian Cox from second in the top of the sixth inning to break the stalemate and give the Racers a 3-2 lead.
Sullivan worked out of trouble in the bottom of the sixth after walking the first two batters. Facing the leading run on second with two outs, she forced pinch hitter Shelby Stinnett to pop out to second to end the threat.
Sullivan, however, found herself in a jam in the final half inning as MTSU had two runners reach on a walk and single with two outs, but she completed the complete game victory with a fly out to center to gave the Racers their first win of the season.
“I thought how we handled the adversity that first game was pretty good,” head coach Jay Pyron said. “We came back, we responded. I told the team I was pretty proud of how they played that game. Even though we had a lot of mistakes in there, it's not too unusual for the first game of the year. To come back the second game and play as sharp as we did, I think that all centered around Chelsey. She did a great job in the circle and helped keep the team composed and settled us in. Really pleased with how we played, would have loved to take both games but to come away with that second game after that first one was so ugly was good for us.”
Buch finished the day a perfect 6-6 at the plate with four runs scored and two RBI, including three doubles and a home run.
Glosser, the 2010 OVC stolen base runner-up with 28 steals in 32 attempts, successfully stole second twice in each game.
Murray State returns to action in two weeks against Middle Tennessee State in the War Eagle Classic. The Racers will also face host Auburn, Belmont and Georgia Southern in the three day event.
