Softball Spends Spring Break In Alabama

Game Notes | Live Stats AU G1 | Live Stats AU G2 | Live Stats UAB | AU Video | UAB Video

Dates: Mar. 19-20, 2014
Opponents: Auburn/UAB
Site (Venue): Auburn, Ala. (Moore Field)/Birmingham, Ala. (UAB Softball Complex)
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @MSURacers @PGriffithMSU
MSU Record (Streak): 11-10 (L3)
Auburn Record (Streak): 24-4-1 (W7)
UAB Record (Streak): 13-13 (W1)
All-Time Series vs. Auburn: AU leads 1-0
All-Time Series vs. UAB: UAB leads 3-0
MSU Last Games: 0-2 vs. UT Martin (1-6, 3-4)
MSU Next Games: Mar. 22 at Tennessee St. (DH)
MSU Next Home: Mar. 23 vs. Belmont (DH)

The Murray State softball team will spend its spring break in the state of Alabama where it will play three games. On Wednesday, the Racers will travel to No. 21 Auburn for a doubleheader, followed by a single game Thursday at UAB.

Last weekend, the Racers dropped their OVC opening doubleheader to UT Martin on Saturday, 6-1 and 4-3. In game one, the problem for MSU was not getting hits, but scoring runs. The Racers tallied seven hits in the game, but only pushed one across the plate, leaving eight runner stranded. Maggie Glass led Murray State in the opener by going 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI.

In game two, MSU pitcher CheyAnne Gaskey held UTM hitless for four innings, but it all came unraveled for the Racers beginning in the fifth. Murray State allowed four runs on seven hits in the final three innings of the game to allow UT Martin to rally for the 4-3 win. Mo Ramsey was a perfect-3-for-3 in the game for MSU, while Cayla Levins followed at 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.

Murray State and Auburn have met just one time previous, in 2011 as part of the Tigers' War Eagle Classic. Auburn came away a winner in that contest, besting the Racers, 14-2, in six innings.

Auburn is coming off of an impressive performance at their own War Eagle Classic in which they went 4-0 and out-scored opponents, 56-3. Auburn will enter Wednesday with at 24-4-1 overall on the year with all four losses coming to teams that are currently or have been ranked in the Top 25 at some point this season.

The Tigers no-hit Radford, Savannah State and IPFW in consecutive games, followed by a 15-3 win over Ball State. Marcy Harper threw two no-no's on the weekend against Radford and Savannah State, while Lexi Davis threw one against IPFW.

Kasey Cooper is currently leading the way for Auburn at the plate with a .456 average, 43 RBIs and a team-high eight home runs. This past weekend, Cooper went 7-for-10 with six runs, a double, two walks, two home runs, one of which was a grand slam, and an astounding 12 RBIs. In the circle, Harper is currently undefeated at 12-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 81 strikeouts, while Davis has a team-low ERA of 1.59 to go along with a 11-4 record and a 84 strikeouts.

UAB owns a 3-0 all-time record against Murray State, with all three meetings taking place in Birmingham. The Blazers kicked off the series in 2011 by sweeping a DH against MSU, 4-0 and 2-0. Last season, the two teams met again in Birmingham with UAB once again holding the Racers scoreless by a score of 2-0.

UAB improved to 3-3 in Conference USA last weekend by taking two out of three games from Florida Atlantic and currently stand at 13-13 overall. Caitlin Atfield finished the weekend at 5-for-10 and while despite getting just two hits on the weekend, Megan McGrath made them count as each was a home run. Leigh Streetman won both games for UAB last weekend, allowing just four earned runs over 14.0 innings with nine strikeouts.

Atfield is the currently leading batter for the Blazers, clocking in at .418 on the year, while twins Kristen and Megan McGrath follow at .384 and .282, respectively. Streetman has assumed the majority of the pitching duties for UAB this year and is currently 11-6. Thus far on the season, she has a 1.52 ERA, has limited opponents to a .210 average and has fanned 111 batters, the 26th highest total in Division I softball.

Live stats and pay-per-view live video will be available for all three games, with links posted at the top of this page and at GoRacers.com.

Murray State University Athletics

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