Racers Sweep SEMO

Saturday, May 3

Cape Girardeau, Mo.

1 p.m.

Murray State

29-21, 15-8

Southeast Missouri

10-33, 2-19

Murray St.

Southeast Mo.

Photo by: Neal Head

5/3/2014 4:21:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

| G1 Box Score (PDF) | G2 Box Score (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF) |

The Murray State softball team swept a doubleheader at Southeast Missouri Saturday, 5-4 and 1-0. The win gives the Racers their second 30-win season in the brief five-year history of the program and locks them into the fourth seed at next week's OVC Tournament at Jacksonville State.

Game 1 –Murray St. 5 (29-21, 15-8), Southeast Mo. 4 (10-33, 2-19)

In game one, Southeast Missouri put the Racers behind the 8-ball early by tallying two hits and an hit by pitch with just one out. Renee Terry and Savannah Carpenter both got singles, followed by Haylee Krack loading the bases after being hit MSU's Mason Robinson. Two batters later, Chelsea Smith busted the game wide open by clearing the bases with a double to give her team the early 3-0 lead.

Murray State got its offense going in the fourth and it all began with a lead-off walk by Cayla Levins. Following Levins, Jocelynn Rodgers reached on a Redhawk error, while Erica Howard laid down a bunt single to load the bases with no outs.

Turnabout was fair play in the next at bat for MSU, as Shelbey Miller tied the game with her own base-clearing double. After Miller advanced to third on a ground out, Alexa Becker brought her home with a brilliant bunt that rolled to almost first base and stayed fair the entire time.

The Racers added an insurance run in the sixth with a triple from Becker that scored Mo Ramsey, who reached in the previous at bat with MSU's fourth bunt single of the contest. The run proved to be needed, as SEMO pulled within one in the bottom of the seventh after Meaghan Touchette walked to get on base and eventually scored on a RBI fielder's choice by Jamie Woodworth. The Redhawks, however would get no closer, as Robinson struck out her fourth batter of the outing to end the game.

Becker led Murray State in the game by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Miller accounted for the other three RBIs and went 2-for-4 with a run. Mo Ramsey also ended the day with multiple hits at 2-for-4 with a run, as did Erica Howard who was 2-for-3.

Robinson moved to 11-8 on the season with the win, after allowing three earned runs on six hits with only one walk. Hannah Durham took the loss for SEMO and fell to 2-11 by giving up four earned runs on five hits with four walks and no strikeouts.

Game 2 – Murray St. 1 (30-21, 16-8), Southeast Mo. 0 (10-34, 2-20)

Game two was a pitcher's duel between Murray State's CheyAnne Gaksey and Southeast Missouri's Keaira Schilling for most of the contest. Neither team scored in the first four innings, despite MSU stranding five runners, including three in the first, and SEMO leaving four.

However, Murray State finally broke through in the fifth and it started with a lead-off double from Erica Howard. She then moved to second on a Redhawk error, before being sacrificed to third by Mo Ramsey.

With two outs, SEMO catcher Chelsea Smith let a pitch get by her, allowing Howard to score and break the deadlock. Howard's run went on to be the only one of the game, as MSU held on for the 1-0 win

Gaskey posted her third shutout of the season in the contest by throwing seven scoreless innings. She allowed just three hits in the contest with five strikeouts and just two walks. Miller and Ramsey also had successful outings in game two, as each went 2-for-4.

On Sunday, Murray State will play its final game of the 2014 regular season when it closes out the three-game series against the Redhawks in Cape Girardeau.