Racers Rally Again; Take Down Top Seed JSU

Thursday, May 8

Jacksonville, Ala.

3 p.m.

Murray State

32-22

Jacksonville State

40-14

Jacksonville State

Murray State

Photo by: Matt Reynolds - Jacksonville State Athletics

5/8/2014 6:17:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

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For the second time in as many days, Murray State came from behind to top Jacksonville State, 5-4 at the 2014 OVC Softball Championship at University Field in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Jacksonville State (40-13) needed just four pitches to get on the scoreboard, as Ella Dennes went yard for the eighth time this season to give her team the early 1-0 lead. In the second, Dennes made it 2-0 with a double to the wall that scored Stephanie Lewis for her second hit and RBI of the afternoon. The hits kept coming for the Gamecocks in the third, when Sarah Borders blasted JSU's second long ball to extend the lead to 3-0.

In the bottom of the third, Murray State (31-22) finally got its offense going when Mo Ramsey hit a single to left center with two outs on the board. Alexa Becker followed Ramsey with a single of her own, before both moved up a base on the throw. After Leslie Bridges loaded the bases with a walk, Jessica Twaddle brought Ramsey and Becker home with a double to left center that cut the lead to 3-2.

The runs in the third put an end to 58.1 consecutive scoreless innings by JSU pitcher Tiffany Harbin. The streak, which dated back to April 6, began after she gave up three earned runs to the Racers in a loss in Murray.

In the top of the sixth, Dennes continued to be a thorn in Murray State's side by belting her fourth hit and third double of the day to score Casey Akenberger and push Jax State's lead to 4-2. In the bottom of the frame, however, Murray State answered with a home run by Casey Castile that also scored Twaddle, who led off the inning with a single, to tie the game at four.

The Gamecocks looked poised to score in the top of the seventh after they loaded the bases with back-to-back singles from Amanda Maldonado and Hayden Crawford and a walk by Kalee Tabor. Just when it looked like Stephanie Lewis' hard hit ball to left field would score at least two runners, Cayla Levins made a huge diving catch to end the inning and give MSU a chance at the win.

In the bottom of the seventh, Shelbey Miller kicked things off by beating out the throw from second base with her first hit of the day. Ramsey joined Miller after a 10-pitch at-bat that began at 0-2 and ended in a base on balls. Becker them moved both runners into scoring position by laying down a perfect sacrifice bunt.

With runners at second and third, Leslie Bridges quickly dropped to a 0-2 count but stayed alive with two balls and four foul-offs. With her back against the wall, Bridges dug deep and put the ball in play, allowing Miller to score for the 5-4 walk-off win.

The win marked the second straight day in which Murray State completed a dramatic, late-inning rally. The Racers battled back from 6-1 in the sixth inning to top Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday. The win also represents the second consecutive year in which MSU has won its first two tournament games and beaten the top-seeded host on its own field.

Twaddle finished the day at 2-for-2 with a run, two RBIs and a walk, while Becker also went 2-for-2 with a hit by pitch and a run. For JSU, Dennes was a perfect 4-for-4 on the afternoon with a run, three RBIs, three double and a home run.

CheyAnne Gaskey notched her second win of the tournament to improve to 15-12 on the season by allowing just one run on seven hits with two walks and strikeouts. Harbin (18-7) suffered her first loss in her last 10 appearances by allowing five runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

The Racers are now just one win away from reaching their first OVC championship game in program history. On Thursday, MSU will try to move one step closer to an NCAA berth when it takes on the two-seed, SIU Edwardsville, at 3 p.m.