Racers Split On Day Two at Samford

Saturday, February 14

Birmingham, Ala.

10 a.m.

Murray State

5-2

Gardner-Webb

1-5

Murray St.

Gardner-Webb

Photo by: Patti Twaddle

2/14/2015 1:47:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

After surging to a 16-0 win over Gardener Webb in game one, the Murray State softball team suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to Samford on day two of the Samford Softball Classic in Birmingham, Alabama.

Game 1 – Murray State 16, Gardner-Webb 0 (5 Inn.)
The most runs ever against a non-conference opponent began when Jessica Twaddle hit the 13^th grand slam in Murray State history, becoming the ninth player to accomplish the feat. In the second, Taylor Odom led off the frame for the Racers (5-2) with the second home run of the game and of her career to push the lead to 5-0.

In the fourth, Mallory Young began the inning with the second home run of her career to make the lead 6-0. Later in the inning, Twaddle essentially put the game away when she went yard for the second time in the game. Not only did the long ball make Twaddle the seventh player in MSU history with two home runs in the same game, but it gave her the school's single game record for RBIs with seven.

Murray State would go on to add six runs in the fifth with RBI-singles from Shelbey Miller, Alexa Becker and Kaylyn Zierke. Julia Liceaga recorded her first collegiate walk, hit, run and RBI all in the same inning when she batted twice during the fifth.

Miller finished the game at 3-for-4 with three runs and a RBI, while Becker was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs. Odom ended her day at 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, three, runs, a RBI and a walk, while Twaddle was 2-for-3 with three runs, a walk and seven RBIs.

Gardner-Webb (1-5) could not seem to find answers for CheyAnne Gaskey in the game as she gave up no runs on just one hit with and only two walks with five strikeouts over four innings of work. Haven Campbell entered the game in the fifth and allowed just one hit and no walks, while striking out the side, to share in the shutout.

Game 2 – Samford 6, Murray State 5
Murray State (5-3) was first on the board in the second game of the day when Jocelynn Rodgers tallied her fourth double of the season in the second to score Maggie Glass for the early 1-0 lead. However, Samford evened things out in the bottom of the frame when Taylor Haan scored on a single from Abbie Miranda.

In the third, Caitlin Bice took the ball deep for a home run that scored Abby Adams to give the Bulldogs (6-2) a 3-1 lead. Maggie Glass answered in the fourth for MSU when she doubled to score Alexa Becker. Glass came home two batters later on a ball that was thrown into the dugout to tie the game at three all. Later in the inning, the Racers surged ahead on a two-RBi single by Cayla Levins to give Murray State a 5-3 lead.

The scored stayed the same until the bottom of the seventh when Adams singled with two outs. In the next at bat, Bice tied the game at five with her second home run of the game. After Haan drew a walk following Bice, she was brought home soon after on a walk-off single by Callie Brister for the 6-5 Samford win.

Gaskey took the loss for Murray State allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks to fall to 1-1 on the season.

Murray State will close out play in the Samford Softball Classic on Sunday when the take on Nicholls State at 11 a.m. The Racers beat the Colonels earlier in the weekend, 4-3, on Friday evening.