Wild Comeback Leads To Softball Sweep at TTU

Sunday, April 19

Cookeville, Tenn.

1 p.m.

Murray State

26-16, 0

Tennessee Tech

26-22, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Murray St.	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	4	5	0
Tennessee Tech	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Murray St.	2	0	0	2	0	0	10	14	18	2
Tennessee Tech	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	5	6	2

Photo by: Patti Twaddle

4/19/2015 4:43:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

The Murray State softball team picked up two much need road wins Sunday, as they swept a doubleheader at Tennessee Tech to move into third in the OVC standings. The Racers picked up a 4-0 shutout win in game one and used a 10-run rally to clinch the sweep in game two, 14-5.

Alexa Becker led off game one with a single for Murray State (26-16, 13-7 OVC) and was replaced by Mo Ramsey on a fielder's choice in the next at bat. Jessica Twaddle, then wasted little time in getting the Racers on the board with a home run to give her team a 2-0 lead. In the third, Twaddle made it 3-0 with a bunt single to score Erica Howard, who reached on a walk.

The two teams remained scoreless for the next three and a half innings, with Murray State tallying just one hit over that span, while Tennessee Tech (26-22, 13-7 OVC) came up with three. However, in the top of the seventh, Maggie Glass padded Murray State's lead with a solo home run to lead off the frame, increasing the score to 4-0.

The Golden Eagles started off hot in the top of the seventh, getting runners into scoring position on a hit by pitch and a single. CheyAnne Gaskey, however, stepped up for Murray State and retired the next three batters to preserve the 4-0 shutout win. Gaskey (14-8) picked up her fourth shutout of the season by allowing no runs on five hits with six strikeouts and just two walks.

Twaddle led the Racers in the contest by going for 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a home run, while Alexa Becker followed at 2-for-4. Erica Howard also had a great day for Murray State as she was officially 0-for-0, but walked in each of her three plate appearances and also scored a run.

In game two, Murray State once again got off to a hot start in the first by loading the bases on a Mo Ramsey single, a Jessica Twaddle double and walk by Shelbey Miller. Jocelynn Rodgers then scored Ramsey on a single, which was followed by a sacrifice fly from Maggie Glass to score Twaddle and give the Racers a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth, MSU continued its display of power when Taylor Odom made it 4-0 on her third home run of the season, after Glass walked earlier in the stanza. In the bottom of the sixth, with runners at the corners the game went into an 83 minute rain delay. After the delay, the Golden Eagles mounted a two-out rally with a pair of singles, a triple and a MSU error to take a 5-4 lead.

In the seventh, Ramsey got the Racers started off on the right foot with a bunt single. Twaddle followed with her third hit of the game to give MSU runners at first at second with no outs. Shelbey Miller tied the game at 5-5 in the next at bat when she singled to the wall to drive in Ramsey.

Murray State then took the lead back with double from Jocelynn Rodgers to make it 7-5. Glass then followed Rodgers with her second home run of the day to make it 9-5 with no outs. Murray State would go on to score five more runs in the seventh, totaling 10 runs on 11 hits in the frame. Tech threatened in the seventh, but could not get close and MSU held on for the 14-5 win.

The 18 hits ties the program record for most in a game, while the 14 runs ranks fifth. Twaddle led MSU in game two by going a career-high 4-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs, while Ramsey was 3-for-5 with three runs and a RBI and Howard was 3-for-4 with a run. Gakey moved to 15-8 with the relief win, allowing no runs on just one hit with three strikeouts over 1.1 innings.

The Racers will step away from OVC play on Tuesday for their penultimate non-conference affair, a doubleheader at Evansville. The first pitch between Murray State and the Purple Aces at Cooper Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m.