Gamecocks Top Racers Twice In Jacksonville

Saturday, April 1

Jacksonville, Ala.

1 p.m.

Murray State

25-11, 2-2

Jacksonville State

24-9, 4-1

Murray St.

Jacksonville St.

Photo by: Patti Twaddle

4/1/2017 7:55:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 GAME ONE BOX SCORE (PDF)GAME TWO BOX SCORE (PDF)SEASON STATS (PDF)

The Murray State softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader to Jacksonville State, 7-3 and 10-6, Saturday at University Field in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Game 1 – Jacksonville St. 7, Murray St. 3
Murray State got off to a hot start in game one when Brenna Finck dew a four-pitch walk, followed by a bunt single from Kaylee Ranburger to begin the contest. The duo advanced one base each in the next at bat on a wild pitch to put them in scoring position for Jocelynn Rodgers. Rodgers would go on to strikeout to Jacksonville State pitcher Whitney Gillespie, but a passed ball would allow Rodgers to reach first and Finck to score, giving the Racers an early 1-0 lead.

In the second, the Gamecocks took a 3-1 lead on a home run by Leila Chambers, after Taylor Sloan singled and Hayley Sims got on board as a result of an error earlier in the frame. Jacksonville State then turned to small ball to extend its lead in the third and the fifth with two runs in each inning. Jax State was able to plate the runs using a combination of singles, fielder's choices, RBI-ground outs and errors by Murray State.

After having chances in previous innings, the Racers finally cut the deficit to 7-3 in the sixth on a pinch-hit home run by Madison Culver that also scored Kristen Bialek, who reached on a double earlier in the frame. Bialek's and Culver's runs in the sixth represent the first earned runs allowed by JSU's Gillespie in OVC play in 46.2 innings, dating back to April 23, 2016. However, the Racers would be unable to score any further runs in the game from that point and fell, 7-3.

Despite allowing 10 hits, the Racers scratched out seven themselves but had trouble scoring as they stranded nine runners on the day. Seven different Racers tallied hits in the game with Bialek and Jessica Twaddle being the only two MSU players to reach safely twice in the opener, as each drew a walk in addition to their hit.

Whitney Gillespie (12-4) picked up the win in the circle for JSU by allowing two earned runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and three walks. Meanwhile, Mason Robinson (17-6) took the loss for Murray State by giving up four earned runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

Game 2 – Jacksonville St. 10, Murray St. 6
In the finale, Brenna Finck and Kaylee Ranburger got MSU off to another good start with singles to begin the game. Three batters later, Finck came home and gave the Racers an early 1-0 lead thanks to a single down the left field line by Madison Culver. However, JSU was able to immediately load up the bases and score on a sacrifice fly from Stephanie Lewis that scored Cadi Oliver.

Kristen Bialek started off a big second inning for Murray State with an infield single, her second hit in as many games. Erika Downey brought Bialek home in the next bat after belting one over the left field wall to make it 3-1 with her first career home run. Finck kept the momentum going in the next at bat with a single and was then brought home two batters later on a RBI-double by Jessica Twaddle that pushed the lead to 4-1.

The lead did not last long, however, as Jacksonville State began the inning with a walk and a single. Anna Chisolm then cut the lead to 4-2 with a double to the wall, just before Cadi Oliver put JSU on top, 5-4, with a three-run home run.

In the third, Leila Chambers blasted her second home run of the day, scoring three and extending the lead to 8-4. After allowing two more base runners, the Racers were able to end the inning with a double play, but not before another run crossed the plate to extend the Gamecocks' lead to 9-4.

In the sixth, Jessica Twaddle cut the lead to 9-6 by hitting her ninth home run of the year after Ranburger got on board to being the inning on a hit by pitch. In the bottom of the inning, JSU tacked on an insurance run on a sacrifice fly from Jamie McGuire to make it 10-6. Murray State would then go down in order in the top of the seventh, as JSU held on for the 10-6 win.

Despite being outscored, 10-6, Murray State outhit JSU, 12-8, in the game. However, just like in game one, the Racers had trouble plating runners in game two, stranding 11 in the finale for a total of 20 in the doubleheader.

Finck, Twaddle, Culver and Cayla Levins each had two hits in the game, with Twaddle tallying a team-high three RBIs and Finck scoring a team-high two runs, Haven Campbell took the loss for MSU to fall to 8-6 on the year after giving up five runs on four hits over 1 .1 innings. Robinson gave MSU a chance in the latter innings by giving up just one earned run on only one hit over the final four frames.
MSU will return to action next weekend with doubleheaders against UT Martin and Southeast Missouri on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.