Racers Edged By EIU In OVC Tournament Opener

Wednesday, May 10

Oxford, Ala.

3 p.m.

Murray State

35-17

Eastern Illinois

28-19

Murray St.

Eastern Ill.

Photo by: Patti Twaddle

5/10/2017 5:54:00 PM | Softball

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The fifth-seeded Murray State softball team dropped a 6-5 heartbreaker to No. 4 Eastern Illinois Wednesday in their opening game of the 2017 OVC Softball Championship at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama.

Eastern Illinois (28-19) was first on the board in the second inning on a sequence of plays that began with an error by the Racers that allowed Mady Poulter to reach base. After moving to second on a wild pitch, Poulter scored on the next play on a single down right field line from Tori Johnson. Johnson then scored a run of her own later in the inning on another Murray State miscue to make it 2-0 Panthers.

In the fourth, the Racers (35-17) found their way onto the scoreboard after Kaylee Ranburger and Jessica Twaddle got on base with a single and a fielder's choice. Jocelynn Rodgers then scored Ranburger on a double, which was followed by Twaddle and Rodgers' pinch runner, Kristen Bialek, scoring on an overthrow to home plate by Eastern Illinois, giving MSU a 3-2 lead.

The Racers increased their lead in the top of the fifth on Twaddle's 13^th home run of the season that just went over the wall down the left field line. Ranburger also scored on the play after reaching in the previous at bat on a single, increasing the lead to 5-2.

The lead did not last long however, as the Panthers turned to small ball in the bottom of the fifth to score four runs and take a 6-5 lead. EIU scored runs on a ground out, back-to-back singles and a passed ball with three of the four runs coming with two outs.

Brenna Finck singled and Twaddle walked in the top of the seventh to give Murray State a chance, but the Racers could not score and fell, 6-5.

Ranburger led MSU offensively by going 2-for-4 with two runs, while Twaddle was 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run, two runs and two RBIs. Mason Robinson (23-8) took the loss for Murray State after allowing six runs, three of which were earned, on, six hits with four strikeouts and no walks over six complete innings.

The Racers will try to stay alive in the OVC tournament Thursday when they take on the loser of Wednesday's game between No. 1 Jacksonville State and No. 8 Belmont at 5:30 p.m.