Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Southeast Missouri
Players Mentioned
Racers Host SEMO Sunday, DH With UTM Moved To Monday
4/6/2018 3:20:00 PM | Softball
Date & Time: Apr. 8 (1 p.m. DH) & Apr. 9 (4 p.m. DH)
Opponent: Southeast Missouri & UT Martin
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (Racer Field)
Video: OVCDigitalNetwork.com
Audio: None
Live Stats: GoRacersLive.com
MUR Record (Streak): 10-22, 0-4 OVC (Won 1)
SEMO Record (Streak): 19-12, 3-1 OVC (Lost 1)
UTM Record (Streak): 17-20, 2-4 OVC (Won 1)
All-Time Series vs. SEMO (Streak): MSU leads 15-7 (Won 3)
All-Time Series vs. UTM (Streak): UTM leads 14-13 (Lost 1)
MSU Next Games: Apr. 11 vs. Southern Ill. (4 p.m.)
MSU Next Home: Apr. 11 vs. Southern Ill. (4 p.m.)
The Game
Due to anticipated inclement weather this weekend, the Murray State softball team will play slightly altered schedule this weekend. The Racers will play Southeast Missouri in a doubleheader at 1 p.m., as scheduled, while Saturday's doubleheader with UT Martin has been moved to Monday at 4 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Racers used six runs in the fifth inning of Wednesday's game to rally past Western Kentucky, 10-6. Lexi Jones went 2-for-2 in the game with a run, two RBIs and two walks, while Brenna Finck and Sierra Gilmore also had two hits each. Amber Van Duyse got the complete game win in the circle with four earned runs and three strikeouts over seven innings. The win put an end to eight-game skid by the Racers and moved MSU to 3-8 all-time against WKU.
The Southeast Missouri Series
The Racers will enter Sunday on a three-game win streak in the series and now lead Southeast Missouri 15-7 all-time. Murray State is also 9-2 all-time against the Redhawks in Murray, having won the last four meetings, and have never lost to them at Racer Field, where they are 3-0.
Scouting The Redhawks
After falling in a midweek game at Southern Illinois, Southeast Missouri is now 19-12 and 3-1 in the OVC. Mykael Arellanes, Abby Tillotson and Rachel Anderson are all batting over .200 for SEMO this year with Arellanes leading the way at .360 and Tillotson following at .342 and .330, respectively. As a team, the Redhawks are batting .268, while opponents are hitting .270. In the circle, SEMO has a 3.73 staff ERA and are led by Madeline Krumrey who is 10-3 with a 3.61 ERA, 61 strikeouts, 28 walks and an opponent's batting average of .268.
The UT Martin Series
With a win in the last game in Martin last season, the Skyhawks snapped a seven-game winning streak in the series by the Racers to retake the overall series lead at 14-13. Since Kara Amundson took over as skipper in 2013, the Racers have won 10 of the 15 meetings with UT Martin and are now 4-4 all-time in the series in Murray and 2-2 at Racer Field.
Scouting The Skyhawks
With a .330 average, senior Jodie Duncan leads the Skyhawks this season, who will enter the weekend at 19-20 overall and 2-4 in the OVC. Ali Fulcher has been the power hitter for UT Martin this year as she has a team high 20 RBIs and five home runs. As a team, the Skyhawks are hitting .265 and allowing 2.75 earned runs per game, while opponents are hitting .271 against them. Caitlin Karo and Hannah Ridolfi have split the bulk of the time in the circle for UTM this season with Karo standing at 10-7 with a 2.14 ERA and Ridolfi at 7-10 with a 2.45 ERA.
Weather Forecast
After possible snow on Saturday, there will some sun Sunday, despite a high of just 48. In addition to winds of the east northeast at 6-9 mph there will be a 25-percent chance precipitation. On Monday, temps will be considerably warmer, with highs in the low 60s, and the winds will be a touch lighter, coming out of the west northwest at 5-8 mph.
Streaking
With two hits Wednesday, Brenna Finck extended both her hitting streak and reached base streak to team season-highs. Finck has now tallied a hit in seven straight games and reached base safely in eight.
Battling Back
Wednesday's win marked just the second time this season that Murray State has won a game after trailing four innings. The three-run deficit faced by the Racers is also tied for the largest overcome this season.
Free For All
Currently, Sunday's and Monday's games are scheduled to be broadcast on OVCDigitalNetwork.com. As always, all games broadcast on the OVCDN are free of charge. Please note that coverage is subject to change without notice due to weather conditions.
OK, What's Next?
Murray State will close out an eight-game home stand Wednesday with non-conference single game against Southern Illinois at 4 p.m.
