Racers Earn Split in Return to Racer Field

Sunday, March 10

Racer Field

2:30 p.m.

Murray State

6-11

UNI

8-8

Northern Iowa

Murray St.

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

3/11/2019 1:46:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery

Murray State softball made their first home appearance of 2019 at the Racer Classic on Sunday afternoon. The Racers broke even in their first day back at Racer Field, pairing a 10-7 extra-innings loss to Northern Iowa with a 4-1 victory over the Bulldogs of Samford University.

Game 1 – Northern Iowa 10, Murray State 7:
The Racers came out firing on all cylinders as they earned the first two runs of the ballgame. Madison Culver drove in Brenna Finck in the opening frame, while Abby Shoulders knocked in Sierra Gilmore in the second as Murray State jumped out to a 2-0 lead through the end of second inning.

Holding a two run lead, the momentum would shift in the Panther's direction when Sammey Bunch gave her side the lead with a three run blast to center field. Feeding off the newfound energy, UNI would tack on two more in their half to capture a 5-2 lead through the top of the third inning.

Tremendous pitching from both sides in the middle innings meant the score would remain unchanged until the Racer half of the fifth. After a leadoff single from Finck, Jensen Striegel singled to put two Racer runners on the base paths for Lillie Goetz. Looking to chip away at the Panther lead, Goetz got it all back with one swing of the bat, belting her third home run of the season – a three run shot over the wall in right center, meaning a fresh ballgame with the score tied at five apiece.

With an opportunity to take the lead in the home half of the sixth, the Racers were unable to push across the go-ahead score after putting runners on second and third with just one out.

In the seventh, the Panthers produced a single tally on the scoreboard after Courtney Krodinger drove in Sammey Bunch to claim a one run lead with Murray State down to their final three outs.

Wasting no time in response, the Racers began their turn with back-to-back doubles from Goetz and Culver to even the game at 6-6 with no outs in the home half. With the winning run on second, the Racers would find themselves 60 feet away from a victory after the runner would advance to third on a ground ball from Logan Braundmeier during the next sequence. Murray State could almost smell the walk-off victory, but it would not be in the cards as the runner would be stranded on third. With the score still even, the game would need extra innings to determine a winner.

After a scoreless eighth from the Panthers, Murray State would start their opportunity by advancing a runner to third after the international tie breaker procedure put a runner on second to begin extra innings. Unfortunately, the third time was not the charm for the Racers, as they stranded a runner at the final turn for the third consecutive inning.

UNI would proceed to score their placed runner in their half of the ninth, but would also post an additional three runs by way of a Courtney Krodinger home run to make it a 10-6 game with the Racers due up in the home half. Murray State would get one run back when a Madison Culver single scored Brenna Finck with two outs, but the Racer rally would end there – falling 10-7 to the Panthers of Northern Iowa.

Lillie Goetz (3-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) led the Racers offensively, while Madison Culver (2-4, 2B, 3 RBI) turned in another solid performance at the plate while accounting for the other Racer extra-base hit.

Game 2 - Murray State 4, Samford 1:
Making her first appearance in a Racer uniform, Taylor Makowsky got the ball in the circle for the Racers in their second game of the Racer Classic. Finding her rhythm early on, she cruised through her first two innings of work, striking out four of the first six batters she faced.

Abby Shoulders would get the Racers on the board with a two-RBI double to left center, giving Murray State a 2-0 lead through the end of two innings of action.

In the following inning, Sierra Gilmore would go on to widen the Racer margin, crushing a two-out delivery to record her first round-tripper of 2019. Murray State would have a 3-0 cushion through the end of three.

Makowsky would continue her fabulous outing in the circle, holding a shutout until the fifth inning when the Bulldogs put up a single run as Timberlyn Shurbutt scored from third on a wild pitch. The Racers maintained a 3-1 advantage through the visiting half of the fifth, but Samford would put the pressure on once again in the following inning.

The Bulldogs put the go-ahead run on first after they loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth, but Makowsky would once again work out of danger, blanking the opposition to maintain a 3-1 lead.

Still leading by a pair of scores, the Racers would pick up an insurance run when Logan Braundmeier drove in Lindsey Carroll with a one out, RBI single in the sixth to make it 4-1 in favor of the Racers.

Makowsky would work a 1-2-3 seventh inning to secure the victory for the Racers, earning her first win in a Murray State uniform. Her final line would feature nine strikeouts and just a single walk in a complete game effort in the 4-1 victory.

Sierra Gilmore (3-3, HR) collected three hits to spark a Racer offense that finished with 10 hits in the competition.

The Racers (7-11) will close the Racer Classic with two more games on Monday, beginning with a 1:30 p.m. meeting with the Mastodons of Purdue Fort Wayne. Following that game, Murray State will have a rematch with Samford for their fourth and final game of the tournament at Racer Field in Murray, Kentucky.