Racers Endure Pair of Defeats at Tiger Classic

Sunday, March 17

Memphis, Tenn.

11:15 a.m.

Murray State

10-14

Maine

3-12

Murray State

Maine

Photo by: Curt Hart

3/18/2019 12:38:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score (PDF)

Murray State softball would play two games in the final day of the Tiger Classic in Memphis, Tennessee on Sunday afternoon. Beginning with an 11:15 a.m. meeting with Maine, the Racers would fall to the Black Bears 6-5 in their second extra-inning contest of the tournament, before coming up short against Memphis in a 9-5 ballgame to close the five-game weekend.

Game 1: Maine 6, Murray State 5:
The Racers would take on the University of Maine in the first game of the day, looking to bounce back from an extra-innings defeat to North Alabama the day before. As the designated visiting team on the scoreboard, the Racers would plate the first run of the game in the top of the second inning when Logan Braundmeier laced an RBI-single to left field to score Madison Culver. Braundmeier would later come around to score with one out in the inning after Denise Teague reached base on an error, giving the Racers a two-run lead to begin the home half of the second.

With the Racers holding a 2-0 lead entering the bottom half, the Black Bears would retaliate with a pair of runs of their own. Hailey Perry began the inning with a leadoff single, followed by a Keely Clark two-run home run to left field, knotting the game at two runs apiece through the end of two action-packed innings.

Following a 1-2-3 third from the Racers, the Black Bears would put a runner in scoring position in the home half after a leadoff triple from Grace McGouldrick. Amber Van Duyse would take over in the circle for Murray State, and would escape the inning unscathed after the Racers turned a one-out, 4-6-3 double play to keep the score tied at 2-2 through three innings of play.

The score would remain unchanged until the top of the sixth, when the Racers regained the lead on a fielder's choice that scored Sierra Gilmore after she drew a walk to begin the inning. Madison Culver would also come around to score in the Racer half, crossing the plate on a play that started with a Logan Braundmeier single to extend the Racer lead to 4-2.

Trailing by a pair of runs entering the home half of the sixth, Maine would continue the scoring dialogue after the first three Black Bear batters would reach base in the bottom of the inning. Generating a pair of runs, the game would be tied once again, this time at 4-4 as the contest approached the seventh inning.

Pitchers prevailed in the seventh for both sides as they blanked the opposition, forcing extra innings in what would become the second extra-inning battle of the weekend for the Racers.

Sierra Gilmore reached base on a leadoff single to third in the Racer half of the eighth, before Lexi Jones collected a hit of her own. With a pair of Murray State runners on the base paths, the Racers created a promising opportunity to capture the lead in extra innings. Madison Culver would take care of the rest, driving in Gilmore to plate the go-ahead run by way of a groundball to second base.

Now leading by a run to begin the Black Bear half of the inning, the Racers would retire the first batter of the frame, but surrender a full-count solo home run to Alyssa Derrick to even the game at 5-5 through eight innings of play.

The Racers would fail to reach base in the ninth, leaving the door open for Maine, who now needed just a single score to win the ballgame. After a leadoff double from Meghan Royle put a runner in scoring position with nobody out, she would advance to third after a sacrifice bunt left the winning run 60 feet away with one gone in the home half. McGouldrick would be the next batter for Maine, who flew out on a 1-1 pitch to left field, but the ball would be deep enough to score the run from third, sealing a 6-5 victory for the Black Bears.

Sierra Gilmore (2-3, 2 R) and Logan Braundmeier (2-4, RBI, R) fueled a Racer offense that collected seven hits in the extra-inning defeat.

Game 2: Memphis 9, Murray State 5:
Facing the tournament hosts in their fifth and final game of the weekend, Murray State would find themselves chasing the Tigers after Memphis produced three scores on four hits in the bottom of the second inning.

In the following frame, Memphis would follow with another pair of runs, this time by way of a two-run home run from Ryleigh Aungst to expand the Tiger lead to 5-0 through three innings of play.

Facing a deficit early in the competition, the Racers would have life in the fourth when Lillie Goetz doubled to left center with one out, putting a runner in scoring position for Murray State. With Lexi Jones stepping to the plate as the next Racer batter, she would clear the bases with her third home run of the season, sending a 2-0 delivery over the wall in left to pull the Racers within three. They would trail 5-2 through their half of the fourth.

After both sides followed with scoreless half innings, the Racer comeback effort would become more difficult when the Tigers tacked on another run in the fifth with an RBI double from Ashley Threatt, giving her side a 6-2 advantage with two innings left to play.

The resilient Racers would not go away, however, answering in a big way after Sierra Gilmore and Lillie Goetz both reached base with one out in the following frame. Stepping in with a home run to her name already, Lexi Jones would prove that she was in the zone, launching a first-pitch offering over the wall in left center to score three runs on her second round-tripper of the afternoon. Cutting the Memphis lead to a single run, the Racers would have the momentum in a 6-5 ballgame entering the home half of the sixth.

After falling to the Racers in their meeting on opening day of the tournament, Memphis would make sure they would not endure a repeat result, answering in the bottom half of the inning after a pair of errors contributed to a three-run inning for the Tigers.

Unable to plate another run in the final frame, the Racers would fall to Memphis 9-5 in their last game of the Tiger Classic in Memphis, Tennessee.

Lexi Jones turned in a remarkable performance at the plate for Murray State, going 2-3 while belting a pair of home runs to drive in all five Racer runs.

Murray State will be back in action on Friday with a doubleheader in Charleston, Illinois, taking on Eastern Illinois in their first Ohio Valley Conference competitions of 2019.