Home Run Frenzy Leads to Split with SEMO

Monday, April 15

Cape Girardeau, Mo.

2 p.m

Murray State

0, 0

Southeast Missouri

0, 0

Murray State

Southeast Missouri

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

4/15/2019 10:22:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score Game 1 (PDF)Box Score Game 2 (PDF)

Taking on the Redhawks of Southeast Missouri State in their third consecutive doubleheader on the road, Murray State softball traveled to Cape Girardeau, Missouri for a pair of Ohio Valley Conference contests on Monday afternoon. The two games, originally scheduled for Sunday, were moved to Monday after inclement weather rolled through the area on the original date of play. After an 8-4 victory in game one, the Racers would fall 9-1 in the second competition as Murray State would split with SEMO in a doubleheader that saw 10 home runs between the two sides on the day.

Game 1 – Murray State 8, SEMO 4:
Game one of the day would feature plenty of action in the opening stages as both sides would put up runs in the first inning of the ballgame. The Racers would score first in the top of the opening frame when Jensen Striegel scored from second base on a Redhawk throwing error. SEMO would throw over to first in an attempt to retire Sierra Gilmore on a ground ball to the shortstop, but the ball would sail over the head of the first baseman as the Racers would capture a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

SEMO would retaliate in the bottom of the inning with one better, plating a pair of runs to take a 2-1 lead through one inning of play. Both runs would come with one swing of the bat as Kaylee Anderson gave her side the lead with a two-run home run to center field.

As Hannah James dealt against Haley Thogmartin in the circle, game one would feature two of the top pitchers in the OVC. After both sides exchanged some runs in the opening frame, the two pitchers would settle in to record 1-2-3 second innings as the Redhawks would cling to a one-run lead through two innings of play.

After two quick outs to begin the third frame for Murray State, Lillie Goetz would change the dynamic of the contest when she hit a laser over the wall in right center. With the game now even at two runs apiece, her fourth home run of the year would suggest a thrilling competition between two of the best teams in the Ohio Valley Conference so far in 2019.

James would record all three outs by way of strikeouts in the third, while she would also retire the side in order in the fourth before the Racers could score the game's next run in the top of the fifth frame.

Lexi Jones would get things going for Murray State after she reached base with a leadoff single to begin the inning. Brenna Finck would move the runner 60 feet after laying down a bunt to put the go-ahead run in scoring position for the Racers. Jensen Striegel followed with a base hit as the next Racer batter, but the one-out single would not be deep enough to score the runner from second as Kristen Bialek, who entered to run for Jones, moved up to third with one down in the inning. Striegel would go on to steal second and, after SEMO elected to intentionally walk Lillie Goetz to load the bases, Sierra Gilmore would drive in the go-ahead run with a base hit to left field. An unfortunate line drive double play would end the Racer inning in the next at-bat, but not before Murray State could reclaim the lead with a 3-2 advantage on the scoreboard through the top of the fifth.

As the game had gone back and forth to this point, it would only be fitting that the Redhawks would answer in the bottom of the inning, and they did so when Parker Bandy sent a one-out offering over the wall in center field to knot the game at three runs apiece.

The scoring dialogue would continue in the following inning, however, when Lindsey Carroll put herself in scoring position with a leadoff double to open the frame. After Carroll would advance to third on a fielding error later in the inning, Lexi Jones delivered in a high-pressure situation with a single back up the middle to score Carroll and give her side a 4-3 lead through the Racer half of the sixth.

After issuing a leadoff walk, James would record three straight outs to blank the Redhawks in the sixth, as the contest would enter the final inning of play with the Racers clinging to a one-run lead.

With two outs and the bases loaded for Murray State in the top of the seventh, Logan Braundmeier would deliver the dagger when she cleared the bases with her first career grand slam. The bases-loaded blast gave the Racers an 8-3 lead as the game entered the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Redhawks would get one back in the home half, but Hannah James secured the victory in the circle as the Racers prevailed with an 8-4 victory in game one of the OVC doubleheader against SEMO.

Lexi Jones was one of three Murray State batters to collect two hits in the game, while Lillie Goetz and Logan Braundmeier each homered in their multi-hit performances. The Braundmeier grand slam became the 20^th in program history as she led the Racers with a double, home run, and four RBI in the game one victory.

Hannah James improved to 11-9 in the circle as she earned the win in her 11^th complete game outing of 2019.

Game 2 – SEMO 9, Murray State 1:
Game two would be a drastically different story for the Racers, as they would chase the Redhawks on the scoreboard from the opening frame. SEMO would put up the first score of the game on an Ashley Ellis one-run single that scored Claudia Gallo, who reached on a double earlier in the inning. Building on the first run of the game, Kaylee Anderson stepped in as the next Redhawk batter, and put up two more runs with one swing of the bat as she lifted a two-out delivery over the wall in center field.

The game would not see its next run until the bottom of the third inning, when SEMO expanded on their three-run lead by plating three more. Gallo hit a solo shot to right field, while Ellis would belt a two-run home run of her own later in the frame to put the Redhawks in front with a score of 6-0.

The round-trippers would continue to plague the Racers, as Parker Bandy would homer in the fourth for SEMO, as the Redhawks would own a 7-0 advantage through the end of four innings of play.

The Racers would put up their first and only run of game two in the following inning, when Lexi Jones capped an outstanding day at the plate with a solo home run to left field. The lone run would be the extent of the Racer offense, however, as they would still trail SEMO 7-1 through the top of the fifth inning.

Game two would come to a close earlier than expected after a two-run single in the home half of the fifth from Chelsy Pena ended the contest with a final score of 9-1 in favor of the Redhawks.
Lexi Jones (2-2, HR, RBI) would be responsible for the only two hits for the Racers in the second game of the afternoon.

In the only OVC action on the day, the split with SEMO would be enough to keep the Racers in the top spot in the conference standings as they now sit at 11-3 against conference opponents on the year.

At 21-20 overall, the Racers will bring their eight-game road trip to a close in their next time out on Friday as they take on Jacksonville State in a doubleheader in Jacksonville, Alabama.