Finck Joins 200-Hit Club, Racers Drop Two in Jacksonville

Friday, April 19

Jacksonville, Ala.

1 P.M.

Murray State

21-21, 11-4

Jacksonville State

29-12, 13-4

Murray State

Jacksonville State

Photo by: Daryl Banther

Finck Joins 200-Hit Club, Racers Drop Two in Jacksonville

4/19/2019 8:22:00 PM | Softball

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

The Racers would play Jacksonville State University in an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader on a rainy Friday afternoon in Jacksonville, Alabama. In a battle between two of the top sides in the OVC, the Gamecocks would prevail in both contests, earning wins of 2-0 and 9-4 on the day. Despite the pair of defeats, Brenna Finck would join Jessica Twaddle, Shelbey Miller, and Mo Ramsey as just the fourth player in program history to collect 200 career hits, doing so with her one-out single in the third inning of game one.

Game 1: Jacksonville State 2, Murray State 0:
In a game that featured two of the OVC's best in the circle, Hannah James and Faith Sims would produce a pitchers' duel that saw just seven combined hits in part one of Friday's doubleheader.

Neither team would see a runner advance past second base until Murray State would load the bases in the bottom of the third. Brenna Finck's one-out single in the inning would be the first Racer hit of the ballgame. Lillie Goetz would later reach base on a walk, while Sierra Gilmore kept the inning alive with a single to put runners at all stations with two outs in the inning. The Racers would be unable to capitalize, however, as they would leave the bases full to conclude the visiting half.

Hannah James would then retire the JSU lineup in order, before the Racers would knock on the door again in the fourth after Lindsey Carroll drew a walk to begin the inning. Logan Braundmeier would then reach on a fielder's choice, but a throwing error would mean two Racer runners on the base paths with nobody out in the inning. Abby Shoulders moved the runners along with a sacrifice bunt, while Brenna Finck would later draw a two-out walk to load the bases once again for Murray State. Unfortunately for the Racers, Sims would manage to escape another bases-loaded situation as she recorded the final out of the inning by way of a strikeout – leaving the game scoreless entering the home half of the fourth.

A pair of base hits followed by a stolen base would put runners on second and third for the Gamecocks in the home half, before both came around to score on a two-run single from Amber Jones. Now holding a 2-0 advantage, the momentum would swing to the home team through the end of four complete innings.

With James and Sims continuing to fool batters the rest of the way, the game would not see another hit from either side as JSU would notch a 2-0 victory in the first contest of the afternoon.
Sierra Gilmore and Brenna Finck would account for the two Racer hits, while Hannah James allowed just two earned runs, while striking out five batters over her six-inning shift in the game one defeat.

Game 2: Jacksonville State 9, Murray State 4:
After the Gamecocks blanked Murray State in game one, the Racers would start the second competition in a drastically different fashion, plating a pair of runs in the first inning of action. Lillie Goetz would drive in Brenna Finck, who drew a walk to open the game, as Murray State scored the first run of the ballgame. The Racers would draw four walks in the opening frame, as Abby Shoulders collected the other RBI of the inning when her bases-loaded walk scored Goetz from third. Eight batters in the Racer lineup would get their turn at the plate in the first inning as MSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the top of the first inning of play.

In the top of the second, Lillie Goetz would once again drive in Finck, this time courtesy of a one-run triple, giving her side a 3-0 advantage after the Racer half of the inning.

The Gamecocks would retaliate with a run of their own in the second, when Amber Jones drove in Anna Chisolm from second after Chisolm opened the inning with a leadoff double. JSU would add another run in the third, before tying the game at three runs apiece when Sidney Wagnon scored Savannah Sudduth on a fielder's choice in the home half of the fourth. A two-run single from Taylor Beshears capped a three-run fourth inning for JSU, as they captured their first lead of the ballgame. 5-3 would be the score after four innings of play.

Sierra Gilmore would draw a walk to begin the fifth for Murray State, and later came around to score on an error that allowed Logan Braundmeier to reach safely for the Racers with two outs in the inning. The JSU lead would be cut to a single run through the visiting half of the fifth, as the scoreboard read 5-4 after Murray State's turn in the fifth frame.

An RBI-double from Wagnon would get the run back for Jacksonville State in the home half, while Lex Hull would collect a run-scoring double of her own in the sixth frame to extend JSU's lead to 7-4.

Amber Jones would put the exclamation point on the afternoon with a two-run home run in the following at-bat, sealing a 9-4 victory and the doubleheader sweep for the Gamecocks on a rainy afternoon at University Field.

Lillie Goetz (2-4, 2 RBI, 3B) turned in a productive day at the dish for Murray State, recording her 18^th extra-base hit of the season in the defeat.

The Racers, (21-22, 11-5 OVC) will be back in action on Tuesday in their return to Racer Field after playing eight-straight games on the road. The will host North Alabama in a single non-conference competition at 5:00 p.m. in Murray, Kentucky.