North Alabama's Seventh Inning Spoils Return to Racer Field

Tuesday, April 23

Racer Field

4 P.M.

Murray State

21-23

North Alabama

21-17

North Alabama

Murray St.

Photo by: Parker Griffith-Murray State Athletics

North Alabama's Seventh Inning Spoils Return to Racer Field

4/23/2019 8:11:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Murray State softball returned to Racer Field after eight games on the road to take on North Alabama on Tuesday afternoon. A four-run seventh inning from UNA would be the deciding factor in a non-conference battle that saw the Racers fall 5-4 on a gorgeous afternoon in Murray, Kentucky.

Hannah James would get the nod in the circle for Murray State and, after two innings of action, would have a pair of strikeouts to her credit while surrendering just a single hit. Jensen Strickland also came out to a strong start pitching for North Alabama, as the Racers would still be searching for their first of the ballgame through the end of the second frame.

North Alabama appeared to be in business in the third after a lead-off triple from Meleah Hargett, but Sierra Gilmore would field a ground ball and fire a laser to Madison Culver behind the plate in the next at-bat to cut down Hargett who attempted to score on the following play.

With the contest still scoreless through three complete, the Racers would spoil the shutout in the fourth when Sierra Gilmore laced a two-out single down the right field line to score Jensen Striegel. Through four innings of action, Murray State would hold a 1-0 lead.

James would cruise through the North Alabama lineup in the fifth, before the Racers would pick up where they left off at the plate with another massive inning offensively. Nine Murray State batters would step to the plate in the following inning as they scored three more runs, stretching their lead to 4-0 over the Lions through the end of the fifth. Denise Teague would open the scoring in the frame when she stepped to the plate with two outs in a bases-loaded situation for Murray State. The freshman from Court Lilburn, Georgia would come up big in a clutch moment when she ripped a 1-1 offering to left center for a pinch-hit single to score Lindsey Carroll from third.

Two more runs would cross the plate for the Racers when Lillie Goetz and Sierra Gilmore drew a pair of walks with the bases juiced to complete the three-run inning for Murray State.

UNA would get one of those runs back on a one-run single from Jensen Strickland, but the Racers would cling to a 4-1 lead as the contest approached its final frame.

After the first batter was retired via strikeout, the next four Lion batters in the seventh inning would reach safely as UNA would cut the lead to just two, while loading the bases with just one out in the visiting half.

Alex Brown would join the party for North Alabama when she drove in a run of her own on a fielder's choice to erase another run from their deficit, as UNA would be chasing just a single score with runners now at the corners and the visiting Lions down to their final out. After Brown stole second, Chloe Deerman would be the one to deliver a devastating base hit, when her single to right field cleared the bases and gave her side their first lead of the ballgame.

Megan Garst would enter the contest in the circle for UNA to try to close the game, and would do so by retiring the side in order as UNA spoiled Murray State's return to Racer Field.

Sierra Gilmore (1-2, 2 RBI, BB) would lead the Racers offensively, while Hannah James would take a no-decision after tossing six innings while surrendering just one earned run and striking out four UNA batters.

The Racers return to action on Friday as they host Eastern Kentucky in a pivotal Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader at Racer Field in Murray, Kentucky.