Racers Sweep SIUE in Regular Season Finale

Saturday, May 4

Edwardsville, Ill.

2 P.M.

Murray State

25-25, 15-6

SIUE

15-25, 7-12

Murray St.

SIUE

Photo by: Dan Hasko

5/4/2019 10:26:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score Game 1 (PDF)Box Score Game 2 (PDF)OVC Tournament Bracket OVC Standings

The 2019 regular season schedule came to a close in style for the Murray State softball team on Saturday afternoon at Cougar Field in Edwardsville, Illinois. The Racers improved to 16-6 against Ohio Valley Conference opponents after sweeping SIUE with wins of 5-2 and 8-2 on the day. While the Racers had already clinched a spot in this year's conference tournament next week in Oxford, Alabama, the pair of victories drastically helps their positioning in the tournament bracket. With games left to be played around the OVC on Sunday, the Racers will have to wait for tomorrow's results from other contests around the conference to determine their seeding in this year's OVC Tournament.

Game 1: Murray State 5, SIUE 2:
The Racers would be the first team on the scoreboard in game one when freshman Denise Teague sent a 1-1 offering over the wall in right field with two outs in the top of the second inning. The three-run home run would be the first of her career as the Racers held a 3-0 lead after the visiting half of the second frame.

Capturing the early momentum, the Racers would strike again in the following inning when Madison Culver drove in a pair of runs with a two-out single as Murray State owned a 5-0 advantage through their half of the third.

With four strikeouts through her first three innings in the circle, Hannah James would not surrender a run until the bottom of the third, when Alana Cobb-Adams drove in a Cougar run with a ground ball to the left side.

SIUE would put up one more run in the following inning when Zoe Schaefer hit a solo shot to begin the frame, but that would be the end of the run production for the Cougars as Murray State triumphed with a final score of 5-2 in game one of the doubleheader.

Hannah James notched the win in the circle after striking out nine while allowing just two earned runs in another complete game outing for the freshman from Nicholasville, Kentucky. Additionally, she would not issue a single walk over her seven-inning shift on the afternoon.

At the dish, Madison Culver (2-3, 2 RBI, R) fueled the Racer offense in the 5-2 victory.

Game 2: Murray State 8, SIUE 2:
The Racers would explode for seven runs in the first inning of game two as they took a commanding lead in the early stages of the ballgame. 12 Racer batters would collect six hits as Murray State jumped out to a 7-0 advantage to open the competition.

Taylor Makowsky received the nod in the circle for game two, and would hold the Cougars to just one hit through the first four innings of the game.

Needing a run to keep the game alive in the fifth, SIUE would push across their first score of the ballgame when Alana Cobb-Adams advanced from third on a two-out wild pitch to make the game 8-1 in favor of the Racers.

Sammie Ofoia erased another run from the deficit when she homered in the sixth for the Cougars, but that would be the extent of the damage to the scoreboard through six innings of action.

Amber Van Duyse entered the circle to work the seventh for Murray State, retiring the side in order to secure a game two victory and a sweep of the Cougars to conclude the regular season schedule for the Racers.

Taylor Makowsky earned the win after tossing six innings with just one earned run, allowing just three hits to improve to 9-5 on the year.

At the plate, Jensen Striegel (2-4, RBI, R), Madison Culver (2-4, R), and Logan Braundmeier (2-3, 2 RBI, R) each collected two hits in the 8-2 victory.

The Racers will be back in action on Wednesday at the OVC Tournament, with details still up in the air until the final seeding is determined. Murray State finishes the regular season with a record of 26-25 overall, which includes a 16-6 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference.