Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Southeast Missouri
Racers Drop Both Ends of Saturday Doubleheader to SEMO
5/1/2021 9:58:00 PM | Softball
MSU endures a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat in game one before falling in a back-and-forth affair by a score of 7-5 in game two
Murray State softball opened its final road series of the regular season on Saturday afternoon when they traveled to Cape Girardeau for a doubleheader with the Redhawks. The Racers (19-28, 16-14) came up empty on the day, dropping a 1-0 heartbreaker in game one before falling by a score of 7-5 in game two.
Game 1 – Southeast Missouri 1, Murray State 0
The first game of the day was the textbook definition of a pitchers' duel between the #1 and #2 pitchers on the OVC's strikeout leaderboard in SEMO's Rachel Rook and Murray State's Hannah James respectively.
Both pitchers put on a dazzling display in the circle as the two teams managed just one hit apiece through six innings of action.
The Racers' best scoring chance came in the fifth when Lindsey Carroll reached on a lead-off walk and then advanced to second on Bryce Adkinson's sacrifice bunt. She reached third on a fly ball off the bat of Taylor Jackson, but was left stranded 60 feet from scoring the game's first run as the contest remained scoreless through five frames.
It would be the Redhawks who finally made the breakthrough in the home half of the seventh when Kimmy Wallen's two-out chopper fell in for a hit after deflecting off James' glove in the circle, scoring Kaylee Anderson from third to secure a Redhawk victory in walk-off fashion.
James (7-10) took the loss despite the gem of an outing as the Nicholasville, Kentucky native struck out eight over six and two-thirds innings while surrendering just three hits in the contest.
The lone Racer hit of the ballgame came courtesy of a Jensen Striegel single in the fourth.
Game 2 – Southeast Missouri 7, Murray State 5
While a sacrifice fly off the bat of SEMO's Kaylee Anderson would open the scoring in the first inning of game two, the Racers answered right back with two of their own in the top half of the second.
Logan Braundmeier opened the frame with a double and came around to score on Sierra Gilmore's RBI single to center in the following at-bat. A ground ball of the bat of Bryce Adkinson moved Braundmeier to third before Taylor Jackson's one-out sacrifice fly brought her in to score as the Racers held a 2-1 advantage through two innings of action.
The Redhawks went on to reclaim the lead with one swing of the bat in the third, however, when Ashley Ellis hit a two-out, two-run home run to put her side back on top at 3-2 after three complete.
The back-and-forth affair would continue in the Racers' next opportunity when Murray State shifted the momentum back in its favor after Jackson's RBI single scored Gilmore and Lexi Jones' run-scoring double plated Adkinson as the fourth lead change of the contest belonged to the Racers at 4-3 heading to the home half of the fourth
SEMO continued the dialogue when they provided a four-run response highlighted by a Rachel Anderson three-run home run as the Redhawks took their largest lead of the afternoon at7-4 through four complete.
An RBI double from Adkinson that scored Braundmeier brought the Racers within two in the sixth, but that would be the extent of the Murray State comeback effort as they fell by a score of 7-5 in game two.
Adkinson (2-3, 2B, RBI, R) led the way offensively as the freshman from Winter Garden, Florida recorded the first multi-hit performance of her career. Braundmeier (1-2, 2B, BB, R, 2 SB) and Jones (1-3, 2B, RBI) each also doubled in the contest, while Braundmeier remained perfect on her stolen base attempts this season as she brought her total to 19 in as many attempts in 2021.
The Racers will wrap up the series against the Redhawks at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, which is an hour earlier than the originally-scheduled start time.
