Murray State needed four pitchers in the 6-4 loss on Wednesday, March 29, in the annual Battle of the Border against Austin Peay.

Murray State’s all-time record against the Governors was 23-14 heading into Wednesday’s matchup. Austin Peay won the last matchup 4-3 on April 27, 2022.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Ava Ozment got the start for the Racers. She struggled as the Governors recorded a single, a fielder’s choice and a walk before senior infielder Gabi Apiag hit a grand slam in the first inning to give her team a comfortable early lead. 

The Racers brought in freshman right-handed pitcher Bre Haislip in to relieve Ozment following the grand slam. Ozment recorded just a third of an inning pitched. 

Austin Peay scored again in the third inning after senior outfielder Kendyl Weinzapfel hit a single to drive in a run. A sacrifice flyout from junior infielder Morgan Zuege in the same inning drove in Apiag and increased Austin Peay’s lead to 6-0.

The Racers were able to get on the board in the bottom of the third inning after freshman infielder Ailey Schyck doubled to bring freshman outfielder Jadyn Thompson home. The score was 6-1 after three innings. 

The Racers began building off the momentum, as redshirt senior infielder Lindsey Carroll stole home plate in the bottom of the fifth inning, narrowing the lead 6-2.

Carroll then hit a sacrifice flyout in the bottom of the seventh, allowing senior infielder Gracie Osbron to tag up and score from third base. 

The Racers’ luck continued, as freshman catcher Taylor Jackson struck out but made it to first base on a passed ball. Redshirt junior infielder Lily Fischer scored on the passed ball to gain even more ground on Austin Peay, but the Racers were unable to add more runs to the board and fell to the Governors 6-4. 

The Racers had a rough day at the plate, striking out 11 times. As a team, they recorded three hits, two walks, four runs and two RBIs in the loss to the Governors. 

Through seven innings, the Racers’ four pitchers combined to allow eight hits, four earned runs, six total runs and two walks, and they struck five Austin Peay batters out. 

The Racers are now 19-13 on the season. Murray State has the second-highest number of overall wins in the MVC, but they have a conference record of 4-3, which puts them in sixth place.

Murray State will have multiple opportunities to climb the standings for the rest of the season. If the Racers can catch fire against conference opponents, they could end the season as a top three seed entering the MVC Tournament. 

The Racers’ next matchup will be a conference series from Friday, March 31 to Sunday, April 2 in Des Moines, Iowa, against the Drake Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are 7-20 on the season and 0-6 against conference opponents. The first game of the series will be at 3 p.m. 

[email protected]