Story by Zach Scott, Staff writer
Murray State’s struggles continued as the Racers dropped their fifth game in a row on Wednesday against Southern Illinois.
Murray State (10-27) lost to Southern Illinois (21-15) 3-1 despite strong efforts at the circle from junior pitcher Grace Vaughn and senior pitcher Haven Campbell.
It was a pitcher’s duel between the Racers and Salukis through the first four innings of play. However, Southern Illinois was able to break the seal in the top of the fifth. With runners on second and third with one out in the inning, sophomore infielder Maddy Vermejan tripled to earn a 2-0 lead for the Salukis. Southern Illinois was able to tack on one more run in the inning, giving them a 3-0 lead going into the sixth.
Southern Illinois kept the Racers off the scoreboard until the sixth inning, when junior catcher Madison Culver hit an RBI single to score junior infielder Lillie Goetz. Goetz finished the day going 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored for the Racers.
Vaughn got the start in the circle Wednesday for Murray State, striking out two over five innings pitched. She ended up giving up three runs as well, all of them earned runs. Campbell came into relief and pitched two innings, striking out and walking one a piece.
Head Coach Kara Amundson said she is confident if her team is able to click in the circle and at the plate, they could be a dangerous team in the OVC.
“We get pitching one day and hitting the next,” Amundson said. “If we ever can ever put those two things together this year we’re going to be a deadly combination.”
Despite the loss, Amundson said she was pleased with Vaughn’s performance.
“Grace came out and did an awesome job to start the game for us,” Amundson said. “We’ve been giving up way too many runs in the first inning, so for her to come out and give us three scoreless innings and give her offense a chance to do something is a huge deal for us. “
The game against Southern Illinois was the Racers’ last game at Racer Field until April 28. The Racers will look to get back on track at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, when they play Tennessee Tech at Cookeville, Tennessee.
