Story by Adam Redfern
Staff writer
After a winless weekend to start the season, Murray State picked up its first three wins of the season during the opening day of the Madeira Beach Invitational in Tampa Florida.
Game 1 Murray vs. Butler
Murray State picked up their first win of the season against Butler University thanks to freshman pitcher Hannah James pitching a two-hitter against the Bulldogs.
Sophomore outfielder Logan Braundmeier drove in the first runs of the game in the fourth inning when she hit a two-RBI single, scoring senior outfielder Lillie Goetz and junior utility player Kristen Bialek.
Braundmeier stayed hot at the plate in the sixth when she doubled down the infield line, scoring Goetz once again and advancing freshman utility player Lindsey Carroll. Shortly after, sophomore infielder Sierra Gilmore singled to right field, scoring Braundmeier and Carroll, leaving the Racers with a 5-0 lead.
The Bulldogs put up a goose egg against the Racers, marking their first outing without a run this season, and giving Murray State their first win.
Game 2 Murray State vs. Delaware (People live in Delaware?)
After a pitcher’s duel in the invitational opener, Murray State’s second game on the day was an offensive showcase. The Racers beat University of Delaware 16-5 thanks to a five-RBI outing by senior catcher Madison Culver.
Delaware struck first in the top of the first inning with two runs thanks to a single from freshman infielder Brooke Gladen and a sacrifice fly from junior infielder Karolina Flores.
The Racers answered with a fast start of their own when they put up three runs in the bottom of the first. Goetz doubled to left, scoring sophomore outfielder Jensen Striegel and senior infielder Brenna Fick. Junior infielder Lexi Jones followed with a double down the right field line, scoring Goetz to take a 3-2 lead.
Freshman infielder Brittney Mendoza hit a solo home run to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the second. In the bottom of the second Striegel groundout, but she scored Carroll to put the Racers back on top.
After a quiet third from Delaware, the Racers were still pumping on all cylinders on offense with a five-run bottom of the third. Gilmore, Goetz, Culver and freshman utility player Denise Teague each put up an RBI for the inning. Teague drove in two doubling down the right field line, making it 9-3 Murray State.
Delaware restarted their offense in the top of the fourth in hopes of cutting into the Racers’ lead. Senior Catcher Anna Steinmetz lined out to left, allowing freshman outfielder Hanna Garber to score. Flores earned her second RBI on the day when she doubled out to right, cutting the Racers’ lead to four heading into the bottom of the fourth.
Murray State exploded offensively in the bottom of the fourth. A single from Teague that scored Braundmeier, and two walks with the bases loaded made the score 12-5. With the bases loaded, Culver hit a grand slam capping off a seven-run inning.
The offensive output from the Racers led to a short game, giving them the 16-5 victory after five innings.
GAME 3- Murray State v. George Mason
The first game for the day was a pitcher’s duel early, but was opened up late to a 6-3 Murray State loss.
The Racers and George Mason University both had excellent days from their pitchers. Murray State’s senior pitcher Grace Vaughn started the game and gave up a run in the second with only one hit. Senior pitcher Amber Van Duyse would come in the second inning and only allow three more hits and no runs until the seventh.
George Mason’s junior pitcher had a day as well, as she didn’t allow a single Murray State run until the top of the seventh. Both teams were very quiet until the seventh inning, with the only run outside of the seventh inning coming from a double by the Patriot’s sophomore outfielder Meghan Graham.
With the Patriots leading 1-0 going into in the seventh, the Racers started a cascade of runs with a three-run inning. Freshman Lindsey Carroll scored two with a single to center field and freshman utility player Denise Teague scoring an RBI on a fielder’s choice.
When it seemed like Murray State had all the momentum, George Mason answered with their own offensive display in the bottom of the seventh. double to left by sophomore utility player Jess Curbeira scored one, a sac-fly by senior infielder Liz Seymour scored one, and to cap off the game freshman infielder EJ Bankson would hit a walkoff three-run bomb to claim a 6-3 victory for the Patriots.
GAME 4- Murray State v. South Dakota University
After suffering a walk-off loss to George Mason, the Racers picked up their second game on the day by beating South Dakota University 8-4.
The first two innings were all Murray State as senior infielder Lillie Goetz got the scoring started in the first with a one-run double. Murray State continued to apply pressure in the top of the second when they scored six runs, led by a three-run homerun by senior catcher Madison Culver. Teague, senior infielder Brenna Finck, and sophomore Jensen Striegel would all get one RBI in the second as well, giving the Racers a 7-0 edge going into the third inning.
Finck would score another run for the Racers in the top of the seventh with a single, scoring Carroll.
The South Dakota offense came alive late in the game when senior infielder Jamie Holscher decided she was going to single-handedly bring her team back to life, when she hit a three run ding-dong in the sixth and she would groundout in the seventh to earn four RBI’s on the day.
Despite the heroic efforts from Holscher, the Racers were still too much and won the game 8-4.
GAME 5- Murray State v. Ball State University
Murray State ended the Madeira Beach Invitational in Tampa, Florida, with a winning record of 4-1 when they beat Ball State 5-1.
Senior catcher Madison Culver got the offense going in the bottom of the third for the Racers when she hit an RBI single to left. After a scoreless fourth inning, senior infielder Lillie Goetz added another run in the bottom of the fifth when she hit an RBI single to right.
Ball State hada run of their own in the top of sixth thanks to the bat of junior outfielder Haley Dominique and the base running of sophomore infielder Hailey Demniakiuk.
Entering the bottom of the sixth up 2-1, Murray State expanded upon its lead. Two batters were walked with the bases loaded, followed by an RBI single from Goetz to take a 5-1 lead. Ball State went on to have an uneventful top of the seventh, giving the Racers a 5-1 victory.
The poor hitting of Ball State can be attributed to freshman pitcher Hannah James, as she gave up one run, on five hits, while striking out ten in the circle.
Murray State will play in their third tournament of the season next weekend when they travel to play in the NC State Fairfield Inn & Suites Crabtree Invitational on Feb. 22-24 with the first game starting at 9 am on Feb. 22.
