Syracuse Box Score | GSU Box Score
PANTHERSVILLE, Ga. – Morehead State softball dropped its final two games of the Georgia State First Pitch Classic Sunday, losing 9-1 to Syracuse in six innings before absorbing a 5-0 defeat against the host Panthers.
Against the Orange, MSU saw Syracuse scatter its nine runs over five separate innings, plating two each in the first, third, fifth and sixth and adding a solo tally in the fourth.
MSU starter Ashley Boyd (0-1) struck out four and surrendered seven runs in five innings of work. Kelcey McMurray finished the game in the circle ad allowed two hits and two runs.
Syracuse starter Jenna Caira (3-0) stymied MSU’s bats for the second straight day, allowing just one hit in her four innings of work to pick up the victory. MSU finished with only three hits.
“I thought we did a better today than yesterday against a top-25 caliber team,” said Bruder. “We just didn’t quite make the adjustments we needed to at the plate against the same very good pitcher who we had already seen. You know, I thought Ashley Boyd did not pitch bad. She had four strikeouts and gave up just six hits, unfortunately two of them went out of the park. The bottom line was that we just did not hit.”
The Eagles got their lone run across the plate in the fifth. Junior Sam Woodall walked and moved to second via a wild pitch. Junior catcher Courtney Rhodus pinch-hit and smashed a double to left center which moved Woodall to third base. Junior Kayla Brill lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Woodall. The Eagles had runners at second and third later in the inning before stranding them.
The Orange had eight hits, including a pair of two-run home runs.
The Eagles got three innings of no-hit pitching from junior Jami Whitcomb against Georgia State, but the Panthers had a crucial four-run third inning that broke open a 1-0 game as they allowed only five hits to the Eagle offensive lineup.
“Jami Whitcomb looked phenomonal today," said Bruder. "This was a game, quite honestly, we could have won. We had another big inning against us, and that happened in every game this weekend. We can't give up 11 hits in the first three inning and four runs in one inning against a team that won 35 games last year and expect to win. Once again, our hitters didn't come through. We had some opportunities and didn't capitalize. We know what we need to work on this week and we'll get better for next week's tournament."
Whitcomb replaced starter Ashley Imperial in the bottom of the fourth and didn’t allow a hit for the final three while striking out two. Imperial (0-2) surrendered all 11 hits and the five earned runs in the first three frames.
Georgia State had four hitters record two hits each and got a complete-game five-hitter from Kaitlyn Medlam (1-1).
Woodall, Rebecca Butler, Kayla Ashbrook, Elizabeth Wagner, and Amber Riddle each had hits for the Eagles. Riddle and Wagner were in scoring position in the seventh inning but a double play ended the potential scoring opportunity and the game.
MSU fell to 0-4 on the season.
Morehead State will look for its first win of the 2011 season next weekend at the College of Charleston Tournament. MSU opens with games against Towson and East Tennessee on Friday.
