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HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — Morehead State softball used the long ball and got some help from Marshall’s defensive mistakes Tuesday as the Eagles handed the host Thundering Herd a 9-1 defeat in six innings at Dot Hicks Field.
MSU (18-27) extended its winning streak to six games, and has now won five straight via the run-rule. Marshall fell to 15-28.
MSU hit a pair of two-run homers and took advantage of four ‘Herd errors to pick up the victory.
Ashley Imperial (7-13) pitched a complete-game for the Eagles and only allowed six hits and the one run. Andi Williamson (5-10) was knocked out in the first inning to take the loss.
The Eagles lit the inning-by-inning portion of the scoreboard first. Kayla Brill drew a two-out walk, and Rebecca Butler ripped her 14th double of the year off the wall in center field to push Brill across and extend her hitting streak to 19 games. Kayla Ashbrook followed with a towering two-run home run – her eighth of the year – to left field.
Marshall answered in the bottom half of the inning. Rebecca Gamby hit a two-out double and scored on Alysia Hively’s single up the middle.
Marshall threatened in the bottom of the fifth. Jessica Hughes led off with an infield single. Aliana Telles blooped a single into center field, but MSU’s Elizabeth Wagner threw out Hughes trying to advance to third. Telles went to second, but Imperial coaxed a grounder back to herself to end the threat.
The Eagles added to their lead in the top of the sixth as Stephanie Etter drilled her fifth home run of the year to left field to also score Amber Riddle and make it 5-1. With the bases loaded later in the inning, Brill legged out an infield hit and Samm Sparks scored. The bases remained loaded and Butler’s grounder to short went through Telles’ legs and all the way to the fence in left field as Sam Woodall, Wagner and Brill all scored to push the score to 9-1.
MSU finished with seven hits as Woodall paced the team with two.
MSU will be back to OVC action this weekend when it travels to Tennessee Tech. Because of the Easter holiday on Sunday, the series will begin on Friday with a doubleheader at 2 p.m. EDT. The series’ final is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. EDT.
