By Ted McCoart, Athletic Media Relations
BOX SCORE: (Game 1) (Game 2)
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KENNESAW, G.a. –  Morehead State Softball split games with Florida A&M Friday afternoon at the Bobbie Bailey Memorial Tournament, hosted by Kennesaw State.
Senior pitcher
Chelsea McManaway fanned a season-high 14 batters in the first game, a victory, and her fifth win (5-1) in the pitchers' circle.
Eight errors ultimately doomed the Eagles in game two against the Lady Rattlers.
The Eagles now sit at 7-3 overall for the 2018 campaign.
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MOREHEAD STATE 4, FLORIDA A&M 2
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Pitching ruled the day, but the Eagles' bats deserve the assist as they tallied nine hits, including a home-run shot off the bat of freshman
Kalle Coleman.
The Eagle offense got things going early in the first when freshman
Paige Scruggs doubled into left field, scoring senior
Taylor Wheeler. Scruggs finished the game 2-for-3 from the plate with one RBI.
Coleman launched a solo shot in the fourth inning to give Morehead State a two-run advantage. The home run was Coleman's second of the season.
Wheeler wrapped up the Eagles' scoring in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run single with two outs to plate
Allison Davis and
Aubrey Bennett.
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McManaway was having a no-hit day until the Lady Rattlers finally got on base with a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning. The following FAMU batter connected on a pitch for a two-run home run, but McManaway was able to halt the comeback by getting the final out via strikeout.
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FLORIDA A&M 6, MORHEAD STATE 5
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The Eagles had their backs against the wall in the final inning, trailing by two runs (5-3), when senior
Robyn Leighton stepped to the plate and tied the game up at five apiece with a two-run single.
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In the bottom half of the seventh Morehead State's eighth error allowed a Lady Rattler to move to second base before being batted in on a single by the very next FAMU hitter.
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junior
Allison Rager, senior
Kylie Holton, Bennett and Leighton accounted for four of the Eagles' six hits, while Scruggs batted 2-for-3.
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Bennett and Rager each had one RBI apiece, while Leighton led the way with her two RBI in the seventh.
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Rager absorbed the loss (2-2) for the Eagles. She did tally six strikeouts in the effort.
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NEXT UP
Morehead State will continue play in the Bobbie Bailey Memorial Tournament Saturday afternoon with games against Big Ten Conference member Rutgers at 2:30 p.m. ET, and tournament host Kennesaw State at 5 p.m.
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