HAMPTON, Va. – The Morehead State Softball team surpassed its win total from a season ago as it split games on Sunday at Lady Pirates Softball Stadium. The Eagles opened the final day of the Hampton Classic by defeating Howard, 13-6, before ultimately falling to the host Lady Pirates 10-2 in six innings.
The spilt decision improved the Eagles' 2020 record to 4-8 overall, a mark of improvement after finishing their 2019 campaign with three victories.
"Our student-athletes, coaches, and staff are trusting the process," said MSU second-year head coach
Samantha Jones."I'm proud of my ladies for coming in and working hard to get better everyday. It would've been nice to win two games today but we will continue to come to work, trust the process, and those wins will come."
Morehead State returns to action on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Ohio-Chillicothe. The twin billing's first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET at VA Memorial Stadium.
The Eagles will play their first home game on March 11 as they host Dayton in a two-game set beginning 1:00 p.m. at University Field.
Morehead State Softball 2020 Schedule
MOREHEAD STATE 13, HOWARD 6 – BOX SCORE (PDF)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Junior
Alexis Strother put the Eagles on the board in the top half of the first with a two-RBI base hit that plated rookie infielder
Kirya Kingery and freshman outfielder
Madeline Gailor. Gailor got aboard with a leadoff single through the left side and advanced to third as Kingery's first plate appearance resulted in a walk.
- The Bison charged back to take the lead in the home half of the first as a leadoff double helped start a three-run frame.
- Senior infielder
Lindsay Anderson led off the second with a walk, advanced to second on an error during a fielder's choice which allowed sophomore
Maddie Kawall to reach first, and moved up to third on a sacrifice-bunt by Gailor. With Anderon and Kawall in scoring postition, the rookie Kingery turned on a two-RBI double into right field which gave MSU a 4-3 lead.
- Senior right-handed pitcher
Randi Hamilton settled in after seeing Howard's three-run first by allowing no hits and giving away just one free base during the second, third, and fourth innings. – In the fifth inning, Morehead State extended its advantage as a leadoff single and second-base swipe by Kingery allowed Strother to notch a third RBI on hit up the middle to score the speedy rookie and make its lead 5-3.
- Sophomore infielder
Adeline Nicholson, whose 15-of-33 (.455) clip leads the team in batting this season, moved Strother to third one batter later with a double into the right-center field gap. Strother scored on the next MSU at-bat as freshman
Kaylin Silcox hit into a fielder's choice, growing the Eagles lead to 6-3.
- After being held hitless for three frames, Howard led off the fifth with a double which was made more damaging one batter later when Kawall misplayed a ball in left field that put runners at second and third. The Bison managed two runs thanks to two sacrifice-fly outs that plated its runners from second and third and made it a 6-5 game.
- Morehead State began to pull away in the sixth by taking on three runs. The advantage grew to 8-5 when Gailor scored Kawall on an RBI-triple into center field and then scored on a sac-fly by Kingery. Strother's third hit resulted in sophomore catcher
Peyton Slater scoring after a throwing error on Howard's first baseman.
- The Eagles opened it up in the seventh with four more runs crossing in the final inning. RBI's by Kawall and Gailor brought in the first two runs before Kingrey's quickness on the base pass led to MSU's final two. Kingrey got aboard with a walk which led to a double-steal play brining Kawall into score. The rookie later thieved third base for her third steal of the game and then raced across home plate on a Howard wild pitch making it a 13-5 ballgame.
- The Bison scored on in the seventh but left runners at the corners as a groundout to second ended the game.
KEY STATS
- Morehead State's 13 hits against the Bison are the most by the team in a game since connecting for 16 knocks on April 22, 2017, in a 10-7 win over Belmont at University Field.
- Batting at second and fourth in the Eagles' lineup, Kingery and Strother combined to produce 10 runs on 5-of-6 hitting.
- Kingery's three stolen bases are the most by an individual in a game since
Kayla McGuffey stole three bags against Alcorn State on Feb. 18, 2017, during a 17-10 victory away from home.
- As a team, Morehead State stole six bases in the win which is the most as a team since McGuffy's three steals against Alcorn State paced the team to take eight bags in the Feb. 18, 2017 win.
- After recording just one out while giving up four earned runs and four hits and walk in her start on Saturday and a shaky three-run first inning Sunday, Hamilton (3-4) claimed her third win of the season in the circle.
- The win avenged a 10-1, five-inning, loss to Howard on the first day of the Hampton Classic in Norfolk, Va.
MOREHEAD STATE 2, HAMPTON 10 (6inn) – BOX SCORE (PDF)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a 1-2-3 inning for the Eagles in the top of the first, a leadoff walk and throwing error by Hamilton from the circle helped Hampton put two aboard for a three-run homer to give the hosts a 3-0 lead after one.
- The Lady Pirates tagged on a fourth run in the second inning before the Eagles bats found life in the third. Anderson tagged a one-out single up the middle for MSU's first hit which and was followed by a Kawall single and an RBI-single off Gailor's bat that scored Anderson. On the scoring play, the Lady Pirates managed one out by catching Kawall attempting to move to third. With two outs Gailor stole third base but a fly out ended Morehead State's rally attempt.
- Hampton score a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings to make it an 8-1 game.
- Morehead State tried once again to kick off a rally in the sixth as Kingery blasted her first-career home run to center field. The solo shot turned into the only dent the Eagles could put into the Hampton lead which allowed the hosts to seal it with a two-run frame in the home half that invoked the run rule.
KEY STATS
- Anderson, a Frankfort, Ky., native, went 2-for-2 at the plate to pick up her second-career multi-hit game. The senior infielder opened the 2020 season with a two-hit performance in a win over North Carolina A&T.
- Kingrey's homer served as Morehead State's lone extra-base hit while Hampton went for three doubles, one triple, and two round trippers.
- Despite striking out a career-high tying four batters, Hamilton (3-4) sufferered her fourth loss after allowing 10 runs (9ER) on eight hits, four walks, and three wild pitches.
- Hampton used two pitchers which each struck out three batters and allowed five hits. Right-hander pitcher Emily Workman (1-2) recorded the win in a four-inning start.
