MOREHEAD, Ky. — The Morehead State softball team completed its stay at the Red and Black Classic by dropping a pair of contests on Sunday. East Tennessee State won the first game 6-1, with host Gardner-Webb capturing the second outing 3-1.
In the opener, ETSU (3-4) manufactured a run in the bottom of the first and then capitalized on a Kelly Warren triple in the third inning to push the margin to 2-0.
Morehead State (0-9) put three runners on base in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth, but could not dent the scoreboard.
The Buccaneers extended the lead to 5-0 after scoring three times on four hits in the bottom of the fourth. Again, Warren came up with with a 2-run, 2-out single.
Ieesha Christian singled and Peyton Slater reached on a fielder's choice in the top of the fifth, but a double play ended the Eagle threat.
For the fifth straight inning, MSU put a runner on base after Peyton Rose took advantage of a Buccaneer fielding error, Madi Ogden walked and Taylor Rhea singled in the top of the sixth, but ETSU centerfielder Andrea Sarhatt threw out Rose at home to keep the Eagles off the board.
Peyton Coleman singled to lead off the Bucs' sixth and proceeded to steal both second and third before coming home on a ground out and cap off the ETSU scoring.
MSU rallied in the seventh after Christian lead off with an infield single and then stole second. Illencia Lightbody added a hit and Christian scored on a double-steal attempt.
The Eagles finished with six hits. Christian led the way with two, while Lightbody, Ogden, Rhea and Slater.
Ogden suffered the loss to drop to 0-4 after surrendering five earned runs on eight hits. She also both struck out and walked four.
The Buccaneers used three pitchers, with Riley Tucker getting the decision to improve to 1-1. She threw two and two-third shutout innings and allowed three hits and two walks. Starter Whitley Arnott pitched three innings and gave up one hit and four walks. Her four strikeouts were the only four ETSU collected. Taylor Boling played the final inning and a third in the circle and surrendered the lone run, while also giving up two hits.
The Eagles bounced back to challenge the host Bulldogs.
The game stayed scoreless for three and a half innings before Gardner-Webb (5-3) strung together three singles which broke the deadlock. GWU took advantage of a bases-loaded walk to extend the home team's lead to 2-0 in the fifth.
Back-to-back sixth-inning doubles provided the Bulldogs' final run.
Lightbody drew a leadoff walk and Lennon Spicer followed with a single that pushed the freshman shortstop to third base. A Trinity Spear sacrifice fly sent Lightbody home. However, a ground out ended the game.
Spicer led the team at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance. Slater continued her string of reaching base safely to eight games after collecting a fourth-inning single. Christian, Rhea and Mayumi Kinchen-Atkins all added hits.
The Buccaneers recorded nine hits with McKenzie Lawrence and Riley McCurry pacing the squad with two apiece.
Spicer (0-5) went the distance in the circle. She finished with five strikeouts and allowed two walks.
Sydney Gilbert (2-0) earned the win with a complete-game six-hitter. She had eight strikeouts and walked two.
"Sunday was more of a learning experience for our athletes of how to respond to challenges of things that are out of our control, whether it may be umpires, fans or our opponents. In the beginning, we could have improved in the way we chose to respond in our focus," MSU coach Samantha Jones said. "By the second game, (that) is when we stepped up and became better people on and off the field, and that is what I'm proud of.
"Of course, logistically, we need to do a better job of securing the ball, taking good angles to the ball to make good catches, picking out good pitches, letting the ball get deep, especially on pitches that are lower in the zone and change-ups, and learning to adjust quicker in our at-bats and in the game as a whole," she added.
MSU originally was scheduled to play a doubleheader with Shawnee State on Tuesday as its home opener, but the twinbill has been canceled due to unplayable field conditions. The Eagles will have 12 days off before returning for the Evansville Tournament on Mar. 5-6.
"I am thankful and our team is thankful that we have a couple of days of rest to renew our minds and our bodies, especially with us having a few more injuries from this weekend," coach Jones said. "Recovery is much need and this (break) is something special that we normally don't get in our season, so we need to take full advantage of having a few days off before we get back into practice as well as playing."
