MACON, Ga. -- It was a nail biter on Friday night, as the Morehead State softball team was unable to push that tying run across, and came up one run short of victory, falling to the Mercer Bears 4-3.Just hours after having her five-game hitting streak snapped, Peyton Jordan drilled a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning to knot the score.
Mercer (5-3) led off the bottom of the seventh with the game-winning walk-off home run. Prior to that, all three of the Bears' runs scored via or as an indirect result of an error, passed ball or wild pitch. Two runs were aided by a dropped third strike.
Freshman Addie Stem (2-3) took the loss in the circle for Morehead State (4-3). Sophomore Jessie Begley started the ballgame and went five innings, surrendering two runs, one earned, on five hits, walking two and striking out four. Stem finished having thrown one inning, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits, while striking out one. She did not give up a walk. Hannah PItts (1-0) picked up the win after going the distance, surrendering three runs on four hits, with nine strikeouts and one walk. For a stretch between the third and seventh innings, she retired 13 straight batters.
Jordan led the way offensively for the Eagles, going 1-for-3 in the ballgame with a home run and two RBI. Trinity Spear provided a standout effort as well, going 1-for-3 with her third home run of the season and second on the day (after homering in a win over Bryant this morning). Freshman Kendra Lewis also helped out, going 1-for-2 with a double.
"I'm very proud of the fight we showed against Mercer. We were battling each pitch. It was definitely a tough game to lose but the fight we showed was exactly who we've been working to be," said head coach Megan Griffith. "Defense played strong behind our pitchers. PJ (Jordan) hit the home run to tie us up in the top of the seventh. Lenc (LIghtbody) was on on a walk and we had high-level execution."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the top of the first inning. Spear put Morehead State on the board with a lead off home run to center field.
The Bears answered in the bottom of the first courtesy of a two-base error in the outfield that allowed Alysaa Woods' lead off single to turn into three bases.She scored on Parris Wiggs' groundout.
The hosts then rallied to score the next two runs and take a 3-1 lead before the Eagles got back on the board in the seventh. Mercer got RBI singles in the fifth and sixth innings following a couple of passed balls in the sixth. The Bears appeared to have three outs in the fifth, but a inning-ending strikeout was thwarted by the batter reaching on a wild pitch.
In the top of the seventh, Ilencia Lightbody drew a walk and then Jordan sent the next pitch out of Sikes Field for her third career long ball.
GAME NOTES
» Morehead State pitchers faced 31 Mercer hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and five fly balls while striking out five.
» Spear entered the season with one career home run as an Eagle but has a team-high three in the first seven games.
» MSU's first night game of the season.
UP NEXT
MSU returns to action against Mercer on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and then faces Troy at 4:30 p.m. ET.
