KENNESAW, Ga. -- Morehead State's eight-game skid to start the season ended in Saturday's second contest of the Kennesaw State Tournament as the Eagles defeated the hosts 4-2. MSU rallied from down 2-1 in the fifth inning to take down the Owls.
Freshman Emma Solis (1-2) got the win for Morehead State (1-8). The right-hander went seven innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on seven hits, allowing five walks and striking out four.
At the plate, the Eagles were led by freshman Darlene Montoya, who went 2-for-4 on the day with two doubles and an RBI. Freshman Ilencia Lightbody furnished a noteworthy effort as well, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Sophomore Sela Pickford also contributed for Morehead State, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding a double and an RBI.
Coach Megan Griffith was relieved her squad finally got over the hump.
"We had a great team performance tonight. Emma controlled Kennesaw's hitters on the mound and (the) defense played strong behind her," she said. "Our hitters drove the ball well and made great adjustments throughout the lineup."
Pickford continued her strong play both on offense and defense, and extended her hitting streak to 10 games.
"Our performance felt phenomenal. Defense had our pitchers' back and (our) offense kept fighting and making the adjustments that we needed," she said. "(I'm) proud of all my teammates for sticking together and digging deep for the win!"
MSU completed Saturday's two games without making an error, the first day this season the club accomplished that feat.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 2-0, the Eagles first put runs on the board in the third inning. Morehead State got on the board thanks to Pickford's RBI double with two outs.
The Eagles kept the deficit at 2-1 before taking the lead in the sixth. Morehead State plated two runs off of Kennesaw State pitching, starting with a run-scoring double off the bat of Lightbody, and punctuated by a single to the right side by freshman Victoria Spencer which brought the score to 3-2 in favor of the Eagles.
Morehead State kept Kennesaw State without a run before expanding their lead to 4-2 the following inning. The Eagles scored a run on Montoya's two-out RBI double. The score remained 4-2 for the rest of the game, as Morehead State held on for the win.
GAME NOTES
» The Eagles power output was led by Montoya, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Morehead State's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed two runs across.
» Morehead State went 4-for-12 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
» Morehead State pitchers limited Kennesaw State to just 2-for-11 (.182) with runners in scoring position.
» Morehead State pitchers faced 32 Kennesaw State hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out four.
» Montoya led the Eagles at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
» Kennesaw State was led offensively by freshman Jojo Johnson, who went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
» Junior Olivia Tyson led the Owls pitching staff, throwing seven innings of four-run ball.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
