CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Morehead State battled No. 25/RV/22 Florida Atlantic down to the wire on Friday in its opening game of the Governors Classic at Austin Peay. The Eagles eventually succumbed to the Owls' bats and fell 10-3, despite the efforts of freshman Kendra Lewis, whose three-run homer gave the Blue and Gold a lead that held up through four and a half innings. Lewis finished the afternoon 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored.
Junior Emma Solis (1-5) got the ball to start for Morehead State (1-14) and took the loss. She pitched 5.1 innings, allowing seven hits and seven runs, with two strikeouts and five walks. Juniors Rylie Burney and Taikibrea Campbell came in to finish the game.
Offensively, the Eagles were led by Lewis and freshman Sophie Collins who compiled a standout day at the plate as well, going 2-for-3. Freshman Maddy Christopher also helped out for Morehead State, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a double.
Neither team committed an error, the fourth mistake-free game for MSU this season.
"Wow, we really played well the first four and a half innings! That's a top-25 team that we led for more than half of the game," said MSU coach Megan Griffith. "Kendra's home run really got us going and set the tone for how we played. We were disciplined at the plate against a high-level pitcher and played error free in the field. Their bats just caught up to us at the end of the game."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles got the scoring started early, putting three runs on the board in the top of the first inning on Lewis' first home run of the season, a shot over the fence in right field that plated senior outfielder Darlene Monttoya and Christopher. The Owls closed within a run by scoring twice off a homer in the bottom of the first and eventually took the lead with a three-run fifth. FAU added five more runs in the sixth to secure the victory. Florida Atlantic finished with a 10-4 edge in hits.
GAME NOTES
» Morehead State's highest scoring inning was the first, when it pushed three runs across.
» Morehead State pitchers faced 36 Florida Atlantic hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out two.
» Lewis led the Eagles at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.
» Florida Atlantic was led offensively by junior Jesiana Mora, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.
» Junior Autumn Courtney led the Owls pitching staff, throwing seven innings of three-run ball.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
