MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State softball team has found its grove. Behind a team season-high tying 14 hits, the Eagles made it three wins in four outings as they toppled visiting Bellarmine 9-7 to complete a four-game home stand Wednesday afternoon at the University Field at Prefontaine Park in Morehead.
MSU coach
Megan Griffith used a pitching-by-committee approach with four individuals taking the circle, none seeing more than three and two-thirds innings of work, as the Blue and Gold put forth its best set of results since going 3-2 between March 7-11, 2024.
The win also improved the team's mark at home to 3-4. The Eagles equaled their victory total from 2023 when they went 3-10 at the University Field, while drawing within one win of last year's 4-10 record.
"We had a very good team win today," Griffith said. "It was a full pitching staff effort, supported by a lot of strong offense."
Morehead State (4-26/2-7) got contributions throughout the lineup as all nine batters recorded at least one hit, with five registering two. The Eagles' 14 hits matched their effort on February 15 and marked the third time in the last five games they reached double digits. The club now has at least five hits in 21 of its 30 outings, four or more hits 25 times and at least three hits in all but three contests.
It also has reached double figures seven times this spring. Last year it surpassed that mark twice. It did so six times in 2023, five times in 2022, six times in 2021, three times in the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign and once in 2019. You must go back to 2018 to find seven games of double-digit hits in a season, a total it also matched in 2017. In 2016, the team had 13 outings with 10 or more hits.
MSU also improved its all-time record against Bellarmine to 19-2 overall and 12-2 at home. The Eagles have won the last seven in the series and six in a row in Morehead.
Bellarmine (4-18) threatened in the top of the second as it loaded the bases courtesy of two singles, a fielder's choice and an error. However, an infield pop out ended the frame.
The Blue and Gold jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when the club tallied five hits. All five came on consecutive at bats.
Senior catcher
Ilencia Lightbody began the surge with an infield single. She then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Sophomore left fielder
Maddy Christopher followed with an RBI single to left-center field. Junior first baseman
Jordan Donato singled to center field and both she and Christopher moved up a base on a wild pitch. Junior right fielder
Taikibrea Campbell singled to left field to drive both runs home. Sophomore shortstop
Sela Pickford added a double to center field that pushed Campbell to third. Then freshman second baseman
Victoria Spencer grounded out, but it allowed Campbell to score to cap off the inning.
MSU made a pre-arranged pitching change from junior
Rylie Burney to redshirt freshman
Delaney Overstreet to start the third. It was Overstreet's first foray inside the circle this year. The Knights responded by collecting two hits and two walks, while also benefitting from an error, to put them on the scoreboard. However, Overstreet stopped any additional damage by getting a bases-loaded ground out to end the inning.
BU closed the gap to 4-3 in the top of the fourth. With junior
Alivia Parks in the circle, the visitors were able to score on a bases-loaded walk, before MSU turned to junior
Emma Solis, who elicited a double play that got a run home before the inning ended.
MSU answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Donato led off with a walk, and Campbell and Pickford each added a single, with Pickford's shot plating Donato.
Bellarmine tied the score in the top of the fifth on Jacklyn Zuege's two-run single. But again, the Blue and Gold responded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the frame. Lightbody's deep fly out to center field allowed sophomore third baseman
Kendra Lewis to score. Later in the inning, Donato's bases-loaded ground out to second base pushed freshman designated player
Nyla Doiron across home plate.
For the second straight inning, BU knotted the score as Peyton Arnold homered to left-center field to drive in two runs.
And for the second straight inning, MSU answered the bell with two runs that turned out to be the difference in the game. Spencer doubled to right-center field and Lewis doubled down the left-field line to notch the game-winning RBI. After Doiron reached on an error, Lightbody recorded the third double of the inning, with this one scoring Lewis.
Watch Lewis discuss the win on Morehead State's YouTube channel.
The Knights got a leadoff single and a stolen base from Harlie Bickett in the top of the seventh. But she was left at second as Solis retired the final three batters.
Pickford (2-for-4, RBI), Doiron (2-for-4, run), Lightbody (2-for-3, 2 RBI, run), Christopher (2-for-4, RBI, run) and Campbell (2-for-3, 2 RBI, run) each had multiple hits. Spencer (1-for-4, RBI, run), Lewis (1-for-3, RBI, two runs), Donato (1-for-2, RBI, two runs) and Montoya (1-for-4) also contributed offensively.
Bellarmine tallied 10 hits, with Zuege (2-for-4, two RBI, two runs), Mackayla Denney (2-for-4, run), Arnold (2-for-2, 2 RBI, run) and Brooke Shewmaker (2-for-3, run) leading the way. Madison Davis also scored twice.
No records have been kept regarding the number of pitchers used in a game, but four is the first in known history. Burney threw the first two innings, allowing two hits, no runs or walks, while striking out one. Overstreet saw one inning of action, surrendering two hits, two walks and a run, but had no strikeouts. Parks recorded one-third of an inning of work. She yielded two runs on two walks, two hit batsmen, with no hits or strikeouts. Solis (2-9) picked up the win after throwing 3.2 innings, with four runs on six hits, plus two walks and one strikeout.
Kelsie Houchens suffered the loss (1-7). She pitched four innings, surrendering five runs (four earned) on eight hits with two walks and a strikeout. Claire Lehmkuhler started and went two innings, giving up four runs on six hits with no walks or strikeouts.
The Eagles will look to extend their successes when they travel to Tennessee State on Saturday for two games, starting at 1 p.m. ET. The second outing is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. Sunday will complete the series with a 1 p.m. ET matchup. MSU will return home to host Eastern Kentucky for a doubleheader next Wednesday beginning at 1 p.m.
