MOREHEAD, Ky. – It only seems appropriate that it is Friday the 13th.
The Morehead State softball team led 3-1 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, before SIU Edwardsville strung together five straight hits to pull out a 4-3 victory on the Cougar Field in Edwardsville, Ill. It was the seventh time this season the Blue and Gold dropped a one-run decision and the fifth time it fell behind during the opponent's last at-bat.
The Eagles had multiple opportunities to help themselves, stranding five runners in scoring position over the final four innings.
"We had chances to win and just didn't take advantage of them," MSU head coach
Megan Griffith said. "For the most part, we hit the ball well, played good defense and our pitching gave us a chance. Everything was working until that final inning."
Morehead State (1-17/0-4) never trailed and basically was in control once it took the lead. SIUE (11-13/0-4) did most of its work with two outs.
It began in the third inning, when junior first baseman
Noemye Letendre hit a two-out home run over the fence in right field.
SIUE got a two-out single in the bottom of the first, drew a walk with one out in the third and then added a two-out single to put two runners on base. But that was all of its offense through the first three innings.
In the fourth, the Eagles picked up a single from junior third baseman
Sela Pickford and junior designated player
Mia Mascarenas drew a two-out walk, but the pair was left stranded.
The visitors had another chance to make some noise in the top of the fifth. Sophomore left fielder
Sophie Collins led off with an infield single. Letendre drew a one-out walk and junior center fielder
Maddy Christopher reached on a fielder's choice, but Collins was out at third. However, a strikeout ended the threat.
The Cougars tied the game in the bottom of the fifth after a walk, sacrifice bunt, a passed ball, a single and an error. However, the Eagles prevented the hosts from adding additional runs by tagging out a runner trying to score on a wild pitch and throwing another runner out trying to steal second.
MSU had another chance to add a run in the sixth. With one out, junior catcher
Sydney Farmer singled to center field and moved up a base on a passed ball, but the next two batters were unable to push her home.
Morehead State nearly avoided disaster in the sixth, but senior relief pitcher
Rylie Burney came up huge with a bases-loaded, two-out strikeout. The Cougars got a single and three consecutive walks to tie the score, before Burney retired Arissah Garza.
In the seventh, Collins picked up another infield single, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Freshman shortstop
Kylie Mann singled to center and Letendre drove Collins in with a single through the left side. Christopher's fielder's choice put runners on the corners, before junior second baseman
Sage VanDemark doubled down the left-field line to plate Mann and move Christopher to third. However, the next two batters could not get Christopher home.
Harley Limberger and Abby Harvell both flew out to the outfield to start the seventh. Then Juztyne Torres singled to right field and Kaylin Fahy singled to center field, prompting the Eagles to make a change in the circle. However, the hosts kept the pressure on and Ashley Duran singled through the right side to score Torres, then Raegan Duncan singled up the middle to plate Fahy and move pinch runner Haley Strain to second base. The game ended when Betsy Woodward singled to left field to drive in Strain.
MSU finished the contest with nine hits, one error and left seven on base. SIUE collected 10 hits, did not make an error and also stranded seven runners.
Seven Eagles registered a hit, with Collins and Letendre getting two apiece. Pickford extended her hitting streak to 11 straight contests with a fourth-inning single. Christopher, VanDemark, Farmer and Mann also had hits. Collins, Mann and Letendre all scored once. Letendre had two RBI, with VanDemark adding one.
Six Cougars picked up hits. Duran finished 3-for-4, with an RBI. No other SIUE player had more than one.
Freshman
Allicen Harris both started and finished the game. She fell to 0-7 after working for two and two-thirds innings, allowing five hits, one earned run and a walk, while striking out three. Junior
Ainsley Stubbs pitched one and two-thirds innings in relief. She surrendered two hits, one unearned run and a walk, while striking out two. Burney threw for two and a third innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits, while walking four and striking out one.
Mia Volpert (5-4) got the win after pitching the seventh inning. She allowed one hit, with one strikeout. Avery Arwood started and lasted six innings, yielding three earned runs on eight hits, with two walks and five strikeouts.
The two teams will conclude the series tomorrow with a doubleheader. Game one will begin at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the second contest at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET.
Morehead State will stay on the road to play Western Illinois next weekend, before returning home to host Tennessee Tech on March 28-29.
