MOREHEAD, Ky. – There is no time like the present and the Morehead State softball team took that to heart as it claimed a critical 1-0 road victory over the University of Tennessee-Martin on Monday afternoon to close out the weekend Ohio Valley Conference series at the Bettye Giles Softball Field in Martin, Tenn.
It was the team's first shutout since defeating the Skyhawks on the same date in 2024. Just like that victory two years ago, the score was 1-0 and the game took place in Martin. The Eagles have shut out an opponent since, but that 9-0 win over Southern Indiana came at home and took just five innings.
"Ainsley (Stubbs) pitched a great game today and (the) defense did a fantastic job behind her. That's our first shutout of the season so it was great to see them compete together as a team," MSU Coach
Megan Griffith said. "Sela's slide at the plate made the difference on the run being safe. The team did a great job playing our game and sticking to our 'Little by Little' mindset."
The win could not have come at a more opportune time as Morehead State (7-31) closed to within a game and a half of Western Illinois in the race to earn the No. 8 spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in three weeks. Also on Monday, WIU fell on the road to Tennessee State 20-9 in five innings. TSU also remains in the hunt for the final berth to the league championship. WIU leads the trio with a 7-13 OVC record, while the Eagles are 6-15 and the Tigers sit 2-19. All three teams have six games remaining.
UT Martin (28-18/15-5) sits squarely in second place in the conference standings and decisively won the first two games of the series on Sunday, 5-0 and 7-0. UTM fell to 16-4 at home and ended a five-game winning streak at Giles Field. The Eagle victory also snapped a Skyhawk six-game winning streak and raised MSU's true road record to 4-13.
All the action took place in the fourth inning. Junior third baseman
Sela Pickford led off the frame with a single to center field that was misplayed, allowing Pickford to round the bases and end up at third. After junior shortstop
Noemye Letendre's attempted sacrifice bunt was unable to move Pickford, junior second baseman
Sage VanDemark hit a ball up the middle that UTM second baseman Kennedy Brown fielded and attempted to throw out Pickford at home. The original call was that Pickford was out, but the play was reviewed and overturned. The next two batters ended the inning after a ground out and a fly out.
"It was honestly a normal little hit that got away from the center fielder, I got to third and Sage did a great job of hitting the ball to the right side to get me home," Pickford said recalling the two key plays of the inning. "On my hit, I saw it get by and knew I could make it to third with no problem. On Sage's hit, I saw it get hit to the right side and (I) bolted home. They tried to get me at the plate where I did a swim move with my arm to dodge the tag (which the home umpire called me out) but we reviewed it and won the call!"
The win was the team's fifth in the last 16 outings, after starting the year with just one victory in its first 20 games and two in its first 26.
Like Coach Griffith, Pickford referred to the team's motto as its approach to winning the contest.
"'Little by Little', which has been our motto this season," she said. "All game our pitching and defense was great. We just kept playing like us and were able to secure the win!"
MSU did not get its first hit until the third inning, but the hosts got started quickly, picking up a pair of hits in the opening frame. The Skyhawks also stole two bases in the bottom of the first, but sophomore catcher
Nyla Doiron threw out a runner trying to take third on a third attempt.
Freshman designated player
Kylie Mann led off the third with a single up the middle. After a fielder's choice, junior center fielder
Maddy Christopher extended her hitting streak to nine games and her stretch of reaching base to 37 outings this season. However, the inning ended during the next at-bat, leaving runners at first and second.
The Eagles put two more runners on base in the fifth. Junior first baseman
Mia Mascarenas singled and senior left fielder
Jordan Donato was hit by a pitch.
Morehead State added two more hits in the sixth. With one out, VanDemark singled to center field and sophomore left fielder
Sophie Collins beat out an infield single. After a second out, Doiron reached base on a dropped third strike to load the bases, but the Skyhawks were able to get out of the jam without allowing additional damage with a strikeout.
In the seventh, the fifth consecutive inning in which MSU got a hit, Christopher led off with a single up the middle. But it was the team's final offense of the day.
UT Martin continued to struggle to generate enough offense as its seventh inning production was limited to a one-out walk.
MSU won for just the second time this season when it out-hit its opponent. The Skyhawks' four hits were the fewest the Eagles have allowed this spring.
Conversely, Morehead State finished with seven hits, its 25th time reaching that plateau this year. UTM had the lone error. The Eagles stranded nine base runners, while the Skyhawks left six.
Christopher had two hits to pace the Blue and Gold. Pickford, VanDemark, Collins, Mann and Mascarenas had the others. VanDemark had the lone RBI, with Pickford scoring the only run.
Karena Recrosio had a team-best two hits for the hosts.
Stubbs went the distance to improved to 7-10 on the year. She now has five complete games and has won her five of her last 10 appearances and five of her 13 total starts. She finished with a four-hit shutout, while striking out a career-high eight and allowing just three walks. In two appearances against the Skyhawks this weekend, she tallied 15 strikeouts and walked four.
Stubbs has won all seven of MSU's games this year and has more victories than anyone since Lennon Spicer finished with nine in 2021.
Payton Harris got the start, pitched five and one-third innings, giving up one unearned run on five hits. She added one strikeout and no walks in falling to 4-4. Sami Scholtz threw one and two-third shutout innings in relief and surrendered just two hits and no walks, while striking out three.
MSU stays on the road to complete a six-game swing away from home when it travels to face Northern Kentucky on Wednesday. Game time is 4 p.m. The Eagles will return to the University Field at Prefontaine Park on Saturday and Sunday for a three-game set with Southeast Missouri. Saturday will feature a doubleheader with the first contest at noon. Sunday will be just one game also with a noon start.
