MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State Softball team displayed a resurgence of success as it defeated home standing Southern Indiana 2-1 and 10-6 on Thursday at the USI Softball Field in Evansville, Ind.
MSU worked itself right back in the mix to earn a bid to the eight-team Ohio Valley Conference Tournament with its two wins. It was the first doubleheader sweep for the Blue and Gold since defeating Western Illinois on Apr. 27, 2025, and the first time it accomplished the feat on the road since toppling Tennessee Tech on Mar. 18, 2023.
In addition, they were the only two times Morehead State defeated USI on its own field. The Screaming Eagles entered the twin bill with a 5-0 record at home against the Blue and Gold. Entering the week, Southern Indiana also was 5-1 at the USI Softball Field this season.
The Eagles' revival was specifically on display in game two of Thursday's competition after scoring nine times in the top of the seventh to rally to the victory.
It took all phases of the game to click in the opener.
"It was a great team win. Defense really held it down for us and played very well behind our pitchers," said MSU head coach
Megan Griffith. "We had strong performances from Ainsley (Stubbs) and Rylie (Burney). They pitched into our defensive plan and (the) defenders had their back, and (they) executed perfectly."
All of the scoring came in the third inning.
Through the first two frames, four batters reached base, all of which were from Southern Indiana (10-21/7-7).
The trend shifted in the top of the third as Morehead State (4-24/3-11) got a leadoff single from senior left fielder
Jordan Donato, followed by freshman shortstop
Kylie Mann reaching on a fielding error. Both runners moved up a base on junior first baseman
Noemye Letendre's fly out to center field and then junior center fielder
Maddy Christopher's infield single drove both runners home.
The hosts were able to get one run back in the bottom of the inning. Caroline Stapleton led off by being hit by a pitch and then stole second base. Alyssa Mumaw singled to right field to move Stapleton to third. After a walk loaded the bases, Kate Stakowski hit a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Stapleton.
The Eagles got three hits in the fourth, despite only sending four batters to the plate. Junior third baseman
Sela Pickford singled, junior catcher
Sydney Farmer doubled and redshirt sophomore designated player
Marie Perdew singled. However, the Screaming Eagles were able to throw out both runners during Farmer's at-bat as both attempted to gain extra bases. The inning then ended on a ground out.
USI got two runners on base with two outs in the fourth but could not get either past second base.
With two outs in the fifth, Morehead State picked up a double from Letendre and Christopher reached on a fielder's choice, but both were left stranded.
Southern Indiana threatened again in the bottom of the fifth as it benefited from a single and two walks. However, yet again the Eagle defense came up big and ended the inning by snaring a line out at third base.
USI forced the Blue and Gold to make a change in the circle in the fifth as the Eagles turned to senior
Rylie Burney. After surrendering the two fifth-inning walks, Burney was masterful, retiring seven of the final eight batters to collect her first career save.
"(It was a) very exciting game. (We) took the challenge of last weekend and (made) sure that we can show that defense wins ball games too. And we did! she said. "Early on in the count, I knew I wanted to be dominant with my change up and then work at the hands. (I was) truly just taking it one pitch at a time and letting my defense work behind me!"
MSU finished the contest with seven hits, while committing one error and stranding four runners. Southern Indiana had six hits and no errors but left 11 runners on base.
Six different Eagles got hits, with Donato leading the way with two. Christopher, Pickford, Farmer, Perdew and Letendre had the others. Christopher drove in both runs, with Donato and Mann both scoring.
Mumaw and Satkoski each had two hits to pace the way for the hosts. Stapleton and Lilly Brown registered the others. Satkoski collected the RBI and Stapleton scored the run.
Junior
Ainsley Stubbs got the start and pitched four innings to earn the win and improve to 3-8. She surrendered five hits, one run and four walks, while striking out two. Burney worked three scoreless innings, allowing just one base runner through her final two frames. She finished with one hit and two walks. She did not have a strikeout.
Kylie Witthaus went the distance for the Screaming Eagles and fell to 2-6. She yielded two runs (one earned) on seven hits, without allowing a walk. She added two strikeouts.
In the second game, USI scored once in the first, twice in the third and three times in the fourth to take a commanding 6-1 advantage. Morehead State's lone score in the first six innings came in the second.
However, that all changed in the seventh, as the Eagles scored a season-high nine runs in the top of the frame to surge to the victory. It marked the second time this spring MSU rallied from at least a five-run deficit to pull out the win, both of those times sealing the victory in its final at-bat.
"(Our) offense really stepped up for us and we fought as a team the whole way," Griffith said. "(The) hitters have really bought into our 'little by little' philosophy, and did a great job executing that. This team has a lot of fight in them, and it showed in today's games."
That philosophy was echoed by sophomore right fielder
Sophie Collins, who finished the second contest 3-for-4 at the plate.
"For the team, we have been continuously talking about talking things little by little. We did well with that today on both sides of the ball," she said. "For me today, I just kept it simple. I took it one pitch at a time. I didn't let one thing become too big."
Both teams picked up two hits during their first two at-bats, with each scoring once during that stretch.
The hosts began the scoring in the first when Jadyn Tinsley's two-out double to right-center field drove home Sydney Long.
Morehead State answered in the second. Farmer led off with an infield single. Two plays later, she scored on a Collins infield single.
The hosts added two runs in the third. Three consecutive singles to begin the frame, with the third by Long driving in Katelyn Marx, were followed by a Mumaw sacrifice fly that plated Stapleton.
MSU loaded the bases in the top of the fourth after a walk and being hit by a pitch. Collins then reached on an error, but in the process, Pickford was thrown out at home. Then the inning ended on a ground out.
The hosts used three hits and three walks in the fourth to extend their lead to 6-1. Satkoski tripled to right field to begin the inning. Jordan Mackey followed with an infield single to drive in Satkoski and Marx reached on a fielder's choice. With two outs, Singleton singled to third base, and Long, Mumaw and Jadyn Tinsley drew consecutive walks to push the advantage to five runs. However, the inning ended before Southern Indiana could add more.
In the top of the fifth, Morehead State put its first three batters on base, despite collecting just one hit. A sacrifice and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, but a fly out to left field ended the Eagle rally.
In the bottom of the fifth, USI got a two-out walk, followed by a single, but a fielder's choice ended the threat.
After both teams were unable to generate much offense in the sixth, the Blue and Gold scored nine runs on six hits, one error and five walks in the seventh, as the hosts used three pitchers in the frame.
A total of 15 batters came to the plate for the Eagles.
With one out, Christopher singled, junior second baseman
Sage VanDemark walked, and Pickford reached on an error. Farmer then drew a bases-loaded walk and sophomore catcher
Nyla Doiron doubled to right-center field to empty the bases. After a pitching change, Collins singled up the middle, Donato walked and Mann singled to center field. Then Letendre's single to center field drove in Collins for the go-ahead run.
"In the seventh inning, I kept the same mindset I had through the rest of the game: keeping it small and not making the moment bigger than it is," Collins said.
After the second out, VanDemark drew a bases-loaded walk and Pickford singled to drive in two. Another pitching change ensued before Farmer earned a walk. An infield pop out ended the inning.
In the bottom of the frame, Mackey notched a two-out single to right field, but a ground out during the next at-bat ended the game.
In total, the teams combined for 20 hits, with each recording 10. MSU had one error and left 10 runners on base. USI had three errors and stranded eight.
Seven Eagles had hits, nine scored and seven were responsible for driving in runs. The team also walked a season-high seven times and struck out just twice.
Collins led the way with a career-best three hits. She also scored once and drove in a run. Letendre followed with two hits, and also scored and had an RBI. Doiron had a team-high three RBI, while Pickford recorded two. Farmer led the team with two runs.
Christopher, Pickford, Farmer, Doiron and Mann also added hits. VanDemark, Pickford, Perdew, Donato, Mann and Letendre all scored. VanDemark, Farmer and Mann each had an RBI. VanDemark, Pickford and Farmer all walked twice.
Stapleton and Mackey each finished 2-for-4. Stapleton also scored twice. Marx went 2-for-3 with two runs. Long also was 2-for-3, with a run and an RBI. Mumaw and Tinsley had two RBI apiece.
Both teams used three pitchers. Freshman
Allicen Harris got the start for the Blue and Gold. She went three innings, giving up three runs on five hits, without a walk or strikeout. Senior
Emma Solis pitched two-thirds of an inning and surrendered three runs, three hits and two walks, with no strikeouts. Stubbs finished the game working the final three and one-third scoreless innings to get the win and improve to 4-8. She allowed two hits and two walks, while striking out one.
Elly Robbins got a no-decision, despite working six and one-third innings. She yielded six runs (four earned) on six hits and four walks. She struck out two. Anna Kemp took the loss to fall to 3-9 after seeing just one-third of an inning of action. She gave up four runs, although only one was earned, on four hits and two walks. She did not have a strikeout. Mia Kiegel pitched the final third of an inning, facing just two batters. Her only stat was a walk.
The two teams close out the series on Friday with a single game at 1 p.m. ET.
After the conclusion of the series, Morehead State will stay on the road for a mid-week game, its first of the season, when it heads east on I-64 to face Kentucky on Wednesday for a single contest at 6 p.m. The Eagles are next at home when they host Tennessee State on April 11-12, with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m., and a single contest slated for Sunday at noon.
