Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Eastern Illinois
Racers Fall to Eastern Illinois in Their First OVC Softball Tournament Game
5/14/2010 1:00:00 AM | Softball
The Murray State softball team lost a close, 5-4, game in
10 innings to Eastern Illinois in the team's first appearance in an Ohio Valley
Conference tournament game. The Racers
(22-28) will now prepare to play No. 6 Tennessee Tech Friday, April 14 at 11 a.m. at Bettye Giles Field.
The Racers were led by junior Stephanie Mattocks. The Momence, Ill., native recorded two hits in the game and a team-best two RBIs. She recorded her RBIs when she hit her third home run of the season in the sixth inning. Freshmen Megan Belio and Ellyn Troup also recorded two hits, while sophomore Megan Glosser and juniors Jenna Bradley and Taylor Wilson accounted for a hit each.
Junior Kristen Broadway suffered the loss in the circle, as one of three MSU pitchers to see action. Broadway retired six-straight batters in the middle of her 3.2 innings of work to help keep the Racers in the game, while recording three strike outs.
The Racers were the first team to get on the scoreboard with a two-run third inning. Belio scored the first run after walking when Bradley hit a single to left field. Bradley followed her across the plate in the next at-bat when Troup hit a single up the middle.
The lead was short lived, as the Panthers (23-25) rallied to score two runs themselves in the bottom of the third. EIU had a scoring chance in the bottom of the fourth, but was unable to get a runner across the plate. MSU had a scoring chance in the top of the fifth after Belio was on third after a well-place bunt, stolen base and a sacrifice bunt from Glosser, but the Panther defense stepped up and held her on third.
The score remained knotted until the top of the sixth when Mattocks hit a home run over the left field fence to score two runs after Troup hit a single just past the third baseman.
But again the lead was short, as EIU again tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Both teams then went three-up, three-down in the seventh inning to force extra innings.
It took 10 innings to decide the game, but the Panthers had a chance to earn the win in the bottom of the ninth. Denee Menzione was on second after a base hit. When Angie Danca hit a single up the middle Menzione tired to score, but Bradley threw her out at home from center field to force the game to continue.
The Panthers then started the bottom of the 10th inning with a double and then hit a single to right field to score the winning run.
Notes: The first two games of the 2010 OVC Softball Championship went into extra innings today...in the first game No. 6 Tennessee Tech upset No. 3 Morehead State 6-3 in nine innings...it is just the third time since 1994 that two games went into extra innings in the same tournament and just the second time that the championship had back-to-back extra-inning games.
Quotes
Head Coach Jay Pyron
"It was a good game and both teams played really well today. I think that EIU's pitcher did a great job of adjusting throughout the game."
"Every time we scored today we then gave up the same amount of runs. I think we relaxed a little instead of trying to fight to close out the game."
"We started the game with Shelby Kosmecki in the circle because she has been really coming along at the end of the season. It was nice to see her come out and get us off to the right foot."
"To come out in our first tournament game and go 10 innings, while holding our composure and poise, is a real credit to how far we have come as a team this season."
"Tomorrow is just another opportunity for us to play. The tournament didn't start like we wanted it to, just like the season did. We just need to come out and play the way we are capable of tomorrow no matter who we see."
