Racers Capture First OVC Tournament Title

Saturday, May 14

Oxford, Ala.

11 a.m.

Murray State

39-16-1

Belmont

33-16

Murray State

Belmont

Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics

5/14/2022 7:27:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 GAME ONE BOX SCORE (PDF)GAME TWO BOX SCORE (PDF)

Gilmore, Veber help send Racers to NCAA Regionals

After a 3-0 loss in game one, the Murray State softball team fought back with a 5-3 win in game to claim the 2022 OVC Softball Championship Saturday at Choccolocco Park in Oxford. The tournament championship is their first and gives them the automatic qualifier for next weekend's NCAA Softball Championship.

Fast Facts
• In game one, the Racers simply could not score runs and despite outhitting Belmont, 8-5, Murray State left 12 base runners stranded. Troubles in the field only exacerbated Murray State's troubles, as four Racer errors helped lead to the 3-0 Belmont win.

• Sierra Gilmore became the 14^th Racer in program history to homer twice in the same game Saturday with two solo home runs. She first went yard in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one and then made it 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth to further pad MSU's lead.

• After the Bruins tied the game in the top of the fifth at 2-2, Victoria Garland drove in the go-ahead run that allowed Gracie Osbron to cross the plate for the 3-2 lead.

• Jenna Veber went the distance for Murray State in the circle, en route to her 17^th win of the year. The sophomore allowed no earned runs over five hits with three strikeouts and no walks over seven innings.

• After the tournament, Gilmore was named as the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Hannah James, Veber and Lindsey Carroll were named to the all-tournament team.

• Veber and James were nothing short of incredible in the tournament as they allowed just one earned run over 32.0 innings with 31 strikeouts and only one walk. The duo finished the four-game stretch averaging 6.7 strikeouts per seven innings, posting a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 32.0:1, limiting opponents to a paltry .139 batting average, all while compiling an ERA of 0.21.

What's Next
On Sunday, the Racers and local media will gather for a NCAA Selection Show watch party. Murray State will tune in to find out its destination for its first-ever NCAA Regional at 6 p.m. Central on ESPN2.