Murray State
15-23, 0
Northern Iowa
23-12, 0
Racers Outlast Panthers in Extra Inning Thriller
4/12/2025 6:12:00 PM | Softball
Murray State Defeats UNI 16-15
The Murray State Racers (15-32, 5-12MVC) defeated the UNI Panthers (23-12, 11-4 MVC) 16-15 in eight innings in the second game of an MVC series in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Saturday.Â
In an offensive showdown, the Racers put up 21 hits the most of any MVC team this season. They also added 16 runs, 16 RBI, four home runs, and two doubles. Murray State was responsible for three errors while the Panthers were saddled with two.Â
The Racers jumped ahead early in the first inning as Hannah Sutton fired a three-run homer. Both teams scored a run in the second before coming alive in the third. Riley Jestadt scored the first two for the Racers with a double to left center and Taylor Franzen added another two with a homer down the left-field line to give the Racers an 8-1 lead.
The Panthers responded with seven runs of their own. The first three runs came on a Kylee Sanders three-run shot and Katelyn Callahan added one of her own on a sacrifice. Ella Smithson tied the game 8-8 with another three-run shot, this one to left field. The Panthers then went ahead 10-8 with runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Â
The Navy & Gold struck back in the sixth with Ailey Schyck, Riley Jestadt, and Bailey Broemmer each having RBI on the inning. They added four more in the fourth inning as Hannah Sutton got up to five RBI with a two-run single and Ailey Schyck hit her eighth homer of the year. The two-run bomb to right-center gave the Racers a 15-10 lead in the seventh. Â
The Panthers entered the bottom of the seventh needing five runs to stay alive. After scoring three on a walk and fielder's choice, Addison Mcelrath delivered the tying run with a two-RBI double to tie the game 15-15 going into extra innings. Â
Taylor Franzen led off the eighth for the Racers and immediately put them ahead, hitting a deep solo shot to center field for her second home run of the game. Despite the Panthers have a runner in scoring position, the Racers were able to hold them scoreless in the eighth, securing the thrilling 16-15 win.Â
The Racers added multiple sections to the record book in the win as Kenley Minor became the second Racer of all time to have five hits in a game and Taylor Franzen became the sixteenth Racer to have two home runs in a single game.Â
Hannah Sutton led the Racers with five RBI on the afternoon, going 2-5 with a home run and a walk. Riley Jestadt went 4-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Parker Holcombe went 3-6 with three runs scored. Ailey Schyck, Hannah Sutton, and Taylor Franzen had two hits each as Schyck and Sutton had one homer and Franzen had two. Katy Huels continued her hitting streak, going 1-6 to record a hit in her 14th straight game. Kayleigh White and Bailey Broemmer had one hit each and Broemmer had an RBI. Â
Bre Haislip (6-10) was the winning pitcher, spending five and one-third innings in the circle, and had one strikeout while allowing 7 hits and four earned runs. Maddy McDermott (0-1) was the losing pitcher for the Panthers.
The Racers and Panthers will meet for the rubber match at 12:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, April 12. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.Â
Follow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics), and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State softball on Twitter and Instagram (@RacersSoftball).Â
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Haislip, Bre (6-10)
L: Maddy McDermott (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Holcombe, Parker 1 ; Jestadt, Riley 1
HR: Sutton , Hannah 1 ; Schyck, Ailey 1 ; Franzen, Taylor 2
RBI: Minor , Kenley 1 ; Sutton , Hannah 5 ; Schyck, Ailey 3 ; Jestadt, Riley 3 ; Broemmer, Bailey 1 ; Franzen, Taylor 3
SH: Franzen, Taylor 1
SF: Broemmer, Bailey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Minor , Kenley 2 ; Holcombe, Parker 3 ; Sutton , Hannah 3 ; Ray, Summer 1 ; Schyck, Ailey 2 ; White, Kayleigh 1 ; Jestadt, Riley 2 ; Franzen, Taylor 2
SB: Minor , Kenley 1 ; Jestadt, Riley 1
Batting:
2B: Addison McElrath 2
HR: Kylee Sanders 1 ; Katelyn Callahan 1 ; Ella Smithson 1 ; Ava Smithson 1
RBI: Kylee Sanders 6 ; Addison McElrath 2 ; Katelyn Callahan 2 ; Ella Smithson 3 ; Ava Smithson 2
SF: Katelyn Callahan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Skylar Benesh 3 ; Kylee Sanders 2 ; Adalyn Reynolds 1 ; Drew Hinrichs 1 ; Kate Lappe 2 ; Katelyn Callahan 1 ; Ella Smithson 1 ; Ava Smithson 2 ; Paige Peterson 2
SB: Skylar Benesh 1
CS: Skylar Benesh 1
