Racers Clinch Series Behind Offensive Explosion

Friday, May 1

Des Moines, IA

2:30 p.m.

Murray State

24-21, 15-9

Drake

13-36, 7-19

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Murray St.	3	2	0	0	1	0	0	6	9	2
Drake	1	0	3	0	0	0	1	5	5	2

5/1/2026 8:42:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Murray State Wins Two at Drake

By: Charlie Williams

The Murray State Racers (25-21, 16-9 MVC) defeated the Drake Bulldogs (13-37, 7-20 MVC) twice on Friday to clinch a Missouri Valley Conference series win in Des Moines, Iowa.

Game 1: Murray State 6, Drake 5
The Racers jumped in front early in the series opener, with Kenley Minor providing three runs in the first inning. The sophomore lit up the scoreboard, scoring the first two runs of the game on a two-run single. After stealing third base, Minor made it 3-0 by scoring on an error.

After the Bulldogs scored a run of their own in the bottom of the first, Adison Hicks extended the Murray State lead to 5-1 with a two-run single up the middle.

The Bulldogs began to chip away in the third inning, scoring on an error and a pair of fielder's choice bunts to make it 5-4.

Murray State responded in the fifth when Katy Huels stole second, and Bailey Broemmer stole home on a double steal that gave the Racers a 6-4 advantage.

Neither team would score another run until the bottom of the seventh, when Drake got a pair of runners on base before Ava Curry hit an RBI single to cut the lead to just one. However, with two outs and a runner on third, Parker Holcombe fielded a hard-hit ground ball to get the last out and allow the Racers to escape with a win.

Kynadee Warner went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Adison Hicks and Kenley Minor both had one hit and two RBI. Parker Holcombe, Reagan Towns, Katy Huels, and Ailey Schyck had one hit each.

Karlye Graber (8-5) earned the win in relief after allowing just one hit and one earned run while striking out two. Starter Bre Haislip pitched the opening inning before reentering the game and earning the save in the final inning. Raylee Roby pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed one hit and two earned runs.

Game 2: Murray State 17, Drake 6
It was Drake jumping in front early in Game 2, as the Bulldogs put up three runs in the bottom of the first on a three-run homer.

The Racers countered in the second with two runs of their own when Kenley Minor scored on a sacrifice bunt by Bailey Broemmer, and Allie Waldron scored on a play that saw Reagan Towns reach on a fielder's choice. However, the Bulldogs continued to score, adding two more of their own in the bottom of the second to make it 5-2.

Broemmer cut into the deficit yet again in the third with a single up the middle that scored a pair of runs, making it 5-4.

After Murray State loaded the bases in the top of the fourth, Parker Holcombe tied the game with a single to right field that triggered an offensive onslaught by the Racers. First, Kenley Minor added two more runs on a single to right field before Allie Waldron blasted a three-run shot to center field. Bailey Broemmer made it back-to-back homers with a shot of her own to left field, and Ava Ozment capped off the inning with an RBI double. In the inning, the Racers scored eight runs on 10 hits to take a commanding 12-5 lead.

The offensive explosion continued into the fifth when Allie Waldron hit her second three-run bomb of the day and her fifth home run of the season, and Adison Hicks scored two more on a single down the left-field line to make the lead 17-5. The Bulldogs attempted to mount a rally in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases before scoring on a single of their own. However, they were unable to score again, clinching a run-rule victory for Murray State that secured the series.

Murray State finished the game with 17 runs on 19 hits, no errors, and seven runners left on base, while Drake scored six runs on nine hits, committed four errors, and stranded six runners. Allie Waldron finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with six RBI, two home runs, and a double. This is the second multi-homer game of the season for the freshman, who homered twice against Alabama State on Feb. 8. Kynadee Warner went 3-for-5, and Bailey Broemmer went 2-for-3 with four RBI and a solo home run. Adison Hicks went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a pair of walks, and Kenley Minor went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a stolen base. Parker Holcombe went 2-for-5 with an RBI, while Reagan Towns and Ava Ozment each had one hit and one RBI. Kai Cornelius recorded the first hit of her career, while Katy Huels, Ailey Schyck, and Riley Jestadt each had one as well.

Karlye Graber (9-5) earned her second win of the day as a reliever, allowing one run and three hits across three innings. Raylee Roby allowed two runs on four hits, and Bre Haislip allowed three runs on two hits.

Up Next
The series finale between the Racers and Bulldogs is scheduled for 1 p.m. CDT on Saturday.

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