Softball Splits Friday Doubleheader Versus Racers

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State softball moved to 7-21 (3-7 MVC) on the season with a Friday doubleheader split against Murray State (16-18, 4-5 MVC) today at Killian Stadium.
 
Across both games, Annie Mueller went 5-for-8 with five RBI, two runs scored and a home run. Meanwhile, Emily Chadwick went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and Ellie McCoy collected two hits, worked two walks and was hit by a pitch for the ninth time this season.
 
Game 1 – Murray State 4, Missouri State 3
In game one of the afternoon, Murray State jumped out to a hot start offensively, scoring in the first three innings. On an extremely windy afternoon in Springfield, the Racers started the game with a triple to right field and brought their first run home in the next at-bat with a RBI single.
 
Murray State then scored two in the second inning with three hits, which included a two-RBI single down the right field line to give the visitors a 3-0 lead. Then, in the top of the third inning, a leadoff walk came back to hurt the Bears as a one-out double to center field later scored the runner and gave the Racers a 4-0 lead after three innings.
 
Missouri State had four baserunners across the first three innings, but the Bears stayed patient and battled back into the game late.
 
In the fourth, the Bears pushed their first run across after Mueller led the inning off with a single to right field. Sofia King came on to pinch run for Mueller and eventually scored Missouri State’s first run after moving around the bases via an error, ground out and coming home on a Kelsie Lewis RBI single through the left side.
 
The Bears kept the momentum going into the fifth inning after stranding three Racers and keeping Murray State off the board in the top half of the inning. Abby Ford, Kayla Ulrich and Mueller hit consecutive one-out singles to score pinch runner Chadwick. Then, a couple of batters later, a two-out Murray State error brought home MSU’s second run of the inning and cut the Racers’ lead to 4-3 after five.
 
Despite the Missouri State pitchers keeping Murray State off the board for the final four innings, the Bears’ offense couldn’t come up with the big hit, stranding two in the sixth and one in the seventh as Missouri State fell 4-3 in the series opener.
 
Shelby Houchlei was on in relief first for Missouri State as she tossed 3.1 scoreless innings before handing the ball off to Gracie Johnston, who pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to keep the Bears within striking distance down the stretch.
 
Game 2 – Missouri State 8, Murray State 2
Missouri State bounced back in a huge way in game two as the Bears saw their bats come alive.
 
Both halves of the first inning ended in tremendous fielding plays as Missouri State got a strikeout and threw down for the successful pickoff to end the top of the first, followed by the Racers turning a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
 
Murray State once again struck first as the Racers used three hits and a walk to put the first run on the board. However, the Bears kept Murray State from scoring earlier in the same inning as McCoy launched a ball to catcher Alexis Perales from center field to get the Racer heading home.
 
Missouri State then broke things open, scoring in the next four innings to take the lead from Murray State.
 
After an error, single and sacrifice bunt to start the third, the Bears had runners on second and third with two outs. Mueller then sent a single up the middle to score two Missouri State runs, giving the Bears the lead. Another Murray State error in the inning allowed Mueller to score from second base, extending Mo State’s lead to two runs.
 
Murray State scored a single run in the fourth on a squeeze bunt, making it a 3-2 ballgame in favor of the Bears.
 
Chadwick led off the bottom of the fourth with a single up the middle, followed by a McCoy bunt single. After Lewis laid down the sacrifice bunt, the Bears had two runners in scoring position with just one out. In the next at-bat, Kenzie Derryberry put a ball in play and the Racers elected to try and get the runner at home, but the throw went high and two runs scored, putting the Bears ahead 5-2.
 
After a three-up, three-down inning for the Murray State offense in the fifth, the Bears kept their foot on the gas. Sidney McLaughlin knocked a leadoff double in the bottom half of the inning, before making way for pinch runner King. King then moved over on a Chadwick sacrifice bunt and scored on a McCoy single to left field.
 
Leading 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth, the Bears added two insurance runs. Olivia Krehbiel finally broke through on the day with a single up the middle, before Mueller sliced one right through the wind for a two-run homer just over the fence in left field to extend Mo State’s lead to six runs, securing the 8-2 victory to even up the series.
 
Johnston got her first win of the season in the circle, hurling a complete game to cap the doubleheader. She allowed just one earned run on five hits while striking out three Racers in the victory.
 
The Bears and Racers will face off in the rubber match tomorrow (March 30) at 12:00 p.m. in Springfield.