MURRAY — Murray State softball defeated Valparaiso in a Saturday afternoon rubber match at Racer Field.
With the win, the Racers improve to 3-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference (11-13 overall) and fifth in the league. Meanwhile, Valpo falls to eighth at 1-4 in the league (10-14 overall).
Neither team was able to get on the scoreboard until Kynadee Warner’s RBI single in the third inning that scored former Calloway County star Adison Hicks. The stalemate continued into the sixth inning before Kenley Minor gave the Racers insurance with an RBI single of her own to right-center, scoring Warner.
Despite outhitting Murray State 7-5, the Beacons could not score a run on the day, leaving seven runners on base.
Karlye Graber (5-4) went the distance in the circle and got the win, allowing seven hits and striking out two batters, while walking just one.
Warner was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Racers earned the series win in comeback fashion, having dropped Friday’s firsr game by a 3-2 score before the Racers took an 8-7 win in the nightcap.
Bailey Broemmer’s third home run of the season tied the game, 1-1, in the fourth inning but the Beacons added two more in the fifth to take a 3-1 lead.
Hicks added her third homer of the season in the seventh, making it a one-run game but, despite having the tying run at second, the Racers were unable to capitalize in the final inning.
Graber took the loss as a reliever. The sophomore pitched four innings and allowed two runs while striking out five. Bre Haislip was the starter and pitched three innings.
Minor finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate.
Valpo scored two runs in the opening inning and one more in the third of Game 2 but Riley Jestadt sparked the Racer offense in the fourth with a two-RBI single. Lily Wolf then tied the game 3-3 by reaching home on a play that saw Ailey Schyck get caught stealing.
Valpo struck back with a run in the following inning, but the Racers responded with two of their own. Hicks scored on a wild pitch before Allie Waldron sent Warner home on a bunt, making it 5-4.
The game continued to go back and forth in the later innings as Parker Holcombe put the Racers ahead 6-4 on Hicks’ sacrifice bunt before the Beacons forced extra innings with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh.
After the Beacons could not score in the top of the eighth, Ava Ozment got the inning started the bottom half with a leadoff single before Reagan Towns came in as a pinch runner. Schyck reached on a bunt single. After Towns advanced to third on a Hicks sacrifice bunt, Warner drove in the winning run with a single through the left side.
Graber got the win after starting and being re-entered in the final innings. Graber recorded three strikeouts, while allowing three earned runs and six hits. Raylee Roby and Bre Haislip appeared in relief.
Warner went 3-for-5 at the plate, including the winning single. Jestadt had one hit in her only plate appearance with two RBIs, and Schyck went 3-for-4.