Softball 2/15/2024 10:00:00 PM

Murray softball takes two from Hutchinson

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
The Murray State Lady Aggie bats were in a slumber through five innings on Thursday afternoon but woke up in time to notch a solid sweep of 17^th ranked Hutchinson Community College to bounce back from their first regular season loss in two years.

Coach Aaron Mullens' club came from behind to forge a 4-3 triumph in a game one thriller before exploding past the Kansas visitors by an 8-4 count in the second contest.

Murray State improves to 14-1 overall and will be right back on the Tishomingo diamond on Friday, hosting Seward County Community College for a noon twinbill.

After managing only one hit through the opening five stanzas, the Lady Aggies found their offense in a decisive sixth inning rally of the opener.

Mattie Richardson beat out a bunt single to start the comeback and stole second before riding home with Murray State's initial run on a Lexi Meadows triple. Bradi Harman followed with a run-scoring single to trim the deficit to 3-2.

Haili Igou then belted a single to right field and stole second. Gracie Lute came through with a clutch two-out single to left that plated both runs for the lead.

That was all that reliever Brooklyn Ellis needed to slam the door on the Blue Dragons, retiring all three batters in the seventh to pick up the win. She twirled three scoreless innings, allowing one hit, struck out one and walked one. Courtney Gray worked the first four frames in the circle, yielding three runs on five hits.

Meadows wrapped up the game with two hits.

In the second contest the Lady Aggies got rolling early offensively, carrying over the momentum of the late surge in the first outing by answering a Hutchinson run with three in the bottom of the frame.

Karsyn York and Meadows started with singles ahead of Igou's three-run homer over the centerfield fence.

Murray State added three more the cushion in the fourth inning, working singles by Lute and Richardson into a run on York's sacrifice fly. Harman then delivered a two RBI single two batters later that made it a five-run advantage.

The Blue Dragons closed to within 6-4 one frame later and were threatening for more when Dara Hamlin, who started the game, was summoned back from the bullpen and worked out of the bases loaded jam without any further damage.

Mullens' squad scratched across two pivotal insurance runs in the sixth, sandwiching a pair of walks around a York single to load the bases ahead of Shaylin Midgley's two-out, two-run single to centerfield.

Hamlin was steady in retiring five of the following six Hutchinson batters until running into trouble again with two outs in the seventh when the Blue Dragons strung together three consecutive singles before Courtney Gray slammed the door for the save by coaxing a game-ending pop out.

York had three hits with Midgley chipping in two of the Lady Aggies' 10 hits for the game. Meadows, Harman, Igou, Lute and Richardson all added one.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Mattie Richardson: OF; Sophomore

#2 Karsyn York: OF; Sophomore

#5 Shaylin Midgley: Utility; Sophomore

#3 Courtney Grey: Utility; Freshman

#10 Haili Igou: INF; Freshman

#30 Gracie Lute: INF; Freshman

#21 Lexi Meadows: INF; Freshman

#18 Brooklyn Ellis: P; Freshman

#4 Bradi Harman: Utility; Freshman

#9 Dara Hamlin: P; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#1 Mattie Richardson
: Sophomore
: OF

#2 Karsyn York
: Sophomore
: OF

#5 Shaylin Midgley
: Sophomore
: Utility

#3 Courtney Grey
: Freshman
: Utility

#10 Haili Igou
: Freshman
: INF

#30 Gracie Lute
: Freshman
: INF

#21 Lexi Meadows
: Freshman
: INF

#18 Brooklyn Ellis
: Freshman
: P

#4 Bradi Harman
: Freshman
: Utility

#9 Dara Hamlin
: Freshman
: P