Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
In a showdown of Top 10 nationally ranked foes, Murray State College split a non-conference twinbill with visiting Kirkwood Community College on Tuesday afternoon in Tishomingo.

The fifth-ranked Lady Aggies dropped a 5-4 decision in the opener before rebounding to edge the seventh-rated Lady Eagles by a 4-3 count in extra innings of game two.

Now 24-4 on the season, Murray State returns to conference play Wednesday at Carl Albert State College in Poteau with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The Iowa school fell to 13-5 on the year with the second game loss.

Coach Aaron Mullens' squad appeared well on its way to an opening game victory, scoring three runs in the fourth inning to break a scoreless deadlock. Shaylin Midgley began the frame with a solo home run and Mattie Richardson added a two-out, two-run blast.

Pitcher Courtney Grey carried a two-hit shutout into the final stanza when things began to unravel for the hosts as a pair of singles and a home run knotted the score. Reliever Brooklyn Ellis was unable to silence the Lady Eagles, yielding two runs on two hits and was saddled with pitching loss.

The Lady Aggies had one final chance down 5-3 going to the bottom of the seventh, getting singles from Lexi Meadows and Haili Igou ahead of a Midgley walk. One run came across on a passed ball but the tying and winning runners were both left stranded.

Midgley had a home run and double to pace the Lady Aggie offense. Igou tallied a pair of hits with Meadows, Richardson and Jordan Hayes accounting for one apiece.

The second contest was another nail biter throughout with neither team able to sustain much of an advantage.

Murray State broke the scoring ice again in the second inning, working a two-out single from Grey into a run following a Kirkwood error and double steal. The Iowa club answered with a run in the fourth to tie things up.

Opening singles from Meadows and Bradi Harman led to a go-ahead run for the Lady Aggies in the sixth inning before Kirkwood responded again in the seventh, plating two to put Murray State down to its final three outs again.

Kennedy Lord started the rally but reaching on a Lady Eagle error, Richardson singled and Karsyn York doubled to tie things again at 3-3. Richardson however was thrown out at the plate trying to score the winning run.

The Lady Aggies worked a perfect top of the eighth and then got singles from Harman and Igou in its half of the stanza. Grey then delivered the game winner in walk off fashion with a one-out hit up the middle.

York, Harman and Grey all posted two hits for Murray State as Meadows, Igou, Lord and Richardson contributed one apiece.

Dara Hamlin got the pitching start and allowed one run on four hits with a pair of strikeouts over four innings. Ellis was credited with the victory, tossing four frames of relief in which she yielded two runs on five hits and fanned one.