Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
HOT SPRINGS, Ark – Returning to action after an undesigned nine-day layoff, the fourth-ranked Murray State Lady Aggies showed little signs of rust in walloping National Park College in a conference softball twinbill on the road Thursday afternoon.

The Lady Aggies rolled to a 20-2 five-inning run rule triumph in the opener and then followed with a 10-2 six-inning run rule verdict in game two as well to improve to 35-5 overall and a perfect 12-0 in league action. National Park saw its record even at 16-16 overall while slipping to 12-6 in conference play while seeing their seven-game winning streak snapped emphatically.

Murray State will be back at home Saturday with a 1 p.m. league doubleheader with Western State College.

The lengthy break did nothing to cool the red-hot Lady Aggie bats as they amassed 30 hits, 10 of which went for extra bases in the pair of romps.

In the first contest, Coach Aaron Mullens' club only plated one run in the opening frame thanks to a National Park error but the bats exploded over the next two stanzas in a big way.

Defending National Player of the Week Shaylin Midgley ignited the fuse with a leadoff home run to start the second frame and the avalanche began from there as Murray State pushed across eight runs. Kennedy Lord posted a three-run homer, Karsyn York doubled home another run and Haili Igou soon plated a pair with a triple before scoring on Midgley's second hit of the inning.

That was just the tip of the iceberg however as the Lady Aggies tallied another 10 runs in the third inning to completely put the game out of reach, rattling off five straight hits to begin the charge. York singled home two runs and Midgley had a double that drove in three to key the offensive flurry.

Lord had a monster outing with four hits, scoring three times and knocking in four. Midgley notched three hits and added to her nation-leading RBI lead by driving in five. York had two hits with three batted in. Lexi Meadows, Bradi Harman and Courtney Grey also had a pair of hits apiece. Gracie Lute, Mattie Richardson, Haili Igou and Bean each contributed one.

Three pitchers combined for the victory, spurred by Gray with three innings in which she yielded one run on four hits and struck out five. Bradi Harman added a frame of scoreless relief, fanning all three. Butler also twirled one inning in which she allowed an unearned run on one hit.

Game was a similar story but, in a bit, smaller version.

York opened the first with a single and eventually rode home when Midgley reached on an error, and it remained 1-1 until the third. Harman singled with one away and Igou walked before Midgley followed with a run-scoring hit. Lute also doubled in the early stages another RBI.

Three consecutive one-out hits put Murray State in business in the fourth as Grey blitzed the hosts by connecting on a bases loaded double that cleared them all. They put the final touches on the win, fueled by Grey once again as she connected on a three-run homer over the left field fence.
 
Lord was the only player in the starting lineup that did not have a hit for the Lady Aggies. Grey had the huge performance at the plate with two hits and drove in seven runs. Lute and Harman also chipped in two hits each. York, Meadows, Igou and Richardson.

Brooklyn Ellis fired three and one-third innings to garner the pitching triumph, scattering four hits with three strikeouts. Dara Hamlin allowed one run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning while Harman closed things out with a scoreless frame in which she struck out three.