SPARTANBURG, S.C. — After a day and a half of rainouts, the No. 2 Lady Aggies were back in action at the NJCAA Division II World Series. The Lady Aggies completed the final two innings of the historic comeback over No. 3 Copiah-Lincoln to open the day. Murray State, then, dropped a game to No. 5 Pearl River College, before falling to No. 9 Des Moines Area in the nightcap.
Game 1: No. 2 Murray State 21, No. 3 Copiah-Lincoln 16
Copiah-Lincoln came out swinging in the top of the first, capitalizing on early momentum to build a 6-0 lead behind timely hitting, including a two-run single and a bases-clearing triple.
Murray State quickly responded in the bottom half, getting on the board with a solo home run from
Brylee Fanning and an RBI single from
Kaylee Carter to cut the deficit to 6-2.
Copiah-Lincoln extended their lead in the second inning, pouring on eight more runs with contributions from across the lineup, highlighted by a pair of home runs. Suddenly trailing 14-2, the Lady Aggies faced a steep uphill climb—but that's when the momentum began to shift.
Murray State ignited its comeback in the bottom of the second. A three-run blast from
Cady Ammons sparked life into the dugout, and aggressive baserunning combined with a Copiah-Lincoln error trimmed the deficit to 14-7.
The offense exploded again in the third inning as Ammons delivered her second three-run homer of the game.
Lilly Wyche followed with a solo shot, and after a
Mercades Lopez RBI triple,
Bubba Lee tied the game at 14-14 with a two-run homer—completing an incredible comeback in just two innings.
The Lady Aggies kept the pressure on in the fourth, taking their first lead of the game when
Jaliyah Simmons launched a two-run home run to make it 16-14.
Copiah-Lincoln answered in the top of the fifth with a game-tying two-run homer, but Murray State refused to be denied. In the bottom half, Simmons delivered again with an RBI double to regain the lead.
Cady Ammons continued her monster day with a two-run single, and
Lilly Wyche sealed the game with a two-run homer to cap off the scoring at 21-16.
Murray State's relentless offense was the story, overcoming a 12-run deficit with power, timely hitting, and resilience.
Cady Ammons,
Jaliyah Simmons, and
Lilly Wyche each posted incredible days at the plate. Ammons was 4-for-5 with eight RBI's, including a pair of home runs, and three runs scored. Wyche was 5-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI's and three runs scored. Simmons was 4-for-4 with one home run, a pair of doubles, five runs scored, and three RBI's.
Game 2: No. 5 Pearl River 5, No. 2 Murray State 0
After four scoreless innings, Pearl River broke the tie with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning.
Pearl River continued to apply pressure in the sixth inning. The Wildcats extended the lead with an RBI double to center and a fielder's choice tacked on another run to increase their advantage to five.
Murray State attempted to answer in the bottom of the seventh inning, but were unsuccessful and fell to No. 5 Pearl River, 5-0.
Game 3: No. 9 Des Moines Area 4, No. 2 Murray State 3
Murray State struck first in the top of the second when
Ryann Phillips laced an RBI double to center, bringing home
Mercades Lopez for a 1-0 lead. Moments later, the Lady Aggies capitalized on a defensive miscue as
Brylee Fanning reached on an error that allowed Phillips to score, extending the advantage to 2-0.
The Lady Aggies continued to build in the third as
Kaylee Carter crushed a solo home run over the right field fence to make it 3-0 in favor of Murray State.
However, the game turned quickly in the bottom half of the inning. Des Moines Area Community College responded with a decisive swing as the Bears hit a grand slam over the left field fence, taking a 4-3 lead over the Lady Aggies.
Murray State attempted to answer back in the final four innings, but were unsuccessful and fell to No. 9 Des Moines Area, 4-3.
The Lady Aggies conclude their incredible season with a 66-3 record.
Sports Information Director: Justin Wagner | jgwagner@mscok.edu
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