ARDMORE, Okla. – The Murray State College softball team put on an offensive clinic from the very first inning, blasting eight home runs on their way to a dominant 12-2 victory over UA Rich Mountain in the semifinals of the Region 2 Southwest Plains Tournament.
Murray State wasted no time setting the tone in the bottom of the first inning, launching three home runs to jump out to an early 5-0 lead.
Lilly Wyche got things started with a two-run shot to left field, scoring
Jaliyah Simmons.
Kaylee Carter followed with a solo homer, and
Mercades Lopez capped the inning with a two-run blast to center, bringing home
Avery Beauchamp.
The Lady Aggies continued their power surge in the second inning when
Brylee Fanning crushed a solo home run to extend the lead to 6-0.
UA Rich Mountain got on the board in the top of the third inning on an RBI single to make it 6-1. However, Murray State quickly responded with another explosive inning.
In the bottom of the third, the Lady Aggies erupted for five more runs, highlighted by three home runs. Lopez struck again with her second homer of the game, a two-run shot that scored Carter.
Bubba Lee followed with a solo homer, and
Ryann Phillips added another over the center field fence. Simmons also contributed with an RBI single, scoring Fanning and pushing the lead to 11-1.
UA Rich Mountain added one more run in the fourth on a sacrifice bunt, but the Lady Aggies answered immediately in the bottom half. Lopez continued her standout performance, launching her third home run of the game to make it 12-2 and cap off the scoring.
Isabella Hardeman picked up the win for the Lady Aggies as she fired four innings, while striking out four and giving up two runs.
Carolyn Overton threw a scoreless inning in relief, while striking out two.
The Lady Aggies advance to the championship and now take on the winner of No. 2 Seed UA Rich Mountain and No. 4 Seed Western Oklahoma State College. First pitch is scheduled for Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Regional Park.
Sports Information Director: Justin Wagner | jgwagner@mscok.edu
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