After a slow start, the Radford softball team bounced back with four unanswered runs that led to a 4-2 victory over Murray State on Sunday morning. The Highlanders completed the Eagle Round Robin with four wins.
Murray State (1-2) scored the first run in the second inning on a two-out groundout to first base. Radford (4-0) did a nice job of getting out of the inning only allowing one run and leaving two Racers stranded.
With nothing doing in the third inning, the Racers had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the fourth inning. The leadoff hitter Brenna Finck hit a line shot to Sofia Tapia in left field, but was credited for a sacrifice fly as Kristen Bialek scored and made it a 2-0 game. That run was the Racers final run of the game. The top of the fourth came to a close on a groundout.
The Highlander bats came alive in the fifth inning, but not before Marissa Gagliano recorded the teams first hit of the morning in the fourth inning. The fifth inning saw a leadoff walk by Maggie Rowe, followed by a Hannah Medlam single to first base. Marissa Yow recorded a clutch no-out single that plated pinch-runner Callie Morgan from second and cut the deficit to one. The play wasn’t over as the Racer right fielder airmailed the throw to home plate that allowed Medlam to score the tying run.
A bases loaded walk by Haven Campbell gave Radford the go-ahead run, but the Highlanders couldn’t score anymore as a groundout to shortstop ended the fifth.
Meanwhile, Abby Morrow (2-0) settled in nicely after the fourth inning retiring the last 11 batters she faced. Morrow ended with her 49th career complete game and is one shy of moving into fifth place in school history. The senior ended with five hits, two runs allowed – one earned – and two strikeouts. She recorded 16 of the 21 outs via ground ball.
Maggie Rowe led of the sixth inning going yard on a 3-2 pitch that gave the Highlanders an insurance run and a 4-2 lead.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Abby Morrow picked up her second win of the young season and also pitched her second complete game.
• She finished the game with two strikeouts and retired the last batters she faced and only saw nine batters over the final three innings.
• Hannah Medlam was the only Highlander with a multiple hit performance. She went 2-for-3 and scored a run.
• Sofia Tapia, Maggie Rowe and Marissa Yow each drove in a run.
• The Highlanders have started out this year hitting at least one home run in each game and already have nine in four games.
• The Racers walked five batters in the game and left six on base.
• Olivia Suski suffered the loss for Murray State. She pitched 5.2 innings, gave up three hits, walked two and allowed three earned runs.
“I’m ecstatic at how the team came out to play this weekend. Leaving with four wins is great; leaving with more confidence and more things to work on is also nice. Not everything looked pretty but each player stayed focused on what her job was and executed. The team is playing aggressive and smart, and fighting to make good things happen. This weekend truly was a collective effort.” ~ Hope Creasy
The Highlanders look to carry the momentum in Charlotte competing in the First Pitch Classic. Radford will take on Dayton at 11 a.m., and Charlotte at 4 p.m., on Friday before facing UNC Wilmington on Saturday at 11 a.m., and closing out the tournament with two games on Sunday.