By: Ted McCoart | Posted: April 13, 2018 | Source: Morehead State Athletic Media Relations
BOX SCORES: (GM 1) (GM 2) | ARCHIVED VIDEO: (GM 1) (GM 2)
NASHVILLE – Junior right-handed pitcher Allison Rager tossed her first career no-hitter and helped the Morehead State softball Eagles take one of two games against Belmont Friday afternoon. The memory of a tough 3-2 defeat in the day’s first game was soon forgotten as Rager’s gem in game two resulted in a 3-0 win for Morehead State at E.S. Rose Park.
“Allison threw a great game, and the defense made plays behind her,” said head coach David Williams about his pitcher’s career day.
The head coach was pleased with his team’s total body of work for the day, adding “We hit the ball well all day and just couldn’t get enough runs across in game one. I am extremely proud of the way our team performed and approached today’s games as Belmont is a quality program with quality pitchers.”
Morehead State now sports a record of 20-12 and sits at 3-5 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Bruins are 22-14 overall and 3-7 in the OVC.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, BELMONT 0
After walking two and hitting one batter to load the bases in the first inning Ragersettled in, got out of the jam, and rode that momentum on her way to complete the historical no-hit performance. Rager, now 6-6 on the season, threw 98 pitches and gave up three walks one free base on the hit batter while striking out three Bruins.
The Eagles got on the board in the sixth inning when Senior Robyn Leighton reached base after being hit by a pitch and senior Kylie Holton got on thanks to an error by the Belmont catcher. That brought senior Hannah Murphy to the plate, and she came up clutch with a two-out, three-run blast over the left-center field fence. The three runs proved to be all the Eagles needed as Rager was untouchable.
Morehead State collected 10 hits in the victory. Senior Taylor Wheeler and junior Aubrey Bennett went 2-for-4 while freshman Paige Scruggs, sophomore Allison Davis, Rager, Leighton, Holton, and Murphy all had single hits.
Belmont pitcher Alicia Veltri was hung with the loss and dropped to 4-7 this season.
BELMONT 3, MOREHEAD STATE 2
The Eagles dropped game one in walk-off fashion after a pair of Bruins reached base on a walk and a hit by pitch, giving Belmont sophomore Bailey Sims the opportunity to belt a single into the left-center field gap that scored the game’s winning run.
Both teams remained scoreless after the first two innings before the Bruins got three hits and put two runs on the scoreboard in the third. The Eagles answered back though and scored in the fourth and fifth frames on RBI singles by Murphy and senior Ellen Barrett.
Despite picking up the loss and falling to 13-5 on the year, senior left-handed pitcher Chelsea McManaway had a good outing as she allowed only four hits, walked two batters, and struck out six Bruins. Belmont’s ace pitcher Brooklin Lee was awarded with the win and improved her record in the pitcher’s circle to 12-6.
Morehead State finished the day with eight hits against one of the OVC’s best pitchers in Lee. Six Eagles got into the hit column, including 2-for-3 performances by Barrett and Leighton.
NEXT UP
The Eagles step away from OVC play and travel to Dayton, Ohio, for midweek games Wednesday at Wright State.
