Robyn Leighton pictured above.
By: Ted McCoart, Morehead State Athletic Media Relations | Posted: April 28, 2018 | Source: Morehead State
BOX SCORES: (GM 1) (GM 2) | ARCHIVED VIDEO
OXFORD, Ala. – After dropping a 1-0 decision in the day’s first game, seniors Kylie Holton and Robyn Leighton stamped game two with solo home runs to propel the Morehead State softball team to a 3-0 victory in Saturday afternoon’s finale with Jacksonville State at Choccolocco Park.
The split gives Morehead State a 24-16 record overall and a 5-9 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Gamecocks now sport a 27-20 record and are 14-4 in the OVC.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 1, MOREHEAD STATE 0
Senior Chelsea McManaway pitched a complete-game gem, striking out 10 batters and allowing only two hits, but an RBI double by Ryann Luna in the fourth frame proved to be all the Gamecocks needed to defeat the left-handed ace.
The Eagles challenged in the top of the seventh with a leadoff single by freshman Paige Scruggs and a walk later by Leighton before a fielder’s choice, a strikeout, and a groundout ended the comeback attempt. Morehead State posted four hits in the contest as Ellen Barrett, Hannah Murphy, and Cassie Griffin all had singles to go along with Scruggs’ seventh-inning hit.
The Gamecocks’ right-handed pitcher Faith Sims went the distance in the pitcher’s circle for the home squad and was awarded the victory, improving her to 17-7. The loss dropped McManaway to 15-7 on the season while her strikeout total was upped to 214, which tops the OVC.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
After being shutout in the game-one pitcher’s duel, Morehead State responded quickly by scoring single runs in the first two innings of game two. Junior Allison Rager‘s RBI single in the first inning and solo home runs by Holton and Leighton in the second and fourth innings proved to be all the Eagles needed.
Rager, who improved to 8-8 in the pitcher’s circle with the complete game shutout, plated Taylor Wheeler in the first inning with a single to give the Eagles a 1-0 advantage. Wheeler, a senior from Catlettsburg, Ky., led off the game with a walk and advanced to second on a single by junior outfielder Aubrey Bennett before scoring the game’s opening run.
In the second frame, Holton wasted no time adding a run to the board for Morehead State, sending a 2-0 pitch into the parking lot over the left-field fence. Leighton followed suit in the sixth with a solo blast of her own over the left-field fence and gave the Eagles their final run.
The right-handed Rager gave up six hits but also struck out six batters while giving up only one walk in her seven innings pitched. The Gamecocks used three pitchers but ultimately Alexis Jimmerson was hung with the loss, dropping her to 7-5, after giving up two runs in one inning of work. Nicole Rodriguez relieved Jimmerson and threw five innings giving up a run before Sims returned to finish the game for JSU.
The Eagles outhit the Gamecocks in game two 8-6 with hits by Bennett, Rager, Leighton, Holton, and Murphy. Holton and Leighton both went 2-for-3 from the plate with singles and home runs. Leighton now has five homers on the season while Holton has blasted three out of the park.
NEXT UP
The Eagles travel to Cookeville, Tenn., for an OVC doubleheader with Tennessee Tech Sunday afternoon. The games will get underway at 1 p.m. ET with both being streamed live on the OVC Digital Network.
