Junior first baseman Dana Hutchins, freshman designated player Lindsay Ward and senior third baseman Katie Raile crushed home runs to lift Morehead State to a softball sweep of Fairfield and IPFW in the Hampton Inn Camel Stampede on Sunday at Littlejohn Stadium.
The Eagles posted a 5-4 victory over the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Stags in the opener and 4-3 win over the Summit League Mastodons in the second contest. MSU improves to 6-10 overall with its third victory in four games, while Fairfield slips to 0-3 and IPFW remains winless in 14 tilts.
Hutchins' two-run blast, her first of the season, tied game one with two outs in the sixth inning. Ward's game-winning solo shot, her second of the campaign, led off the seventh inning against Fairfield. Raile's game-tying solo bomb, her first of the year, came in the fifth frame versus IPFW.
The Eagles broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning against IPFW. Freshman pinch hitter Laine Simmons smashed a game-winning RBI triple with two outs and scored on the same play thanks to a throwing error by the Mastodons.
Morehead State collected 14 hits in the doubleheader, with Ward notching a team-best three. Fairfield sophomore catcher Tori Reed and IPFW junior center fielder Taylor Prescott were the only opponents with more than one hit. Reed finished 2-for-3, while Prescott went 2-for-4 with one run.
Freshman Mackenzie Grossmann went the distance for the game-one victory. She allowed no earned runs and just four hits while walking three and striking out two. The right-hander tossed a one-hitter on Saturday vs. Monmouth. She finishes the weekend 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 14 innings.
Senior right-hander Tanna Seuferer pitched all seven innings for the game-two win. She allowed three earned runs and scattered seven hits while walking one and fanning two. Grossmann improves to 3-3 on the season with a 3.00 ERA, while Seuferer moves to 3-2 with a 6.12 earned-run clip.
Junior right-hander Lauren Falkanger, who allowed three earned runs in one inning, suffered the game-one loss. Freshman right-hander Kaitlin Kowalski, who yielded three earned runs in six frames, was pinned with the game-two defeat. Falkanger is now 0-2 this season, while Kowalski is 0-3.
Morehead State is expected to play its next 11 contests at University Field. The Eagles are scheduled to host Atlantic 10 Conference opponent Dayton in a Wednesday doubleheader at 2 p.m. ET. MSU will then begin Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday and Sunday against Jacksonville State.