COLUMBIA, Ky. - Lindsey Wilson softball extended its shutout streak to 23 innings as the Blue Raiders downed Northwestern Ohio 5-0 on Monday at Marilyn D. Sparks Park.
Kayden Murray, just an hour after being named Mid-South Conference Pitcher of the Week, tossed her second consecutive complete-game shutout with nine strikeouts and six hits allowed.
Four different Blue Raiders charted multiple hits, including
Kaiden Rodgers to drive in two runs.
That pair of runs got the scoring started in the bottom half of the first inning. After
Emerson McKinnis and
Natalie Wandrie reached in their respective at-bats, Rodgers rallied a ball to the left field corner and off the glove of the Racers' outfielder.
The very next at-bat,
Sam Hartman doubled to the opposite edge of the grass, plating Rodgers to give Lindsey Wilson a quick 3-0 lead.
Northwestern Ohio managed its first hits in the third inning with back-to-back singles, but the Blue Raiders' stout defense, led by
Aubrey Miller at third base, kept the visitors off the scoreboard.
In the fourth frame,
Nora Epley got on base with a sharply hit ball to third. Then, McKinnis dropped an RBI-single into left field.
Lindsey Wilson's last run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two outs,
Hannah Carter stepped in to pinch hit, and on the first pitch she saw skied a towering solo home run to left field.
The Blue Raiders will close the series with Northwestern Ohio at noon and 2 p.m. CT on Tuesday, February 24.
