COLUMBIA, Ky. - Kayden Murray carded eight strikeouts and held No. 17 Cumberlands to three hits as the 10th-ranked Blue Raiders snuck ahead late to defeat the Patriots 3-2 in the Mid-South Conference tournament on Friday.
Lindsey Wilson's starting pitcher was dialed in from the get-go, striking out the Patriots' lead-off batter three times and recording a strikeout in five of the game's seven innings. Murray also went the complete game without issuing a walk for the eighth different time this season.
Both sides pushed one run across in the first frame. After Cumberlands' grabbed a 1-0 lead in its half of the inning,
Sam Hartman answered with a towering solo home run to knot the score.
The Patriots restored their one-run cushion their next time up and maintained that 2-1 edge through the fourth inning.
In the bottom leg of the fifth, a groundout started things off, but
Hannah Carter kept off the dirt with her hit and launched a one-run bomb to left field on the first pitch of her at-bat, effectively tying the game.
The next inning,
Nora Epley and Hartman each earned a walk to set up
Natalie Wandrie, and the junior did not disappoint as her smoked a grounder up the middle. Epley, who got a good jump off the bag, showed no hesitation rounding third base to plate the go-ahead run.
In the top of the seventh inning, Murray retired the Patriots in order, including game-ending strikeout.
Lindsey Wilson advances to the championship game at 3:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 2. The Blue Raiders will play the winner of the Saturday's early game slated for 1 p.m. CT.
