COLUMBIA, Ky. - Natalie Wandrie hit two home runs and
Kayden Murray dealt another complete-game shutout as 10th-ranked Lindsey Wilson pushed past Johnson (Tenn.) in the Opening Round of the NAIA National Tournament on Monday.
Fresh off her walk-off bomb to win the Mid-South Conference tournament on May 2, Wandrie continued to flex the hot bat with solo shots in her first two at-bats of the game.
The first met the trees beyond center field in the bottom of the second inning. Then, two innings later, Wandrie left a dent in the scoreboard in right field on a 3-2 pitch. Both of her home runs led off their respective innings.
In the sixth frame,
Emerson McKinnis joined the scoring by sacrificing herself to plate
Natalie Shaw. Later in the inning, pinch hitter
Marissa Frolich found a soft spot through the left side of the infield, sending home
Sam Hartman for the game's final run.
As the Blue Raider offense clicked late, Murray and defense stayed in rhythm and did not allow a single Johnson base runner to advance past first base. Notably, McKinnis stopped a Royal in its tracks at second base in the third inning, and
Summer Ray accumulated five putouts and one assist from short stop.
Murray closed her book with six strikeouts, extending her shutout streak to 20 innings. She has also gone 24 straight innings without issuing a walk to an opposing hitter.
Lindsey Wilson faces Indiana Wesleyan at 2:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, May 12.
