Softball Flies South to Face Owls for Three-Game Series

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Marshall softball team is on the road again as well as back in Conference USA action for a three-game series with the Florida Atlantic Owls, April 8-10.

The series begins on Friday at 6 p.m., then continues on Saturday at 1 p.m., and finally on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

The Thundering Herd comes in with an overall record of 22-9 and 6-3 in league play. The Owls enter with a 20-18 overall mark and 8-4 in conference. The games will be streamed on CUSAtv and broadcast on 88.1 WMUL-FM, audio streamed online with Scott Hall on the call.

Game Details
Marshall Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats: SIDEARM
Live Stream: CUSAtv
Marshall Radio: 88.1 WMUL-FM, audio streamed online www.marshall.edu/wmul
Series History: 23 all-time meetings, Marshall leads 14-9
Last Meeting: April 16-18, 2021 in Huntington – Marshall won three of the four games. Aly Harrell hit a walk-off double and Saige Pye tied a team record with three doubles in the third game.

Following the Herd's series in Boca Raton, Marshall has a doubleheader at Northern Kentucky on Tuesday April 12 beginning at 2 p.m. The Herd then returns to Dot Hicks Field for a three-game series against FIU, April 14-16. The final game of the weekend on the 16th is set for Emileigh Cooper Day as the 2022 Warrior Award Winner will be announced.

Last Time Out
In the series against Charlotte, Marshall came back from an early deficit in each contest to get the sweep. The Herd trailed game one, 3-0 through the top of the 3rd before scoring three runs in the bottom of the third off a 3-run home run from Saige Pye to tie the game. The 49ers regained the lead, 4-3, in the top of the fifth. However, Marshall scored eight unanswered runs with five in the fifth and three more in the sixth. Pye hit another 3-run bomb in the sixth to put the exclamation point on the comeback.

Game two was even wilder as Charlotte scored three runs in the top of the first, followed by Marshall putting up four in the bottom of the frame. The 49ers erupted for five runs in the top of the third to take an 8-4 lead. Marshall added one run in the bottom of the third to close the gap to three runs. Charlotte put the lead back to four plating one run in the fourth and led 9-5. In the bottom of the fifth, Autumn Owen hit a solo home run and Aly Harrell drew a bases loaded walk and now trailed 9-7. In the bottom of the sixth, Mya Stevenson hit a solo bomb to put the Herd within one, 9-8. In the top of the seventh, Bub Feringa rolled through the Charlotte batters in order to keep it at a one-run deficit. In the bottom of the seventh, the 49ers walked Harrell to load the bases with one out bringing up Grace Chelemen. Chelemen delivered a bloop single down the left field line that scored Alex Coleman to tie the game at 9-9. The Herd couldn't find the timely hit to finish, and the game went to the eighth. Charlotte scored one run in the eighth, and had bases loaded before Sydney Nester shut it down with back-to-back strikeouts. In the bottom of the eighth, Owen led off the inning with a single. Madison Whitaker moved Owen to second with a sac bunt. Two batters later, and with two outs, Love reached on a walk and then Kay Kay Kenney drove in Owen with a single to right to tie the game at 10-10. Again, Charlotte walked Harrell to load the bases to get to Chelemen with two away. Chelemen came through clutch again with a base hit to center that allowed Love to score easily from third for the walk-off.

With the series in hand, Marshall went for the sweep as the 49ers attempted to salvage a game on Sunday. Charlotte took the early 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the first. The 49ers hit a home run in the first inning of all three games. Marshall responded with a two-run home run from Katie Adams in the second to take the lead, 2-1. The 49ers regained the lead 3-2 in the top of the third. However, Marshall went back to the long ball as Pye and Owen both hit solo homers in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-3 lead. Nester and the defense took care of business the rest of the way to earn the sweep.

100 Wins
Head Coach Megan Smith Lyon tallied her 100th win at Marshall on Friday, April 1, 2022, in game one of the series with the Charlotte 49ers. The Herd took the game 11-4. It was Smith Lyon's 151st game with Marshall since taking the helm in the summer of 2018. She was the fastest to reach 50 wins (76 games) and became the fastest to 100 in team history as well. Former head coaches Louie Berndt (1994-99) and Shonda Stanton (2000-17) both reached the century mark in their 187th games. For coach Berndt it happened on March 22, 1997, with a 7-0 win over Chattanooga. For coach Stanton it came on March 26, 2003, with an 11-0 victory at Eastern Michigan.

Harrell Joins Another Exclusive Group: 200 Hit Club
With a single to center in the third inning against Charlotte on April 1, Aly Harrell became the 12th member of the MUSB 200 Hits Club. The hit came in her 195th career game. The fifth-year senior finished the weekend with four total hits, getting to 203 and moving ahead of Jessica Williams for 11th all-time. After the Charlotte series, Harrell has recorded a hit in 179 of her 198 (90.4%) career games played. Harrell is the first one to jump into the 200 Hit Club since Elicia D'Orazio reached the milestone back in 2018, Harrell's freshman season.

Herd Bats Tie Another Record
In the 11-10 comeback victory over Charlotte on Saturday, April 2, Marshall tied another team record with 19 hits. It tied the mark that was set back on April 9, 2014, at Northern Kentucky. That day, Marshall ripped off its 19 hits in just five innings as the Herd won 17-2. It was also the same day that Marshall hit five home runs in a game for the first time and Shaelynn Braxton tied the record of three homers in a single game, set by Rachel Folden on March 4, 2006, versus Austin Peay.

Against Charlotte, nine different players had at least one hit and four players recorded three each.

Marshall's 19 Hits vs. Charlotte
Grace Chelemen 3
Mya Stevenson 3
Autumn Owen 3
Lauren Love 3
Madison Whitaker 2
Katie Adams 2
Aly Harrell 1
Kay Kay Kenney 1
Bub Feringa 1

Owen Scores Her Way into the Record Book
Autumn Owen set a personal-best and tied a team record for runs scored in a single game as she crossed home plate four times in the second game of the series against Charlotte on April 2. She is the first Herd player to score four times in a game since Taylor McCord on April 29, 2017, at Middle Tennessee. Owen first scored in the first inning after reaching on a single, and later coming home on a base hit from Katie Adams. Owen reached on a fielder's choice in the third and then scored on a single to right from Lauren Love. In the fifth, Owen drove herself home with a solo home run to center as part of a two-run inning that helped pull the Herd within two runs. The sophomore saved her best for last leading off the top of the eighth inning with her third hit of the game. Owen later scored on a single from Kay Kay Kenney that tied the game at 10-10, eventually leading to the walk-off.

Since 2000, a Herd player has scored four runs in a game now eight times as Owen joins the group. Morgan Zerkle is the only one to do it twice.

MUSB Four Runs in a Single Game
March 1, 2003 - De'Shaun Drake vs. Akron
April 6, 2013 - Ashley Gue at Houston
Feb. 14, 2015 - Morgan Zerkle vs. Bucknell
April 4, 2015 - Emileigh Cooper vs. North Texas
April 18, 2015 - Morgan Zerkle vs. Florida Atlantic
May 8, 2016 - Elicia D'Orazio at WKU
April 29, 2017 - Taylor McCord at Middle Tennessee
April 2, 2022 - Autumn Owen vs. Charlotte

The Opponent
The Owls have been playing well through conference action beginning with a sweep over Louisiana Tech. Florida Atlantic lost 2-of-3 to North Texas and then won the series over WKU and Middle Tennessee. The Owls defeated WKU 3-2 to take the series on Sunday, March 27, with heavy hearts as head coach Joan Joyce had passed away the night before.

Associate head coach, and longtime Joyce assistant, Chan Walker was named the interim head coach.

Florida Atlantic is coming off the series win over Middle Tennessee, April 1-3. The Owls won game one 5-2, lost game two 3-4 and then won the finale 8-2 in nine innings. Florida Atlantic erupted for six runs in the top of the ninth highlighted two home runs, including a three shot from Sara Berthiaume. Lynn Gardner pitched all nine innings and allowed just five hits.

On offense, the Owls are batting .230 this season and Berthiaume is the only one over .300 (.387). She leads the team with 43 hits, 20 runs, nine doubles, five triples, 18 RBI and is tied for the home run lead with three. Zoey Jones, who hit the second homer in the ninth at Middle Tennessee, also has three.

In the circle, Florida Atlantic sports a team ERA of 3.39 with an opponent batting average of .238. Gardner has been the main arm for the Owls with 115.2 innings pitched, a 2.36 ERA, 12-5 record, 14 complete games, six shutouts and 76 strikeouts. Gabby Sacco is next with a 2.69 ERA, 7-5 record, two shutouts and 33 strikeouts in 70.1 innings. Donnie Gobourne has 59 strikeouts this season in just 46.2 innings.

Defense for Florida Atlantic has been very solid with a team fielding percentage of .972. The Owls have turned 13 double plays this season.

Following the series with Marshall, Florida Atlantic travels to Bethune-Cookman for a doubleheader, then has its off weekend in league play (April 14-16) before heading down to Miami for a three-game series with FIU, April 22-24.

For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.

---HerdZone.com---

Softball Flies South to Face Owls for Three-Game Series

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Players Mentioned

Katie Adams

Grace Chelemen

Alex Coleman

Bub Feringa

Aly Harrell

Kay Kay Kenney

Lauren Love

Sydney Nester

Autumn Owen

Saige Pye

Mya Stevenson

Madison Whitaker

Marshall University Athletics