Softball Rebounds and Hammers Way to Round One Win

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DENTON, Texas – After a rough start to the night, the No. 4 seed Marshall softball team bounced back and smashed four home runs on the way to a 6-4, comeback victory over the No. 5 seed Florida Atlantic Owls in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday. Fifth-year senior Aly Harrell belted two homers and became the third member of the Herd 50 Home Run Club.

The Thundering Herd improved to 34-16 while the Owls, who won 11-4 over the UTSA Roadrunners earlier in the day, fell to 29-25.

Marshall will now play against No. 1 seed Louisiana Tech on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT. Florida Atlantic drops to the bottom of the bracket and will take on No. 3 seed WKU at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT. All games in the Conference USA Tournament, except the Championship game, will be streamed on ESPN+. The Herd's games will also be broadcast on 88.1 WMUL-FM with audio streamed online www.marshall.edu/wmul on Stream 1 with Scott Hall on the call.

The Herd struggled through the first three innings, committing four errors and managing just two hits to trail 4-2. The Owls scored two runs in the top of the first. Harrell quickly put Marshall on the scoreboard with her first home run of the night with a solo shot to right to lead off the bottom of the first. The homer was her 10th of the season and 50th of her career. The Herd put two more runners on base from walks in the first but could not capitalize.

Freshman Lauren Love led off the bottom of the second with a solo home run to center that tied the game at 2-2. Two more runners reached from walks in the second inning, but again Marshall could not find the timely hit.

It looked as if things were going to fall apart for the Herd in the top of the third. The Owls scored two more runs as Marshall's defense committed three more errors. The third error allowed the second run to cross the plate and kept the bases loaded. Redshirt junior pitcher Sydney Nester finally ended the inning with her second strikeout of the game. Marshall trailed 4-2.

The Herd was shut off the scoreboard in the third. In the top of the fourth, the Owls were in position to add to its lead with the first two batters reaching on back-to-back singles to left. The next batter popped out to Nester on a bunt attempt. The fourth batter of the frame lined out Love in left, again keeping both runners from being able to advance. Nester struck out the very next batter to end the threat, stranding both on base.

In the bottom of the fourth, with two away and fifth-year senior Madison Whitaker at second, fellow fifth-year senior Armani Brown dropped down a perfectly place bunt for a base hit. With two runners on base, Harrell came to the plate, and on a 3-1 count, smashed her second bomb of the night out to left-center. Marshall took the lead at 5-4.

The Herd retired the side in the top of the fifth for the first 1-2-3 inning of the night for Marshall. Sophomore Autumn Owen tallied two of the outs at third. Owen then came to the plate with two down in the bottom of the fifth and obliterated the first pitch she saw over the high net in center. The solo shot disappeared into the night, giving the Herd a two-run lead, 6-4. It was Owen's eighth of the season and 25th of her collegiate career.

Nester struck out the first batter in the sixth and then had the assist on a grounder back to the circle for the second out. Whitaker finished off the inning with an assist at second for another 1-2-3 frame.

Whitaker and Harrell both earned walks in the bottom of the sixth, but Marshall was unable to add to its lead.

Florida Atlantic put up a fight in the top of the seventh. Two of the first three batters reached base with the game-tying run standing at first with one out. The next two batters both grounded out to Whitaker at second as Marshall finished the win in dramatic fashion.

Nester went the distance in the circle for the 29th time this season, good for fifth-most in team history. She earned her 25th win of the year, tied for fifth-best in a season at Marshall, and struck out four batters. The 2022 Conference USA Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year now has 288 strikeouts for the year.

The Herd had five hits in the game, with four leaving the park, and drew eight walks.

Harrell hit two home runs in a game for the second time in her career. The last came on Feb. 16, 2019, against Presbyterian. She also drew two walks, the 48th time in her career with at least two. Harrell tied her career-high with four RBI in the win.

With Harrell now in double-digits this season with 11 home runs, 2022 is the first time in program history that Marshall has three players with 10 or more home runs. Prior to this season, Marshall has had two players with double-digit homers in a season four times. But this year, senior Mya Stevenson and fifth-year senior Saige Pye both have 18 and now Harrell joins them with 11. Harrell also joins Stevenson and Rachel Folden in the Marshall 50 Home Runs Club.

Pye and Whitaker both drew two walks was well. Stevenson and Love had one walk each. Brown was the only Herd batter to record a hit that was not a home run.

On defense, Whitaker tied her season-high with five assists.

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 Rebounds and Hammers Way to Round One Win

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Team Stats

Aly Harrell

Autumn Owen

Lauren Love

Armani Brown

Players Mentioned

Armani Brown

Aly Harrell

Lauren Love

Sydney Nester

Autumn Owen

Saige Pye

Mya Stevenson

Madison Whitaker

Players Mentioned

Armani Brown

Aly Harrell

Lauren Love

Sydney Nester

Autumn Owen

Saige Pye

Mya Stevenson

Madison Whitaker

Marshall University Athletics