Huntington Times

Marshall Defeats Elon to Close Winning Weekend

A third consecutive winning weekend has the Marshall softball team 11-3 entering its home opener next Friday, March 3.

The Herd defeated Elon 7-3 to close the weekend, after an extra-innings loss to Liberty in the first game Sunday. 

Autumn Owen capped off a historic weekend with two more home runs Sunday, compiling a total of six long balls in the three days at the Liberty Classic. Owen's weekend total set a new program record for home runs in a weekend, breaking the previous record of five set by Rachel Folden in March, 2006.

Second Game: Marshall 7, Elon 3 

Box Score (PDF)

Junior Savannah Rice entered the circle to start the second game of the doubleheader. Rice immediately escaped a bases-loaded no-out jam in the 1st unscathed. In total, the Marshall, N.C. native struck out six in over five innings of work.

Owen drove in the first run of the game with a single up the middle, before hitting her historic blast in the 3rd. Owen finished the weekend with 14 total runs driven in..

Bri Godfrey earned the four-out save, escaping a jam in the 6th before closing out the Phoenix in order in the 7th.

Bub Feringa drove in the other two runs for Marshall while Grace Chelemen hit her second home run in as many days to pace the offense.

First Game: Liberty 5, Marshall 4, (8 Innings)

Box Score (PDF)

In Marshall's first extra-innings affair of the season, it was Autumn Owen's fifth home run in three days that stunned the home Liberty crowd in the 3rd. 

Marshall built an early lead against the hosts with a Rielly Lucas single through the right side to score Feringa. Owen's blast to right-center doubled the Herd's lead. Lucas would lead the team with two runs brought in during the game.

Sydney Nester battled throughout, striking out 10 Liberty batters.. 

The Flames' ability to strike quickly proved true with five consecutive hits with two outs to tie the game at four in the bottom of the 6th. 

Nester would hold LU scoreless in the 7th to force extras. The senior finished with 161 pitches in eight innings of work. 

The Flames, a 2022 NCAA Tournament participant, would walk off in extras with a two-out hit.

UP NEXT

Marshall returns home to the Dot Hicks Field for the first time in 2023 for the Thundering Herd Round Robin next Friday, March 3. The Herd's first game will be against Pitt at 12:30 p.m.

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Original source can be found here