BOONE, N.C. – Despite trailing for the majority of Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium, the App State softball team never quit, scoring three times in the sixth inning to tie the game to force extras and then four in the eighth inning to complete the come-from-behind win to claim the series against Marshall in thrilling fashion.
App State split the doubleheader on Saturday in what turned out to be a tremendous offensive display by both sides, falling 12-10 in Game 1 before winning 12-8 in Game 2 against the Thundering Herd, which entered the weekend atop the Sun Belt standings.
Marti Henkel proved to be Game 2's hero as she hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning, which was her first career home run. Henkel's home run was preceded by walks to
Taylor Chumbley and
Madison McIntyre and a hit-by-pitch from
Grace Barrett. Henkel hadn't gotten a hit in the series until the fourth inning of the finale, but her discipline in the box helped her come through.
Overall, it was truly an offensive fest as the two teams combined to score 42 runs across the doubleheader. App State (15-21, 6-6 SBC) posted 22 of those runs, giving it 31 runs across the three-game set with Marshall (22-16, 8-4 SBC). The Mountaineers hit four home runs on Saturday, highlighted by Henkel's grand slam and back-to-back home runs by Chumbley and McIntyre in Game 1. Together, the two teams combined to hit nine home runs through the two games.
Trailing by four runs entering the fourth inning, the Mountaineers turned to Beamesderfer in the circle, and it proved to be the right move as she posted four scoreless innings to get the win. Marshall started Game 2 of the doubleheader by scoring at least once in each of the first four innings, but didn't score once Beamesderfer took over. The righty allowed just four baserunners and struck out four hitters, falling one short of her career high.
For the weekend, the Mountaineers hit six home runs, which gives them 13 over their last six games. Additionally, App State has scored 54 runs since last Friday, which is good for an average of nine runs a game.
How it Happened
Game 1: App State 10, Marshall 12
Marshall quickly opened the scoring of Saturday's doubleheader as Rielly Lucas bashed a leadoff home run over the right-field wall, giving it a 1-0 lead after a batter. The Herd picked up another single, but
Sophie Moshos was able to keep them to just one run as App State stepped to bat for the first time.
The Mountaineers went scoreless in the first inning, and Marshall capitalized by plating its second run on a sacrifice fly in the second. A double and a groundout helped advance the runner to third with less than two outs before the flyball. App State couldn't answer despite seeing two runners reach in the bottom half, leaving the Herd in front after two.
Moshos sat down Marshall in order in the top of the third, which helped bring momentum in favor of App State heading into the bottom of the third. The Mountaineers scored five times in that inning to take the lead, using back-to-back homers to do so.
The inning started with a strikeout, but a walk to McClain and a single by
Macy Hamby put two runners on. The Herd got the second out, but
Leah Gore plated the first run by shooting a single into left field that scored McClain. One batter later, Chumbley unloaded on a 3-2 pitch and sent it high over the left-field wall for a three-run homer. It was her first long ball since March 2.
Not done yet, McIntyre went back-to-back with Chumbley, sending a high, towering home run into the Marshall bullpen, which made the score 5-2 App State. The Herd made a pitching change and got out of the inning, but the Mountaineers had stormed ahead.
After seeing the Mountaineers take the lead, the Herd answered back with four of their own in the fourth inning, using two hits and a three-run homer to do so. But as resilient teams do, the Mountaineers answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead right back.
McClain led off the inning with a walk, and Hamby reached on a throwing error to put two on. Barrett tied the game at six with a ground out, and then Gore struck again for an RBI single to put App State ahead 7-6. Gore tallied two RBIs in game one. Marshall retired the last hitter, but App State led by one after four.
Sejal Neas, who came on in the third inning, kept Marshall at bay in the fifth to keep App State's lead. Neither team found offense through the fifth and sixth innings, which sent action to the final frame with the Mountaineers on top by one.
The Herd went into the seventh trailing by one run but exited the inning leading by five after a six-run onslaught. A crucial fielding error allowed four unearned runs to cross the plate with two outs. Needing five to force extras, App State saw
Summer Simpson tally an RBI double and McClain whack a two-run home run, but the top of the seventh inning proved to be too much to overcome as Marshall secured a 12-10 victory to open Saturday.
Game 1 Notes
Home runs
App: Chumbley (4), McIntyre (7), McClain (9)
MAR: Lucas (12), Darnley (6), Simpson (2)
WP: Kaleea Washington (1-0): 4.1 IP, 5 hits, 5 runs (4 earned runs), 3 walks, 3 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP:
Sejal Neas (3-7): 3.1 IP, 6 hits, 6 runs (2 earned runs), 2 walks, 2 strikeouts
Game 2: App State 12, Marshall 8 (8 Innings)
The Herd started the rubber match similarly to Game 2 as Lucas led off the game by blasting a solo home run to right field. App State kept its deficit to just one after the homer, retiring all three in order to close the frame. The Mountaineers quickly tied the score at one in the bottom half with two hits.
McClain's second hit of the day led off the game, and after a groundout, she stood on second with one out. On the second pitch she saw, Gore deposited a single into center to score McClain, tying the score at one. App State couldn't score anymore, but its resiliency had come through again.
Marshall scored two more in the top of the second, seeing a long home run by the Sun Belt's Preseason Player of the Year Brooklyn Ulrich go over the fence. Trailing for the second time in the game already, App State plated three runs in the bottom half thanks to four free passes and a single.
Barrett, Henkel,
Julia Girk and Simpson all reached base consecutively to open the inning on free passes, with Simpson's plating a run to make it 3-2. A batter later, McClain laced her second hit of Game 2 up the middle, scoring both Girk and Henkel to put the Mountaineers up 4-3. It was already the second lead change of the game.
Fighting back, the Herd put up four runs in the top of the third inning to put them right back on top through three. Five hits helped Marshall score four times to take a 7-4 advantage. The Mountaineers couldn't answer in the third and went into the later stages of the contest trailing by three.
Marshall scored yet again in the top of the fourth inning on a double steal attempt, giving it an 8-4 lead. App State answered in the bottom half to pull within three thanks to a fielder's choice RBI from Hamby. Marshall was able to strand two runners at second and third to preserve its lead as play moved to the fifth.
Beamesderfer was inserted into the game at the beginning of the fifth inning and prevented the Herd from scoring for the first time. App State couldn't score in its half of the inning, but Beamesderfer held Marshall in check, working around a walk to keep the Mountaineer deficit at three into the sixth.
App State responded to Beamesderfer's strong outing by tying the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with three runs on three hits. Girk led off the inning by smacking a single into center field, and after two outs and a walk to Hamby, Gore smoked a two-run double down the left-field line to plate both McClain and Hamby, making it a one-score game. A batter later, Chumbley deposited a single into center field to tie the score at eight. It was her fourth RBI of the doubleheader.
Beamesderfer again posted a scoreless inning in the top of the seventh, but Marshall kept App State off the board in the bottom half to force extras. In the eighth inning, the Herd tallied two singles, but Beamesderfer showed her poise and forced a groundout to end the inning.
Tied at eight in the bottom half of the eighth inning, the Herd retired the first hitter but walks to Chumbley, McIntyre and Barrett loaded the bases with one out for Henkel. Wasting no time, Henkel jumped all over the second pitch of her at-bat and sent a long, walk-off grand slam over the left-field wall to win the game. It was Henkel's first career home run, and it couldn't have come at a better time as it helped App State win the series against Marshall, which was tied atop the Sun Belt standings entering the weekend.
Game 2 Notes
Home runs
App: Henkel (1)
MAR: Lucas (13), Ulrich (6)
WP:
Ava Beamesderfer (2-4): 4 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP: Maddie Veal (1-1): 1.2 IP, 1 hit, 4 runs, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts
Up Next
App State will play its first midweek contest of the season on Wednesday, taking to Boiling Springs for a matchup with the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs at Brinkley Softball Stadium. It will be the first of just two midweek competitions for the Mountaineers this season. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
