App State’s Offense Erupts In HighScoring Loss to Marshall

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – App State Softball was part of the highest-scoring game of its 2024 season Sunday, with an eight-run inning from the Mountaineers highlighting a big rally, but Marshall wrapped up the Sun Belt Conference series with an 18-12 home win.

Nineteen runs — in a 10-9 victory for App State over Georgia State — had been the highest combined run total during a game involving the Mountaineers this season. An eight-run fourth inning cut their deficit to 12-9 against Marshall, marking the fifth time this season that App State has scored at least eight runs in an inning — it did it as recently as April 17 in an 11-3 victory against North Carolina A&T.

Only a 10-run inning in a 13-0 win against ETSU and a nine-run inning in a 15-0 win against Mount St. Mary’s eclipsed Sunday’s fourthinning output.

Kayt Houston drilled a two-run home run — her 30th career homer — as the Mountaineers (19-27, 4-17) totaled 12 hits. Ambry Lucas went 4-for-5 with two RBIs, while Peyton Darnell and Grace Barrett also had multihit games. Houston, Barrett and Killian Roberts scored two runs apiece. Barrett and Houston reached base four times apiece.

On the mound, Sejal Neas struck out four batters to increase her career total to 200. Defensively, Wray made another spectacular catch in center to rob Marshall of a hit.

Trailing 11-0 after two innings, App State made a furious comeback in the series finale.

Walks to Roberts, Barrett and Houston preceded a bases-loaded walk to Taylor Thorp in the third before a groundout ended the frame. Marshall (24-24, 10-11) scored once to move ahead 12-1 heading to the fourth, and the Mountaineers responded with eight runs on five hits and two errors.

Wray singled, and pinchrunner Jaylee Williams moved to third on an Abby Cunningham double. The first two runs scored as Roberts reached on an infield error. Back-to-back walks to Olivia Cook and Barrett occurred before a wild pitch and throwing error produced two more runs.

Houston then hit a tworun homer to straightaway center, prompting a pitching change.

Darnell singled and pinchrunner Summer Simpson advanced to second on a walk to Thorp before Lucas recorded an RBI single. Marshall finally recorded the first out of the inning in the next at-bat, and Cunningham cut the deficit to 12-9 on an RBI groundout.

Marshall responded with two homers in a three-run bottom of the fourth, but App State pulled within 15-11 on RBI singles from Darnell and Lucas in the fifth. A single by Barrett and a walk from Houston, followed by a double steal, had put runners in scoring position. A strikeout and popout with two runners on limited the scoring to two runs.

Neas, who had reentered and retired three of the four batters she faced to end the fourth, retired the side in order in the fifth.

App State went down in order in the sixth and allowed three runs in the bottom half of that inning. Hailey Webb scored on an error that followed a seventh-inning double from Lucas with two away, but Marshall wrapped up its win one batter later.

Home runs

App: Houston (9)

Marshall: Ulrich (12, 13), R. Lucas (8)

WP — Feringa (12-9), 3.1 IP, 7 hits, 4 runs

LP — Neas (9-14), 4.1 IP, 10 hits, 9 runs, 4 Ks

Up Next: App State are scheduled to play five home games in the final week of the regular season. The Mountaineers have a Tuesday doubleheader against ETSU in Boone, then close the regular season with a Sun Belt home series against Georgia Southern. That series will run Thursday-Saturday with the Sun Belt Tournament beginning on Wednesday, May 8.

Friday will be Senior Graduation Day, followed by Senior Day on Saturday.