Panther softball drops game three against Murray State

Sunday, April 13

Cedar Falls, Iowa

12 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

23-13, 0

Murray State

16-23, 0

Murray St.

Northern Iowa

Photo by: © Andy Saigh

Panther softball drops game three against Murray State

4/13/2025 2:40:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Final Stats

UNI softball drops series to Murray State with an 8-6 game-three loss

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI softball wrapped up its series against the Murray State Racers on Sunday at Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex. UNI took an early lead, but gave up six unanswered runs at the end of the matchup to fall to Murray State by an 8-6 final score.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Kara Maiers got things rolling for UNI with two punchouts of the first two batters in the top of the first inning. UNI put out the third to go 1-2-3 to open the contest. In the bottom of the second inning, UNI got on the board with a bases-loaded walk drawn by Ava Smithson to bring Drew Hinrichs across the plate. A flyout to right field with the bases loaded got the Panthers in a pickle which ended with a throwing error by Murray State to plate Kate Lappe and give the Cats a 2-0 lead. Skylar Benesh made the Racers pay for the error with a three-run home run with two outs to extend UNI's lead to five after two innings of play.

Murray State responded with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning before a home run from Katelyn Callahan in the bottom half of the frame pushed the Panther lead back to four runs at 6-2. Six unanswered runs from Murray State gave the Racers an 8-6 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. The Panthers were sat down 1-2-3 in the final frame and dropped game three of the series by an 8-6 final.

Skylar Benesh was the lone Panther with a multi-hit performance. She recorded two hits, one run, and three RBIs in four at-bats. In the circle, Anna Wischnowski picked up her sixth loss of the season in a 4.2-inning relief effort.

UP NEXT

The Panthers host the Drake Bulldogs for a pair of midweek contests on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 15 and 16. First pitch on Tuesday is slated for 5 p.m. CT with the contest streaming on ESPN+.

UNI softball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Softball), X (@UNISoftball), and on Instagram (@unisoftball). The 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.