TENNESSEE TECH 2, KENNESAW STATE 1 (8); TENNESSEE TECH 7, KENNESAW STATE 3
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. ? The Tech softball team took two games Tuesday as they opened at home with a doubleheader against the Owls of Kennesaw State.
The Golden Eagles came up with a 2-1 win in the first game as the international tiebreaker was used in the eighth inning. The second game was not as close as the Golden Eagles put away the Owls 7-3.
"It was good to get our home jitters out of the way," said head coach Tory Acheson. "I'm really proud of how the kids showed a lot of heart grinding out these two wins. A lot of people contributed which is good to see. We've had a lot of people step up in different situations and today was a perfect example of that."
Tech went up early in the first game as Katie Sutherland hit a solo home run with two outs in the second to put the Golden Eagles ahead, 1-0. The score would remain the same until the top of the fourth when KSU's Jennifer Nolan singled to center field with two on, scoring Jamie KeKaualua.
The Golden Eagles and the Owls remained tied at one apiece after seven and the international tiebreaker was put into effect at the top of the eighth. Nolan was placed on second base for Kennesaw State but the Owls were unable to get a run across.
At the bottom of the eighth Ashley Potts was placed on second for Tech and Bonnie Bynum was intentionally walked. Heather Kendrick came in as pinch runner for Bynum and Kristyn Castonzo singled to advance the runners. With the bases loaded Sutherland and Kristina Hortert struck out swinging but Beth Boden singled, sending in the winning run to end the game, 2-1.
In the second game, KSU went up 1-0 in the top of the third when Hollie Huffman doubled to left center scoring Norie Glazebrook. The Golden Eagles got on the board in the next inning in a big way putting up four runs in the fourth. Bynum walked and advanced on a ground out by Castonzo. Sutherland singled to center field scoring Bynum and Hortert singled down the right line, advancing Sutherland to third. Boden doubled to left center scoring Sutherland and advancing Hortert. Amanda Glover singled sending in both Hortert and Boden to put Tech up 4-1.
Tech added another run in the fifth as Stephanie Fischer scored on a single by Castonzo. Then two more crossed the plate for the Golden Eagles in the sixth as Dobbs doubled scoring Glover and Potts singled sending in Dobbs. After seven, Tech was ahead 7-1.
Keri McKee hit a leadoff home run in the seventh in KSU's effort to stay alive and then Nolan scored on a single by Sarah Hesterman. But it was not enough as the Golden Eagles came away with a 7-3 victory over the Owls.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 2, CHATTANOOGA 1; CHATTANOOGA 5, JACKSONVILLE STATE 2
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? Junior Rachel Fleming went 5-for-5 on the day and freshman Nikki Prier drove in three of the Gamecocks’ four runs to help the Jacksonville State softball team to a doubleheader split at Chattanooga on Tuesday night.
Freshman Chrissy O’Neal belted a solo home run in the top of the fourth to lift the Gamecocks (9-8) to a 2-1 win in game one, before Rachel Norris went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double and three RBI to lead the Mocs (11-12) to a 5-2 win in the nightcap.
Fleming, a left fielder from Gadsden, Ala., was 3-for-3 in the opener and 2-for-2 in the second game with a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt to boost her batting average to a team-leading .453. Prier, a first baseman from Raleigh, N.C., drove in the tying run in game one and both runs in game two.
Junior Karla Pittman (4-5) took the win in the first game after striking out eight UTC batters and surrendering one run on five hits in her eighth complete game in nine starts this season. The earned run was just the third she has allowed in 58 innings in the circle, giving her a 0.38 earned run average.
In game one, Pittman got out of a bases loaded jam in the first by just allowing one UTC run, and the Gamecocks got it back in the home half of the third. Freshman Nikki Prier came through with a sacrifice fly to center that plated junior Rachel Fleming from third. Fleming led off the frame with a single and advanced on a Pappano hit and a wild pitch.
O’Neal gave JSU its first lead of the day in the top of the fourth, when her third home run in the last three games sailed over the wall in right center. The Dallas, Ga., native turned on a 2-2 pitch to lead off the inning with her team-leading fourth homer.
That would be all that Pittman needed. She allowed just four balls out of the infield in seven innings of work that saw her surrender just one run on five hits. She struck out eight UTC batters.
Brooke Loudermilk (7-4) was tagged with the loss after allowing two runs on five hits in seven innings in the circle. She did record 11 strikeouts, while walking one Gamecock batter.
Prier got the Gamecocks started in the nightcap, with an RBI single in the top of the first that drove in Fleming from third and gave Jax State an early 1-0 lead. The Mocs jumped ahead in the home half of the second, when back-to-back RBI doubles from Rachel Norris and Ashlan Clarkson gave the home team a 2-1 advantage.
Prier stepped up again in the third, when her RBI single plated Fleming from second and started what looked to be a big inning for the Gamecocks, who loaded the bases with one out. Jackie Jarman’s hot shot down the third base line was snagged by a leaping Tia Blosser, and Ciara Wesen went down swinging to leave the runners stranded and the score tied at 2-2.
Norris put the Mocs back on top 4-2 in the fourth with a two-out, two-run home run to straightaway centerfield. They would tack on one more in the sixth to put the game away.
Sophomore Melissa Dowling (4-3) was tagged with the loss after surrendering five runs on seven hits in six innings. She walked four batters and struck out a pair. Heather Woods (1-3) earned the win in the nightcap with one and two-thirds innings of work out of the bullpen. She did not allow a hit and walked four. Loudermilk came in and pitched the final two innings to record her first save of the season.
MARSHALL 10, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
HUNTINGTON, W.V. ? Behind three home runs, including a grand slam, the Marshall Softball team defeated Eastern Kentucky 10-1 this afternoon in the single game. With the loss, the Colonels fall to 5-7.
Three Colonel players each recorded one hit as freshman Shyenne Hussey registered her fifth home run of the season.
Marshall took a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a Samantha Rodriguez home run that also scored Rachel Folden, who was at third base after a walk, fielder's choice and passed ball.
The Colonels put their only run of the game on the scoreboard in the second inning as Hussey opened the frame with a home run down the right field line.
In the third inning, the Herd added another score to take a 3-1 lead as Joscelyn Bitner reached home plate following the fielder's choice.
Rodriguez hit her second ball out of the park, this time a grand slam, in the fifth to put Marshall in front by six.
The Herd ended the game in the sixth inning with a three-run homer from Folden.
Senior Kelsey Anderson (3-4) took the loss for Eastern Kentucky, spending 5.0 innings on the mound and allowing seven hits. Anderson struck out four Marshall batter’s and also walked four players. Sophomore Kalyn Fox relieved Anderson for the sixth inning and gave up two hits.
Marshall's Amanda Luers (4-2) earned the win, striking out four in 3.0 innings.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0; WESTERN KENTUCKY 2, AUSTIN PEAY 1
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. ? Austin Peay's bats fell silent on Tuesday, as the Lady Govs dropped a doubleheader to Western Kentucky by scores of 3-0 and 2-1. The Lady Govs have now lost four in a row and sees its record fall under .500 for the fist time this season at 6-7.