SATURDAY'S SCORES
UT Martin 9, Alcorn State 0
UT Martin 6, Southeastern Louisiana 1
Jacksonville State 10, Mercer 1
Jacksonville State 9, IPFW 1
FIU 4,
Eastern Kentucky 1
Morehead State 11, Rhode Island 4
Michigan State 6,
Morehead State 0
Murray State 5, Illinois 3
South Dakota 9,
Belmont 0
Belmont 7, UMKC 4
SIUE 3, Missouri State 1
Eastern Kentucky 3, #23 South Alabama 0
Memphis 5,
Tennessee State 1
#19 LSU 10,
Tennessee State 0
Eastern Illinois 6, Incarnate Word 1
#9 Louisiana Lafayette 17,
Eastern Illinois 0
Winthrop 8,
Murray State 6
Mississippi State 8,
Austin Peay 0
Tennessee Tech 10, Northern Kentucky 0
Ohio 4,
Tennessee Tech 3
ULM 4,
SIUE 3
Mississippi Valley 6,
Austin Peay 5
UT MARTIN 9, ALCORN STATE 0; UT MARTIN 6, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 1
HAMMOND, La. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team flexed its muscles on the second day of the regular season, using five home runs and scoring 15 runs en route to a pair of victories over Alcorn State and tournament host Southeastern Louisiana on Day Two of the Lion Classic.
The Skyhawks (3-1) saw three different players tally home runs on the day while six players notched RBIs in the offensive smackdown. Senior Kenzi Tate led the Skyhawks with two home runs and five RBIs on the day while Carly Gonzales tallied four hits including a double and two home runs in the twinbill.
A trio of Skyhawk freshmen stepped up in big ways on the day as well. Alicia Hansen led the team with five hits, including two doubles while Aeron Smith’s three RBIs and Jodie Duncan’s two hits graced the boxscore.
For as much as the offense was explosive, the Skyhawk pitching core was just as dominant. Two pitchers combined to allow zero earned runs in 12 innings of work. Brooke Kennedy (1-0) and Elizabeth Wiegand (1-1) combined to tally one shutout and 11 strikeouts while holding opponents to just a .227 batting average.
UT Martin 9, Alcorn State 0 (Five innings)
The Skyhawks would waste little time making their bats sing against Alcorn State. Gonzales would lead off the inning with a single to left center before Kelsey Dixon would reach base on an error at second, placing a pair of runners on the bases. The pair’s time on base would be minimal as Tate would rip her first home run of the season to left center.
The inning would continue with a double down the right field line off the bat of Casey Vincent, who would be lifted for a pinch runner in Renate Meckl. Kayla Blanco would tally her first hit as a Skyhawk, moving Meckl into scoring position with just one out. The pair would later come around to score on a fielder’s choice and wild pitch, respectively. With the onslaught, the Skyhawks would take a 5-0 lead out of the first inning.
The Skyhawks would strike once again in the second inning as Gonzales tallied her first home run of the day with a leadoff blast to right center.
The top of the third inning would see yet another scoring frame. Hansen would send a double down the left field line before Blanco tallied her second base hit of the contest with an infield single. Aeron Smith would tally her first of three RBIs on the day with a single through the left side that would bring her classmate Hansen around to score. Fellow freshman Savannah Dodson would bring the second run of the inning around to score as a single up the middle would bring Blanco across the plate.
Much like the three innings before, the Skyhawks would tally the game’s knockout blow in the bottom of the fourth. After seeing her season opener get cut short following a hit by pitch, senior Lauren Smith would notch her first home run of the season with a pinch hit blast to left field. The home run was Lauren Smith’s 26th career blast, good for fourth UT Martin’s all-time home run leaderboard.
Kennedy (1-0) would get the win for the Skyhawks, tossing five dominant shutout innings. She allowed just one hit while facing one batter over the game minimum. Included in her stingy appearance, Kennedy struck out seven while issuing just one walk.
UT Martin 6, Southeastern Louisiana 1
The brief layoff between games would not slow down the Skyhawks offense as they played host Southeastern Louisiana.
In the top of the first inning, the Skyhawks would turn to their leadoff hitter Gonzales once again. On the first at-bat of the game, Gonzales would turn on a pitch and pull a home run over the right field wall, her second of the day and third of her career.
The Skyhawks would string together another scoring inning in the second. Following a leadoff walk by Duncan, pinch runner Chelsey Smith would swipe second base. Aeron Smith would bring her namesake around to score with a RBI single up the middle to give the Skyhawks a 2-0 advantage through two innings of work.
Both teams would see their offenses take a hiatus over the ensuing two innings before the Skyhawks would strike again in the top of the fifth. Lauren Smith would lead off the inning with a double to left center before being pulled for Dodson as a pinch runner.
Hansen would reach base once again with a single up the middle, placing runners on first and third with no outs. The combo of Dodson and Hansen would pull off some trickery with a successful double steal as Dodson came home and Hansen swiped second. The inning would be capped off with a single down the right field line by Duncan, bringing Hansen around to score and pushing the Skyhawk advantage to 4-0 through five innings.
Kacie Daugherty would get the sixth inning started with a one-out single to left field. Her time on base would be quick however as Tate would notch her second straight game with a home run to left field, giving the Skyhawks a 6-0 lead.
The Lions would break up the day’s shutout in the bottom half of the sixth inning. After leading off the inning with an infield single, an error would put another runner on with one out. Following an innocent pop out, an unearned run would cross the plate off a single from Vanessa Eng while serving as the final run of the contest.
Wiegand (1-1) picked up her first win of the season with a complete game. She surrendered nine hits while allowing one unearned run and striking out four.
UT Martin will return to action on the final day of the Lion Classic tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 8. The Skyhawks will wrap up their tournament appearance with a 10 a.m. showdown against Nicholls State.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 10, MERCER 1; JACKSONVILLE STATE 9, IPFW 1
MACON, Ga. - The Jacksonville State softball team upended host Mercer 10-7 to open Saturday play at the Mercer Invitational and then used a 9-1 mercy rule win over IPFW to roll into Sunday's title game.
The Gamecocks (4-0) jumped on the host Bears (2-1) and then held on for the win to earn the top seed in Saturday afternoon's bracket play. They then rolled to the mercy rule win over the Mastodons (0-4) to advance to Sunday's championship, where they will play the winner of Saturday night's Mercer/Valparaiso game.
JSU hit .345 on the day, led by a 3-for-5 day from junior Cadi Oliver that saw her homer twice and drive in four runs. Sophomore Stephanie Lewis was 4-for-7 over the two games with two RBI and two doubles. Senior Sara Borders drove in five, thanks to her grand slam in the early game against Mercer.
The Gamecocks capitalized on some Bears mistakes to claim an early lead in the first game of the day. A pair of walks by starter Anna O'Neill and an error by shortstop Emma Andrew loaded the bases for Oliver's whose grounder to the circle was misplayed by O'Neill to let two runs to score.
They loaded the bases again in the second and this time got more out of it. Borders deposited O'Neill's 3-2 pitch over the wall in center field for a grand slam and pushed JSU to a 6-0 lead.
The blast started a power display for JSU in the inning. Whitney Gillespie took her first career hit over the wall in left for a solo shot that made the lead 7-0 and chased O'Neill from the circle with two outs in the second. Senior Melanie Steer welcomed new pitcher Rachael Hugghins with a two-run shot to left, the third of the inning for the Gamecocks and the first of the senior's career.
JSU starter Taylor West cruised through the first three innings until the Bears got in on the action in the fourth. A three-run homer from Riley Carter broke up the shut out and a two-run shot from Andrew cut JSU's lead to 9-5. Kaylynn Sloat's two-run homer in the fifth made it a 9-7 game.
Gillespie came on to pitch in the sixth and held the Bears at bay, setting up the Gamecock offense in the top of the seventh. Oliver took Hugghins' 1-1 delivery over the wall in center to stretch the lead to 10-7.
The Bears loaded the bases in the home half of the seventh but could scratch a run across off Gillespie, who held on for her first career save in her first career appearance. She tossed two hitless frames but did walk two and hit a batter.
Logan Green (1-0) earned the win in relief for the Gamecocks after allowing two runs on three hits in 1.2 innings in the circle. West started the game and left with one out in the fourth after giving up five runs on five hits, while striking out three.
O'Neill (1-1) suffered the loss after giving up seven runs, five earned, on three hits in just 1.2 innings of work. Hugghins gave up three runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings.
IPFW struck early in the opener, grabbing an unearned run on a two-out error by Borders at second. The senior and reigning OVC Player of the Year got it back with a single up the middle in the home half of the first that plated Emily Woodruff and tied the game at 1-1.
Lewis singled in Steer to give JSU a 2-1 lead in the second and JSU used a little small ball to extend it in the third. Steer dropped a bunt that scored Borders from third and Jamie McGuire grounded out to plate Gillespie and make JSU's lead 4-1.
Lewis and Taylor Sloan each doubled in the fourth to make it 5-1 and then Oliver's second homer of the day, a three-run blast to left center, opened it up at 8-1.
Lewis ended it in the fifth with her third hot and second double of the game to score Ella Denes after her leadoff walk. The walk-off double put an exclamation point on the 9-1 win.
Gillespie (1-0) earned the win in the circle by holding the Mastadons to an unearned run on three hits in five innings. She struck out three and didn't issue a walk.
Kaitlyn Biere (0-2) took the loss for IPFW after allowing eight runs on eight hits in 3.1 innings.
The Gamecocks will play in the Mercer Invitational title game on Sunday against either Mercer or Valparaiso. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. CT
FIU 4, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1; EASTERN KENTUCKY 1, SOUTH ALABAMA 0
GULF SHORES, Ala. – Senior pitcher Leanna Pittsenbarger tossed her 22nd career shutout to help propel the Eastern Kentucky University softball team to a 1-0 win over No. 23 South Alabama Saturday afternoon at The Sand Dollar Classic.
Pittsenbarger bounced back from a tough outing yesterday versus No. 3 Alabama. Against the Jaguars, the righty scattered eight hits and struck out six batters, but got stronger as the game wore on. Pittsenbarger only allowed one base runner the final three innings.
South Alabama (1-2) threatened to take an early lead in the second inning. The Jaguars loaded the bases with two outs only to see Pittsenbarger induce a line out to end the threat.
Eastern (3-2) manufactured the game’s only run in the fifth inning. Sophomore Krislyn Campos began the frame with an infield single and proceeded to steal second base. A pair of wild pitches later in the inning allowed Campos to hustle home.
The win was Eastern Kentucky’s first over a top-25 team since defeating No. 5 Missouri on Feb. 18, 2012.
Earlier in the day, Eastern fell to FIU, 4-1. The Panthers scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break up a 1-1 tie.
FIU (3-1) got on the board in the third inning when Ashley Leon stole home. The Colonels immediately answered in the fourth thanks to senior Darcy Schueler’s RBI double.
Krystal Garcia gave the Panthers the lead for good with a leadoff home run in the sixth inning. Stephanie Texeira added a two-out, two-run single provide the final scoring.
Eastern Kentucky concludes play at The Sand Dollar Classic tomorrow, Feb. 8 with a game against Lamar (11 a.m.).
MOREHEAD STATE 11, RHODE ISLAND 1; MICHIGAN STATE 6, MOREHEAD STATE 0
DELAND, Fla. -- For a second straight day, the Morehead State softball team split a pair of games at the Stetson Lead-Off Classic. The Eagles posted an 11-4 victory over Rhode Island in the morning contest at Wilson Field and suffered a 6-0 defeat to Michigan State in the afternoon affair.
The Ohio Valley Conference Eagles move to 2-2 on the season, while the Big Ten Conference Spartans remain undefeated after their first three games. The Rams, who play in the Atlantic 10 Conference, are 0-3 on the campaign after losing both tilts in the tournament's second day.
MSU sophomore center fielder Kayla McGuffey went 4-for-4 in the opener. She notched singles in the first, second, fourth and fifth frames. Her last base knock brought home two teammates.
Junior left fielder Lizzy Margagliotti crushed a two-run homer in the bottom of the second for the Eagles. Morehead State scored five insurance runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
MSU tallied a season-high 13 hits in the morning game. Sophomore third baseman Karly Thompson and freshman catcher Robyn Leighton tallied two each. Four Eagles posted two RBI apiece.
Senior right-hander Tanna Seuferer notched the game-one victory in her first decision of 2015. She allowed no walks, two runs and five hits while striking out three in four innings out of the bullpen.
Junior left fielder Emily Hendricks paced Rhode Island with a 3-for-4 effort and one RBI. Junior right-hander Caitlin Kennedy, who allowed seven runs and nine hits in four frames, took the loss.
Michigan State, which recorded seven hits in the afternoon game, led from start to finish. The Spartans scored twice in the first inning, three times in the third and once in the fourth.
Michigan State freshman right-hander Kristina Zalewski, who struck out seven and allowed just one hit in four scoreless innings, improved to 1-0 with the victory. Morehead State freshman right-hander Mackenzie Grossmann, who allowed six runs but only three earned, fell to 1-1 with the loss.
The weekend event featured five programs playing a total of 11 contests in three days.
MSU is idle until next week's Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament. The Eagles will face IUPUI and Kentucky on Friday before squaring off with Southern Illinois and host Kennesaw State on Saturday
MURRAY STATE 5, ILLINOIS 3; WINTHROP 8, MURRAY STATE 6
ATHENS, Ga. - The Murray State softball team split the second day of the 8th Annual Red & Black Showcase Saturday at Jack Turner Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The Racers began the day with a 5-3 win over Illinois, but fell in the nightcap, 8-6, to Winthrop.
Game 1 - Murray St. 5, Illinois 3
In game one, Murray State (2-2) was first on the board in the second when Mallory Young drove in Jessica Twaddle, who began the frame with a walk, with a single to the catcher. Cayla Levins made it 2-0 later in the frame with a ground out that allowed Maggie Glass to cross the plate.
In the third, Glass made it 4-0 with a two-run homerun, the first by a Racer this season. After two walks and a single in the bottom half of the inning, Illinois cut the deficit in half with runs on a fielder’s choice and a wild pitch.
In the top of the fifth, Alexa Becker made it 5-2 with MSU’s second long ball of the game, this time a solo shot to right center. The Illini (0-3) added a run in the bottom of the inning, but that would as close as they would get, as Murray State held on for the 5-3 win.
Twaddle was 1-for-2 in the game with two runs and two walks, while Jocelynn Rodgers was 1-for-1 with a double and two walks. Maggie Glass also had a good day, as she went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and a home run.
Mason Robinson went the full seven for Murray State to move to 1-0 on the young season. She allowed just two earned runs on four hits over seven innings of work.
Game 2 – Winthrop 8, Murray St. 6
Winthrop was first on the board in game two as Paige Hayley hit a two-run double, before getting thrown out a third, to give the Eagles (3-2) an early advantage. In the fourth, however, Rodgers cut the lead to 2-1 with a double that drove in Glass.
In the fifth, Shelbey Miller tied the game after she scored when Alexa Becker reached on an error. Later in the inning, Rodgers hit her second double of the game to clear the bases and give Murray State a 5-3 lead.
Winthrop would go on to score five unanswered runs, including a go-ahead three-run homerun in the fifth, to push the lead out to 8-5. MSU attempted a rally in the top of the seventh, but an RBI groundout from Rodgers was not enough, as the Racers fell 8-6.
Rodgers finished the game at 2-for-4 with five RBIs and two doubles, while Cayla Levins and Erika Downey were 2-for-3 and 2-for-4, respectively. Twaddle finished the game officially at 1-for-1 with a stolen base but reached base three additional times with two walks and a hit by pitch.
The Racers will close out play in the Red & Black Showcase Sunday when they get a return game with Winthrop. First pitch from Jack Turner Stadium in Athens in scheduled for 10:30 a.m. CST.
SOUTH DAKOTA 9, BELMONT 0; BELMONT 7 UMKC 4
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont softball found their offensive groove Saturday afternoon as the Bruins rebounded from a 9-0 decision to South Dakota in their first game to upend UMKC, 7-4, in the final contest of the day at Rose Park.
Belmont (1-2) was held to just one hit in their opening contest Saturday at Rose Park as South Dakota made short work of the Bruins, rattling off ten hits in a 9-0 victory in five innings of play.
BU rebounded nicely in the following contest as Jessica Wilson (Alvin, Tex.) and freshman Taylor Hodge (Maryville, Tenn.) led an offensive resurgence for the Bruins as Belmont produced 11 runs on their way to their first win of the season with a 7-4 victory over UMKC.
The duo finished with perfect offensive performances as Wilson went 4-for-4, including her second double on the year, and crossed the plate three times while the rookie Hodge had a coming out party of sorts as the right fielder went 3-for-3 and led the team with three RBIs.
After surrounding a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, the Belmont bats came alive for the first time this season as the Bruins produced six of their seven total runs over the following two innings of play.
Senior Kat Hollingsworth (Carrollton, Tex.) produced her best performance on the young season, notching her first double on the year as the veteran outfielder finished 2-for-4 with one RBI.
In the circle, BU's Taylor Moon (Vestavia, Ala.) had another solid outing, picking up her first victory on the year as the junior threw for six innings while giving up six hits and two earned runs while striking out four Kangaroos.
Katie Clancy saw her first action of the season at the mound as the senior replaced Moon in the seventh inning and subsequently finished out the contest in the Bruins' favor.
UMKC (1-2) was led by senior Cinda Ramos who finished 3-for-4 at the plate, including a two-run home run in the first inning.
Belmont returns to action for their final contest of the 2015 Music City Classic Sunday as the Bruins are set to take on Indiana State at 1:30 p.m. CT. at Rose Park.
SIUE 3, MISSOURI STATE 1; ULM 4, SIUE 3
RUSTON, La. – Allison Smiley drove home a pair of runs, including a solo home run, as SIUE softball defeated Missouri State 3-1 at the Lady Techster Invitational.
SIUE is now 3-1 this season after a 4-3 loss Saturday evening at Louisiana-Monroe.
The Cougars have outscored their competition 20-9 and outhit them 29-13 in the first four games.
Smiley put SIUE on the scoreboard in the first inning against Missouri State. Haley Chambers opened the game with a bunt single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jordan LaFave. Smiley singled Chambers home with a hit over the second baseman's head.
The Cougars went up 2-0 in the fourth when Brittany Toney reached on an infield error as Rachel Keller scored from third.
Smiley put the Cougars up by three when she hit her first home run of the season, a blast to left field in the sixth inning. The Cougar sophomore turned a mistake pitch into another run.
Chambers picked up the victory with a complete-game win. She allowed one run on three hits while striking out seven.
In Saturday's second game, ULM scored four runs in the sixth inning to edge the Cougars.
SIUE scored single tallies in the second, third and fourth innings. Montgomery said timely hitting is going to be important no matter the game.
Rebecca Gray and Chambers each had RBIs for the Cougars. Chambers and Keller provided two hits each.
Baylee Douglass took the loss in relief of starter Alexis Kohrs.
The Cougars have one final game at the Lady Techster Invitational. SIUE faces Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 11:15 a.m. Sunday.
MEMPHIS 5, TENNESSEE STATE 1; #19 LSU 10, TENNESSEE STATE 0
BATON ROUGE, La. – Tennessee State softball dropped two games on Saturday at the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge. The Tigers fall to 0-4 on the young season after dropping a heartbreaker to Memphis, 5-1, and a 10-0 decision to No. 19 LSU.
In the first game, the Tigers struck first with a run in the fourth taking an early 1-0 lead. Kate Morris led off the inning with her second walk of the game and was replaced by pinch runner Liz Stansberry. Kailey Richard followed with a sacrifice bunt, allowing Stansberry to move into scoring position. Two batters later, Lindsey Burgess delivered the go ahead blow as she drove a 3-0 pitch into left center, chasing Richard home.
The lead was short-lived as Memphis evened the score in the top of the fifth inning. The score remained the same until Memphis tallied four runs in the top of the seventh to claim the 5-1 victory.
Jasmine Matchen worked the first five and a third innings, surrendering one run on four hits and four walks. Matchen was lifted in the sixth after Memphis loaded the bases with a double and back-to-back walks. Amber Galyon entered to put out the fire, striking out the first batter she faced and getting the Tigers out of the inning unscathed with a fly ball out.
Galyon took the loss after Memphis scored four runs in the final inning off three hits and a walk.
In game two, LSU exploded for seven runs in the first inning and added three more in the fourth. Galyon tossed the first three and a third and was tagged with the loss and dropped to 0-3 on the season.
Richard and Courtney Gearlds each secured hits in the night cap, giving the duo a multiple hit day. Richard earned a hit in each game, while Gearlds finished with three on the day.
The Tigers will close out play at the Tiger Classic with a rematch with Memphis on Sunday morning. Game time is set for 9:30am and can be heard on tsutigers.com.
LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE 17, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0; EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, INCARNATE WORD 1
LAFAYETTE, La. - Eastern Illinois softball earned a Saturday (Feb. 7) split to begin first day action at the Louisiana-Lafayette Classic, hitting past Incarnate Word, 6-1, after dropping a five-inning, 17-0, contest to the host and #9-ranked Ragin Cajuns.
Panthers finish up Classic play on Sunday with respective 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. rematches versus the Cardinals and Louisiana squads.
In the tourney nightcap, the Panthers earned the win over UIW behind an 11-6 advantage in total hits, with six of those shots of the extra-base variety.
Sophomore first baseman Amber Toenyes led EIU with a 3-for-3 plate mark, including drilling a pair of two-run bombs and added a single.
Both of senior shortstop Bailey O'Dell's hits were doubles, while classmate Hannah Cole also joined junior transferKatie Watson with a double of their own. Watson also added a stolen base in the victory while O'Dell led the defense with six assists.
Newcomer Jessica Wireman earned the complete game win in the circle as she struck out six Cardinals batters, allowed just two walks and an unearned run.
Down 1-0 in the top of the fourth, Toenyes connected on her first two-run homer for the ultimate game-winner before delivering another two-score shot over the fence in the next inning. EIU added two additional security runs in the top of the seventh for the final margin of victory over the Cardinals (1-2).
In the first game loss to the host ULL squad, the Panthers immediately found themselves down 8-0 in the first inning as the defending Women's College World Series squad eventually out-hit EIU, 10-1. Unfortunately, the Panthers also committed a pair of miscues as the Ragin Cajuns (3-0) added single runs in both the second and third before erupting for seven more scores in the fourth.
Cole earned the lone Panther hit in the defeat as freshman Michelle Rogers was tabbed for the loss. Classmate Tori Johnson took over pitching duties in the second, as the two newcomers combined for five strikeouts and nine walks.
TENNESSEE TECH 10, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 0; OHIO 4, TENNESSEE TECH 3
KENNESAW, Ga. - A dominating performance and a nail biter highlighted the Tennessee Tech softball team's 2015 season debut, with the Golden Eagles (1-1) earning a split in day one of the Kennesaw State University Kickoff Classic.
Tech wasted no time in the opener with Northern Kentucky, jumping out to a 6-0 lead after two innings en route to a 10-0 win in five innings over The Norse (0-1), before coming up on the short end of an epic battle with the defending MAC Tournament champion Ohio (1-2), falling in the final frame, 4-3.
The Golden Eagles capitalized on shaky defense in the opener, using six Northern Kentucky errors to hoist up a 10-spot in the shutout victory. In fact, The Norse's four defensive miscues in the first two innings played a pivotal role in pushing Tech out to a 6-0 advantage, with six different Golden Eagles touching up home, including junior Olivia Bennett who put together a stellar opener that saw the Mentone, Calif. native go a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish with a run scored and an RBI.
Bennett reached twice on a pair of singles in the first two frames, the second of which pushed Tech out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning after Bennett drove one up the middle that plated fellow junior Cortney Fry with two down. The knock was one of three in the five-run second for TTU, with junior transfer Sabrie Neeb and sophomore Alyssa Richards responsible for the other two.
Neeb's hit, which came right after the Bennett run-scoring single, put runners on first and second with two down, before both Neeb and Bennett scored one batter later on NKU's third error of the tilt on a ball hit by sophomore Kelly Kennedy. The key miscue pushed the Golden Eagles out to a 5-0 lead, before Richards capped off the five-run frame with an RBI single that plated Kennedy one batter later.
The six-run cushion was more than enough for junior Hannah Weaver (1-0), who collected her first win of the season with a complete-game shutout, scattering six hits and walking just one to move to 1-0 on the year.
On the opposite side of the equation, Norse senior Alex Caudill (0-1) was saddled with the loss after going the distance and giving up 10 runs, although only three of which were earned, for the West Chester, Ohio native's first loss of the season.
Tech added insurance with two more in the third on a Hannah Eldridge RBI double that scored junior Mekenzie Weems, before Eldridge would come across two batters later on a double-steal attempt that saw Cortney Fry get gunned down at second, but still gave the Golden Eagles an 8-0 edge.
TTU capped off its scoring in the bottom of the fourth, using a two-run Fry base hit to center that plated both Eldridge and sophomore Gabby Perez to extend the lead to 10-0.
The script reversed in the second game against the defending MAC Tournament champion Ohio, as it was the Bobcats who raced out to the early advantage with a three-run second inning behind a Casie Hutchinson solo home run and a two-run Slone Walker double.
Tech showed resiliency though to the early setback, coming back to tie the game with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth. Hannah Eldridge got the comeback bid started with an RBI single in the fourth that scored Gabby Perez who pinch ran for Kelley Kennedy after Kennedy started the frame with a single through the left side. Eldridge would end the contest going 2-for-3, the only Golden Eagle to notch two hits in the game.
An inning later with TTU now trailing 3-1, freshman Callen Griffin singled for her first career hit with one down to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Olivia Bennett. Bennett who had already recorded three hits in the opening game, continued her strong opening day as the righty swinging outfielder blasted a two-run round tripper over the left field fence to square up the ball game at 3-3.
Sophomore Danielle Liberatore (0-1) fed off Tech offensive heroics as the 5-foot-10 southpaw set the Bobcats down in order 1-2-3, the Peotone, Ill. native's third-straight inning without allowing a hit after her rough patch in the second.
Liberatore would go on to pitch a scoreless sixth to keep the game preserved at 3-3, wiggling around a leadoff Madison Claytor double, but ultimately could not remain unblemished in the seventh as Ohio walked off with the win on a Mikayla Cooper RBI double that scored junior Sloan Walker to give the Bobcats their first victory of the season.
Walker singled with one out, promptly stole second, moved to third on an infield single by junior Amanda Dalton, before coming around to end the game on the Cooper two-bagger. Walker and Dalton each went 2-for-4 in the contest, the only two Bobcats that produced multi-hit affairs.
Liberatore suffered the loss, going six and a third innings, yielding four runs on eight hits with two walks and four punch outs. Ohio junior Savannah Jo Dorsey (1-1) evened her record with a complete-game performance in which the Grove City, Ohio native gave up three runs on six hits, walking two, and whiffing nine Golden Eagles.