TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Ball State 7,
Eastern Illinois 2
@Ball State 3,
Eastern Illinois 2 (8)
@Jacksonville State 6, Alabama State 1
@Middle Tennessee 4, Tennessee State 0
@Georgia State 11,
Tennessee Tech 10
@Georgia State 12,
Tennessee Tech 1
BALL STATE 7, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2; BALL STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2
MUNCIE, Ind. - Eastern Illinois softball traveled to Ball State for mid-week non-conference action on Tuesday (April 7) afternoon, as the Panthers lost the twinbill via scores of 7-2 and 4-3 (8-inn.).
Panthers drop to 12-20 overall following the doubleheader loss as Eastern will next travel to UT Martin for a three-game OVC series this coming Saturday and Sunday (April 11-12).
In the first game loss, the Panthers took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first innings, as senior Hannah Cole delivered an RBI shot through the right side to plate junior Jennette Isaac from second, before scoring herself thanks to an untimely Cardinal error via the at-bat of Roberts.
Unfortunately, the home squad would counter with five runs, off five hits and an EIU error, in their half of the fifth frame to blow open the game. The Cardinals would add two additional security runs in the bottom of the sixth as well for the final margin of victory.
Freshman Michelle Rogers was tabbed for the loss in the circle for Eastern, as she drops to 6-9 overall behind three innings of work. She struck out one, walked five and allowed five hits and four earned runs, as classmate Jessica Wireman came in relief for three innings of her own. She punched out three BSU batters and allowed just one walk and one earned score.
Sophomore designated player Ashlynne Paul led all players in the first game, going 2-for-3 at the plate.
Team-wise, EIU stranded four runners, while BSU finished with five players left on base. The Cardinals also held in the advantage in hits (10-to-4), as each squad committed a pair of miscues.
In the nightcap, the Cardinals would take the lead in the bottom of the opening frame, taking advantage of the long ball and an EIU error to hold the 2-0 lead.
After three scoreless innings, the Panthers would knot the score at two-all as senior Bailey O'Dell drilled and double and Tori Johnson followed suit to bring O'Dell home for the first run. Eastern then scored off a BSU throwing error as the host squad tried to thwart Johnson's stolen base at third, but the ball sailed to left field which allowed the newcomer scamper home for the tying run.
With the game in extra innings, junior April Markowski was placed on second via the international tiebreaker scenario. After advancing to third off the sac bunt by Isaac, Paul's RBI shot to left field would give the Panthers the 3-2 lead, as Markowski had an easy trip to the home plate.
But the host squad would eventually earn a bases-loaded situation in their half of the eighth frame, before the Cardinals tied the game at three off a fielder's choice. An untimely hit-by-pitch followed to give BSU the walk-off, 4-3, victory and afternoon sweep of the Panthers.
Earlier this season the Cardinals also earned a neutral site 4-3 win over Eastern back in mid-February.
Freshman pitcher Jessica Wireman fell to 5-10 with the complete game loss as she retired two BSU batters via strikes, allowed just five hits and four runs.
Eastern actually out-hit the host squad in the nightcap (10-to-5) as eight Panthers earned at least one shot, while Isaac and O'Dell each tallied a pair. Both squad once again registered one error apiece.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 6, ALABAMA STATE 1
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - In a race against looming rain coming into the area, Jacksonville State notched its 25th win on the season following a 6-1 win over Alabama State Tuesday afternoon.
The Gamecocks ran out to an early 2-0 lead after the first inning after a Sara Borders' sacrifice fly to left field scored Emily Woodruff from third base. Two batters later, Ella Denes came through with a two-out single up the middle to score Jordan Bullock.
Alabama State's defense limited the damaged in the inning as Taylor Sloan ended the inning with a ground out to first base with the bases loaded.
Taylor West worked around a one out, bases loaded situation in the top of the second and stranded three Hornet runners.
Stephanie Lewis led off the bottom of the second inning by drilling her first home run of the season to right center field to extend the Gamecock lead out to three. Three batters later, Gamecocks' RBI leader Borders pushed her season total to 30 with a one-out double to left center to score Woodruff from second.
Carly Evans got ASU on the board in the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run, which hooked just inside the left field foul pole. The Hornets reloaded the bases with two outs in the inning, ending West's day in the circle, but couldn't muster anything more as Logan Green came in and induced a ground out to first.
Jacksonville State waited to respond until the bottom of the fifth when freshman Caitlyn Sapp blasted a two-run home run well over the center field fence to make it 6-1 Gamecocks. It was the first career home run for the freshman out of Pelham, Ala.
Green went on to put the Hornets down in order in the sixth and seventh inning to earn her 10th win on the season.
Cadi Oliver finished two hits in three plate appearances while Savannah Sloan and Peyton Barthel both added one hit apiece.
West went 3 2/3 innings in the circle and allowed four hits, one run, issued three walks while striking out one. Green finished the remaining 3 1/3 of the game by only allowing two hits and struck out one.
Jacksonville State will travel to Tennessee Tech this weekend for a doubleheader with the Golden Eagles Saturday starting at 1 p.m. and finishing the three game series with one game on Sunday scheduled for 1 p.m.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 4, TENNESSEE STATE 0
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - After dealing with three schedule changes, Tennessee State and Middle Tennessee finally were able to take to the field for their first of two matchups for the year. MT took the first addition with a 4-0 victory on Tuesday evening at Middle Tennessee Softball Field.
The two teams will face each other to close out the non-conference series on Apr. 28 as Tiger Field.
Middle Tennessee (15-19) used a run in the first and tacked on three in the third to gain the win.
Tennessee State (9-25) mounted just one threat off MT pitcher Kelci Cheney, as they were held to five hits and a walk on the night.
In the top of the fourth trailing 4-0, Joselynn Yates tried to start a two out rally as she laced a single through the right side of the infield. Lindsey Burgess followed with a walk giving TSU its first runner in scoring position.
Senior Kate Morris wasted no time as she attacked the first pitch she saw for a hard single by MT third baseman Samantha Nieves. Yates rounded hard at third, but was held up by head coach Tom Opdenbrouw as the sharply hit ball reached the Blue Raiders charging left fielder.
The Tigers would strand all three runners, as the MT pitching staff held the TSU offense in check the rest of the evening.
Cheney improved to 9-11, while TSU starter Amber Galyon was tagged for the loss and is now 2-11. The freshman hurler was touched for four runs on eight hits.
Jasmine Matchen worked two innings allowing a walk; Taylor Green tossed a perfect sixth inning for the TSU.
The Tigers will return to Ohio Valley Conference play as they travel to Richmond, Ky. for a three-game series with Eastern Kentucky.
GEORGIA STATE 11, TENNESSEE TECH 10, GEORGIA STATE 12, TENNESSEE TECH 1
ATLANTA, Ga. - Offense was the story in Tuesday's non-conference doubleheader as the Tennessee Tech softball team and Georgia State combined for 34 runs in the pair of contests. The Golden Eagles (22-19, 9-5) ultimately found themselves on the wrong side of the offensive showcase, falling in both games with a 12-11 defeat in the opener, and a 12-1 loss in the night cap.
Tech started strong in the first tilt after spotting the Panthers (25-15) four runs in the bottom of the first, rolling out eight of its own in the top of the second to seize an 8-4 lead. Junior Sabrie Neeb started the barrage with a leadoff triple into right field, which was promptly followed by a Bayli Cruse RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-1.
The Neeb knock was one of four throughout the course of the day for the Front Royal, Va. native, who accounted for TTU's lone run in the second game with a fourth-inning solo home run. The round tripper was the second in the last three games and third in the last eight for the 5-foot-7 infielder, who has also hit safely in seven of the last eight games as well.
The Cruse run-scoring single was followed by a GSU error and a Cortney Fry infield single to load the bases, setting the table for the top of Tech's order that came through in clutch fashion two batters later.
Leadoff hitter Angi Sakamoto singled in a run to trim the Panther advantage to 4-2, before a two-run Hannah Eldridge base hit up the middle deadlocked the contest at 4-4. Junior Olivia Bennett kept the line moving with an RBI double to put the Golden Eagles ahead 5-4, before sophomore Alyssa Richards capped off the impressive inning with a three-run home run that pushed the TTU lead to 8-4.
Richards' seventh long ball of the season was one of three times that the Italy, Texas native reached base, thanks to a pair of walks as well, while Eldridge ended the opener a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Georgia State responded to Tech's second-inning fireworks with two runs in the bottom of the frame, using a Lauren Coleman bases-loaded walk and a Mandy Blackwell sacrifice fly to chop the Golden Eagle edge to 8-6.
An inning later, Panther freshman Ivie Drake singled home junior Taylor Anderson to make it a one-run affair, one of three hits for the GSU No. 3 hitter that included a fifth-inning solo home run as well. In fact, the top of the Panther order went a combined 9-for-14 in the opener with Anderson, Drake, and senior Ashley Christy all collecting three hits in the tilt.
Tech bounced back from the pair of shaky innings with a run in the fourth and one more in the fifth to take a 10-7 lead. Bayli Cruse drove home Hannah Eldridge with an RBI groundout in the fourth, before Eldridge accounted for Tech's run in the fifth with a single up the middle that plated freshman Callen Griffin.
The momentum swung back towards GSU behind the Ivie Drake solo shot in the bottom of the fifth that trimmed the deficit to 10-8, before the Panthers mounted a two-run seventh inning comeback to send the game into extra innings. Georgia State loaded the bases with one down in the frame, ahead of scoring its first run on a wild pitch, and the second one on a Lauren Coleman RBI single.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Panthers walked off with the win, scoring two batters into the frame. Taylor Anderson led things off with a single, which was followed by an Ashley Christy tripled into right center that ended the game.
Sophomore Taylor Thorpe (13-3) earned the win in relief, tossing 4 2/3 innings of three-hit, one-run ball. Junior Hannah Weaver (6-8) suffered the loss in relief after pitching the bottom of the eighth. Thorpe would go on to win the day's second game, going the distance and surrendering one run, while Weaver was hit with the loss in the second clash in what was the 5-foot-5 righty's first start since Mar. 25.
Georgia State carried its strong offensive performance from the first contest right into the second one, posting crooked numbers on the board in four of the game's five innings.
The Panthers slugged four home runs in the tilt, including two off the bat of sophomore Megan Litumbe to push the Grayson, Ga. native's total to 14 on the year. Litumbe's two-run shot in the bottom of the first put GSU ahead 3-0, while her leadoff blast in the third was one of two runs scored in the inning to push the Panther advantage to 5-0.
Ivie Drake got in on the long-ball brigade with a solo home run as part of a two-run bottom of the fourth that padded the GSU lead to 7-1, before the Panthers ended the contest an inning later with a five-run fifth thanks in large part to a Callie Alford grand slam that capped the Georgia State scoring at 12-1.
The Golden Eagles jump back into conference action over the weekend, welcoming Jacksonville State to Tech Softball Field for a three-game series. The two schools will play a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. CT, before closing out the set with a Sunday single game, also at 1 p.m.