COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- After taking a pair of road games at Eastern Kentucky to move up in the Ohio Valley Conference standings, the Tennessee Tech softball team (13-14, 2-3 OVC) will take a break from conference action Tuesday and take on in-state rival East Tennessee State in a doubleheader at the Betty Basler Field in Johnson City, Tenn. The first game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CDT.
Tech is coming off its first OVC series victory, and sophomore Taylor Ketchum notched two victories, marking her first wins since early March. The ace averaged a 1.50 ERA over the weekend, giving up just two earned runs.
Freshman Cortney Fry extended her hitting streak to four games over the weekend, the only Golden Eagle in an active streak. The freshman was vital in Tech's two wins over EKU, including two hits in each of the final two games in the series.
Senior Chanelle Spalding also had an outstanding outing, blasting her first home runs of the season. Spalding sent two dingers over the left field fence in the first part of the twinbill, collecting four RBI.
Fans will likely see Erica Tuck in the second game. The sophomore is still searching for her first victory, but has turned in the second-most innings pitched for the Golden Eagles in 12 appearances.
All-Time Series
Tech vs.
East Tennessee State: Tech leads
the series, 14-3, Tech swept a doubleheader last season in
Cookeville, with Tech winning 5-1 and 11-3 in six
innings.
Quick Hits
- Tech is 13-14 overall this season after taking its first OVC series of 2013 at EKU.
- As a team, Tech is hitting .270, posting 108 runs scored, 87 rbi and a .339 on-base percentage through 27 games.
- The Golden Eagle pitching staff combines for a 1.75 conference ERA allowing 8 earned runs in 32.0 innings pitched in the OVC.
- Senior Melody Christian opened the season on a tear, connecting for at least one hit in her first 11 games of the season.
- Cortney Fry is currently the only Golden Eagle on a streak, connecting for a hit in the past four games, including two hits in each of her past two outings.
- Four players have scored double-figure runs for the Golden Eagles, including Christian, with a team high 21 runs and is the teams stolen bases leader.
- Christian is fourth in the OVC with 12 stolen bases on 15 attempts.
- Freshman Madison Taylor has a .355 batting average, collecting a multiple career-firsts during the opening weekend, including her three hits, four putouts, and 2 rbi.
- Five Golden Eagles have recorded triples, including newcomer Chelsea Burgess.
- Five Golden Eagles have hit Home Runs (B. Spalding (2), C. Spalding (2), Eldridge, Sakamoto Taylor,)
- Ketchum was named adidas® Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week. Ketchum gave up just two hits in 10 innings of work.
- In a trip to the sunshine state, Tech ended the Under Armour Showcase 3-2, with key wins over Maine, LIU Brooklyn and Providence.
- Tech finished the Purple and Gold Challenge 0-1, losing it's only contest to IPFW 8-0.
- Tech posted a 2-2 record at the KSU Classic. The Golden Eagles opened the tournament sweeping its first two games with wins over Liberty (8 innings) and Mercer.
- The Golden Eagles finished the Eagle Round Robin hosted by Georgia Southern with a 2-2 record. The weekend was highlighted by a 3-1 victory over Akron as sophomore Taylor Ketchum threw a one-hitter Feb. 10.
- First year head coach Bonnie Bynum picked up her first win at
Tennessee Tech after the team downed St. John's, 4-3. The
Golden Eagles defeated St. John's thanks to a walk-off single by
senior Chanelle
Spalding, marking the first win against the Red Storm in
program history and the first road victory of the 2013 season.
SCHEDULE NOTE: The Golden Eagles have rescheduled their doubleheader against Austin Peay for Tuesday April 16. The game were postponed on March 24 due to cold weather.