By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – An unexpected twist in the 2015 season will bring the Tennessee Tech softball team's home opener early, as the Golden Eagles are set to play four games over the weekend at Tech Softball Field. Snow and dreary weather conditions forced the cancellation of the originally scheduled Frost Classic Tournament in Chattanooga, so instead the doors will open in Cookeville to see TTU lock up with No. 10 Kentucky in a doubleheader on Saturday, before closing out the weekend with a Sunday twin bill against Northern Kentucky.
Saturday's start times are slated for a 1 p.m. CST and 3 p.m., while Sunday's first pitches are scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Live stats will be available for all four games…click here to view.
The Golden Eagles (6-7) enter weekend on a hot streak having won four of their last five after an impressive showing in last weekend's Charleston Southern Tournament. Late inning heroics proved to be the theme of the tourney for Tech, as the Golden Eagles pounded out a combined 17 runs from the fifth inning on en route to posting a 3-1 record.
In fact, TTU opened the slate with a bang after coming back from a three-run seventh inning deficit in the second tilt of the tourney against North Carolina A&T. The Golden Eagles scored six runs in the final frame to upend the Aggies 6-3 to cap off a perfect day after slipping past UNC Wilmington 2-1 in afternoon's opener.
Offensively, sophomore Alyssa Richards put together a stout resume in Charleston, leading Tech with a .500 batting average (5-10) while reaching base 10 out of 15 times at the dish as well. The Italy, Texas native will enter the Frost Classic with a team-best .353 batting average and .463 on-base percentage to go along with her two home runs and six RBI. Junior Olivia Bennett has gotten off to a stellar start with the bat as well, leading the Ohio Valley Conference with five round trippers in addition to her club-best nine runs driven in.
Similar to Richards, fellow sophomore Danielle Liberatore looked sharp down in Charleston, allowing only four earned runs in 13 innings en route to posting a 2-0 record. The 5-foot-10 southpaw surrendered just nine hits in the 13 frames from inside the circle, while striking out 17 to bump her team-leading total to 49 in 47 innings of work. Liberatore is also tops on the Golden Eagles with a 2.37 ERA, and is tied with junior Hannah Weaver with a Tech-best three wins.
Examining Tech's Weekend Competition:
No. 10 Kentucky (11-3): The nation's 10th ranked team heads south having won five of its last six games after enjoying a slew of success in last weekend's Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. A participant in last year's College World Series, this season's Wildcats are hitting a combined .312, led by junior Sylver Samuel's even .400 clip, while senior Griffin Joiner has paced UK with three home runs and 18 RBI. From inside the circle, the 1-2 punch of junior Kelsey Nunley and sophomore Megan Prince has impressed so far this year, with tandem both posting an ERA of under 2.50. Nunley is off to a 4-1 start, while Prince is leading the team with six wins. Kentucky comes into the double dip with a 4-1 all-time record against Tech.
Northern Kentucky (0-4): Weather has played a significant factor in the early stages of The Norse season, as NKU has only played in one weekend so far this year. Last weekend's attempt to play in the Tiger Classic hosted by Tennessee State was cancelled due to sleet and freezing temperatures in the Nashville area, while this weekend's Holiday Inn Hilltopper Classic in Bowling Green, Ky. got the boot as well to allow The Norse to come to Cookeville. Tech has already squared off against Northern Kentucky this year, rolling past The Norse 10-0 in the season-opener back on Feb. 7 as part of the Kennesaw State University Kickoff Classic. The tilt saw junior Hannah Weaver toss a complete-game shutout, while fellow junior Olivia Bennett had a strong day at the dish with a 3-for-3 showing. The victory pushed the Golden Eagles to a 2-0 record in the all-time series after Tech won the first meeting last year, 8-0.
