By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off its first home stand of the season, the Tennessee Tech softball team heads back on the road, traveling east over the weekend to take aim in the Holiday Inn Invitational hosted by East Tennessee State University. The tournament action comes on the heels of Mother Nature once again putting a wrench in Tech's plans as Thursday's originally scheduled game at Lipscomb was pushed back to Apr. 15 due to weather.
On Saturday the Golden Eagles (8-9) will square off with Radford at 10 a.m. CST and the host ETSU at 2 p.m., before ending the weekend Sunday against the same two schools with a 10 a.m. matchup against the Highlanders (3-8) and a 12 p.m. showdown with the Buccaneers (6-6).
TTU will enter the tourney having won two straight games, outscoring Northern Kentucky 19-3 as part of a Sunday twin bill sweep to conclude the weekend quartet of contests at Tech Softball Field. Tech put together the whole package in busting out the brooms over The Norse, drilling eight extra base hits in the two games, while the combination of sophomore Danielle Liberatore and junior Hannah Weaver held up their end of the bargain from inside the circle.
The Golden Eagle tandem combined to punch out 20 NKU batters, with Liberatore fanning 12 as part a complete-game, two-hit shutout, and Weaver whiffing a career-high eight. The pair of Tech hurlers each have four victories on the season, while Liberatore has posted a team-best 2.75 ERA and has struck out an eye-popping 65 in just 56 innings of work on the year.
The bats played a pivotal role in the double dip sweep as well, as four Golden Eagles left the yard in the pair of contests. Senior Hannah Eldridge touched them all for the first time this season, helping pad a stellar weekend at the dish that saw the Fayetteville, Tenn. native go 5-for-9 (.556) with six runs scored. Eldridge is one of three Golden Eagles currently hitting at least .300, trailing sophomore Alyssa Richards' .349 clip, and freshman Callen Griffin's .325 mark.
Griffin joined Eldridge, freshman Bayli Cruse, and junior Olivia Bennett as the four Tech players to leave the yard in Sunday's sweep. Griffin and Cruse each have two home runs, while Bennett's six round trippers put her in second place in the Ohio Valley Conference, trailing only Murray State's Maggie Glass who has seven.
Examining Tech's Weekend Competition:
Rafdord (3-8): Tech puts its undefeated record against the Highlanders on the line over the weekend, as the Golden Eagles are a perfect 2-0 in the all-time series. In fact, behind a lights out performance by Danielle Liberatore, TTU slipped past Radford 1-0 in last season's get together as part of the Frost Classic hosted by UT Chattanooga. The 5-foot-10 southpaw came within four outs of a no-hitter, before ultimately tossing a two-hit shutout, the first of her collegiate career. Offensively, a Madison Taylor home run was the difference, with the junior outfielder leaving the park in the first inning to account for the game's lone run. The Highlanders will enter the weekend's tourney having lost its last contest, a 6-1 defeat to Central Arkansas to snap a two-game win streak.
East Tennessee State (6-6): The host comes in on a heater having won six of its last eight games after an 0-4 start to begin the season. The Bucs offense has led the charge throughout the hot-streak, scoring at least eight runs in the six victories. Eight players with at least 10 at-bats are hitting above .325 on the year, led by freshman Cassi Pickett's .478 mark, while fellow freshman Kelsey Smith leads the club with five home runs and 15 RBI. Tech leads the all-time series 14-5 with the last matchup coming in 2013.
