By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech softball team wrapped up its final non-conference tournament Sunday afternoon, splitting its pair of matchups at the Holiday Inn Invitational hosted by East Tennessee State.
Behind a season-high 14 hits, the Golden Eagles (11-10) rolled in the first game with an 8-2 win over Radford (3-11) to make it five straight victories, but couldn't make it a clean sweep after the host Buccaneers (8-7) took the finale, 5-4.
Tech carried over the momentum from Saturday's pair of thrilling victories into Sunday's opener, coming out of the gates with a four-spot in the top of the first against Radford. Fresh off drilling the game-winning home run in Saturday's second tilt against ETSU, senior Angi Sakamoto began the offensive barrage with a leadoff single through the right side.
Senior Hannah Eldridge followed Sakamoto's knock with one of her own, and after a walk to junior Olivia Bennett the Golden Eagles were set up with the bases loaded and no one out. Two batters later after the Highlanders registered the first out of the inning, freshman Callen Griffin coaxed a bases loaded walk to give Tech their first run of the inning.
With the bases still chalk full of Golden Eagles and only one down, Radford sophomore Brittany Wratchford (1-1) recorded a second out in the inning to come within inches of getting out of the jam relatively unscathed, however Tech had other ideas.
A walk to Kelly Kennedy forced in a second run. An RBI single off the bat of freshman Gabby Perez brought around Bennett with the third run of the inning, and a Madison Taylor hit by pitch forced home Griffin to push the TTU lead to 4-0.
The strong start proved to be more than enough for sophomore Danielle Liberatore (6-5), as the 5-foot-10 southpaw notched her third consecutive win with another stellar showing from inside the circle. Liberatore stuck at double digits for the third time this season, whiffing 11 Highlanders as part of a complete-game victory that saw the Peotone, Ill. native allow just two runs.
The aforementioned Brittany Wratchford was handed the loss after the 5-foot-4 righty was unable to make it out of the second inning, surrendering four runs in the brief outing.
The Tech offense was far from being done after the four-run first inning outburst, as the Golden Eagles padded their lead with solo runs in the second, fourth, fifth, and seventh innings.
Olivia Bennett reached base four times in the contest thanks to three singles and a walk, scoring three runs as well. Sophomore Alyssa Richards reached base four times as well with two hits and two walks, while Hannah Eldridge remained hot with a combined five hits in the two games. The Fayetteville, Tenn. native has posted at least two hits in four of the last eight games.
Freshman Rachel Karlan joined the party as well, blasting her first career home run in the opener, a seventh inning shot that capped the TTU scoring.
Early offense was the story in Sunday's second contest with the host ETSU, as both teams traded four-run frames in the first three innings.
The Bucs struck first in the bottom of the second, using a Cassi Pickett two-run home run and a Nicole Fox two-run double to jump out to the early 4-0 advantage.
Tech wasted no time in putting its comeback shoes on, deadlocking the score an inning later with a four-spot of its own. Two of the first three Golden Eagles reached in the frame as Madison Taylor and Hannah Eldridge both singled to put runners on the corners with one down. Olivia Bennett then put Tech on the board with a run-scoring single through the left side to bring Taylor in to score, before Alyssa Richards tied up the game with a three-run home run, the Italy, Texas native's fourth of the year.
With the game squared away at 4-4, TTU called on freshman Taylor Waldrop (0-1) to begin the home half of the third. Coming off her first collegiate save on Saturday, the 5-foot-2 righty looked sharp in her second straight relief outing, limiting the Buccaneers to just one run over the game's final four innings.
That one run proved to be the game-winner for ETSU, with the Bucs touching up the dish in the last of the fourth behind a two-out RBI single from junior Bethany Cowart that brought around senior Latosha Rectenwald to give East Tennessee a 5-4 lead.
Tech threatened in the top of the seventh after putting runners on first and second with one out, but ETSU sophomore Taylor Carter (4-3) buckled down, retiring the final two Golden Eagles to push the Bucs to the finish line.
Carter earned her fourth win of the season after the Brazil, Ind. native went all seven innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits. TTU's Taylor Waldrop suffered the loss in relief after surrendering just one run in four innings.
The Golden Eagles will remain on the road, locking up with Georgia State for a doubleheader on Wednesday, Mar. 11. Game one is slated to begin at 2 p.m. CT.
