By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech softball team padded its lead late, scoring six runs in the final two innings en route to a 7-0 victory over Belmont (8-18, 3-4) in the first of a three-game series.

Leading 1-0 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Golden Eagles (18-14, 5-3) doubled up their margin thanks to a Madison Taylor sacrifice fly that edged the Tech lead to 2-0.

An inning later, the Golden Eagles exploded to the tune of five runs to essentially put the game on ice with a 7-0 advantage. A pair of key extra-base hits proved to be the story in the sizeable frame, with the top of Tech's order doing the damage.

With two on and one down in the inning, Golden Eagle leadoff hitter Angi Sakamoto smoked one over the Belmont leftfielder's head, driving in a pair with a double that scored freshman Rachel Karlan and junior Sabrie Neeb to push Tech to a 4-0 lead. The two-bagger was the second of the game for Sakamoto, after the Waipahu, Hawaii native led off the contest with a double, before coming around to score three batters later on an Alyssa Richards RBI single that gave the Golden Eagles a 1-0 edge.

Sakamoto now has back-to-back multi-hit games after wrapping up the afternoon with a 2-for-4 showing, and the lefty-swinging outfielder has now led off back-to-back games with a double after accomplishing the feat at No. 15 Tennessee on Wednesday.

With TTU now on top 4-0 and Sakamoto on at second, senior Hannah Eldridge coaxed a walk to cap off a perfect day for the Fayetteville, Tenn. native that saw her go 2-for-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

Junior Olivia Bennett gave the Golden Eagles all the breathing room they needed following the Eldridge free pass, slugging a three-run home run over the center field wall to push the margin to 7-0. The 5-foot-4 outfielder continues her assault on the softball in 2015, as the round tripper extended her OVC lead to 11, five of which have come in conference action.

It was another brilliant day at the office for sophomore Danielle Liberatore (11-5), tossing yet another OVC shutout, the Peotone, Ill. native's fourth in five conference starts this season. Liberatore yielded just four hits, all of them singles, while the 5-foot-10 southpaw walked only two and struck out three to run her win-streak to eight consecutive decisions.

In 32 conference innings this season, Liberatore has given up just one measly run to lower her ERA to an impressive 0.22.

Junior Carolyn Snodgress (3-4) was hit with the loss, despite a solid effort that saw the 5-foot-9 right-hander surrender two runs in five innings.

The two teams will be right back at on Sunday to close out the weekend series, squaring off in a doubleheader. Game one of the twin bill is slated to begin at 1 p.m. CT.