By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The beginning of April brings critical Ohio Valley Conference matchups for the Tennessee Tech softball team, as the Golden Eagles (19-16, 6-4) will kick off the month by traveling north over the weekend to tangle with Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville in a pair of doubleheaders.
Pesky weather has changed the original plans for Tech. The Golden Eagles' first twin bill against EIU (10-16, 5-5) has been moved from Friday to Saturday, while the double dip with SIUE (27-7, 9-1) has been pushed from Saturday to Sunday. Saturday's doubleheader kicks off at 1 p.m. CT, and Sunday's first pitch of the twin bill is slated for 12 p.m.
Tech treks north having played just one game during the week, a Tuesday matchup with in-state foe Chattanooga that saw the Golden Eagles on the short end of a 6-4 score. Despite the loss, the tilt did have its fair share of Tech bright spots, highlighted by a strong showing at the dish by senior Angi Sakamoto, and another healthy diet of punch outs by sophomore Danielle Liberatore.
Sakamoto ended the contest a perfect 2-for-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and a home run to lead off the ballgame, the Waipahu, Hawaii native's sixth of the year. As far as Liberatore is concerned, the 5-foot-10 southpaw registered 10 strikeouts for her fifth double-digit punch out performance of the season.
Liberatore has whiffed 142 on the year in 117 innings in the circle, a mark that places the Peotone, Ill. native in second place in the OVC behind one of this weekend's foes, SIUE's Haley Chambers. In conference action, the numbers are even more staggering for Liberatore, posting a 1.10 ERA and a perfect 5-0 record in six OVC starts. The hard-throwing lefty has tossed four shutouts as well, fanning 44 in 38 innings of work in the process.
Sakamoto's sixth round tripper of the season continues a Tech theme of hitting the ball out of the yard with regularity. TTU's 38 long balls rank them first in the conference, 11 of which have come off the bat of junior Olivia Bennett to set the pace in the OVC as well.
The Golden Eagles boast four players hitting at least .300 behind freshman Bayli Cruse's .304 mark, Sakamoto's .314 clip, senior Hannah Eldridge's .340 average, and sophomore Alyssa Richards' team-best .370 mark.
Eastern Illinois welcomes Tech to Charleston having won three of its last four games, with a pair of wins of Murray State, and a victory against Morehead State. Offensively, the story starts with senior Bailey O'Dell, who is putting up some pretty electrifying numbers in Panther blue and white.
The Clovis, Calif. native is currently in second in the conference with a .422 batting average, while her eight home runs and 28 RBI put her in a tie for fourth in the OVC.
Tech leads the all-time series 32-21 with Eastern Illinois, splitting a doubleheader last season in Cookeville in the last matchup between the two schools.
The defending conference tournament champion, SIUE, has looked sharp so far in the 2015 season having amassed a 9-1 OVC record and a 27-7 overall mark. Junior Haley Chambers begins the Cougar conversation, with the 5-foot-7 southpaw impressing on both sides of the diamond.
Inside the circle, Chambers sits atop the OVC with 16 wins, a 1.54 ERA, and 182 strikeouts. The Coatesville, Ind. native's pitching prowess was put on full display in a start on Mar. 22 in which Chambers tossed her second career perfect game, striking out 20 in a 1-0 win over Morehead State.
In the batter's box, the numbers aren't too shabby as well, with Chambers posting a team-best .364 average and six home runs to go along with an OVC-leading 40 hits.
The Cougars have captured 10 of the previous 13 matchups with TTU.
