By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – An intriguing chapter in the story of the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference playoff race will be written over the weekend, when the Tennessee Tech softball team and Jacksonville State square off in a three-game series at Tech Softball Field. A doubleheader is on the books for Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. CT, before the two schools will jot down the final period with a Sunday single-game, also starting at 1 p.m.
Admission to all Golden Eagle home regular season games is free. The trio of contests will also be broadcast live on the Golden Eagle Sports Network via the OVC Digital Network. CLICK HERE TO WATCH.
As it currently stands on the pages, Tech (22-19, 9-5) and the Gamecocks (25-11, 8-3) are separated by just a half game for second place in the conference, with first-place SIU Edwardsville still within striking distance as the Cougars sit a game and a half up on JSU, and only two ahead of the Golden Eagles.
The tightly-contested pursuit heated up during last weekend's OVC battles that pinned the top three clubs against each other. After an impressive 8-0 start in conference action, SIUE handed Jacksonville State its first two OVC losses with an Apr. 4 twin bill sweep in Edwardsville, before Tech gave the Cougars a taste of their own medicine with a doubleheader sweep on Apr. 5 to jumble up the top of the standings.
Tech stymied the SIUE bats with stellar work from inside the circle, led by sophomore Danielle Liberatore. The 5-foot-10 southpaw excelled all weekend in TTU's clashes with the Cougars and Eastern Illinois, appearing in all four contests and yielding just two earned runs in 19 innings of work to post a miniscule 0.74 ERA during that time period.
Liberatore (13-7) notched a pair of wins and a save during the impressive stretch, striking out 34 in the process that included a 15-striekout showing as part of a 1-0 victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday. The outstanding performance cemented the Peotone, Ill. native's place in the TTU record books, becoming the only pitcher in Tech history to strikeout at least 15 in a game twice in a career.
Dating back to a Mar. 31 appearance at Chattanooga, Liberatore has whiffed at least 10 in her last three starts, pushing her season-total to an eye-popping 176 in 136 2/3 innings.
Offensively, a pair of big innings played a pivotal role in leading Tech to Sunday's sweep over SIUE. The Golden Eagles came back from a 1-0 deficit with a four-run fifth inning in the opener, before the club broke a scoreless tie with another four-spot in the top of third in game two.
A duo of upperclassmen led the charge during the momentum-changing frames, with senior Hannah Eldridge smacking a three-run double in the first game to put Tech on top, before a Sabrie Neeb three-run home run served as the difference-maker in the second game.
The tandem parlayed Sunday's success into strong showings in Wednesday's non-conference doubleheader at Georgia State. Eldridge ended the opening game of the double dip a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Neeb socked a solo home run in the second tilt as part of a four-hit day for the Front Royal, Va. native.
Neeb has been red-hot at the plate of late, collecting hits in seven of the last eight games, drilling three home runs over that stretch as well.
Sophomore Alyssa Richards, who hit her seventh round tripper of the season on Wednesday, is tied with Hannah Eldridge for the highest batting average on the Golden Eagles, with both players boasting a .339 mark. Junior Olivia Bennett continues to set the pace in the power department for Tech, leading the squad with 11 home runs and 33 RBI.
Jacksonville State presents six players hitting at least .315, led by junior Ella Denes' .363 clip. Reigning OVC Player of the Year, Sara Borders, is tops of the Gamecocks with nine home runs and 30 RBI.
From inside the circle, three JSU hurlers (Taylor West, Logan Green, Whitney Gillespie) have at least seven wins, with the trio all sporting an ERA under 3.00.
Jacksonville State has the upper hand in the all-time series, coming to Cookeville with a 26-19 overall record against the Golden Eagles, however it's Tech that possesses the latest laugh in the storied series. In last year's OVC Tournament, TTU knocked out the host and No. 1-seeded Gamecocks, coming back from a 3-0 sixth-inning deficit to roll out a 6-3 victory in an elimination game that featured a 21-hour rain delay.
