Golden Eagles finish seventh in the 22-team field
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - The Tennessee Tech softball team could not carry its momentum over from two wins on Saturday as the Golden Eagles fell to UNC Greensboro, 4-1, in their final game of the Buzz Classic.
Tech finished the weekend 3-2 for the second consecutive tournament, good for a seventh place finish in the 22-team Buzz Classic. The Golden Eagles had the highest finish of the three OVC teams in the field. UT Martin finished ninth while Jacksonville State was 17th in the final standings.
The Golden Eagles drop to 8-7 overall this season, while the Spartans improve to 7-11.
TTU starter Claudia Harke started the game in a jam as she hit the leadoff batter before walking the next Spartan to put two on with no outs. The freshman was able to record two outs on a pair of ground balls before another walk loaded the bases the UNC Greensboro. Harke was up to the task as she induced a third ground ball out to escape the inning.
Neither team got on the board until the 3rd inning when the Spartans seized a 2-0 lead on a two-out, two-RBI double. Hark struck out the first batter of the inning before back-to-back singles put two runners on with one out. It looked like Harke would again get out of the jam as she forced another ground ball out, but a double by Kristen Gabel put the Spartans ahead by two.
In the top of the 5th inning, Tech put its lone run of the game on the board. Anna Zdroik started the inning with a walk and two batters later, Callie Schmidt did the same to put two runners on with one out. Two batters later, Stacey Butts poked a single to left field that scored Zdroik from second. The Golden Eagles threatened for more but left the bases loaded to end the inning.
The Spartans would tack on two more in the bottom of the 5th on a two-run homer to round out the scoring.
Butts finished 2-for-3 with an RBI for Tech, while Whitney Cummings and Lacie Coquerille also had hits for TTU.
Harke (0-3) pitched 4.0 innings, striking out five while allow two earned runs before Cummings came in relief to pitch the final two innings.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Tuesday when they host their first home games of the season in a doubleheader against Lipscomb. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Tech Softball Field.
