By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The recipe was simple for the Tennessee Tech softball team Sunday afternoon. Behind stellar hitting and lights out pitching, the Golden Eagles (8-9) took care of business with a doubleheader sweep over Northern Kentucky, outscoring The Norse (0-6) 19-3 in the pair of contests with a 9-0 win in the opener and an 10-3 victory in the second game.
Tech flexed its offensive muscles to the tune of eight extra base hits, while the pitching held up its end of the bargain as the combination of sophomore Danielle Liberatore and junior Hannah Weaver teamed up to strikeout 20, allowing just five hits in the process.
Danielle Liberatore (4-5) shined in the opener, striking out 12 of a possible 15 in just five innings of work en route to the complete-game shutout victory. From the onset it was clear that the 5-foot-10 southpaw was in complete control, punching out the side in each of the first two innings.
The Norse had just three base runners in the contest, with Liberatore surrendering only one walk and yielding two singles. In fact, of the 15 outs that the Peotone, Ill. native registered, only one of them was on a fair ball thanks to the 12 strikeouts and a pair of foul pop ups as well.
Offensively, Tech gave Liberatore more than enough run support, scoring in three of the four innings at the dish with a run in the first, three in the third, and five more in the fourth. Sophomore Alyssa Richards gave the Golden Eagles the early advantage in the bottom of the first behind a two-out RBI single that brought around senior Hannah Eldridge in to put TTU ahead 1-0.
Richards reached base all three times in the contest thanks to a walk and two singles, while Eldridge paced Tech with five total runs scored in the double dip.
The Golden Eagles went on to put crooked numbers on the board in the third and fourth innings, sending all nine to the plate in each frame. RBI singles from junior Olivia Bennett and sophomore Kelly Kennedy, coupled with a bases loaded walk from sophomore Gabby Perez accounted for Tech's three in the third, before Tech exploded for five in the fourth to put the game on ice.
Walks to seniors Angi Sakamoto and Hannah Eldridge gave Tech momentum to begin the inning, before the pair advanced to second and third on a wild pitch to set the stage for Olivia Bennett. The Mentone, Calif. native delivered once again, driving in Sakamoto and Eldridge with a single to left to cap off a six RBI day for Bennett after the righty-swinging outfielder drilled a three-run home run in the second game, her team-leading sixth of the year.
Two batters later after a walk to Alyssa Richards put runners on first and second, freshman Callen Griffin blasted a three-run home run to give the Golden Eagles a 9-0 lead. The round tripper was the second of the year for the 5-foot-4 infielder and helped wrap up a perfect day at the plate after Griffin singled in the first and walked in the third.
Tech did the bulk of its damage off freshman Ashlynn Roberts (0-3), who was saddled with the loss after giving up four earned in two and two-thirds innings.
The Golden Eagles left the yard with regularity in the second game, smoking three home runs in the contest. Hannah Eldridge kicked off the long ball brigade with a solo shot in the first inning, before Olivia Bennett pounded a three-run round tripper as part of a six-run second inning that saw Tech send 10 to the plate.
Trailing 7-0, Northern Kentucky jumped back into the tilt with three runs in the top of the third thanks to an RBI double off the bat of freshman Sydney Ferrante and a two-run home run from sophomore Dani Devlin.
With the Golden Eagles on top 7-3, freshman Bayli Cruse crushed a home run over the left center field fence in the bottom of the third, capping off a 2-for-3 showing for the Cohutta, Ga. native that included a double, a home run, and three RBI. Cruse now has two round trippers on the year.
An inning later, TTU wrapped up its scoring on a two-run single by senior Christian Gibbs to put Tech ahead 10-3.
Hannah Weaver (4-3) collected the win behind a career-high eight strikeouts, giving up just three hits while retiring the final 10 NKU hitters. On the opposite side of the equation, sophomore Alyssa Enrique (0-1) suffered her first loss of the year after giving up seven earned runs in one and two-thirds innings in the circle.
Fresh off its first home stand of the season, Tech will travel to Lipscomb on Thursday, Mar. 5 to tangle with the Bisons at 3 p.m. CST.
