NOTE: Due to inclement weather in Atlanta, Wednesday's doubleheader with Georgia State has been cancelled.
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A pair of red hot clubs will take center stage in Atlanta, as the Tennessee Tech softball team will square off with Georgia State in a Wednesday doubleheader. The matchup will mark the first mid-week action for the Golden Eagles (11-10) this season, with first pitch of game one slated to begin at 2 p.m. CT.
Tech treks down to Atlanta having won five of the last six and nine of the last 13, with two of the losses during that stretch coming to No. 10 Kentucky. Georgia State (16-2) has enjoyed similar success heading into the twin bill, riding a 13-game win streak and the Panthers only two losses this year have been to No. 14 Auburn.
The Golden Eagles recently wrapped up their final non-conference tournament over the weekend, seizing three out of four in the Holiday Inn Invitational hosted by East Tennessee State. Late inning heroics were the theme in Saturday's double dip sweep, with TTU using a pair of late home runs to slip past both Radford and the host ETSU.
Squared away at 2-2 in the opener with the Highlanders, sophomore Alyssa Richards blasted a go-ahead and eventual game-winning home run, before senior Angi Sakamoto accomplished a similar feat in the nightcap with the Buccaneers.
Trailing 1-0 heading into the seventh, Tech tied the game with consecutive doubles off the bat of juniors Sabrie Neeb and Madison Taylor, setting the stage for Sakamoto. The Waipahu, Hawaii native delivered with a game-winning two-run round tripper to push the Golden Eagles to a perfect Saturday.
Sunday's split with the same two schools featured a big day by senior Hannah Eldridge as the 5-foot-5 second baseman recorded five hits in the two games to wrap up a stellar weekend that saw Eldridge hit .500 (7-14) in the quartet of contests.
The torrid stretch bumped Eldridge's batting average to a team-leading .356, one of two Golden Eagles to be hitting above .300 along with Alyssa Richards' .333 clip. Richards also has four home runs and 12 RBI, while junior Olivia Bennett continues to be an offensive force to be reckoned with as the Mentone, Calif. native is second in the OVC in both home runs with six and RBI with 17.
From inside the circle, Tech enjoyed a solid weekend in Johnson City, limiting its opponents to only two runs in three of the four contests. Sophomore Danielle Liberatore excelled in her two outings, picking up a pair of complete game victories to notch her win streak to three straight. Liberatore allowed just three earned runs in 14 innings of work, while the 5-foot-10 southpaw walked only three and struck out 16.
Liberatore has whiffed 81 batters in 70 innings on the rubber, putting the Peotone, Ill. native second in the OVC behind SIU Edwardsville's Haley Chambers. Liberatore has also paced Tech with six wins and a 2.50 ERA, while junior Hannah Weaver has looked sharp as well with a 5-3 record.
Freshman Taylor Waldrop has emerged from inside the circle as well after an impressive weekend that saw the Canon, Ga. native allow just one run in six innings. Waldrop also recorded the first save of her collegiate career after blanking Radford over the final two innings in Saturday's affair.
Georgia State's offense has led the charge in the Panthers red hot beginning to the 2015 campaign, leading the Sun Belt with a .366 team-batting average and .616 slugging percentage, scoring at least seven runs in 10 of 18 games this season as well.
Freshman Ivie Drake boasts a conference-leading .545 batting average and .927 slugging percentage, while the 5-foot-8 catcher is also second in the Sun Belt with nine doubles. Senior Callie Alford has also impressed throughout the early stages of the spring, as the Conyers, Ga. native second in the conference with eight home runs and 27 RBI.
Georgia State leads the all-time series 16-6, capturing the last game in the series with an 8-7 win back in 2012.
