By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off a critical OVC series win over Jacksonville State, the Tennessee Tech softball team will travel west down I-40 to lock up with Lipscomb, Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT. The matchup with the Lady Bisons (21-22) will be the final mid-week game of the 2015 campaign.
The Golden Eagles (24-20, 11-6) put together the whole package in taking two out of three over the weekend against the Gamecocks, moving into sole possession of third place in the OVC. Strong pitching came to the forefront in Saturday's doubleheader split, with sophomore Danielle Liberatore and senior Erica Tuck combining to give up just one earned run over the course of 14 innings.
The bats took center stage in Sunday's thrilling series finale as Tech pounded out 12 hits, including seven extra-base hits en route to a 7-6 victory. Trailing 6-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Golden Eagles didn't flinch, scoring three runs to capture another wild win. The comeback marked the sixth time this season that Tech came back from a seventh-inning deficit to tie or take the lead.
Senior Hannah Eldridge began the frame with an infield single, which was quickly followed by a double into right center off the bat of junior Sabrie Neeb to put the tying run into scoring position. A walk to junior Olivia Bennett loaded the bases, before a Bayli Cruse two-run single tied the game and moved pinch-runner Christian Gibbs to third with the winning run.
Junior Madison Taylor then walked Tech off the victory, lacing a liner to left that was deep enough to plate Gibbs with the game-winning sacrifice fly.
TTU's 2-3-4 hitters (Eldridge, Neeb, Bennett) combined to go 6-for-9 with four extra-base hits and five runs scored. Bennett slugged a pair of home runs in the contest to push her conference lead to 13, while Neeb continues her surge at the dish that saw the Front Royal, Va. native hit .533 (8-15) in the last five games with six extra-base hits.
Eldridge's stellar Sunday performance at the plate bumped the senior second baseman's average to a team-best .336, one of three Golden Eagles with at least 75 at-bats to be hitting above .300, joining Alyssa Richards' .333 clip and Angi Sakamoto's .305 mark.
From inside the circle, Danielle Liberatore (13-8) allowed two earned runs in 12 1/3 weekend innings, registering her second save of the season in the process. The 5-foot-10 southpaw has struck out an eye-popping 183 on the season, joining SIUE's Haley Chambers as the only two pitchers in the OVC with at least 180 punch outs.
Wednesday's matchup ends a seven-game home stand for Lipscomb, with the Lady Bisons seizing four of the previous six tilts.
Senior Paige Neely leads the club with a .377 batting average, 16 doubles, and 24 RBI, while junior Brittany Elmore is tops in the A-Sun with 36 stolen bases, having been caught just three times. On the slab, junior right-hander Kelly Young (10-11) has impressed this year with a 2.95 ERA, striking out 162 in 147 1/3 innings, limiting opponents to a .231 batting average as well.
Lipscomb narrowly leads the all-time series, 12-11.
