By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech softball team had everything working for them Saturday afternoon, using the combination of lights out pitching and stellar hitting to push its way to a doubleheader sweep over Austin Peay (8-28, 4-13) on Senior Day.
Sophomore Danielle Liberatore (14-8) cruised through the opener to lead the Golden Eagles (26-21, 13-6) to a 7-0 victory, before four Tech home runs helped guide the Golden Eagles to a 10-3 win in the day's second game.
Liberatore set the afternoon's tone early after working six shutout innings to secure the Peotone, Ill. native's 14th win of the season. The 5-foot-10 southpaw yielded just one hit in her six innings in the circle, whiffing six Governors as well to tally her sixth OVC shutout in 11 conference starts.
Offensively, Tech came to Liberatore's aid early, scoring six runs in the first two innings, including a five-spot in the bottom of the second. Junior Olivia Bennett jumped the Golden Eagles on the board with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, one of four RBI on the day for the 5-foot-4 outfielder.
The Golden Eagles took advantage of a pair of Austin Peay errors in the second inning, using five hits as well to break the game open early. Junior Madison Taylor started the chaotic frame with a double down the right field line, which was promptly followed by a Kelly Kennedy single and a Lady Govs' defensive miscue that allowed Taylor to score from second to give Tech a 2-0 lead.
Junior Cortney Fry kept the line moving with a single into center to move Kennedy to second, before a Gabby Perez sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one down. Senior Angi Sakamoto's sacrifice fly pushed the edge to 3-0, which was followed by a second APSU error of the inning on a ball hit by senior Hannah Eldridge to make it 4-0.
Tech closed out the inning's offensive surge with a Bayli Cruse two-run single that boosted the Golden Eagle lead to 6-0, essentially putting the game on ice with the way Liberatore was pitching.
Cruse's two-run knock was only the beginning for the freshman catcher, who would go on to have a twin bill to remember with a 5-for-7 showing in the two games that included a double, a home run, two runs scored, and five RBI.
TTU put a lid on its scoring in the bottom of the sixth thanks to an Olivia Bennett RBI double into left center that extend the Golden Eagle lead to 7-0.
Most of the damage occurred off Austin Peay starter Natalie Ayala (4-11), who was saddled with the loss after allowing six runs (three earned) in 1 2/3 innings.
Tech senior Taylor Ketchum came on and pitched a scoreless seventh, setting the Senior Day tone that saw the Golden Eagles receive important contributions from their six seniors.
In fact, with Tech trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the third of the second game, senior Angi Sakamoto came through in big fashion. The Waipahu, Hawaii native led off the frame with a game-tying home run over the center field wall, the lefty-swinging outfielder's sixth of the season.
The round tripper was the first of four in the day's second tilt, aiding a Golden Eagle offense that scored seven unanswered en route to the 10-3 win. Bayli Cruse was responsible for the second Tech long ball, drilling a three-run bomb in the bottom of the third to give TTU its first lead of the contest, at 6-3.
In the bottom of the fourth, Olivia Bennett did the honors with a two-run shot to left field, the Mentone, Calif. native's OVC-leading 14th of the season to hand the Golden Eagles a 9-3 lead.
Senior Hannah Eldridge capped off the offensive outburst, slugging a solo home run in the last of the sixth, the senior second baseman's sixth of the year.
The barrage of round trippers was more than enough for senior Erica Tuck (4-1), who looked sharp in registering her fourth win of the year. The 5-foot-9 right-hander slipped past a shaky beginning that saw her allow three runs in the first three innings, blanking the Govs over the next four frames as part of a complete-game showing that lowered Tuck's OVC-ERA to 2.60.
Sophomore Sidney Hooper (2-9) was hit with the loss after the APSU starting pitcher went 2 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs on six hits.
In between the two games, Tech honored its six seniors (Hannah Eldridge, Christian Gibbs, Taylor Ketchum, Angi Sakamoto, Erica Tuck, and Mekenzie Weems) with a special ceremony in which each player was greeted by the coaching staff and Director of Athletics, Mark Wilson, where they received a framed jersey.
The Golden Eagles will play their final home games of the season on Sunday, welcoming in Murray State for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. CT. The Racers were upended in both games of their twin bill against Jacksonville State on Saturday to push Tech into sole possession of second place in the conference, a game up on Murray State.
