By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – It was a matchup that would make any and all softball fans salivate at the prospects of what might occur on the diamond. The tilt featured the only two pitchers to take home All-OVC First Team accolades, squaring off for the right to move within a game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament finale.
Two left arms that ranked one and two in the conference in both ERA and strikeouts, fighting for playoff supremacy in an attempt to become one of just two undefeated teams still remaining in the tournament.
The one cast in purple and gold took home the highly anticipated showdown, using her 19 other Golden Eagle counterparts to come away with a 4-1 win over the No. 1 and host team in the field of eight, SIU Edwardsville (40-15).
Sophomore Danielle Liberatore (17-11) and the No. 4 Tennessee Tech softball team (30-26) used a quick start and an impressive final surge to upset the top-seeded Cougars, defeating the conference's Pitcher of the Year in Haley Chambers to become the first Tech squad in three years to start 2-0 in the OVC Tournament. The emotionally-charged victory sends the Golden Eagles to the winner's bracket final, where they will lock up with No. 3 Murray State for the chance to move to the championship of the playoff tourney.
Liberatore yielded just one run on four hits, walking two, and whiffing nine to notch her fourth OVC Tournament win in just two short years draped in the Tech purple and gold. In this year's playoff run, she has already struck out 22 in just 13 innings of work.
The 5-foot-10 southpaw reaped the benefits of a fast beginning that saw senior Hannah Eldridge drive in a pair with a two-out, first-inning single to left. The clutch knock easily plated senior Angi Sakamoto, who jogged home from third with the first Golden Eagle run, before somehow, someway, junior Sabrie Neeb dove in safely with the second run in what can only be categorized as pure chaos at the plate.
The liner to left field was quickly gloved by senior Rebecca Gray, who fired a strike to home, but Neeb's slide knocked the ball out of the SIUE catcher's glove, allowing her just enough time to soar into the dish to put Tech ahead 2-0.
Liberatore capitalized on the momentum gained from Neeb's impressive display of athleticism, striking out the side in the top of the second to cap off a stretch that saw the Peotone, Ill. native start off the contest by retiring the first six Cougars.
In the top of the third, she finally blinked. A leadoff walk to freshman Tess Eby was followed by a pop up for the first out of the inning, before an RBI triple off the bat of junior Jordan LaFave sliced the Tech lead in half at 2-1. With the tying still situated at third, Liberatore bounced back in a big way, using a punch out and a roller to third to escape further damage and keep TTU on top.
The dramatic pitcher's duel stayed at 2-1 until the bottom of the fifth, before Tech struck for some insurance. A one-out Cortney Fry double off the wall was followed by an Angi Sakamoto hit-by-pitch and a Sabrie Neeb single to load up the bases for junior Olivia Bennett. Despite falling behind 1-2, Bennett fought back into the count, eventually working a walk to bring across Fry with the third Tech run.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Golden Eagles added another critical run, thanks to a Kelly Kennedy solo home run, the sophomore catcher's fourth of the season.
Now leading 4-1, Liberatore took it from there, pitching around a leadoff single in the seventh to push Tennessee Tech to the finish line with a scoreless final frame.
The matchup with Murray State will take place Friday at 2 p.m. CT. Live video will be available, free of charge, on the OVC Digital Network. CLICK HERE TO WATCH.
