By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

STARKVILLE, Miss. — A seven-run third inning, a Rachel Karlan home run in the second, and six strikeouts by pitcher Leigh Thomas rounded out a successful first tournament appearance of the season for the Tennessee Tech softball team (3-2). The Golden Eagles saw victory in five innings over Alabama A&M (0-4), 20-1, to round out day three of Mississippi State's Bulldog Classic.

Tech wasted no time getting things started. Sabrie Neeb opened the first inning taking a base on balls to bring up Olivia Bennett. Bennett smacked a double to left center to drive in Neeb and take the 1-0 lead. A Lady Bulldog fielding error gave the Golden Eagles runners on first and third, and an overthrow to second on a Tech steal drove in another Golden Eagle runner for a 2-0 lead.

Karlan continued to keep the momentum going for Tech, driving in two more runs with a double to right center pushing the Golden Eagle lead to 4-0. But things would not slow down there: Thomas came to the plate to send one over Alabama A&M's second baseman's head and a fielding error allowed both Karlan and Thomas to score and lead 6-0 by the end of the first. Tech took advantage of four Lady Bulldog errors to score their first six runs off of three hits.

Tech continued its success into the second inning when two on and one down brought Gabby LaSala up to bat. LaSala hit a fly ball to the gap in right field, allowing a runner to score and bring Tech's lead to 7-1. With runners now on second and third, Callen Griffin cleared the bases with a double down the line to give Tech a 9-1 lead. The Golden Eagles would not relent there. Karlan slammed a home run to center, bringing in Griffin along with herself to give Tech an 11-1 lead to round out a successful five-run second inning.

LaSala kicked things off again for the Golden Eagles in the third inning with a single to left center to drive in Amity Brown and make it a 12-1 lead. Later with two on, Karlan drove a single up the middle and scored another Golden Eagle run. Thomas kept things going with an RBI to drive in Griffin and extend Tech's lead to 14-1. With two on and two out, pinch-hitter Sarah Freels drove a single up the middle to score Karlan and bring the Golden Eagle lead to 15-1. Bennett followed up with a ground rule double to bring in Freels, before Cruse launched another double to drive in two and round out another solid inning with the lead at 18-1 after the top of the third.

Thomas added one more in the top of the fourth with an RBI off a softly hit ball back up the middle to drive the Golden Eagle lead to 19-1. Richards notched Tech's final run with a single in the top of the fourth bringing in Bayli Cruse who hit a double to get on with two outs and close out a successful 20-1, five-inning victory over the Lady Bulldogs.

Thomas (1-1) took the victory going for all five innings in the circle allowing one run on two hits with one walk and six strikeouts in the contest.

Alabama A&M scored its only run in the bottom of the first of a leadoff walk followed by a Lady Bulldog triple, which brought the score to 6-1 in favor of the Golden Eagles.

The Golden Eagles will return to action on Feb. 20-21, when they travel to Troy, Ala. for the Troy Tournament where they will face Ole Miss, McNeese State and host Troy University.