By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—With a five-game homestand completed with a 4-1 record, the Tennessee Tech softball team (12-19, 3-4 OVC) is ready to hit the road for its longest road stretch of the season. The Golden Eagles will kickoff their eight-game road adventure with an OVC series at Belmont (9-23, 2-5 OVC).
The Golden Eagles and Bruins will open the series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at Rose Park. Tech and Belmont will then close out the series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest.
The Golden Eagles currently lead the series over the Bruins 29-7. Tech and Belmont last faced in the 2015 season when the Golden Eagles won the series two games to one, however, the Bruins were most recently victorious in the last game of the series when they defeated Tech 9-5 on the Golden Eagle's home field.
Haley Baker currently stands as Belmont's leading batter with a .361 batting average. Baker holds a .444 slugging percentage on the season, and has thus far tallied seven RBI, two triples, and two doubles. Another key Bruin at the plate is freshman Jordan Spicer. Spicer leads Belmont with 16 RBI on the season and maintains a .314 batting average (second best on the team) with a .372 slugging percentage. She has accumulated five doubles and 11 walks on the season, and is one-for-one on stolen bases.
Freshman pitcher Ashley Johnson (3-3) leads the Bruins with a 2.95 ERA. In her 61.2 innings pitched, Johnson has thrown one complete game including one shutout and has retired 36 batters at the dish while walking 20. Another key Belmont pitcher is senior Shelby Williard (3-10). On the season, Willard holds a 5.50 ERA. Over her 62.1 innings pitched, Willard has thrown four complete games including one shutout and has struck out 34 batters, while walking 33.
The Golden Eagles are currently led by senior Cortney Fry with a .273 batting average. On the season, Fry maintains a .439 slugging percentage and has tallied six RBI, three homeruns, and two doubles with a perfect 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts. Power in the Golden Eagle lineup can be found in junior Alyssa Richards. Richards holds a .259 batting average and leads Tech with a .506 slugging percentage. So far this year, Richards has racked-up an impressive 23 RBI, six homeruns, and three doubles.
Danielle Liberatore (7-9) leads the Golden Eagles in the circle. Liberatore has a 4.22 ERA over her 81.1 innings pitched, and has thrown seven complete games including two shutouts and one save. On the season, the junior southpaw has taked down 110 batters at the dish, while walking just 49.
You can follow the Golden Eagles online on the TTU Sports Facebook page or on Twitter at @TTU_Softball and @TTUGoldenEagles.
