By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech may not have gotten the wins on Friday, but the Golden Eagle softball team certainly didn't go down without a fight.
Facing one of the teams in the mix for the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship in Southeast Missouri, Tech went down to the wire with the Redhawks, falling by a single run in both contests – 1-0 in the first game, then 6-5 in the second.
The doubleheader turned into a pitcher's duel between SEMO's Kaylee Anderson and Tech's Alyssa Arden as both pitchers ended up working both contests, taking the decisions in the game with Anderson earning both wins and Arden taking both tough-luck losses.
In the first game, Arden went the distance, allowing one unearned run on three hits – not yielding a hit until the sixth when the Redhawks scored the lone run of the contest on a throwing error in right. Arden walked six and struck out five.
Then, in the second, after Tech tied the game at three runs each, she relieved starter Haeli Bryson and pitched the final three frames, allowing three runs on three hits, walking four and striking out two. Bryson went four innings, allowing three runs on three hits as she walked four and struck out two.
Anderson pitched the final three innings in game one and allowed just one hit as she struck out five. In game two, she came in during the fourth inning, pitched that frame and the fifth, then after Rachel Rook gave up a game-tying home run to Gabby LaSala, returned to the contest and pitched the remainder of the game. Anderson finished game two with four no-hit innings, striking out two.
While game one was light on the offense with the one run scoring on the error, it was the opposite in the nightcap as the two teams combined for five home runs – two for Ashley Ellis and one for Claudia Gallo for SEMO, then two for LaSala, who went 3-for-3 with four RBI, three runs scored in the contest.
Hallie Davis also had an RBI double in the second inning. Ellis went 2-for-2 with three runs scored for the Redhawks (37-14, 14-4 OVC).
The Golden Eagles return to action on Sunday as they host UT Martin in a doubleheader, starting at 1 p.m.
