By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It's been a strange year for Tennessee Tech softball, but on Friday, the Golden Eagles will get to do one thing it didn't get to last season – play an Ohio Valley Conference game.
It'll be the conference debut for second-year head coach Michelle DePolo and her Golden Eagle squad as Tech travels to Tennessee State for a three-game set, starting on Friday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, a doubleheader on the latter day.
The rescheduled football game between Jacksonville State and Tennessee State for Sunday forced a schedule change, shifting the Sunday single game to Friday afternoon.
Tennessee State enters the weekend with a 4-4 record, going 4-1 at last weekend's River City Classic in Vicksburg, Miss. The lone loss was a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Jackson State, but TSU picked up two wins each over Alcorn State and Grambling State.
The Tigers were also swept in three games at North Alabama, falling 10-2, 6-3 and 9-1.
Anayah Baker-Rowell leads TSU in batting average with a .500 clip, while Ivory Jones (.370) leads the team in RBI with seven. She also has one of the team's three home runs with Kayli Mothershed and Kennedy McCurry with the other two.
In the circle, Raven Loveless and Lauren Powell have seen almost all of the action with Loveless posting a 2.00 earned run average and a 2-3 record over 28 innings, walking eight and striking out 17. Powell also has 17 Ks, posting a 3.05 ERA and 2-1 record in 20 2/3 frames of work.
Tech comes into the weekend with a 5-7 mark.
Sydney Love-Baker leads Tech's hitters in average with a .371 clip, while she is tied with freshman Mackenzie Fitzgerald (.333) in runs batted in with eight. Nicolle Nysted (.300) has six with three home runs, while Jessie Lowery (.233) has driven in seven and Haeli Bryson (.200) has driven in five.
Alyssa Arden has a 3-4 record with a 2.08 ERA, allowing 12 earned runs over 40 1/3 innings, walking 24 and striking out 28. Bryson has also had a great start to the season, collecting a 2-0 record and a 3.00 ERA over 18 2/3 innings with two walks and 15 Ks.
