By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech was able to get Michelle DePolo her first Ohio Valley Conference win on Friday, but Tennessee State made it interesting as the Tigers collected two runs and left the game-tying run on second in the bottom of the seventh.
The Golden Eagles won the game 4-3 and improve their record to 6-7 on the season, 1-0 in the OVC.
Tech will close out the series with the Tigers with a doubleheader Saturday, starting at 1 p.m.
Alyssa Arden picked up the complete-game victory to improve to 4-4 on the season. Against the Tigers, she allowed three runs on four hits, while walking five and striking out seven. Her counterpart, Lauren Powell, struck out eight across seven frames, allowing four runs on eight hits.
With one down in the bottom of the seventh, Bri Vire and Ivory Jones reached on a walk and hit-by-pitch respectively, then Renae Spears hit a fly ball to right field deep enough to advance the runners. Savanah Wallace roped a double down the left field line to plate the two runners to make it a 4-3 game, but Arden was able to coax a fly ball out to Jessie Lowery in left to end the game.
Three Golden Eagles were able to collect two hits in the contest as Lowery was 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Haeli Bryson was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Chandler Caldwell was 2-for-2 with two runs scored.
The first two frames were silent for both sides, but Tech struck first in the top of the third. Caldwell took first on a walk, then a wild pitch allowed her to take second. Lowery knocked the ball through the short to bring Caldwell home.
A second run scored in the fourth as Nicolle Nysted doubled to right. Hannah Richter came in as a pinch runner and advanced to third on a 2-3 strikeout for Carmen Betts. Richter was moving quickly as Bryson drilled a single up the middle to take a 2-0 lead.
TSU scored its first run in the fifth as the Tigers loaded the bases, then a hit batter pushed the run across.
In the seventh, Tech plated two more runs as Bryson led off with a single to second base. Shelby Penning came in to run, stealing second, then taking third on Caldwell's single back to the circle. As the Tigers tried to catch Caldwell stealing second, the ball got away and Penning came home to score. Lowery finished the Tech scoring with a double down the left line to bring Caldwell home.
