By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
FLORENCE, Ala. – After a tough weekend against Southeast Missouri, the Tennessee Tech softball team will hit the road once again. This time, they'll be heading to Florence, Ala., to take on North Alabama in a non-conference matchup.
First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
It won't be an easy matchup though. The Lions enter the game with a 14-3 record and an unblemished 8-0 record at the Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium. They swept Bellarmine to open Atlantic Sun Conference play this weekend, while the Lions also had a three-game sweep over Tennessee State, run-ruling the Tigers twice, in addition to a 6-0 victory over the Golden Eagles in their first game of the season at the Alabama State Stinger Classic.
In that earlier contest, Megan Garst held Tech to three hits – two coming off the bat of Beth McCulley, the other from freshman Mackenzie Fitzgerald – as she struck out 11 Tech batters. Emma Broadfoot hit a three-run blast in the first inning, Emma Latham had a two-run double in the second and Sidney Bevis had a solo homer in the third.
Kendall Durard took the loss, allowing five earned runs on six hits, recording three walks and two strikeouts. Alyssa Arden came on in relief, throwing the final frame and a third, striking out one.
Harley Stokes and Meleah Hargett currently lead the Lions in RBI with 13 each, as well as 13 and 11 runs scored respectively, while Danielle de Ruiter has a team-best .316 batting average. Stokes also leads the Lions in home runs with five.
In the circle, UNA has a deep pitching staff, rolling seven deep. Garst has seen the most work with nine appearances across 51 1/3 innings, posting a 6-3 record on the year with a 1.36 ERA and 64 strikeouts. Katie Killen, in one appearance, has a 1-0 record and a 1.00 ERA, while Sidney Revels, in 25 innings of work, has a 3-0 record and a 1.12 ERA. Maci Birdyshaw (2.63 ERA, 22 Ks) also has a 3-0 record.
For Tech (8-10), Sydney Love-Baker leads the team at the plate with a .327 batting average, while Nicolle Nysted (.292), Fitzgerald (.286) and Haeli Bryson (.250) are within reach of .300. Jessie Lowery leads the team in RBI with 10, while Nysted has a team-high four home runs, and Love-Baker and Lowery a team-best seven runs scored.
Arden has a team-best four wins over 13 appearances and 53 1/3 innings of work, striking out a team-high 38 batters and keeping opponents at a .209 batting average. Bryson has a 3-1 record with a 2.79 ERA, while Durard is 1-3 with a 5.32 ERA.
Tech returns to Ohio Valley Conference on Saturday for the first of three games at Morehead State.
