By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
CLINTON, S.C. – One thing the Tennessee Tech softball team showed on Saturday is resiliency. After falling behind early in both games on Saturday in the Blue Hose Invitational, the Golden Eagles found ways to knot the games up.
However, both games ended in opposite directions as the Golden Eagles blasted South Carolina State 13-2 in five innings, then Northern Kentucky hit a one-out, walk-off home run to hand Tech its first defeat of the season 6-5.
The Golden Eagles (3-1) close out the Blue Hose Invitational on Sunday as they take on South Carolina State with first pitch slated for 11:15 a.m.
South Carolina State tried to make Tyler Erwin's debut with the Golden Eagles a tough one, scratching out two runs on four hits and a walk in a third of an inning, but the switch to Alyssa Arden left the Bulldogs in the doghouse as the senior hurler struck out her first four batters faced en route to right total Ks in the contest.
Arden picked up the relief win over 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit with one walk. She later took the tough-luck loss in the second game of the day against Northern Kentucky, allowing the walk-off home run to her second batter faced to see her record go to 2-1 on the season.
Erwin saw a better outing in the second session as she went 3 1/3 frames allowing just one hit, while walking one and striking out two. Haeli Bryson was let off the hook after the Norse struck for five runs – three earned – on eight hits in the first 2 2/3 innings as the Golden Eagles tied the game in the top of the seventh.
Madisyn Eads, who took the loss in Friday's game against Tech, earned the victory, being the pitcher of record when NKU claimed the win. She pitched the final inning-and-a-third, allowing two runs on two hits with a strikeout.
Savannah Talley, Sydney Love-Baker and Bryson each picked up three RBI in Saturday's action.
The Norse scored two runs in the first, a single run in the second, then two more in the third. After holding NKU silent in the fourth and fifth innings, Tech started a furious comeback. Mackenzie Fitzgerald and Love-Baker led off the sixth with back-to-back doubles to plate the first run then, with two down, a wild pitch moved the Tech shortstop to third. Carmen Betts drove her in with the first of consecutive singles from Temple and Penning, the last bringing Betts home for the third Tech run.
In the top of the seventh, Fitzgerald led off with a single, then Love-Baker reached on an error at short. Bryson cleared the bases with a two-run triple to tie the game at five runs each. After a change to Arden in the middle inning, she coaxed a grounder to Jenna O'Hair for the first out before Kendyl McKeough went yard to end the day.
After South Carolina State scored two runs in the top of the first in the day's opener, Love-Baker cut the deficit in half with a solo home run in the home half of the inning. Tech then added two runs in the second as Talley drove in Betts and KaDedra Temple with a double.
Tech blew the game wide open in the bottom of the fourth, striking for 10 runs on 10 hits and three errors. Temple led off with a walk, then took second on a Brooklin Richardson grounder back to the circle. The Golden Eagles then picked up six consecutive hits, including a two-run triple for Love-Baker, to collect four runs.
Betts reached on an error at short, which brought Bryson home to score. Temple and Richardson had back-to-back singles, the first driving in Abby Buettner. An error on a flyout allowed Betts to score, then back-to-back RBI singles plated two more.
Tech was able to close out the top of the fifth to force the run-rule.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
