By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech softball team knocked off one Power 5 team over the weekend with a victory over Pitt out of the Atlantic Coast Conference. However, the Golden Eagles will be in for another test on Wednesday as Tech heads to Knoxville to take on the No. 18 Tennessee Lady Vols.
First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. Central from Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ (subscription required).
Wednesday's game is the home opener for the Lady Vols, who enter the contest with a 9-6 record. Tennessee has already seen six Top 25 teams, including four in the Top 10. The Lady Vols are coming off of a 3-3 showing at the Mary Nutter Classic, topping BYU (10-3), UC Davis (11-0 in six innings) and UC San Diego (8-0 in five innings), before falling to Oregon State (5-2), No. 1 Oklahoma (9-8 in 10 innings) and No. 5 UCLA (2-1 in eight innings) in succession.
Tennessee also had losses to No. 3 Florida State (9-3) and No. 7 Washington (11-0 in 5 innings) to go 1-5 against Top 25 teams so far this year.
Facing some of the strongest competition in the country, the Lady Vols have been putting up the numbers to back it up. Kiki Milloy leads the way with a .375 batting average, striking seven home runs, driving in 17 and coming in to score 16 times. She also has a perfect 8-for-8 stealing performance on the base paths so far.
The Lady Vols also have an additional trio of double-digit RBI producers in Amanda Ayala, Zaida Puni and Ivy Davis, each with 10 RBIs each. Davis has also come home to score 11 times.
In the circle for Karen Weekly's squad, Erin Edmoundson has been leading the way with a 5-1 mark and 1.66 ERA, walking 16 and striking out 38 with opponents hitting .172 across 38 innings. Ashley Rogers has her season ERA just a shade higher at 2.06 and a 3-3 record in four starts and 37 1/3 innings of work. She has walked 11 and struck out 48 with opponents hitting .156.
Ryleigh White (0-1, 2.33 ERA, 6 IP), Bailey McCachren (1-1, 4.40 ERA, 14 1/3 IP), Nicola Simpson (0-0, 5.60 ERA, 5 IP) and Samantha Bender (0-0, 12.00 ERA, 2 1/3 IP) have also seen action for the Lady Vols this season.
After a tough first day in the Wings Etc. Classic, the Tech squad (9-5) picked up the offensive intensity against Pitt and Cleveland State, claiming victories to finish 2-2 in Spartanburg before the weather washed out the weekend's final contest.
Haeli Bryson stands among the nation's leaders in RBI, knocking home 22 – the fourth-most in Division I ball as of this writing. Bryson has a .372 batting average with 11 runs scored, two doubles, one triple and three home runs.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie Fitzgerald is currently ranked ninth in Division I in hits with 23 and 10th in runs per game (1.36). She is batting a team-best .442 with three doubles, two triples, a home run and 19 runs scored to go with nine RBI. She is 8-for-9 on stolen bases to lead the Golden Eagles.
Carmen Betts also has a double-digit RBI tally, driving in 14 with 13 hits, one double and one home run. Sydney Love-Baker has 11 runs scored to go with her four doubles, one triple, one home run and nine RBI.
Alyssa Arden leads the way in the circle with a 1.92 ERA and a 4-3 record. Across 40 innings of work, the senior has walked seven and struck out 33 with opponents. Bryson (2-1, 3.27 ERA, .263 BAA, 30 IP) and Tyler Erwin (3-1, 3.43 ERA, .313 BAA, 16 1/3) have also had solid outings for the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles currently lead the Ohio Valley Conference in fielding percentage (.975), shutouts (four), while tied for the lead in double plays per game (0.29), triples per game (0.29) and win-loss percentage (.643).
Following the midweek battle in Knoxville, the Golden Eagles will take a weekend jaunt to Johnson City for a three-game set against East Tennessee State, before coming home next week to host the Golden Eagle Classic between Bellarmine, Indiana State and Quinnipiac.
