By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
MOREHEAD, Ky. – It's the longest-running series in Tennessee Tech's softball history and, on Wednesday, it'll be a crucial doubleheader as the Golden Eagles look to climb back toward the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings as Tech heads to Morehead State for a midday matinee with first pitch of game one slated for a Noon Central start.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
In the all-time series, the Golden Eagles have dominated, winning 76 of the 113 total meetings dating back to April 5, 1986. Tech has won the last five in the series and 15 of the last 21 games since 2013. In the record book, Eastern Kentucky (102, though no longer in the OVC), Austin Peay (100, the last three regular-season conference meetings between the two schools are this weekend as the Governors are departing for the Atlantic Sun) and Southeast Missouri (99) are the closest schools to total meetings.
Morehead State enters Wednesday's doubleheader with a 2-20 record, but won its last game, topping Austin Peay 9-1 behind a 2-for-3 performance for Madeline Gailor with four RBI. Lennon Spicer picked up her second win of the season as she stunned the Govs, allowing one run on three hits in the five-inning victory.
As a team, MSU (1-5 in the OVC) is batting .221 with three home runs and 49 RBI. Of the Eagles' 59 hits, 24 are for extra bases. Morehead has drawn 54 walks, but struck out 146 times in 512 at-bats. Opponents are batting .351 with 61 extra-base hits, including 14 home runs, while collecting 145 RBI and driving in 170. Eighteen of their losses have come away from University Field.
In the circle, the Eagles have a staff ERA of 6.71, walking 105 batters to 85 strikeouts and opponents hitting .351 against them.
Austin Peay learned on Sunday, however, that Morehead is still very much capable of pulling out a conference victory.
Gailor leads the Eagles with 11 RBI on the season and has a .303 batting average in 13 games played, just below the team's set minimums on the statistical charts. Madi Ogden leads the team with a .357 batting average, but has played in just nine games. Of the day-to-day starters, Peyton Slater has the best average with a .267 mark with seven RBI, while Ieesha Christian has a .267 clip with 11 runs scored and seven RBI.
In the circle, Spicer has both of Morehead State's wins with a 4.93 ERA in 12 appearances, walking 30 and striking out 50. Opponents are hitting .327 against her. Odgen has an 0-7 record and a 6.52 ERA in eight starts.
As a team, Tech (20-9, 3-3 OVC) is batting .284 with 25 home runs and 148 RBI, scoring 170 runs. It is the earliest a Tech softball team has reached 20 wins since the 2007 season – a year the Golden Eagles went 50-19 en route to the NCAA regional title game vs. Alabama.
Opponents are hitting .253 with 20 home runs, 82 RBI and 90 runs scored.
Mackenzie Fitzgerald leads the team in batting average with a .392 mark with a lineup-leading 40 hits, scoring a team-high 33 runs and stealing a team-best 17 bases. Haeli Bryson leads the team in RBI with 31 and home runs with seven, while Carmen Betts has a .373 average with 21 RBI. Abby Buettner (18), Fitzgerald and Savannah Talley (13), Sydney Love-Baker (12), Sydney Dukes (11) and Kaylan Cole (10) also have double-digit RBI totals thus far with just over a month left in the regular-season campaign.
To compare the Golden Eagles with last season at the same point: Tech was 13-16 with a .258 average, hitting 12 home runs, driving in 90 RBI and scoring 101 total runs. The improvement is staggering – doubling the home run total, 58 more RBI and 69 more runs produced in the same number of games played.
On pitching this time a year ago, the Golden Eagles had a 3.52 staff ERA, walking 85 batters and striking out 120 with opponents hitting .226. As of today, the ERA is down to 3.11, walks are down to 56 and strikeouts are up one to 121. Opponents are hitting .253, but fewer runs are crossing.
Alyssa Arden was the first OVC pitcher to reach 10 wins this season, posting a 10-6 record so far with a 3.38 ERA. She has walked 25 and struck out 61 in 93 1/3 innings of work, yielding a .247 batting average. Tyler Erwin is 7-1 in eight starts with a team-best 2.31 ERA, walking 11 and striking out 28 in 42 1/3 frames, while Bryson (3-2, 3.09 ERA) has walked 16 and struck out 30.
As the Golden Eagles' travel partner, Wednesday's games against Morehead State are the first two of a home-and-home four-game series. MSU will travel to Cookeville on April 27.
Photo | Jim Dillon
