By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A month into the season and the Tennessee Tech softball team will be taking the field for the first time this year as the Golden Eagles host Ohio and Robert Morris in the Tennessee Tech Tournament.
The round-robin event starts at 10 a.m. on Friday as Robert Morris takes on Ohio. The Golden Eagles will play in the second two games of the day, taking on Ohio at 12:30 p.m. and Robert Morris at 3 p.m.
Saturday's action will see the Colonials and the Bobcats at 10 a.m., followed by the Golden Eagles taking on Robert Morris at 12:30 p.m. and Ohio at 3 p.m.
All games at the Tech Softball Field are free and open to the public. All six games will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with Dylan Vazzano on the call.
Rain is expected to come through Cookeville tonight, but it is cloudy conditions in the forecast for Friday and Saturday with highs in the 50s.
Robert Morris comes into the weekend with a 5-9 record, falling in four straight games. Following a split at the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldog Classic with wins over the host and Austin Peay, the Colonials went 2-3 at the Charleston Low Country Classic, eking out a 8-6 over Syracuse and a 4-0 victory against the host College of Charleston.
Last week, Robert Morris opened the Alabama Crimson Classic with a win over Mercer, then fell twice to No. 9 Alabama, a run-rule defeat to Mercer and a 1-0 contest against Longwood.
The Colonials are batting .182 on the season with 29 total RBI and one home run. Charlotte Grover leads the team in batting with a .250 clip and five RBI, while Meadow Sacadura has a team-best six RBI.
Dana Vatakis has a team-best 4.04 ERA with a 2-5 record and 31 strikeouts, while Madison DeVault has a 5.47 ERA with a 2-3 record and 16 Ks.
Ohio comes into Cookeville with a 6-11 record on the year, dropping a midweek contest to Marshall 6-4 on Wednesday after going 3-1 at the EKU Colonel Classic. The Bobcats beat Dayton 16-0 and 6-5, fell to Eastern Kentucky 5-3, then topped Indiana State 6-1.
As a team, Ohio is hitting .244 with 62 RBI and eight home runs. Alexis Dawe is leading the Bobcats with a .353 average with a home run and 12 RBI, while Annalia Paoli has a team-best 14 RBI and three home runs to go with a .294 average.
In the circle, Skipp Miller has a 3.02 ERA and a 3-5 record with 35 strikeouts, while Kylie Coffelt has a 3-4 record with a 4.17 ERA and 28 strikeouts.
The Golden Eagles have dropped 10 straight since claiming their lone win of the season on Feb. 19 at the College of Charleston 8-3. But Tech has also run into a gauntlet with three Southeastern Conference teams, falling twice to South Carolina, once to No. 19 Auburn and on Wednesday at No. 4 Tennessee.
Tech is batting .227 on the season, collecting 41 RBI and two home runs. Abby Shoulders leads the team with a .350 batting average, driving in six runs, while Haeli Bryson (.267) has a team-best nine RBI. Carmen Betts and Makayli Harris have the Golden Eagles' two home runs.
In the circle, Tech will look to bring down the team ERA with Callie Piper (8.27, 1-7) looking for her second win of the season.
