By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – After a tough weekend to open Ohio Valley Conference play, the Tennessee Tech softball team returns to action Tuesday afternoon as the Golden Eagles host North Dakota in a doubleheader.
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Admission to the games is free to the public.
The Fighting Hawks are coming into Cookeville with an 11-12 record overall as they continue a southern swing that included trips to Texas, South Carolina, Georgia and a stop to Johnson City at the end of the week. North Dakota went 3-2 this past weekend at the Bob Heck Memorial tournament at Georgia State with a 15-3 win over Colgate, a split with Rutgers that included a run-rule victory, a win over West Georgia and a 3-2 loss to host Georgia State.
ND also faced Tech's opponent this past weekend – Tennessee State – on Feb. 28 at the Wofford Invitational, falling 6-5 in eight innings.
As a team, the Fighting Hawks are batting .273 on the season and they can hit, collecting 167 total hits – including 30 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs – with an astonishing 104 RBI and 112 runs scored. To compare with the Golden Eagles, who are batting .241, Tech has 119 total hits with 23 doubles, three triples and three home runs with 47 RBI and 62 runs scored.
North Dakota has four players with double-digit RBI totals with Katelyn Neumayer (.333) has 18 RBI, Taya Hopfauf (.357) has 16, Callie Honig (.327) has 14 and Camryn Lasota (.333) has 12 and a team-best five home runs. Katie Joten leads the team in average (.422), runs scored (20), hits (27) and doubles (7).
The Fighting Hawks have a 4.13 earned run average and have compiled a total 126 strikeouts to 101 walks. Makaela Carr leads the way with a 4-3 record and a 3.10 ERA with 44 strikeouts. Unity Nelson (3.69 ERA) has a 3-0 record, while Jackie Albrecht (3.88, 0-8) has 43 strikeouts.
Abby Shoulders leads the Golden Eagles with a .362 batting average, leading the team in runs scored (9), hits (17) and stolen bases (6). Sydney Kirby (.216) has the most RBI with 11, while Abbee Klinefelter, Lainey Fitzgerald and Makayli Harris each have a home run to lead the team.
In the circle, Tech has a 3.30 ERA with 88 strikeouts to 63 walks. Addison Abell has a team-best 2.23 ERA over 22 innings of work, while Lainey Fitzgerald (3.14 ERA, 34 Ks) and Emily York (3.28 ERA, 19 Ks) both have three wins each.
Following Tuesday's twinbill, the Golden Eagles will continue OVC play this weekend at SIUE.
Photo | Jim Dillon
