Softball heads back to Georgia for second tournament of the year
Fresh off its first action of the 2015 campaign, the Tennessee Tech softball team returns to the state of Georgia for five games over the weekend as part of the Georgia Southern Invitational.
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Saturday's game which was originally scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT has been changed to 3 p.m.
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off its first action of the 2015 campaign, the Tennessee Tech softball team returns to the state of Georgia for five games over the weekend as part of the Georgia Southern Invitational.
On Friday, the Golden Eagles (1-3) will hook up with Boston College at 9 a.m. CT, before squaring off with Campbell at 1 p.m. Saturday will feature just one game with a matchup against the host Georgia Southern at 3 p.m. And Sunday will close out Tech's three-day stay with a pair of tilts, beginning with an 11:00 a.m. showdown with Binghamton, before taking on Georgia Southern once again at 1 p.m.
Having just played in the state during the Kennesaw State University Kickoff Classic (Feb. 7-8), the Golden Eagles return to Georgia with a 1-3 record, though don't let the slow start fool you. After opening the year with a bang en route to a 10-0 win over Northern Kentucky on Friday, Tech nearly made it two straight after completing a valiant comeback against the defending MAC Tournament Champion Ohio in the day's second game.
Trailing 3-0 heading into the fourth, the Golden Eagles laced on their comeback shoes with a run in the in the frame thanks to a Hannah Eldridge RBI single, before locking the score up an inning later behind an Olivia Bennett two-run home run.
Ultimately Tech would fall in the bottom of the seventh inning when a Mikayla Cooper RBI double led the Bobcats to a walk off win, but it's was Bennett's fifth inning heroics that proved to be a theme throughout the weekend.
The 5-foot-4 junior outfield paced the TTU offense, going 6-for-15 (.400) with a team-best four runs scored, four RBI, and two home runs, mirroring a similar start to last year's season in which Bennett clubbed two home runs, drove in three, and scored three in Tech's opening tournament hosted by Auburn.
The Golden Eagles would go on to drop the remaining two contests in the KSU Kickoff Classic, falling 8-3 to Dayton on Saturday, before finding themselves on the opposite end of a 1-0 pitcher's duel in the finale with the host Kennesaw State. Sophomore Danielle Liberatore whirled a gem in the tough loss to the Owls, going the distance and allowing only four hits, walking just one, and striking out four in her second start of the year.
Over the first four games, Liberatore leads the TTU staff with eight strikeouts, while junior Hannah Weaver is responsible for the lone win after blanking Northern Kentucky in a complete-game victory in the 2015 opener.
Scouting Tech's Weekend Competition:
Boston College (3-2): Members of the ACC, it was a feast or famine type weekend in the Eagles' season-opening tournament hosted by Central Florida. BC took all three contests with George Mason, outscoring the Patriots 23-7, but was shutout in both matchups with the host UCF, losing 4-0 and 3-0. Offensively, Boston College freshman Annie Murphy led the charge, leading the Eagles with a .467 batting average (7-15), while driving in four, scoring seven, and going a perfect 5-for-5 in the stolen base department over the weekend. Friday will mark the first ever meeting between Tech and BC.
Campbell (2-1): The Golden Eagles will look to even up the all-time series with the Camels, as Campbell currently holds a 3-2 edge in the five previous meetings. It took nine innings to decide a winner in last year's battle during the Frost Classic hosted by Chattanooga, with Tech ultimately claiming a 6-5 win in a game that saw Danielle Liberatore strike out 13, the fourth most in school history. Junior Madison Taylor played the role of offensive hero in the tilt, giving TTU a ninth-inning lead thanks to an RBI triple, before coming around to score two batters later on an infield single by sophomore Alyssa Richards. This season Campbell has captured two of its first three contests (both against East Tennessee State), using the long ball to its advantage with five round trippers already, led by freshman Chandler Patterson's two.
Georgia Southern (0-4): No. 5 Florida State. No. 6 Kentucky. That sums up the Eagles' season-opening weekend down in Tallahassee, Fla. GSU was unable to score a run in all four games against two of the top six ranked teams in the nation with Georgia Southern being outscored 31-0 in the quartet of affairs. Tech leads the all-time series 7-5, but the Eagles took the last game against the two schools, a 1-0 win back in 2013 in GSU's own tournament.
Binghamton (0-0): The weekend will mark the first action of the year for the Bearcats, with Binghamton officially kicking off the season Friday against Boston College and Georgia Southern. The Bearcats are coming off a 22-25 record in 2014, finishing 10-7 in the America East Conference. Offense was the name of the game for Binghamton last season after leading the AEC with a .288 clip, and the Bearcats bring back reigning America East Player of the Year in junior Sydney Harbaugh, who hit .366 with 15 extra base hits, 40 runs scored, and a whopping 30 stolen bases in 34 attempts. Sunday will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Live Stats are available for each game. To access them as well as more information on the tournament… click here to go to the tournament central page.
