Nashville --- The Tennessee State University softball team picked up a 5-4 win in extra innings before UT Martin handed the Tigers an 11-3 loss in game two, Saturday afternoon at Tiger Field.  

 

With the game one win, Tennessee State (15-16, 6-5 OVC) defeated UT Martin (19-17, 3-7 OVC) for the first time since 2004 while the Skyhawks snapped a nine-game losing streak with the mercy rule win.  

 

In game one, Jalisa Bradley drove in the game winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift TSU past UTM, 5-4.

 

Royesha Goodman was 3-of-4 at the plate and led TSU with three RBIs in the game while pitcher Kelly Troglin picked up her second win of the season.

 

The game was scoreless until UTM's Laura Roberts hit a homerun to right center to give the Skyhawks a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth.

 

The Tigers answered in the bottom of the half and tied the game 1-1 when Bridget Metzger scored off of Royesha Goodman's single to left field.

 

The Skyhawks reclaimed the lead in the fifth behind a three run, four hit inning. Trailing 4-1, the Tigers roared back in the bottom of the sixth.

 

Brittany Webb doubled to right field before her pinch runner, Nicole Vincent moved to third on a single by Megan Hedrick. Royesha Goodman then drove in both runners to bring the score to 4-3 and force a UTM pitching change.

 

Christy Hill later singled to right field to plate Jill Gardner and even the score 4-4. Neither team scored in the seventh and the game went into extra innings.

 

After the Skyhawks went down in order in their half of the eighth inning, the Tigers took advantage. In the top of the eighth, back-to-back singles from Royesha Goodman and Christy Hill led to TSU putting the winning run in scoring position.

 

With two outs and runners on first and second, Jalisa Bradley singled to right field to plate Goodman and give TSU the 5-4 win. The Tigers tallied 12 hits in the game.

 

In the second game of the doubleheader, UT Martin recorded 14 hits on the way to an 11-3 win.

 

TSU scored the first run of the game behind one hit and two UTM errors but it would be the Skyhawks that would assume control.

 

After posting three runs in both the second and third innings, the Skyhawks held a 6-1 advantage. TSU cut the deficit down to 6-3 in the bottom of the third but UTM tacked on five more runs in the fourth to swell the lead to 11-3. With the Skyhawks leading 11-3 at the end of the fifth inning, the game ended due to the mercy rule.

 

Bridget Metzger was 2-of-3 at the plate while Christy Hill led the Tigers with two RBIs. Pitcher Megan Hedrick (3-8) was tagged with the loss.

 

As a team, the Tigers hit .327 for the day and turned in a .418 slugging percentage.

 

The Tigers and the Skyhawks will meet in the rubber match tomorrow. The single game is slated for 12 p.m. at Tiger Field.