COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee State dropped the final game of its Ohio Valley Conference series at Tennessee Tech on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Eagles walked away with a 4-1 decision as the Tigers were held to four hits.

TTU (16-26, 7-10) received another strong performance from pitcher Danielle Laberatore. The Tech hurler fanned eight batters as she scattered four walks, along with the four hits, to hold off TSU (10-34, 3-14), claiming the series.

Courtney Gearlds opened the game winning a 13 pitch battle ending with a line drive to centerfield. The hit would be the only one for the Tigers until the top of the seventh inning.

Trailing 4-0 in the final inning, Cariona Hassell opened with her fifth hit of the weekend, but was erased on an Emma Colegrove fielder's choice. With two outs, Kasey Cox continued the inning with a hard line drive off the glove of the Golden Eagles first baseman. The single was ticketed for right field before the defender reached up getting just enough of the ball to slow it down.

TSU scored its first run against the TTU junior hurler in five outings, dating back to 2014, as Erica O'Kane notched her first extra base hit of her career with a double to right center. The knock pushed Colegrove across home plate to cut the score to 4-1.

Liberatore ended the threat as she enticed Gearlds into flying out to end the game.

Lauren Powell worked the first four innings of the game and held TTU scoreless for the first two innings. The Golden Eagles used two hits to take a 1-0 lead in the third. Tech would use the long ball to extend its lead against Powell with a two-run home run in the fourth and a solo shot to open the fifth before being replaced by Lauren Woodard, who tossed the final two innings.

Powell moved to 4-11 on the season as she surrendered six hits while striking out two.

The Tigers will step out of conference play for a matchup with Chattanooga on Wednesday, Apr. 20.

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