GAME 18: Belmont 5, Tennessee State 2
GAME 19: Belmont 7, Tennessee State 0
RECORDS: TSU (5-14, 1-10), Belmont (8-12, 4-7)
FIELD: Tiger Field
LOCATION: Nashville, Tenn.
WEATHER: Sunny, 70

NASHVILLE --- Tennessee State dropped two Ohio Valley Conference games to Belmont University on Wednesday afternoon at Tiger Field. The Bruins held on for a 5-2 victory in the opener and pitched a shutout, 7-0, to close out the day.

For the second consecutive series, Bri Vire led the offense with three hits and a walk on the day. Savanah Wallace tried to add support with a knock in each game.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the opener, but the lead did not last long as the Bruins scored three unearned runs in the second. Trailing 4-1 in the fifth, TSU loaded the bases for Kennedy McCurry. The sophomore came up just short of a grand slam as the ball was hauled in on the warning track. The drive went down as a sacrifice fly, as Ivory Jones tagged and crossed home plate to cut the lead to 4-2.

BU added another unearned run in the sixth to solidify the win.

In game two, the Tigers were held to two hits. Vire singled in the first while Wallace doubled in the seventh. TSU never threatened as the only other base runner came in the form of an Ivory Jones walk in the fifth.


GAME 1

• The Tigers took the early lead, scoring one in the first inning.
• Bri Vire picked up the first hit for the Big Blue and moved to third on an errant throw on a sacrifice bunt.
• Vire scored two batters later on a dropped fly ball.
• The Bruins bounced back with three unearned runs in the second off starter Raven Loveless.
• Belmont added another run in the fifth off Loveless, ending her day after 4.1 innings of work.
• The Tigers threatened in the bottom of the frame by loading the bases with one out.
• Ivory Jones earned a walk before Savanah Wallace and Peyton Fointno followed with back-to-back singles.
• TSU would move to within two at 4-2 as Kennedy McCurry drove a ball to the track in left field allowing Jones to tag and score.
• The error bug came back to bite TSU in the sixth as the Bruins added an unearned run off reliever Francys King to extend the lead back to three.
• Loveless fell to 2-7 after giving up four runs, one earned, on seven hits and two walks.
• The junior also hit a batter while fanning four.
• King pitched the final 2.2 innings and struck out six, opposed to four walks and one hit for one unearned run.

GAME 2

• Pitcher Lauren Powell surrendered a leadoff bunt single in the first inning before striking out the side.
• After three scoreless innings, Powell ran into trouble in the fourth as BU touched the redshirt-senior for four runs on three hits, three walks and a hit by pitch.
• Powell's afternoon came to a close after 4.1 innings as she allowed six runs on six hits, four walks and a hit by pitch.
• King returned to the circle and tossed 2.1 innings and was touched for one run on four hits.
• The duo teamed for nine punch outs, as Powell recorded six while King tallied three.
• Emily Price spelled King in the seventh and retired the lone batter she faced.
• Offensively, Vire notched a one-out hit in the first inning and stole a bag, but was stranded on base.
• The Tigers were held in check as 12 straight batters were retired after the Vire hit.
• Rayne Gray snapped the string with a one out walk in the fifth before the final two batters in the inning went down in order.
• Wallace became just the third Tiger to reach base with a lead off double in the seventh.
• The fifth-year senior just missed putting TSU on the board as she hit the top of the fence in left.
• The Bruins would sit down the final three batters to earn the shutout.

UP NEXT:
The Tigers hit the road to take on Murray State in a three-game OVC series beginning on Friday, Mar. 26.

NOTES:

• The Tigers wore their whites on Wednesday.
• Raven Loveless fanned four batters and is now 10th all time in the TSU record books.
• Loveless now has 120 strikeouts, moving past Justine Jontz (2003-04).
• Francys King struck out nine of the 15 outs she registered.