GAME 24: Morehead State 1, Tennessee State 0
GAME 25: Tennessee State 6, Morehead State 2
RECORDS: TSU (8-17, 4-13), Morehead State (7-20, 1-16)
FIELD: Tiger Field
LOCATION: Nashville, Tenn.
WEATHER: Sunny, 44; Sunny, 50
NASHVILLE --- Tennessee State earned a split with Morehead State to claim the series on Friday afternoon at Tiger Field. The Big Blue was shutout 1-0 in the opener before coming back with a 6-2 win in game two.
The Eagles strung together three consecutive hits in the third inning off
Raven Loveless of game one to take a 1-0 lead. It was all MSU needed as the Tigers were held to six hits.
The second game was a different story as TSU wasted little time to put a run on the board.
Bri Vire tripled in the first and scored on a
Anayah Baker-Rowell ground out.
TSU put up their first crooked number in the second on a two-run double to left center by Baker-Rowell to score Vire and
M'Lei Woodard. Baker-Rowell drove in a fourth run with an RBI single in the fourth giving TSU a 4-2 lead. The Tigers took a 5-2 advantage as the freshman came home on an errant throw.
The Big Blue used a pair of doubles in the sixth to produce the final score. Baker-Rowell drove a ball over the head of the left fielder and trotted home as
Savanah Wallace two hopped the fence down the left field line.
Beker-Rowell finished the day going 4-for-6, while
Peyton Fointno reached base four times with two walks in the opener and two singles in game two. Wallace went 3-for-5 and a walk on the day.
GAME 1
- Morehead State used three consecutive hits to start the third to score a run off Raven Loveless to grab a 1-0 lead.
- The Eagles tagged Loveless for five hits through the first three innings, before the pitcher settled in and allowed just two singles over the final four frames.
- The Tigers tried to answer in the fourth as Anayah Baker-Rowell led off with a single and moved to second on a Savanah Wallace sacrifice before being stranded at third after a passed ball.
- In the sixth, Lauren Farias opened with a single and advanced into scoring position on a Baker sacrifice.
- Wallace followed a batter later with a single to shallow right field, pushing Farias to third.
- The Tigers loaded the bases on Peyton Fointno's second walk of the game, but the three would be left on base as the inning ended.
- Loveless (2-9) surrendered a run on seven hits and a walk, while fanning three in the losing effort.
GAME 2
- Bri Vire tripled to right field to lead off the first inning and came home a batter later on a Baker ground out.
- The Tigers continued to put pressure on in the opening frame with a single by Ivory Jones and a walk by Wallace.
- In the second, Kayli Mothershed would get things started with a single before being lifted in favor of pinch runner M'Lei Woodard.
- After a two-out walk to Vire, Baker drove a ball off the fence in left center to plate both Woodard and Vire to extend the lead to 3-0.
- MSU used a two-run home run to get back to within, 3-2.
- Starter Lauren Powell was touched up for four hits in the inning and one in each of the previous two frames.
- Powell would go on to retire 10 of the last 11 batters she faced.
- The only batter to reach came with two outs in the seventh on the Tigers lone error of the game.
- The offense rewarded the pitcher by getting both runs back in the bottom of the fourth.
- Farias walked, stole second and scored on a Baker single.
- On the play, Baker made her way all the way to third as the throw home would get away.
- The freshman scored a batter later as Jones reached on a throwing error, making the score 5-2.
- In the sixth, Baker registered her third hit of the contest with her second double of the outing.
- Baker crossed home plate two batters later as Wallace scorched a ball down the left field line to go ahead 6-2.
- Powell struck out six batters as she improved to 3-7 on the season.
- The redshirt-senior did not issue a walk as the Eagles could manage just six hits.
UP NEXT:
The Tigers will travel across town to face Belmont for a double header on Wednesday, Apr. 7. The twin bill will complete the OVC four-game home-and-home series with the Bruins.
NOTES:
- The Tigers wore their gray uniforms with blue socks on Friday.
- Bri Vire extended her games reached streak to 13 with a hit in both games.
- Vire needed to wait until her final at bat in game to register a single, but wasted no time in game two with a triple in the first inning.
- The triple is the 11th of the season for the Tigers, matching the 1996 and 1998 squads for seventh in the record books.
- Anayah Baker recorded the first four RBI game for the Tigers this season.
- Lauren Powell started the 76th game of her career, matching Shea Morris (2012-14) for the most in TSU history.
- Powell earned her 17th career win and moves into a tie for fifth all-time in Blue with Shannon Hicks (2001-04).
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