MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Tennessee State softball team picked up two wins on the opening day of the HBCU Celebration Classic as they defeated Florida A&M 7-4, and Tuskegee 9-1 in five innings. The back-to-back wins give the Tigers four in a row.    

TSU 7, FAMU 4

TSU  took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and never surrendered the advantage on the way to a 7-4 win against the Florida A&M Rattlerettes on Friday.

Sophomore Onnika Spencer led the way offensively for the Tigers, going 2-for-3 in the ballgame with a home run, a walk, and two RBI. Senior Anayah Baker-Rowell provided a noteworthy performance as well, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Junior Ryla Traylor also helped out, going 1-for-3 for Tennessee State with a double, a walk and two RBI.

Reina Castillo earned her third win of the season after pitching a complete game, allowing four runs on six hits with two strikeouts.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Tigers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Tennessee State scored twice on a two-run double off the bat of Traylor.

After the Rattlerettes rallied to tie the ballgame at two, the Tigers came back to retake the lead in the second inning. Tennessee State scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run homer from Baker-Row, which brought the Tigers lead to 5-2.

Tennessee State held Florida A&M scoreless before building their lead to 6-2 the following inning. The Tigers scored a run on Spencer's leadoff home run off junior L. Peppers.

The Rattlerettes gained ground, closing the gap to 6-4 until Tennessee State added some insurance in the sixth. The Tigers scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Spencer, bringing the Tennessee State advantage to 7-4. The score remained 7-4 for the rest of the game, as the Tigers held on for the win.

GAME NOTES

» Tennessee State's highest scoring inning was the second, when it pushed three runs across.
» Tennessee State grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Four Tigers had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Tigers out-hit the Rattlerettes at a 12-6 clip.
» Castillo faced 30 Florida A&M hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out two.
» The Tigers drew five walks from Florida A&M pitching.
» Spencer led the Tigers at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.

TSU 9, Tuskegee 1 – Five Innings

Tennessee State took a 4-1 lead in the second inning and never surrendered the advantage on the way to a 9-1 win over the Tuskegee Golden Tigers in game two of the HBCU Celebration Classic on Friday night.

Junior Caitlyn Manus (2-2) started in the circle and picked up the win for Tennessee State (5-5). The right-hander went five innings, giving up one run on five hits, allowing one walk and striking out six.

Senior Nahtali Simpson led the way offensively for the Tigers, going 2-for-2 in the ballgame with a double, a home run, and two RBI. Freshman Mariyah Brown compiled a noteworthy performance as well, going 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI. Tonight was her first career start, and her home run came on the first pitch of her first collegiate at bat. Junior Mikayla Duke also contributed, going 1-for-1 for Tennessee State with a double, a walk, and two RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Trailing 1-0, the Tigers first put runs on the board in the second inning. Tennessee State's offense started clicking and put up four runs, including a two-run home run off the bat of Brown and a two-run double from Duke.

The Tigers then held the Golden Tigers scoreless before getting back on the board the very next inning. Senior Anayah Baker-Rowell came across to score the lone run of the inning for Tennessee State, which brought the score to 5-1 in favor of the Tigers.

Tennessee State held Tuskegee scoreless before building their lead to 9-1 the following inning. The Tigers bats heated up in the inning, scoring four runs, including a one-run home run off the bat of Simpson. The score remained 9-1 for the rest of the game, as Tennessee State coasted to the win.

GAME NOTES

» Manus struck out six Golden Tigers hitters.
» The Tigers power output was led by Simpson, who had two extra-base hits in the ballgame.
» Tennessee State's highest-scoring inning was the fourth when it pushed four runs across.
» The Tigers had control of the rest of the game after moving ahead of the Golden Tigers 4-1 in the bottom of the second.
» The Tigers out-hit the Golden Tigers at a 9-5 clip.
» Tennessee State went 4-for-7 (.571) with runners in scoring position.
» Tennessee State pitchers limited Tuskegee to just 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
» Tennessee State pitchers faced 21 Tuskegee hitters in the game, allowing three ground balls and five fly balls while striking out six.
» Simpson led the Tigers at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a double, a home run and two RBI.

NEXT UP

The Tigers will be back in action tomorrow morning with two more games to close out the classic. TSU will take on Howard at 10:00 a.m., followed by Alabama State at 2:00 p.m.