MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Senior Nahtali Simpson went 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI, but the Tennessee State Tigers still came up short on Wednesday and suffered defeat at the hands of the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders by a final of 5-2.

Junior Caitlyn Manus (9-9) got the ball to start for Tennessee State (20-19) and took the loss. Sophomore Holly Ayala was a bright spot for the Tigers, coming out of the bullpen and throwing two scoreless innings, allowing no hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.

In the batter's box, the Tigers were led by Simpson, who went 1-for-2 on the day with a home run, a walk and an RBI, while also scoring both of TSU's runs. Sophomore Jasmine Blackburn put together a standout day at the dish as well, going 1-for-2 with an RBI. Sophomore Onnika Spencer also helped out for Tennessee State, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a double.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Tigers were trailing 4-0 in the fourth inning when they first put runs on the board. Simpson put Tennessee State on the board with a two-out solo home run off senior Kamryn Carcich.

The Blue Raiders expanded their lead to 5-1 before the Tigers offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the seventh. Simpson came across to score the lone run of the inning for Tennessee State, which tightened the Raiders lead to 5-2. The ballgame ended with that seventh-inning rally falling short.

GAME NOTES

» Tennessee State pitchers limited Middle Tennessee to just 1-for-7 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
» Tennessee State pitchers faced 27 Middle Tennessee hitters in the game, allowing four ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out six.
» Simpson led the Tigers at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI.

NEXT UP

TSU will return to Tiger Field this weekend as they will host Western Illinois in a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series starting with a double-header on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.