NASHVILLE – The Tennessee softball team picked up two wins on Saturday afternoon, taking down Western Illinois in both games of the Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader.
Reina Castillo tossed a no-hitter in game one, followed by a solid pitching performance from
Caitlyn Manus in game two.
TSU 1, WIU 0
Reina Castillo turned in a brilliant performance in game one on Saturday, throwing a no-hitter to lead the Tennessee State Tigers over the Western Illinois Leathernecks 1-0.
Castillo (7-5) added her seventh win of the season to her outstanding performance. The
right-hander struck out one and walked one for Tennessee State (21-19, 12-7) on her way to the record books.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game stayed scoreless until the bottom half of the seventh, when Tennessee State walked it off when
Jasmine Blackburn came across to score.
GAME NOTES
» Castillo's no hitter marked the program's fifth overall no-hitter and first since 2010.
» Castillo tossed a zero-hit shutout for the Tigers.
» Tennessee State's highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed one run across.
» The Tigers out-hit the Leathernecks at a 4-0 clip.
» Castillo faced 21 Western Illinois hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out one.
»
Onnika Spencer led the Tigers at the plate, going 1-for-2.
TSU 4, WIU 2
TSU broke through after a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning to take down the Western Illinois Leathernecks 4-2 in game two of Saturday's doubleheader.
Caitlyn Manus (10-9) got the win for Tennessee State (22-19, 13-7). The
right-hander went seven innings, giving up two runs, zero earned, on three hits, allowing no walks and striking out two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tigers got on the scoreboard first, starting in the second inning.
Nahtali Simpson came across to score the lone run of the inning for Tennessee State and get them on the board.
The Leathernecks then rallied to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead before the Tigers got back on the board in the third. Tennessee State pushed across a run on
Anayah Baker-Rowell's two-out RBI double, which evened the score at 2-2.
That 2-2 tie turned into a 4-2 Tennessee State lead in the sixth. The Tigers added two to their tally on Simpson's two-run homer to take the lead. The score remained 4-2 for the rest of the game, as Tennessee State held on for the win.
GAME NOTES
» Tennessee State's highest-scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed two runs across.
» The Tigers out-hit the Leathernecks at a 5-3 clip.
» Tennessee State pitchers limited Western Illinois to just 1-for-7 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
» Tennessee State pitchers faced 27 Western Illinois hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out two.
» Simpson led the Tigers at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI.
NEXT UP
The Tigers will return to Tiger Field tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. to close out its series with the Leathernecks.
