NASHVILLE, - The Tennessee State softball team put together an admirable effort on Sunday, but ultimately came up short, falling to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles by the score of 7-4. The two OVC members were scheduled to play a three-game set, but rain and wet field conditions led to just one game between the two. 

Caitlyn Manus (11-12) got the ball to start for Tennessee State (24-23, 15-10) and took the loss. Holly Ayala was a bright spot for the Tigers, coming out of the bullpen and throwing two shutout innings, allowing two hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. Manus picked up her 100th strikeout of the season, becoming the first TSU pitcher to reach the century mark since 2014. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Trailing 3-0, the Tigers first put runs on the board in the second inning.

The score stayed at 3-3 until the next inning when the Tigers again put runs on the scoreboard. Tennessee State pushed across a run on Onnika Spencer's RBI double, which brought the score to 4-3 in favor of the Tigers. The Tigers were unable to hold the lead, as Tennessee Tech scored four times over the remaining four innings to grab the 7-4 win.

GAME NOTES

» Tennessee State's highest-scoring inning was the second, when it pushed three runs across.
» Tennessee State pitchers faced 34 Tennessee Tech hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and 11 fly balls while striking out five.
» Spencer led the Tigers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

NEXT UP

TSU will be back in action later this week as they are slated to travel to Peoria, Ill., to participate in the OVC tournament. TSU will be the No. 3 seed after finishing third in the OVC with a 15-10 record.