SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Tennessee State softball team swept its competition on Saturday, defeating Buffalo 10-2 and then Wofford 6-5 in extra innings.
Game 1: TSU 10 - Buffalo 2
The Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the first inning and never surrendered the advantage on the way to a 10-2 victory over the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday.
Reina Castillo (5-3) started in the circle and picked up the win for Tennessee State (5-5). The right-hander went three innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on five hits, allowing one walk and striking out one. Tianna Salcido also made an impact in the circle for the Tigers, throwing two shutout innings while allowing no hits, with no walks and two strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tigers were trailing 1-0 in the first inning when they first put runs on the board. Tennessee State plated two runs when Onnika Spencer left the yard with Mikayla Duke aboard.
After the Bulls rallied to tie the ballgame at two, the Tigers came back to retake the lead in the second inning. The Tennessee State offense exploded for six runs, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Anayah Baker-Rowell and a two-run single from Jace Jackson, which brought the Tigers lead to 8-2.
Tennessee State held Buffalo scoreless before expanding their lead to 9-2 the following inning.
Tennessee State held the Bulls without a run before building on their lead in the fifth inning. The Tigers scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Jackson, bringing the Tennessee State advantage to 10-2. The score remained 10-2 for the rest of the game, as the Tigers coasted to the win.
GAME NOTES
» Kailyn Jean-Baptiste picked up three hits in the game for Tennessee State.
» Tennessee State's highest scoring inning was the second, when it pushed six runs across.
» Tennessee State took a 2-1 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 Bulls at an 11-5 clip.
» Tennessee State went 6-for-13 (.462) with runners in scoring position.
» Tennessee State pitchers faced 21 Buffalo hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and six fly balls while striking out three.
» The Tigers drew four walks from Buffalo pitching.
» Spencer led the Tigers at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
» Buffalo was led offensively by junior Mia Mitchell, who went 2-for-3.
» Junior Emily Watters led the Bulls pitching staff, throwing three innings of five-run ball.
Game 2: TSU 6 - Wofford 5 (8 Innings)
The Tennessee State Tigers needed eight innings to finish the job, but earned the 6-5 extra-innings victory over the Wofford Terriers Saturday.
Reina Castillo (3-3) started in the circle and picked up the win for Tennessee State (6-5). The right-hander went seven innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits, allowing one walk and striking out two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tigers got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the top of the first inning. Tennessee State managed to push across two runs in the inning.
The Terriers failed to push any runs across before the Tigers built on their lead in the third inning. Tennessee State scored twice on Onnika Spencer's two-run homer, which brought the Tigers lead to 4-0.
Wofford came back to even the ballgame at four before Tennessee State reclaimed a 6-4 advantage in the eighth inning. The Tigers picked up two runs when a single from Alexis Woods scored Jace Jackson and Anayah Baker-Rowell. Wofford put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but Tennessee State still held on for the 6-5 win.
GAME NOTES
» Tennessee State's highest scoring inning was the eighth, when it pushed two runs across.
» Tennessee State took a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Tennessee State pitchers limited Wofford to just 2-for-13 (.154) with runners in scoring position.
» Tennessee State pitchers faced 37 Wofford hitters in the game, allowing 11 ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out three.
» Spencer led the Tigers at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
» Wofford was led offensively by senior Havalynn Abernathy, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
» Junior Margaret Axelson led the Terriers pitching staff, throwing eight innings of six-run ball.
