JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Tennessee State softball wrapped up play Saturday at Betty Basler Field with a pair of contests against Bowling Green and East Tennessee State, showing flashes of power, speed, and late-inning resilience.
GAME 1:
In the opener, TSU faced a strong Bowling Green squad and fell 12–0. The Tigers collected two hits on the day, highlighted by doubles from Mariyah Brown and Jace Jackson. Brown finished 1-for-2, while Jackson went 1-for-3.
TSU threatened in the fifth inning when Brown advanced to third base with one out, but the Tigers were unable to capitalize. In the circle, Kristian Holder, Courtney Richardson, and Miriam Gordon combined to face 34 hitters. The pitching staff generated nine ground-ball outs and seven fly-ball outs while working through Bowling Green's offensive pressure.
GAME 2:
In the second game of the day, Tennessee State responded with one of its strongest offensive performances of the season in a narrow 8–7 loss to East Tennessee State.
The Tigers came out aggressive, plating two runs in the top of the first inning. Jakeyla McDaniel set the tone on the base paths, swiping three bases in the game to spark the early rally. Tennessee State added another run in the second to build a 3–0 advantage.
Jace Jackson led the offense, finishing 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and an RBI. Jasmine Blackburn added a hit, two walks, and an RBI, while Mariyah Brown drove in two runs. The Tigers were active offensively throughout, stealing five bases as a team and drawing seven walks. TSU also went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
After ETSU battled back to take the lead, the Tigers refused to fold. Trailing 8–4 entering the seventh inning, Tennessee State mounted a three-run rally. Brown delivered a two-RBI single to bring the Tigers within one, and the tying run moved into scoring position before the comeback attempt came up just short.
In the circle, Tianna Salcido made the start, and the TSU pitching staff limited ETSU to 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position. Defensively and offensively, the Tigers showed continued fight and determination throughout the day, highlighted by the late-inning surge in game two.
Tennessee State will look to build on that momentum as it continues early-season play.
