MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Tennessee State softball team opened Ohio Valley Conference road play Saturday with a split against Morehead State, dropping game one, 4-1, before earning a 7-3 victory in game two to secure its first win of the season and even the three-game series.
GAME ONE: WOODS NOTCHED LONE RBI IN GAME ONE AGAINST EAGLES
Miriam Gordon got the start in the circle, pitching 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on five hits. Chelsi Ervin provided relief, closing out the contest with 2.1 scoreless innings.
Kailyn Jean-Baptiste and Jace Jackson anchored the defensive effort, combining for 11 putouts. Hailey Hunt led the Tigers offensively with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, while Alexis Woods drove in TSU's lone run.
Morehead State struck first, plating two runs in both the third and fourth innings. Tennessee State answered in the top of the sixth after Jackson worked a leadoff walk and later came around to score on timely execution from Hunt and Woods. The Eagles, however, secured the final six outs to claim the opener.
GAME TWO: RICHARDSON EARNES FIRST COLLEGIATE WIN AND SNAPPS TIGERS' LOSING STREAK
Tianna Salcido got the start in the circle, throwing 3.1 innings and allowing two runs on three hits. Courtney Richardson entered with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning, securing the Tigers' first win of the season with 11 swift outs.
JaKeyla McDaniel and Kyra Taylor powered the offense in game two. McDaniel had her best outing of the season, going 3-for-4, including an RBI triple and a run scored. Taylor used a well-timed double to right-center and a single to the pitcher to keep the Tigers rolling.
Jace Jackson broke up three scoreless innings with a four-pitch walk. A stolen base and sacrifice fly allowed Jackson to reach third base before a passed ball allowed her to score, giving TSU a 1-0 lead with one out. Kailyn Jean-Baptiste followed with a single to right field. A well-timed bunt by Alexis Woods, paired with a Morehead State wild pitch and error, added another run for the Tigers. Kyra Taylor kept the rally going with a double to right-center field, scoring Woods. A single by Mariyah Brown and a tricky triple by McDaniel made it 6-0 before Morehead State collected the final two outs.
The Eagles responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and one in the bottom of the sixth.
Jackson continued in dominant fashion with a seventh-inning leadoff double down the left-field line, followed by a Hailey Hunt off-the-wall double to add some insurance. Courtney Richardson pitched an incredible bottom of the seventh, ending the Tigers' losing streak and earning her first collegiate win.
The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday, April 12, as they wrap up this three-game series against Morehead State. First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. (ET).
