MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Tennessee State softball produced an 11-hit performance Wednesday evening but fell 7-3 to Middle Tennessee at Blue Raider Softball Field.
The Tigers struck early, plating runs in each of the first two innings to take an early lead. In the opening frame, Jace Jackson delivered an RBI single to center field to score JaKeyla McDaniel and give Tennessee State a 1-0 advantage.
TSU added to its lead in the second inning when Jasmine Blackburn singled and drove in Mariyah Brown, pushing the Tigers ahead 2-0.
Chelsi Ervin opened the game in the circle for Tennessee State and held Middle Tennessee scoreless through the first two innings while working around traffic with three strikeouts.
Middle Tennessee responded in the third with a sacrifice fly before using a four-run stretch across the fourth and fifth innings to seize control of the game. A two-RBI single in the fourth inning gave the Blue Raiders their first lead, and a two-run home run in the fifth extended the margin to 7-2.
The Tigers continued to battle offensively, finishing with 11 hits on the night. McDaniel, Blackburn, Alexis Woods and Brown each recorded multi-hit performances, while Kailyn Jean-Baptiste launched a solo home run in the sixth inning for Tennessee State's final run of the contest.
Kristian Holder and Miriam Gordon saw action in relief, with Gordon taking the loss in the circle.
Tennessee State returns home this weekend, April 18–19, to host Western Illinois in a three-game series at Tiger Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by a 1 p.m. finale Sunday.
