Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
11-11
Alabama A&M
1-16
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Taylor, Pattie Ruth (0-0)
L: Caitlyn Hayden (0-6)
Batting:
3B: Birdsong, Precious 1
HR: Munoz, Danielle 1 ; Grove, Payton 1
RBI: Cuccia, Kirstyn 3 ; Munoz, Danielle 2 ; Grove, Payton 2 ; Whaley, Austyn 1
SH: Portillo, Deja 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Birdsong, Precious 3 ; Portillo, Deja 1 ; Cuccia, Kirstyn 2 ; Munoz, Danielle 1 ; Grove, Payton 1 ; Harris, Morgan 1
SB: Birdsong, Precious 1 ; Portillo, Deja 1 ; Cuccia, Kirstyn 1 ; Grove, Payton 1 ; Jenkins, Carlie 1
Batting:
2B: Tiana Sanders 1 ; Sierra Smith 1
HR: Imani Largin 1 ; Sierra Smith 1
RBI: Imani Largin 1 ; Tiana Sanders 1 ; Sierra Smith 2
SH: Kia Lang 1 ; Viridiana Ramos 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Imani Largin 2 ; Eriel Lawson 1 ; Sierra Smith 1
HBP: Ariel Smith 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Raiders take down Alabama A&M
3/9/2016 9:54:00 PM | Softball
MT uses two homers and good pitching to stave off Bulldogs
Payton Grove led the way offensively as she was 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and two RBIs. Kirstyn Cuccia continued to rake as she led the Raiders with three RBI on her 2-for-4 night in which she scored twice. Precious Birdsong crossed the plate three times, a team high, as she went 2-for-5.
Pattie Taylor (3-2) got the win in the circle as she went 3.2 innings and allowed three runs on six hits while striking out two. Megan Chocallo finished the final 3.1 innings as she surrendered just one run on four hits and also struck out two.
Middle Tennessee got off to a good start with a pair of homers in the first inning to earn four runs for the early lead. Cuccia picked up an RBI single to score Birdsong with the game's first run and she was followed by Dani Munoz who hit her fourth home run of the season and the lead quickly grew to 3-0. Payton Grove followed with her first career long ball and the Raiders had a 4-0 lead after only half an inning.
The Bulldogs came right back to score one in the bottom half as an RBI single by Tiana Sanders scored Imani Largin to cut the Blue Raider lead to 4-1.
Alabama A&M was not done yet as they plated two more in the second. Sierra Smith hit a two-run homer that scored Eriel Lawson and just like that the MT lead was cut to one at 4-3.
But the Raiders came back in the fourth as Cuccia earned two more RBIs with a base hit to left. Morgan Harris and Birdsong crossed the plate and MT had doubled up the Bulldogs 6-3.
The Blue Raiders got hot again in the sixth as Birdsong tripled and later scored on a passed ball. Two batters later Grove hit another RBI single to score Deja Portillo, then Cuccia crossed the plate on an Austyn Whaley ground out MT's lead grew to 9-3 after the top of the sixth.
Largin led off the bottom of the seventh with a homer for Alabama A&M, but that is as close as they would get as Middle Tennessee beat the Bulldogs 9-4.
The Raiders will be back in action Saturday for their home and conference opener as they welcome Southern Miss to Murfreesboro. MT will take on the Golden Eagles in a double header with the first game beginning at 2 p.m. at the Blue Raider Softball Complex. Admission is free.
