Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Birmingham Southern
Blue Raiders Draw Split With Birmingham Southern
3/23/2005 9:01:00 PM | Softball
Middle Tennessee struck first in the second game with one run. With the bases loaded and one out, Melissa Weiland hit an RBI single to plate Liz Davis. Birmingham Southern answered in the bottom of the first when Nikki Rombough hit a two RBI homer to put the Panthers ahead 2-1.
Senior Jennifer Grybash gave the Blue Raiders the lead for the second and final time in game two when she hit a two out two RBI double, scoring Weiland and Trish White. Weiland opened the top of the fourth inning with a single and advanced to third on a Birmingham Southern error, allowing White to reach first.
The Blue Raiders weren't done in the fourth, as the team scored two more runs to pad their lead to 5-2. Davis hit a two out two RBI double that went to the wall to score Grybash and Leah Grothause.
Weiland padded the Blue Raider lead when she hit a three run bomb in the top of the seventh. She hit the homerun over the centerfield wall for her third long ball of the season.
Birmingham Southern rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sloane Laiche started off the inning with a lead off double and scored on an RBI single by Rombough to give the Panthers their lone run of the inning.
Jennifer Dorais started the second game lasting 2.1 innings before being relieved by Ashley Katinas. Dorais allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits. Katinas took the win in game two, improving to 3-13 on the season, as she went 4.2 innings allowing one run on five hits.
Weiland led the Blue Raiders in the second game, as she was 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and four RBI. Davis also had a big game as well going 4-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Katinas tossed two scoreless innings in the first game before Birmingham Southern struck in the bottom of the third inning. The Panthers scored one run when Tifani Talbert hit an RBI single to plate Nova Gaines.
Birmingham Southern exploded for five runs in the fourth inning. The Panthers scored five runs on five hits in the inning. Birmingham Southern proceeded to score a run in the last two innings.
Middle Tennessee avoided the shutout by pushing a run across in the top of the fifth inning. Brandi Boehner hit a one out double and advanced to third on an error by Birmingham Southern and scored on a sacrifice fly by Grothause.
The Blue Raiders return on action on Friday when the team travels to Louisville, Kentucky to participate in the Louisville Tournament. Middle Tennessee faces host Louisville at 12 p.m. and No.1 ranked Michigan at 6 p.m.
