Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Minnesota
Softball rebounds in 10-2 victory
3/5/2010 12:29:00 PM | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. - Brittney Banania tallied three RBIs as the Middle Tennessee softball team bounced back from a three game sweep by Troy earlier this weekend to take the first game of the Bulldog Invitational defeating Minnesota 10-2 in mercy rule fashion.
The squad peppered the Golden Gophers' pitcher Alissa Koch stoking nine hits for 10 runs.
Lindsey Vander Lugt came in bottom of the first inning after Caty Jutson gave up hits to the first three Golden Gopher opponents allowing one run on a hit. Minnesota added a second score on a double steal. Vander Lugt was brilliant after the first frame handily as she finished the game with 10 strikeouts in 5.0 innings with no earned runs and one base of ball.
Middle Tennessee showed a fight unseen this season, as the bats woke up in the top of the second scoring five runs with Brittney Banania, Caitlin McLure, Corrie Abel and Natalie Ysais all driving in runners for a five run Blue Raider frame. This was the most runs scored in an inning by the team to this point in the season. McLure took second in the team's own double steal giving her seven for the season and 51 for her career, tying her with Kim Blair for fourth most in school history.
Again in the fourth Middle Tennessee harassed Koch with Ysais, Popham, Kandra Singleton and Banania tallying RBIs. Banania's three RBI set a career high for the San Pedro, Calif. native. She also tied a career high for hits with three.
The team will play the second game of their doubleheader at 1:15 p.m. as they take on the Elon Phoenix. Full results and coverage of today's action will be available on GoBlueRaiders.com.
