Blue Raiders Split on Day 1 of Dot Richardson Classic

Friday, February 13

Clermont, Fla.

1:30 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

3-3

Umass Lowell

4-2

Middle Tennessee

UMass Lowell

2/13/2015 7:20:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

CLERMONT, Fla. – The Blue Raider softball team (4-3) came away with a split on day one of the Dot Richardson Classic, suffering a 3-2 setback to UMass Lowell (4-2) before bouncing back with a 5-2 victory over South Dakota State (2-4).

MT will resume play at 4 p.m., tomorrow against Florida A&M before ending the day against Liberty at 6:30 p.m.

Live stats will be available for the Liberty contest tomorrow by clicking here.

Senior Caitlin McClure (1-0) pitched a gem for her first victory of the season over the Jackrabbits, going the full seven innings and allowing just two runs (one earned) while scattering four hits and fanning four batters.

It's the 11^th complete game of her career and the right-hander's third complete-game win of her career as well.
Game 1: UMass Lowell – 3 Middle Tennessee – 2
Both teams battled in the first-ever contest between the two schools, but the Skyhawks prevailed with the slight victory, handing MT its first loss in four games.

All five runs were scored in the third inning as MT notched two runs in the top of the frame. Freshman Cor'Nisha Birdsong and junior Kiarra Freeman led off with singles to set up junior Carlie Jenkins for a two-RBI double that drove both runners across the plate.

But errors proved costly for MT as the Blue Raiders committed two its season-high three miscues in the bottom of the third, which helped the Skyhawks score three runs to go in front, 3-2. Coming into Friday's contest, MT had only committed three miscues over the first five games of the season.

MT struggled from the plate the rest of the game, registering only one hit over the final four innings of the contest while the Skyhawks held on to capture the win.

Junior Kelci Cheney (2-3) suffered the loss inside the circle as the right-hander pitched a season-high six innings and allowed three runs (one earned). She also struck out a season-high four batters.

UMass Lowell's Erica Armenti (2-1) picked up the win for the Skyhawks as she slowed down an MT lineup that came into the contest averaging 10.75 runs per game over the previous four contests.

Jenkins plated two runners to lead MT to go along with a double, while Birdsong led the squad with a 2-for-3 effort from the plate.Senior Samantha Nieves and Freeman also chipped in with hits as well.

Game 2: Middle Tennessee – 5 South Dakota State – 2
The Blue Raiders bounced back in the second contest of the day for their fourth win in five games, and the fifth time in the past six contests that the team scored at least five runs.

Both pitchers came out of the gate not allowing both offenses to get off to a fast start with zero runs and two hits in the first two frames.

The first run wouldn't come until the bottom of the third when Jenkins hit a sac fly to centerfield that drove in Birdsong. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native led off the inning with a walk before stealing second and advancing to third on a groundout.

After the Jackrabbits scored in the bottom of the top of the fourth to tie the contest, 1-1, Senior Alma Cortez sent a single to left field to drive in sophomore teammate Marinna Shadley from second base to give MT a 2-1 lead.

When the Blue Raiders needed an insurance run to give them some cushion, they came up with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to four, 5-1.

With the bases loaded after two straight walks and a Nieves single, Jenkins hustled home on a passed ball to score from third. Then freshman Morgan Harris hit a single to center field to score both Nieves and junior Megan Griffith, giving MT a commanding lead en to route to the win.

Harris finished the game 1-for-2 from the dish with two RBI, while Nieves produced a 2-for-2 outing. Jenkins finished with a hit and an RBI, and Cortez tallied a hit and an RBI as well

Head coach Jeff Breeden was proud of the way his two seniors, McClure and Nieves, stepped up today against a solid SDSU squad.

"It was a solid win for us against a very good left-handed pitcher," said Breeden. "(Caitlin) McClure pitching a complete game was huge for her development, and Samantha Nieves was on fire at the plate and on defense. In the end, we just have to keep getting better every day."