Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
10-5
Marist
1-3
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jennings, Cori (4-3)
L: Teague, Nicole (0-1)
Base Running:
CS: Colombo, Brittany 1
Batting:
2B: De La Cruz, Jocelynn 1 ; Harris, Morgan 1 ; Uselton, Kristin 1 ; Cuccia, Kirstyn 1
RBI: De La Cruz, Jocelynn 3 ; Cushing, Lexi 2 ; Cuccia, Kirstyn 2 ; McGee, Keely 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Burgess, Summer 2 ; Birdsong, Precious 2 ; De La Cruz, Jocelynn 1 ; Uselton, Kristin 1 ; Smith, Claire 1 ; Cuccia, Kirstyn 1
SB: Burgess, Summer 3 ; Birdsong, Precious 2 ; De La Cruz, Jocelynn 1 ; McGee, Keely 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
MT Shutouts Marist and Rhode Island
2/25/2018 5:14:00 PM | Softball
MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – The Middle Tennessee softball team posted two dominant shutout wins in the final day of the Madeira Beach Spring Invitational II. The Blue Raiders topped Marist 8-0 in six innings and then defeated Rhode Island 6-0.
Middle has now won 10 of its last 11 games and had five of the last eight games be shutout victories. The squad now has an 11-5 record, which is the quickest to reach 11 wins in Head Coach Jeff Breeden's tenure.
Jocelynn De La Cruz kept the RBI's going against Marist as she went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI, including the final two that would end the game early. She picked up 11 RBI's through the tournament.
Summer Burgess and Lexi Cushing each picked up two RBI over Rhode Island. Burgess was 3-for-4 in the game while Cushing had one hit, a two-run home run, her fourth of the season.
Game One: Middle Tennessee 8, Marist 0
The Blue Raiders took no time getting on the board versus Marist. In the bottom of the first, Summer Burgess and De La Cruz reached on singles and then back-to-back walks gave MT the 1-0 lead.
Then in the third, Middle broke the game wide open by scoring five runs on four hits. Precious Birdsong reached on a walk and after stealing second scored as De La Cruz hit one back up the middle. De La Cruz scored on back-to-back groundouts to second base. Then all with two outs, the Blue Raiders got the rally going again as Kristin Uselton doubled down the left field line. Claire Smith then got walked and Kirstyn Cuccia brought the base runners around on a double of her own to left center field. Keely McGee then hit a bloop single that brought Cuccia, the fifth run across to put MT ahead, 6-0.
Looking to put the game away on a run rule, the Blue Raiders got Burgess aboard on a walk and Birdsong aboard on a bunt single. Picking up more RBI was De La Cruz who placed a double just fair at the fence in left field. That gave the Blue Raiders the 8-0 walk-off run rule win.
Cori Jennings got the win in the circle, her second of the weekend. She pitched five innings and struck out five in her second shutout of the season.
Game Two: Middle Tennessee 6, Rhode Island 0
Middle and Rhode Island battled through four and half scoreless innings with just three hits between the two sides. The Blue Raiders broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth.
Smith got it going with a single up the middle. Then Cuccia reached base safely on the first of two Ram errors in the inning. The second error was not far behind as Cuccia made a move for second and the catcher errantly threw the ball in right center field. That brought Smith across to give MT a 1-0 lead. Cuccia then scored as Burgess beat out an infield single.
The Blue Raiders took advantage of three more Rhode Island errors in the bottom of the sixth. But first, after Morgan Harris got a leadoff single, Cushing blasted her second home run of the weekend over the fence in center field.
Up 4-0, a walk and a then a fielder's choice with an error put Smith and Brooke McClure on base with one out for Middle. Portillo then put the ball in play and a misthrow by the third baseman allowed her to reach first safely and Smith to score. McClure came across as Burgess beat out an infield single to give the Raiders the 6-0 edge.
After pitching six scoreless innings, Gretchen Greer was relieved for Pattie Ruth Taylor. Taylor struck out the final batter of the game to give MT the win.
Greer got the win in the circle, her second of the year. She gave up just three hits and struck out three in her second shutout of the season.
Up Next
The Blue Raiders return to Murfreesboro for their home opener on Wed. Feb. 28. Middle hosts Austin Peay at 4 p.m.
