Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
5-6
Purdue
4-4
Middle Tennessee Drops First Two Games in Madeira Beach
2/22/2019 5:52:00 PM | Softball
MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. - Middle Tennessee opened their weekend in Madeira Beach on Friday and lost each of their games against Purdue and Colgate.
| Game One: Purdue 12, Middle Tennessee 3 |
Purdue (4-4) finished the game with 12 runs on 14 hits as they downed Middle Tennessee (5-6) 12-3 on Friday morning.
Despite being held scoreless in the first two innings, the Boilermakers struck for three runs in the third to take a 3-1 lead over the Blue Raiders before scoring eight runs in the fourth inning and adding another in the fifth. Kasey Wilhoit finished the game 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Alexa Binckes had the team best four runs batted in with her grand slam in the fourth inning.
Middle Tennessee had the first lead in the game though, as a RBI single from Ryan King scored Kirstyn Cuccia in the second inning to push MT out in front, 1-0. King ended the game 2-for-2 with two RBI, picking up her second with another single in the fourth. Lexi Cushing hit a home run in the fifth inning to add MT's third run, but they were unable to score anymore to avoid the run rule.
Sarah Pinkston (1-3) took the loss for MT, pitching three and one third of an inning allowing five runs on nine hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Kaitlynn Moody (2-1) got the win for Purdue. She pitched two and two thirds innings and allowed a run on three hits and three walks.
| Game Two: Colgate 2, Middle Tennessee 1 |
Colgate's Jordan Miller singled through the left side to score Madison Aston from third and lift the Raiders (3-3) over Middle Tennessee (5-7) 2-1 on Friday evening.
Miller finished 3-for-4 as the team's top hitter in the game. Cayman Coughlin had the other RBI for Colgate, who tied the game in the sixth inning with a single through the right side of the infield to score McKenna Saunders who had gone from first to third on a sacrifice bunt in the previous at-bat.
MT was out in front in the first inning as the game's first batter, Summer Burgess, led off with a double and was driven in by Lani Rodriguez. The game's score could have been higher with the teams combining to leave 19 runners on base.
Riley Fleming (0-1) took the loss for MT. She pitched two thirds of an inning and allowed the run on two hits.
Jessica Hay (3-1) got the win for Colgate, pitching two and one third scoreless innings with just one hit and two walks allowed.
| News & Notes |
- Cushing's home run in the Purdue game was her second of the season and the 21st of her career. It puts her in sole possession of 2nd place on the MT all-time home run list. She's now two shy of the record and three shy of breaking it.
- MT batters tied their season high of five walks in the Colgate game
- Freshman Lani Rodriguez remains the team's leading hitter with a .333 average and a .421 on-base percentage.
| Up Next |
The Blue Raiders will play just one game tomorrow. First pitch with Sienna is set for 10am CT from Madeira Beach.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: KAITLYNN MOODY (2-1)
L: Pinkston, Sarah (1-3)
Batting:
2B: MALLORY BAKER 1 ; RACHEL BECKER 2
HR: ALEXA BINCKES 1 ; KENDALL CHASE 1
RBI: RACHEL BECKER 1 ; KASEY WILHOIT 1 ; MADISON DOUGLASS 1 ; KAITLYNN MOODY 1 ; ALEXA BINCKES 4 ; KENDALL CHASE 2
Base Running:
RUNS: RACHEL BECKER 2 ; JENNY BEHAN 1 ; KASEY WILHOIT 2 ; MADISON DOUGLASS 2 ; NICOLE SIESS 1 ; ALEXA BINCKES 1 ; KENDALL CHASE 1 ; RYLEIGH SCOTT 1 ; RACHEL KRZYSKO 1
SB: KASEY WILHOIT 4 ; RYLEIGH SCOTT 1 ; RACHEL KRZYSKO 1
HBP: LEXI HUFFMAN 1 ; RYLEIGH SCOTT 1
Batting:
2B: Cuccia, Kirstyn 1
HR: Cushing, Lexi 1
RBI: Cushing, Lexi 1 ; King, Ryan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Cushing, Lexi 1 ; Cuccia, Kirstyn 1 ; McKenry, Cameran 1
