Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, September 14
Columbia, TN
9:00 AM
Middle Tennessee
7
vs
2
Calhoun Community College
Raiders win twice at Columbia State Tournament
9/14/2019 1:08:00 PM | Softball
COLUMBIA, Tenn.— The offseason temporarily paused on Saturday for Middle Tennessee softball, as the Blue Raiders defeated Calhoun and Motlow State in a Columbia State Tournament doubleheader.
"It's good to get out and compete against another team. I thought we competed well and had a lot of high energy today. [Kailee] Richetto and [Kelci] Hill coming in as freshmen did a good job today," MT Head Coach Jeff Breeden said.
"We knocked some rust off today, and we needed to see what some of our new kids can do."
MT got on the scoreboard in the top of the first against Calhoun, as three singles led to two Blue Raider runs. After the Lady Warhawks got a run back in their half of the first, both teams scored once more in the third, with Samantha Valentine touching the plate for a second time.
The Blue Raider bats then pulled away from Calhoun after the third. Seven hits led to four more MT runs to give Middle the win, 7-2.
In the second game of the day, freshman Juliana Lane took the circle for the start against Motlow and threw one scoreless inning. Fellow newcomer Mia Marinakis took over pitching duties for Lane after the first and faced only 10 batters in three innings, including two strikeouts. Returning pitcher Gretchen Mead finished off the Bucks with a scoreless fifth inning.
"I thought [Marinakis] controlled the batters pretty well today," Breeden added. "She's not new to pitching at this level, and we're looking for her to step in the circle and be a veteran. She also can play a good first base for us, and she's going to have a good impact on this team."
As for MT's offense in game two, eight of the nine starting Blue Raiders reached base. The Raiders tallied seven hits against Motlow on their way to a 5-0 shutout victory on the first game day of the fall.
Middle Tennessee softball will be back at Blue Raider Softball Stadium for the next five games, with Snead State (Sept. 21) and Columbia State (Sept. 22) visiting next weekend.
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
"It's good to get out and compete against another team. I thought we competed well and had a lot of high energy today. [Kailee] Richetto and [Kelci] Hill coming in as freshmen did a good job today," MT Head Coach Jeff Breeden said.
"We knocked some rust off today, and we needed to see what some of our new kids can do."
MT got on the scoreboard in the top of the first against Calhoun, as three singles led to two Blue Raider runs. After the Lady Warhawks got a run back in their half of the first, both teams scored once more in the third, with Samantha Valentine touching the plate for a second time.
The Blue Raider bats then pulled away from Calhoun after the third. Seven hits led to four more MT runs to give Middle the win, 7-2.
In the second game of the day, freshman Juliana Lane took the circle for the start against Motlow and threw one scoreless inning. Fellow newcomer Mia Marinakis took over pitching duties for Lane after the first and faced only 10 batters in three innings, including two strikeouts. Returning pitcher Gretchen Mead finished off the Bucks with a scoreless fifth inning.
"I thought [Marinakis] controlled the batters pretty well today," Breeden added. "She's not new to pitching at this level, and we're looking for her to step in the circle and be a veteran. She also can play a good first base for us, and she's going to have a good impact on this team."
As for MT's offense in game two, eight of the nine starting Blue Raiders reached base. The Raiders tallied seven hits against Motlow on their way to a 5-0 shutout victory on the first game day of the fall.
Middle Tennessee softball will be back at Blue Raider Softball Stadium for the next five games, with Snead State (Sept. 21) and Columbia State (Sept. 22) visiting next weekend.
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
Players Mentioned
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