Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, February 8
Fullerton, CA
12:00 PM CST
Middle Tennessee
2-2
4
vs
5
Loyola Marymount
2-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Middle Tennessee
2
0
0
0
1
0
1
4
7
3
Loyola Marymount
0
0
1
3
1
0
X
5
8
2
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Steenbergen (1-0)
L: Marinakis, Mia (0-1)
S: Linnay Wilson (1)
Batting:
2B: Rodriguez, Lani 1
HR: Cushing, Lexi 1
RBI: Cushing, Lexi 2 ; Smith, Claire 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Burgess, Summer 1 ; Marinakis, Mia 1 ; Cushing, Lexi 1 ; Smith, Claire 1
CS: Burgess, Summer 1
HBP: Rodriguez, Lani 1
Batting:
RBI: Megan Dedrick 1 ; Alisha Martinez 1 ; Riley Ehlen 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Molly Grumbo 1 ; Morgan Debord 1 ; Amanda Treatch 1 ; Megan Dedrick 1 ; Alisha Martinez 1
SB: Morgan Debord 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
p/dh
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
SS
/ Softball1B
/ Softball
3B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF/2B
/ Softball
Mead pitches gem in Saturday doubleheader
2/8/2020 5:44:00 PM | Softball
FULLERTON, Calif. — Once again in the Titan Classic, Middle Tennessee proved it could compete with top competition, despite dropping both games of a doubleheader on Saturday.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 4, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 5
» Loyola Marymount, MT's fourth opponent of the 2020 season, finished last season in the semifinals of the NISC, which the Blue Raiders also participated in.
» MT scored first for the first time this season, with Lexi Cushing scoring Summer Burgess on a single to centerfield.
» Claire Smith then made it a 2-0 game in the first inning by walking with the bases loaded.
» Loyola Marymount got on the scoreboard with a run in the third then added three more in the fourth inning to take the lead, which it kept for the remainder of the game.
» After both teams added a run in the fifth inning, Cushing slugged her second home run of the season to make it a one-run game.
» The Blue Raiders were unable to complete the comeback against the Lions after Cushing's home run.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 1, SAN JOSE STATE 2
» San Jose State was the second team Middle Tennessee faced this weekend that received votes in the preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.
» Sophomore Gretchen Mead got the start for just the second time in her Blue Raider career.
» San Jose State's cleanup hitter opened the second inning with a home run to take the early lead.
» Jocelynn De La Cruz knotted the game up at one run apiece with a drive to left field in the fourth inning.
» Cushing led off with a single in the seventh inning, but the Blue Raiders were unable to score. San Jose State then walked it off in the bottom half of the inning, as the same Spartan hit her second homer of the game.
» Those two home runs were the only two hits given up by Mead, who has already almost eclipsed last season's mark for innings pitched.
QUOTES FROM THE BLUE RAIDERS
» Head Coach Jeff Breeden on Gretchen Mead's pitching performance: "In my eight years here, that was one of the best pitching performances I've witnessed. She didn't deserve to lose today. That was a good team we played, and she held them to two runs. We couldn't have asked for anything else, it just didn't go our way."
» Pitcher Gretchen Mead on her approach to this season: "This year I was just preparing to get my own time in the circle, and I was ready for whenever I was called on."
» Mead on approaching Saturday's game: "I had been preparing to go in the first game. When I found out I was starting, I just went through the motions and got myself ready to start."
NEXT UP
» Middle Tennessee vs. Pacific — Feb. 9, 12 p.m. CT
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 4, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 5
» Loyola Marymount, MT's fourth opponent of the 2020 season, finished last season in the semifinals of the NISC, which the Blue Raiders also participated in.
» MT scored first for the first time this season, with Lexi Cushing scoring Summer Burgess on a single to centerfield.
» Claire Smith then made it a 2-0 game in the first inning by walking with the bases loaded.
» Loyola Marymount got on the scoreboard with a run in the third then added three more in the fourth inning to take the lead, which it kept for the remainder of the game.
» After both teams added a run in the fifth inning, Cushing slugged her second home run of the season to make it a one-run game.
» The Blue Raiders were unable to complete the comeback against the Lions after Cushing's home run.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 1, SAN JOSE STATE 2
» San Jose State was the second team Middle Tennessee faced this weekend that received votes in the preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.
» Sophomore Gretchen Mead got the start for just the second time in her Blue Raider career.
» San Jose State's cleanup hitter opened the second inning with a home run to take the early lead.
» Jocelynn De La Cruz knotted the game up at one run apiece with a drive to left field in the fourth inning.
» Cushing led off with a single in the seventh inning, but the Blue Raiders were unable to score. San Jose State then walked it off in the bottom half of the inning, as the same Spartan hit her second homer of the game.
» Those two home runs were the only two hits given up by Mead, who has already almost eclipsed last season's mark for innings pitched.
QUOTES FROM THE BLUE RAIDERS
» Head Coach Jeff Breeden on Gretchen Mead's pitching performance: "In my eight years here, that was one of the best pitching performances I've witnessed. She didn't deserve to lose today. That was a good team we played, and she held them to two runs. We couldn't have asked for anything else, it just didn't go our way."
» Pitcher Gretchen Mead on her approach to this season: "This year I was just preparing to get my own time in the circle, and I was ready for whenever I was called on."
» Mead on approaching Saturday's game: "I had been preparing to go in the first game. When I found out I was starting, I just went through the motions and got myself ready to start."
NEXT UP
» Middle Tennessee vs. Pacific — Feb. 9, 12 p.m. CT
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
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