Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, February 12
Leesburg, FL
10:00 AM
Middle Tennessee
1-0
3
vs
0
New Mexico State
0-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
New Mexico State
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
2
Middle Tennessee
1
0
1
0
1
0
X
3
8
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Baldwin, Amber (1-0)
L: Faapito, M. (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Burgess, Summer 1
RBI: Tath-Slezak, Nahri 1 ; Cushing, Lexi 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Burgess, Summer 2 ; Tath-Slezak, Nahri 1
SB: Tath-Slezak, Nahri 1 ; Herring, Jaya 1
CS: Sargent, Shelby 1
HBP: Hill, Kelci 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
SS
/ Softball
1B
/ Softball
SS/2B
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
2B/3B
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballSS
/ Softball
Baldwin’s shutout highlights opening day split at The Spring Games
2/12/2021 3:40:00 PM | Softball
LEESBURG, Fla. — Opening Day for Middle Tennessee (1-1) ended with a win over New Mexico State (0-1) and a loss against Liberty (2-0) in the first of three days at The Spring Games.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3, NEW MEXICO STATE 0
» MT had just one shutout win all of last season, but the Blue Raiders matched that on the first day of the new campaign.
» Senior right-hander Amber Baldwin fanned three and gave up just four hits as she notched career shutout No. 6.
» The Blue Raiders got on the board in the first inning, as leadoff hitter Summer Burgess came around to score after a ball was hit off the bat of Lexi Cushing.
» Burgess scored once again in the third inning, as Nahri Tath-Slezak singled up the middle to score the MT graduate student. In the previous at bat, Burgess led off the inning with a double off the center field wall.
» Cushing notched her first RBI of the season with a single to right-center that scored Tath-Slezak, who stole her first career base on the previous play.
» In the top of the seventh, with the tying run on deck, second baseman Lani Rodriguez dove to catch a liner for out one then fired the ball over to Cushing at first base for out two.
» Baldwin then struck out the final batter, and the Blue Raiders claimed a win in the first game of the 2021 season.
» Tath-Slezak (1-for-3, RBI) and catcher Makenzie Hutchinson (2-for-3) made their first career starts in the victory.
» Shelby Sargent, Jaya Herring and Amaya Harris also made their Blue Raider debuts in game one on Friday, all in pinch running capacities.
» Burgess (2-for-4, 2B, 2 runs) joined Hutchinson with a multi-hit game in the season opener.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 0, (RV) LIBERTY 8
» Liberty, which received votes in the preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, started the day with a 10-4 win over Pitt.
» The Flames got off to a hot start, scoring five runs in the first inning.
» MT had runners in scoring position in the second and third innings but was unable to cash in.
» Liberty scored once again on an RBI double in the third inning to extend its lead to six runs.
» The Flames then added two runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game.
» Kailey Ahlstrom entered in relief in the second inning and tossed perfect innings in the fourth and fifth for the Blue Raiders.
QUOTES FROM THE BLUE RAIDERS
» Head Coach Jeff Breeden on getting off on the right foot with a game one win: "I thought we played really solid in game one, lead by [Amber] Baldwin in the circle. I thought our defense was tremendous all game, especially Lani [Rodriguez] to turn two at the end. Our young kids also played pretty well."
» Breeden on staying steady despite a five-run first inning for Liberty: "We dug ourselves out of a hole against a very good team in Liberty. We fought back but stranded way too many people on base. Again, our young kids played well and some good swings. [Makenzie Hutchinson] was very good all day behind the plate, and I thought Summer [Burgess] and Lexi [Cushing] picked up right where they left off last season. Both of those players are going to have big seasons for us."
» Pitcher Amber Baldwin on playing against a different team for the first time in a long time: "It felt really good after so long to play a different team today. I think all the scrimmages that we had against each other in the fall and this spring and pitching to my teammates almost every day prepared me for today."
» Baldwin on what led to so many quick innings vs. New Mexico State: "Coach Breeden had a talk with me and the pitchers before the game and wanted us to attack pitches, so that's what I set out to do. I also had my teammates backing me up in the field and making great plays. Lani really saved me in the last inning with that amazing line drive catch, and if she wouldn't have caught that, it probably wouldn't have been a shutout game."
NEXT UP
» Middle Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh — Saturday, Feb. 13, 9 a.m. CT
» Middle Tennessee vs. New Mexico State — Saturday, Feb. 13, 11:30 a.m. CT
» Middle Tennessee vs. Liberty — Sunday, Feb. 14, 9 a.m. CT
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3, NEW MEXICO STATE 0
» MT had just one shutout win all of last season, but the Blue Raiders matched that on the first day of the new campaign.
» Senior right-hander Amber Baldwin fanned three and gave up just four hits as she notched career shutout No. 6.
» The Blue Raiders got on the board in the first inning, as leadoff hitter Summer Burgess came around to score after a ball was hit off the bat of Lexi Cushing.
» Burgess scored once again in the third inning, as Nahri Tath-Slezak singled up the middle to score the MT graduate student. In the previous at bat, Burgess led off the inning with a double off the center field wall.
» Cushing notched her first RBI of the season with a single to right-center that scored Tath-Slezak, who stole her first career base on the previous play.
» In the top of the seventh, with the tying run on deck, second baseman Lani Rodriguez dove to catch a liner for out one then fired the ball over to Cushing at first base for out two.
» Baldwin then struck out the final batter, and the Blue Raiders claimed a win in the first game of the 2021 season.
» Tath-Slezak (1-for-3, RBI) and catcher Makenzie Hutchinson (2-for-3) made their first career starts in the victory.
» Shelby Sargent, Jaya Herring and Amaya Harris also made their Blue Raider debuts in game one on Friday, all in pinch running capacities.
» Burgess (2-for-4, 2B, 2 runs) joined Hutchinson with a multi-hit game in the season opener.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 0, (RV) LIBERTY 8
» Liberty, which received votes in the preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, started the day with a 10-4 win over Pitt.
» The Flames got off to a hot start, scoring five runs in the first inning.
» MT had runners in scoring position in the second and third innings but was unable to cash in.
» Liberty scored once again on an RBI double in the third inning to extend its lead to six runs.
» The Flames then added two runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game.
» Kailey Ahlstrom entered in relief in the second inning and tossed perfect innings in the fourth and fifth for the Blue Raiders.
QUOTES FROM THE BLUE RAIDERS
» Head Coach Jeff Breeden on getting off on the right foot with a game one win: "I thought we played really solid in game one, lead by [Amber] Baldwin in the circle. I thought our defense was tremendous all game, especially Lani [Rodriguez] to turn two at the end. Our young kids also played pretty well."
» Breeden on staying steady despite a five-run first inning for Liberty: "We dug ourselves out of a hole against a very good team in Liberty. We fought back but stranded way too many people on base. Again, our young kids played well and some good swings. [Makenzie Hutchinson] was very good all day behind the plate, and I thought Summer [Burgess] and Lexi [Cushing] picked up right where they left off last season. Both of those players are going to have big seasons for us."
» Pitcher Amber Baldwin on playing against a different team for the first time in a long time: "It felt really good after so long to play a different team today. I think all the scrimmages that we had against each other in the fall and this spring and pitching to my teammates almost every day prepared me for today."
» Baldwin on what led to so many quick innings vs. New Mexico State: "Coach Breeden had a talk with me and the pitchers before the game and wanted us to attack pitches, so that's what I set out to do. I also had my teammates backing me up in the field and making great plays. Lani really saved me in the last inning with that amazing line drive catch, and if she wouldn't have caught that, it probably wouldn't have been a shutout game."
Coming in clutch @laanni_! 💪#NCAASoftball x 🎥 @MT_Softball pic.twitter.com/piLKImYag3
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) February 12, 2021
NEXT UP
» Middle Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh — Saturday, Feb. 13, 9 a.m. CT
» Middle Tennessee vs. New Mexico State — Saturday, Feb. 13, 11:30 a.m. CT
» Middle Tennessee vs. Liberty — Sunday, Feb. 14, 9 a.m. CT
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
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