Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Sunday, March 7
Leesburg, FL
11:30 AM
Middle Tennessee
5-8
2
vs
1
Central Michigan
2-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Middle Tennessee
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
2
6
0
Central Michigan
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
5
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Baldwin, Amber (3-2)
L: LEHTO, Grace (2-3)
Batting:
2B: Rodriguez, Lani 1
3B: Burgess, Summer 1
RBI: Burgess, Summer 1 ; Richetto, Kaylee 1
SH: King, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Freeman, Savannah 1 ; Rodriguez, Lani 1
SB: Burgess, Summer 1 ; Hill, Kelci 1 ; Freeman, Savannah 1
CS: Herring, Jaya 1
Batting:
2B: KNAPP, Shaidan 1
3B: VALLIMONT, Michaleig 1
RBI: TOBIAS, Katie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: VALLIMONT, Michaleig 1
HBP: VALLIMONT, Michaleig 2
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballSS
/ Softball
1B
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball2B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
SS
/ Softball
Baldwin and Ahlstrom dominant in pair of Blue Raider wins
3/7/2021 4:20:00 PM | Softball
LEESBURG, Fla. — You can't win if you can't score, and Middle Tennessee pitchers Amber Baldwin and Kailey Ahlstrom made it difficult for opposing hitters to produce much of anything on Sunday, as the Blue Raiders (6-8) won over Central Michigan and North Dakota to wrap up their weekend at The Spring Games.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 2, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 1
» Central Michigan entered Sunday afternoon's game against the Blue Raiders with a 2-6 overall record after winning only one game this weekend at The Spring Games, a 5-2 decision over Stetson.
» Summer Burgess and Kelci Hill led off the game with a pair of singles and stolen bases, but they were stranded in scoring position to end the top half of the first.
» A leadoff triple came home to score in the bottom of the second, and the Chippewas took the first lead of the game.
» It was MT's turn to score in fourth, as Lexi Cushing led off with a walk and was replaced on the basepaths by Savannah Freeman. Freeman stole second and was brought in to score on an RBI single by Kaylee Richetto, who stayed patient on an off-speed pitch and sent it to left field.
» The Blue Raiders pulled ahead on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. Lani Rodriguez led off the frame with a double to right-center and was moved to third on the next play on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan King. Rodriguez came home to score on a triple to center field by Burgess.
» Right-hander Amber Baldwin finished the game exactly how she started it, with a 1-2-3 inning, and MT finished off the 2-1 win over the Chippewas.
» Baldwin tossed a complete game, giving up just one run on five hits and striking out a season-high seven batters, two shy of tying her career high.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 4, NORTH DAKOTA 0
» North Dakota was 4-7 on the season coming into the final game of The Spring Games. The Fighting Hawks were 1-3 on the weekend with their only win coming in a 6-5 decision over Central Michigan.
» Southpaw Kailey Ahlstrom started in the circle for the Blue Raiders and kicked the game off with a 1-2-3 first inning.
» In the bottom half of the first, Burgess led off with a double and came around to score on a North Dakota throwing error. Hill touched home in the first on a Richetto double, then Richetto scored a run of her own when Claire Smith poked an RBI single over the second baseman's head.
» Nahri Tath-Slezak beat out a throw for an infield single to lead off the MT sixth. She proceeded to steal second and third and touched home with Cushing at the plate to extend the Blue Raider lead to 4-0.
» Ahlstrom had a perfect game going through 3.1 innings and finished with a new season high in innings pitched (7.0) and tied her season high for strikeouts (3). The 4-0 final score also gave Ahlstrom her fourth career shutout.
QUOTES FROM THE BLUE RAIDERS
» Head Coach Jeff Breeden on if his team is heating up: "I think our offense definitely made strides this weekend. I knew we just needed more at bats to get some of our power hitters going. We for sure got better, but we've got to continue that trend. We're looking forward to a tough schedule coming up this week."
» Breeden on Baldwin and Ahlstrom's strong performances in the circle: "Both of our pitchers threw well today. They both had great command of their respective off-speed pitches, and going back to yesterday, I thought [Corrina] Dodd also threw well this weekend."
» Shortstop Summer Burgess on the team's weekend at The Spring Games: "I think we really turned it on after that tough loss against Stetson. We knew we are better than how we performed that game, and we just stepped it up and played like we know how. We also didn't let that loss determine the rest of our weekend and stayed positive and just continued to compete. We finally were firing on all cylinders with our hitting, pitching and defense coming together as one this weekend."
» Burgess on playing at home next week for the first time all season: "We are so excited to come home and play in our awesome new stadium. There's nothing better than playing on your own field in front of your fans. We all prepare for being on the road for the first month of the season, and it's fun to travel around and see new places, but we're excited to come home to play now."
» Pitcher Kailey Ahlstrom on what led to her success in the circle on Sunday: "Coach Foti was telling me to stay loose and relaxed and just throw. We kept it simple today calling pitches. I think the team had amazing energy on the field, and we were making great plays, and that carried onto the offense getting some great hits in to score runs."
NEXT UP
» Middle Tennessee hosts MTSU Invitational — March 12-14
» 10% maximum capacity; masks and social distancing required
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 2, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 1
» Central Michigan entered Sunday afternoon's game against the Blue Raiders with a 2-6 overall record after winning only one game this weekend at The Spring Games, a 5-2 decision over Stetson.
» Summer Burgess and Kelci Hill led off the game with a pair of singles and stolen bases, but they were stranded in scoring position to end the top half of the first.
» A leadoff triple came home to score in the bottom of the second, and the Chippewas took the first lead of the game.
» It was MT's turn to score in fourth, as Lexi Cushing led off with a walk and was replaced on the basepaths by Savannah Freeman. Freeman stole second and was brought in to score on an RBI single by Kaylee Richetto, who stayed patient on an off-speed pitch and sent it to left field.
» The Blue Raiders pulled ahead on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. Lani Rodriguez led off the frame with a double to right-center and was moved to third on the next play on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan King. Rodriguez came home to score on a triple to center field by Burgess.
» Right-hander Amber Baldwin finished the game exactly how she started it, with a 1-2-3 inning, and MT finished off the 2-1 win over the Chippewas.
» Baldwin tossed a complete game, giving up just one run on five hits and striking out a season-high seven batters, two shy of tying her career high.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 4, NORTH DAKOTA 0
» North Dakota was 4-7 on the season coming into the final game of The Spring Games. The Fighting Hawks were 1-3 on the weekend with their only win coming in a 6-5 decision over Central Michigan.
» Southpaw Kailey Ahlstrom started in the circle for the Blue Raiders and kicked the game off with a 1-2-3 first inning.
» In the bottom half of the first, Burgess led off with a double and came around to score on a North Dakota throwing error. Hill touched home in the first on a Richetto double, then Richetto scored a run of her own when Claire Smith poked an RBI single over the second baseman's head.
» Nahri Tath-Slezak beat out a throw for an infield single to lead off the MT sixth. She proceeded to steal second and third and touched home with Cushing at the plate to extend the Blue Raider lead to 4-0.
» Ahlstrom had a perfect game going through 3.1 innings and finished with a new season high in innings pitched (7.0) and tied her season high for strikeouts (3). The 4-0 final score also gave Ahlstrom her fourth career shutout.
QUOTES FROM THE BLUE RAIDERS
» Head Coach Jeff Breeden on if his team is heating up: "I think our offense definitely made strides this weekend. I knew we just needed more at bats to get some of our power hitters going. We for sure got better, but we've got to continue that trend. We're looking forward to a tough schedule coming up this week."
» Breeden on Baldwin and Ahlstrom's strong performances in the circle: "Both of our pitchers threw well today. They both had great command of their respective off-speed pitches, and going back to yesterday, I thought [Corrina] Dodd also threw well this weekend."
» Shortstop Summer Burgess on the team's weekend at The Spring Games: "I think we really turned it on after that tough loss against Stetson. We knew we are better than how we performed that game, and we just stepped it up and played like we know how. We also didn't let that loss determine the rest of our weekend and stayed positive and just continued to compete. We finally were firing on all cylinders with our hitting, pitching and defense coming together as one this weekend."
» Burgess on playing at home next week for the first time all season: "We are so excited to come home and play in our awesome new stadium. There's nothing better than playing on your own field in front of your fans. We all prepare for being on the road for the first month of the season, and it's fun to travel around and see new places, but we're excited to come home to play now."
» Pitcher Kailey Ahlstrom on what led to her success in the circle on Sunday: "Coach Foti was telling me to stay loose and relaxed and just throw. We kept it simple today calling pitches. I think the team had amazing energy on the field, and we were making great plays, and that carried onto the offense getting some great hits in to score runs."
NEXT UP
» Middle Tennessee hosts MTSU Invitational — March 12-14
» 10% maximum capacity; masks and social distancing required
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Softball), Facebook (Blue Raider Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
Spring Sports Show hosted by The Boulevard – April 21, 2025: Softball and Baseball
Monday, April 21
MTSU Softball vs WKU Recap 4/11-13/25
Monday, April 14
MTSU Softball vs WKU Recap 4/11-13/25 2025
Monday, April 14
