Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Wednesday, March 23
Murfreesboro, TN
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
15-15
6
vs
2
Tennessee State
9-17
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Tennessee State
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
1
1
Middle Tennessee
0
1
2
2
0
1
X
6
12
2
Blue Raiders ease past Tigers in Midweek Clash
3/23/2022 9:10:00 PM | Softball
Top four in the lineup combine to go 9-for-15 at the plate.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Despite a fourth inning hiccup, Middle Tennessee kept Wednesday evening's game on cruise control at Blue Raider Softball Field, easing past Tennessee State 6-2 to cap off their nine-game homestand.
The Blue Raiders (15-15, 2-1 C-USA) scored runs in four out of six innings they came to the plate, led by the production of their 1-through-4 hitters, who combined to go 9-for-15 while scoring four runs and earning five RBIs against the Tigers (9-17, 0-3 OVC).
"Kelci [Hill] had been in a little bit of a slump and she's coming on now," head coach Jeff Breeden said. "Amaya [Harris] is going to do what she does and [Laura] Mealer has settled into her role. Now, I'm searching for a nine to try to get the top going again."
Hill tied her single game career-high in RBIs with three on Wednesday. The center fielder has compiled nine RBIs over the past week, starting every game in the two hole for Breeden.
"I'm just grateful that [my bat] finally became hot, because this is when it matters," Hill said. "I tell Amaya that 'when you get on, I'll get you over, and Laura will get you in, because that's how we've been doing it all season. And then Anyce is behind Laura, so even if she doesn't produce, then Anyce is right there. It's a scary lineup 1-through-9 to pitch to."
Amaya Harris was an ideal table setter for the Blue Raiders, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances and scoring every single time she got on base. Laura Mealer continued to showcase her power in her freshman campaign, blasting a two-run shot in the fourth for her fourth homer of the season.
Corrina Dodd was excellent in the circle to earn her sixth win of the 2022 season, pitching six innings while allowing no earned runs and striking out three. She had a no-hitter going through four innings, but was initially pulled for Keri Munn, who gave up Tennessee State's sole hit. Dodd would reenter the game to complete the fifth and sixth innings.
Middle Tennessee struck first in the bottom of the second inning, as Shelby Sargent singled to left field, scoring Lani Rodriguez from second. Sargent advanced to second on the throw and stole third shortly thereafter, but could not come around to score, giving MT a 1-0 lead after two complete innings.
Mealer kept the offense humming in the bottom of the third, punching a fly ball to center field, the wind fading its flight path to the right of the flagpole to give MT a 3-0 lead, scoring Harris from first along with Mealer.
The fourth inning would see the Blue Raiders tack on a couple more, after an Ava Tepe walk flipped the lineup to the top of the order, and a Harris single followed by a Hill single drove in two runs to give MT a 5-0 lead.
Tennessee State added two runs in the top of the fifth to cut the Blue Raiders lead to 5-2, but MT got back on the board thanks to a double down the left-field line from Hill, who scored Harris from first on the play to grow the lead to 6-2. Claire Woods slammed the door shut in the seventh, allowing no runners and ending the game on just nine pitches from the freshman.
The Blue Raiders will now travel to Huntington, W. Va. to take on Marshall in their first road C-USA series of the season. Games are scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for noon central time.
"I challenged (the pitching staff) a minute ago," Breeden said of the Thundering Herd. "I told them they hit .333 as a team right now and they hit a bunch of bombs. So it's going to be on you to keep the ball in the park and let us try to slug around on it and score a few runs."
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (/BlueRaiderSoftball), Twitter (MT_Softball) and Instagram (MT_Softball).
The Blue Raiders (15-15, 2-1 C-USA) scored runs in four out of six innings they came to the plate, led by the production of their 1-through-4 hitters, who combined to go 9-for-15 while scoring four runs and earning five RBIs against the Tigers (9-17, 0-3 OVC).
"Kelci [Hill] had been in a little bit of a slump and she's coming on now," head coach Jeff Breeden said. "Amaya [Harris] is going to do what she does and [Laura] Mealer has settled into her role. Now, I'm searching for a nine to try to get the top going again."
Hill tied her single game career-high in RBIs with three on Wednesday. The center fielder has compiled nine RBIs over the past week, starting every game in the two hole for Breeden.
"I'm just grateful that [my bat] finally became hot, because this is when it matters," Hill said. "I tell Amaya that 'when you get on, I'll get you over, and Laura will get you in, because that's how we've been doing it all season. And then Anyce is behind Laura, so even if she doesn't produce, then Anyce is right there. It's a scary lineup 1-through-9 to pitch to."
Amaya Harris was an ideal table setter for the Blue Raiders, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances and scoring every single time she got on base. Laura Mealer continued to showcase her power in her freshman campaign, blasting a two-run shot in the fourth for her fourth homer of the season.
Corrina Dodd was excellent in the circle to earn her sixth win of the 2022 season, pitching six innings while allowing no earned runs and striking out three. She had a no-hitter going through four innings, but was initially pulled for Keri Munn, who gave up Tennessee State's sole hit. Dodd would reenter the game to complete the fifth and sixth innings.
Middle Tennessee struck first in the bottom of the second inning, as Shelby Sargent singled to left field, scoring Lani Rodriguez from second. Sargent advanced to second on the throw and stole third shortly thereafter, but could not come around to score, giving MT a 1-0 lead after two complete innings.
Mealer kept the offense humming in the bottom of the third, punching a fly ball to center field, the wind fading its flight path to the right of the flagpole to give MT a 3-0 lead, scoring Harris from first along with Mealer.
The fourth inning would see the Blue Raiders tack on a couple more, after an Ava Tepe walk flipped the lineup to the top of the order, and a Harris single followed by a Hill single drove in two runs to give MT a 5-0 lead.
Tennessee State added two runs in the top of the fifth to cut the Blue Raiders lead to 5-2, but MT got back on the board thanks to a double down the left-field line from Hill, who scored Harris from first on the play to grow the lead to 6-2. Claire Woods slammed the door shut in the seventh, allowing no runners and ending the game on just nine pitches from the freshman.
The Blue Raiders will now travel to Huntington, W. Va. to take on Marshall in their first road C-USA series of the season. Games are scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for noon central time.
"I challenged (the pitching staff) a minute ago," Breeden said of the Thundering Herd. "I told them they hit .333 as a team right now and they hit a bunch of bombs. So it's going to be on you to keep the ball in the park and let us try to slug around on it and score a few runs."
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (/BlueRaiderSoftball), Twitter (MT_Softball) and Instagram (MT_Softball).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dodd, Corrina (6-3)
L: Caitlyn Manus (5-4)
Base Running:
RUNS: Analeigh Coursey 1 ; Ryla Traylor 1
SB: Analeigh Coursey 1
Batting:
2B: Hill, Kelci 1
HR: Mealer, Laura 1
RBI: Hill, Kelci 3 ; Mealer, Laura 2 ; Sargent, Shelby 1
SH: Rodriguez, Lani 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Harris, Amaya 3 ; Mealer, Laura 1 ; Rodriguez, Lani 1 ; Tepe, Ava 1
SB: Mealer, Laura 1 ; Harvey, Anyce 1 ; Sargent, Shelby 1
CS: Shoulders, Abby 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ SoftballOF/INF
/ SoftballSS/2B
/ Softball
2B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P/3B
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