Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Sunday, March 6
Madeira Beach, FL
8:00 AM
Middle Tennessee
8-12
6
vs
3
Radford
7-7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Middle Tennessee
3
0
1
0
0
0
2
6
10
2
Radford Highlanders
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
3
3
0
Blue Raiders remain perfect on final day of Spring Games to secure fourth-straight win against Radford and Georgia Southern
3/6/2022 10:06:00 PM | Softball
MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. - Middle Tennessee Softball closed out play in the Spring Games on Sunday to capture their fourth-straight win, defeating the Radford Highlanders, 6-3, and then Georgia Southern in a wild extra-innings 9-8 win in the Blue Raiders weekend finale.
Middle Tennessee 6 vs. Radford 3
It didn't take long for the Blue Raiders to get things started. Harris led off the game with a single through the left side. Harris advanced on a groundout to the shortstop just before Mealer connected on a one-out single and advanced on the throw to move Harris to third. Freshman Anyce Harvey followed with a booming double into right field to bring across Harris and Mealer and give the Blue Raiders a 2-0 lead. Junior Kelci Hill then followed with a back-to-back double into right field to plate Harvey and push the Blue Raiders lead to three.
The Highlanders eventually got one back in the second, as Radford sent a solo homer over the right-center wall to cut the Blue Raiders lead to two, 3-1.
It wouldn't take long for the Blue Raiders to respond in the Blue Raiders side of the third. The Blue Raiders hit a groundout to lead off the inning, but a pair of singles into left field from Mealer and Harvey put two Blue Raiders on with only one down. Mealer and Harvey both stole bases just before junior Kaylee Richetto connected on an RBI-single through the right side to push across Mealer and push the Blue Raiders lead back to three, 4-1.
The Blue Raiders maintained their 4-1 lead through the top of the fourth, but a two-run home run with two out in the bottom of the fourth brought the Highlanders back within one run from tying the game at 4-3.
The game remained a one-run ballgame through the end of the sixth, but that was as close as the Highlanders would get. Herring knocked a bunt single to third base to lead off the seventh, before Harris hit her second home run of the season on a two-run shot over the right-field wall to seal the Blue Raiders 6-3 win.
Harvey and Harris led the Blue Raiders against the Highlanders, knocking in two RBIs each and going 2-for-3 and 2-for-4, respectively. Harris also scored a pair of runs. Mealer and Richetto also knocked a pair of hits, while Richetto and Hill both knocked in a RBI in the win.
Senior Corrina Dodd pitched her third complete game of the season, going seven innings and allowing just three runs on four hits. Dodd posted a season-high eight strikeouts, tying her career high in the win.
Middle Tennessee 9 vs. Georgia Southern 8
The Blue Raiders kept things hot in the second matchup of the day. Harris put a single into right field to lead off the game. Mealer reached on an error by the Georgia Southern third baseman to put two on for the Blue Raiders. Harvey then came up in the four-spot to knock a one-out double to left-center to plate Harris and give the Blue Raiders a 1-0 lead and put two more base-runners in scoring position. After the Blue Raiders second out, Richetto hit a two-out two-RBI double into center field, bringing across Mealer and Harvey and give the Blue Raiders a 3-0 lead.
The Eagles answered back to tie up the game in the second. Georgia Southern hit a pair of singles before the Eagles' pinch hitter entered and connected on a one-out RBI single to the Eagles on the board, 1-0. Georgia Southern connected on another single, this time a two-RBI shot, to bring the game even halfway through the second.
The Blue Raiders retook the lead in the bottom of the second. Rodriguez led off the inning with a leadoff single before Sargent connected on a back-to-back bunt single to the pitcher to put two on with no outs. Shoulders sent a one-out sacrifice fly into center field to bring across Sargent and put the Blue Raiders back on top, 4-3.
The Blue Raiders maintained their one-run lead through the middle of the fourth. Rodriguez and Sargent mirrored their performances in the second, hitting back-to-back singles to put two on for the Blue Raiders with no outs. Shoulders reached on a fielder's choice that put Rodriguez out at third, but a single from Mealer into right field to score Sargent and give the Blue Raiders a two-run lead, 5-3.
Middle Tennessee continued to add to its lead in the bottom of the fifth. Hill drew a leadoff walk to open the inning. Richetto followed Hill and reached on a fielder's choice that put out Hill. Freshman Ava Tepe then hit a one-out single on the first pitch she saw to put two on for the Blue Raiders. Freeman came in to pinch run for Richetto and Freeman and Tepe both got into scoring after a pair of stolen bases. Rodriguez then hit a one-out two-RBI single to bring home Freeman and Tepe and give the Blue Raiders their largest lead of the game, 7-3.
Middle Tennessee maintained its lead four-run lead into the seventh. Georgia Southern put across an RBI on a fielder's choice and then pushed across a run on a fielder's choice, to bring the game back within one, 7-5. After an HBP, the Blue Raiders brought in senior Kailey Ahlstrom to try and earn a save and close out the game. The Eagles pushed another run across on an error by second base to bring the game within a run, 7-6. Georgia Southern hit a sacrifice fly into center-field after a 12-pitch at-bat to bring across the tying run and force the Blue Raiders to try and respond in the bottom of the seventh.
Middle Tennessee got a base-runner on to second, but the Blue Raiders couldn't push a run across in the seventh as the teams headed to extra innings.
Georgia Southern took their first lead of the contest after hitting a single through the left side to take an 8-7 lead.
However, the Blue Raiders were not going down without a fight. Sargent led things off on second in the eighth. Harris hit a bunt single and beat out the throw to put the Blue Raiders' game-winning run on base. Shoulders reached on a fielder's choice and pushed across Sargent to bring the Blue Raiders back even at eight. Mealer singled through he right side to move the game-winning run to second and then Harvey cleaned up, knocking a single to second base that brought Shoulders all the way from second and she beat out the throw at home to give the Blue Raiders the walk-off 9-8 victory.
Lani Rodriguez had a great game for the Blue Raiders, going 3-for-4, and recording two RBIs and a run. Harvey, Richetto, and Shoulders also scored two RBIs in the game, with Richetto going 2-for-4 and Harvery going 2-for-5 against the Eagles. Mealer and Harris also posted a multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 against the Eagles, with Mealer knocking across one RBI.
Claire Woods got the start in the circle for the Blue Raiders, pitching two innings and allowing three runs on five hits. Senior Gretchen Mead came in relief first of Woods, putting in 4.1 innings of work and allowing four runs on four hits, and striking out a game-high four batters. Ahlstrom closed out the game for the Blue Raiders, earning the win after 1.2 innings of work and allowing just one run on one hit.
Up Next
The Blue Raiders stay on the road as they head to Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, March 8 for a 4 p.m. matchup against Georgia Tech.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (/BlueRaiderSoftball), Twitter (MT_Softball) and Instagram (MT_Softball).
Middle Tennessee 6 vs. Radford 3
It didn't take long for the Blue Raiders to get things started. Harris led off the game with a single through the left side. Harris advanced on a groundout to the shortstop just before Mealer connected on a one-out single and advanced on the throw to move Harris to third. Freshman Anyce Harvey followed with a booming double into right field to bring across Harris and Mealer and give the Blue Raiders a 2-0 lead. Junior Kelci Hill then followed with a back-to-back double into right field to plate Harvey and push the Blue Raiders lead to three.
The Highlanders eventually got one back in the second, as Radford sent a solo homer over the right-center wall to cut the Blue Raiders lead to two, 3-1.
It wouldn't take long for the Blue Raiders to respond in the Blue Raiders side of the third. The Blue Raiders hit a groundout to lead off the inning, but a pair of singles into left field from Mealer and Harvey put two Blue Raiders on with only one down. Mealer and Harvey both stole bases just before junior Kaylee Richetto connected on an RBI-single through the right side to push across Mealer and push the Blue Raiders lead back to three, 4-1.
The Blue Raiders maintained their 4-1 lead through the top of the fourth, but a two-run home run with two out in the bottom of the fourth brought the Highlanders back within one run from tying the game at 4-3.
The game remained a one-run ballgame through the end of the sixth, but that was as close as the Highlanders would get. Herring knocked a bunt single to third base to lead off the seventh, before Harris hit her second home run of the season on a two-run shot over the right-field wall to seal the Blue Raiders 6-3 win.
Harvey and Harris led the Blue Raiders against the Highlanders, knocking in two RBIs each and going 2-for-3 and 2-for-4, respectively. Harris also scored a pair of runs. Mealer and Richetto also knocked a pair of hits, while Richetto and Hill both knocked in a RBI in the win.
Senior Corrina Dodd pitched her third complete game of the season, going seven innings and allowing just three runs on four hits. Dodd posted a season-high eight strikeouts, tying her career high in the win.
Middle Tennessee 9 vs. Georgia Southern 8
The Blue Raiders kept things hot in the second matchup of the day. Harris put a single into right field to lead off the game. Mealer reached on an error by the Georgia Southern third baseman to put two on for the Blue Raiders. Harvey then came up in the four-spot to knock a one-out double to left-center to plate Harris and give the Blue Raiders a 1-0 lead and put two more base-runners in scoring position. After the Blue Raiders second out, Richetto hit a two-out two-RBI double into center field, bringing across Mealer and Harvey and give the Blue Raiders a 3-0 lead.
The Eagles answered back to tie up the game in the second. Georgia Southern hit a pair of singles before the Eagles' pinch hitter entered and connected on a one-out RBI single to the Eagles on the board, 1-0. Georgia Southern connected on another single, this time a two-RBI shot, to bring the game even halfway through the second.
The Blue Raiders retook the lead in the bottom of the second. Rodriguez led off the inning with a leadoff single before Sargent connected on a back-to-back bunt single to the pitcher to put two on with no outs. Shoulders sent a one-out sacrifice fly into center field to bring across Sargent and put the Blue Raiders back on top, 4-3.
The Blue Raiders maintained their one-run lead through the middle of the fourth. Rodriguez and Sargent mirrored their performances in the second, hitting back-to-back singles to put two on for the Blue Raiders with no outs. Shoulders reached on a fielder's choice that put Rodriguez out at third, but a single from Mealer into right field to score Sargent and give the Blue Raiders a two-run lead, 5-3.
Middle Tennessee continued to add to its lead in the bottom of the fifth. Hill drew a leadoff walk to open the inning. Richetto followed Hill and reached on a fielder's choice that put out Hill. Freshman Ava Tepe then hit a one-out single on the first pitch she saw to put two on for the Blue Raiders. Freeman came in to pinch run for Richetto and Freeman and Tepe both got into scoring after a pair of stolen bases. Rodriguez then hit a one-out two-RBI single to bring home Freeman and Tepe and give the Blue Raiders their largest lead of the game, 7-3.
Middle Tennessee maintained its lead four-run lead into the seventh. Georgia Southern put across an RBI on a fielder's choice and then pushed across a run on a fielder's choice, to bring the game back within one, 7-5. After an HBP, the Blue Raiders brought in senior Kailey Ahlstrom to try and earn a save and close out the game. The Eagles pushed another run across on an error by second base to bring the game within a run, 7-6. Georgia Southern hit a sacrifice fly into center-field after a 12-pitch at-bat to bring across the tying run and force the Blue Raiders to try and respond in the bottom of the seventh.
Middle Tennessee got a base-runner on to second, but the Blue Raiders couldn't push a run across in the seventh as the teams headed to extra innings.
Georgia Southern took their first lead of the contest after hitting a single through the left side to take an 8-7 lead.
However, the Blue Raiders were not going down without a fight. Sargent led things off on second in the eighth. Harris hit a bunt single and beat out the throw to put the Blue Raiders' game-winning run on base. Shoulders reached on a fielder's choice and pushed across Sargent to bring the Blue Raiders back even at eight. Mealer singled through he right side to move the game-winning run to second and then Harvey cleaned up, knocking a single to second base that brought Shoulders all the way from second and she beat out the throw at home to give the Blue Raiders the walk-off 9-8 victory.
Lani Rodriguez had a great game for the Blue Raiders, going 3-for-4, and recording two RBIs and a run. Harvey, Richetto, and Shoulders also scored two RBIs in the game, with Richetto going 2-for-4 and Harvery going 2-for-5 against the Eagles. Mealer and Harris also posted a multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 against the Eagles, with Mealer knocking across one RBI.
Claire Woods got the start in the circle for the Blue Raiders, pitching two innings and allowing three runs on five hits. Senior Gretchen Mead came in relief first of Woods, putting in 4.1 innings of work and allowing four runs on four hits, and striking out a game-high four batters. Ahlstrom closed out the game for the Blue Raiders, earning the win after 1.2 innings of work and allowing just one run on one hit.
Up Next
The Blue Raiders stay on the road as they head to Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, March 8 for a 4 p.m. matchup against Georgia Tech.
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 (4-3)
L: MARVIN, Jessie (2-4)
Batting:
2B: Harvey, Anyce 1 ; Hill, Kelci 1
HR: Harris, Amaya 1
RBI: Harris, Amaya 2 ; Harvey, Anyce 2 ; Hill, Kelci 1 ; Richetto, Kaylee 1
SH: Sargent, Shelby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Harris, Amaya 2 ; Mealer, Laura 2 ; Harvey, Anyce 1 ; Herring, Jaya 1
SB: Mealer, Laura 1 ; Harvey, Anyce 1
Batting:
HR: BARBATO, Cassi 1 ; WILSON, Abby 1
RBI: BARBATO, Cassi 2 ; WILSON, Abby 1
SH: MARVIN, Jessie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SMITH, Rachel 1 ; BARBATO, Cassi 1 ; WILSON, Abby 1
SB: SMITH, Rachel 1 ; SMITH, Emily 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF/UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
2B/3B
/ Softball
P/3B
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