Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Wednesday, March 20
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5:00 PM CT
Middle Tennessee
14-18
1
vs
0
Austin Peay
14-14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Austin Peay
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
Middle Tennessee
0
0
1
0
0
0
X
1
4
1
Blue Raiders beat Austin Peay 1-0 to wrap up four-game homestand
3/20/2024 7:21:00 PM | Softball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.—Donning pink tops, pink belts and pink socks for Breast Cancer Awareness night, a new-look Middle Tennessee (14-18, 2-4) delighted a good-size afternoon crowd at home to wrap up a four-game homestand that began last Friday with a 1-0 win over in-state foe Austin Peay (14-14, 0-3).
"(Today's game) shows that we've grown some," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jeff Breeden. "At the beginning of the year, we were losing a bunch of one-run ballgames. (Claire) Woods pitched well. (Julia) Garcia played third base about as well as I've ever seen her do it today. She had a lot of balls hit her way. We were solid all-around, defensively, and we got the one hit that we needed with (Ava) Brooks hitting it out of the yard."
The Blue Raiders broke through first in the bottom of the third, when second baseman Ava Brooks battled back from down 0-and-2 to give Middle Tennessee not only its' first hit of the game, but it's first run as Brooks snuck it over the wall in left-center to make it a 1-0 ballgame.
"When the ball went over, I just really thanked God," Brooks said. "It meant a lot to be able to do that for my grandfather. He passed away last month. I just want to continue getting hits to be there for my teammates. I want them to count on me and get things done for them and not myself."
MTSU starter Claire Woods put together a good start, tossing her first complete-game shutout to earn her second win of the season. It was the Summertown, Tennessee, native's fifth complete game, thus far. The right-hander was able to strand a total of five Governor baserunners in the game, allowing just two hits with four strikeouts.
"When I'm out there, I try to glorify God in everything that I do," Woods said. "It's not my success, it's his success. I knew my defense was going to play really good behind me. I was really happy for (Ava) Brooks, getting a dinger to give us the lead and give us some confidence. It really boosts your confidence when your defense has your back, too. (Today) just felt great."
Offensively, the bottom of the MTSU lineup paced the team, collecting two hits as a group and reached base three times, collectively. Sophomore designated player Riley Gilmore had another productive afternoon at the dish, going 1-for-2 while reaching base twice in the cleanup spot.
Both teams combined for just six hits in the low-scoring affair.
By the Numbers
· 8 – different Blue Raiders have hit a home run this season
· 4:2– the strikeout-to-hit ratio for MTSU starter Claire Woods
Up Next
Middle Tennessee will travel down to Alabama this weekend for a three-game set with CUSA opponent Jacksonville State. First pitch Friday is slated for 6:00 p.m. CDT.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (Blue Raider Softball), Twitter (@MT_Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
"(Today's game) shows that we've grown some," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Jeff Breeden. "At the beginning of the year, we were losing a bunch of one-run ballgames. (Claire) Woods pitched well. (Julia) Garcia played third base about as well as I've ever seen her do it today. She had a lot of balls hit her way. We were solid all-around, defensively, and we got the one hit that we needed with (Ava) Brooks hitting it out of the yard."
The Blue Raiders broke through first in the bottom of the third, when second baseman Ava Brooks battled back from down 0-and-2 to give Middle Tennessee not only its' first hit of the game, but it's first run as Brooks snuck it over the wall in left-center to make it a 1-0 ballgame.
"When the ball went over, I just really thanked God," Brooks said. "It meant a lot to be able to do that for my grandfather. He passed away last month. I just want to continue getting hits to be there for my teammates. I want them to count on me and get things done for them and not myself."
MTSU starter Claire Woods put together a good start, tossing her first complete-game shutout to earn her second win of the season. It was the Summertown, Tennessee, native's fifth complete game, thus far. The right-hander was able to strand a total of five Governor baserunners in the game, allowing just two hits with four strikeouts.
"When I'm out there, I try to glorify God in everything that I do," Woods said. "It's not my success, it's his success. I knew my defense was going to play really good behind me. I was really happy for (Ava) Brooks, getting a dinger to give us the lead and give us some confidence. It really boosts your confidence when your defense has your back, too. (Today) just felt great."
Offensively, the bottom of the MTSU lineup paced the team, collecting two hits as a group and reached base three times, collectively. Sophomore designated player Riley Gilmore had another productive afternoon at the dish, going 1-for-2 while reaching base twice in the cleanup spot.
Both teams combined for just six hits in the low-scoring affair.
By the Numbers
· 8 – different Blue Raiders have hit a home run this season
· 4:2– the strikeout-to-hit ratio for MTSU starter Claire Woods
Up Next
Middle Tennessee will travel down to Alabama this weekend for a three-game set with CUSA opponent Jacksonville State. First pitch Friday is slated for 6:00 p.m. CDT.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (Blue Raider Softball), Twitter (@MT_Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Woods, Claire (2-3)
L: MIENER, Samantha (3-5)
Base Running:
SB: WEINZAPFEL, Kendyl 1
Batting:
HR: Brooks, Ava 1
RBI: Brooks, Ava 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brooks, Ava 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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MTSU Softball vs WKU Recap 4/11-13/25 2025
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