University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Lady Vols Split Road Doubleheader With Middle Tennessee
March 23, 2000 | Softball
Traveling to Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Wednesday afternoon, the Lady Vol softball team hoped to add to its unblemished 13-0 mark against in-state foe Middle Tennessee. Behind a four-run fifth inning and another strong pitching performance by senior Jackie Beavers, UT captured the opener, 5-2. However, the Lady Raiders took the nightcap, 2-1, to salvage a split of the day's action and record their initial victory over UT. Jim Beitia's club is now 13-11 on the campaign.
In the first game, Tennessee broke a 1-1 deadlock in the fifth with four runs on four hits off MTSU starter Stayc Preator to seize control. Junior Holly Ellison belted a one-out double to right center field and moved over to third on senior Nadia Cameron's base-hit into right. On ball four to the next hitter, junior Janette Koshell, Ellison was able to score on a wild pitch by Preator to give UT a 2-1 lead.
Another free pass to senior Amanda Venable loaded the bases and forced a pitching change for the Lady Raiders. Sophomore Maria Torres then greeted reliever Amanda Kendall with a single up the middle to drive in both Cameron and Koshell and give UT a 4-1 lead. With two down, junior Annie Fletcher knocked a single into shallow center field to plate pinch runner Katie Williams with the Lady Vols' fifth run.
MTSU cut the deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by Laura Brockman, but Beavers kept the hosts off the board for the remainder of the contest. In registering her third win in a row, the right-hander allowed seven hits and struck out four to run her season record to 7-7. Cameron and Torres each managed a couple of hits in the victory, however Tennessee also stranded 10 runners on base.
After the Lady Raiders drew first blood in the first inning of game two, the Lady Vols knotted the score at 1-1 in the second frame on a sacrifice fly by Fletcher that scored pinch runner Springs. MTSU moved ahead in the sixth on a two-out single into the gap by Steffi Silva that drove in Brockman, who had launched a double into deep right field and went to third on a fielding error on the previous play.
Freshman Leslie Poole went the distance in the circle for UT, giving up six hits and striking out three, and endured the loss to fall to 4-3. Meanwhile, Lady Raider hurler Jennifer Martinez fanned seven and allowed hits to Venable, junior Maura Mollet, Phillips and Radley. In the setback, Koshell's nine-game hitting streak came to an end.
The Big Orange returns to Southeastern Conference action on Friday night when #14 Alabama (33-6/3-1 SEC) visits for a twinbill starting at 5 p.m.
