March 21, 2008

Game One Box Score|Game Two Box Score

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - (Friday, March 21, 2008) The Redhawks softball team earned a doubleheader split with Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite Tennessee Tech at Tech Softball Field in Cookeville, Tennessee on Saturday. The Redhawks shutdown the high-powered Golden Eagles offense in the opening game of the series, 4-0 before falling 5-1 in the second game.

Elaine Fisher (St. Peters, MO/Francis Howell North) was masterful in game one as she recorded her fourth complete game shutout of the season. Fisher (6-9) held the potent Golden Eagles (15-16-1, 1-2 OVC) to eight hits (all singles) while striking out seven and walking only two as she recorded her 12th complete game in 14 starts this season.

Fisher got plenty of run support as the Redhawks (11-14, 1-3 OVC) got on the board quickly in the top of the first inning. The Redhawks loaded the bases with no outs as Golden Eagles starter Maddi Schmissrauter struggled with her control but settled down to record two outs before Lauren Bradley (Overland Park, KS/Shawnee Mission South) connected on a single to center to plate Jennifer Vasquez (Placentia, CA/El Dorado).

In the fifth inning the Redhawks struck for two runs as Michelle Summers (Glendale, CA/Hoover) led-off the inning with a single to the opposite field and then advanced to second on an error by rightfielder Katie Betry. Lindsey Woodworth (Sparta, IL/Sparta) came in to pinch run for Summers and moved to third on a passed ball by Schmissrauter. Vasquez then doubled to center to plate Woodworth. Vasquez was forced home by Megan McDonald (Cape Girardeau, MO/Cape Central) who made it back-to-back doubles with a two-bagger to center to drive in Vasquez and knock Schmissrauter from the game without recording an out in the fifth. Tech reliever Meghan Maynard retired the side leaving McDonald stranded at third.

The Redhawks got their final run in the top of the seventh as Summers led-off the inning with a solo homerun down the leftfield line for the 4-0 lead.

Fisher pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh. Tech collected three straight singles to load the bases with no outs. Fisher didn't panic and retired the side to end the Tech threat.

Summers collected her team-high 12th multi-hit game of the season going 2-3 including her team-high seventh homerun of the season.

Vasquez went 1-3 with a double and scored two runs.

The Golden Eagles bounced back in the second game as they used homeruns by Beth Boden and Stephanie Fischer to record their first OVC win of the season.

Tech got their first run in the second inning as Betry scored on an error by Katie Otterness (Schaumburg, IL/Hoffman Estates) for the first run of the game.

In the third the Golden Eagles touched Redhawks starter Whitney Dupuis (Sulphur, LA/Sulphur) for three runs as 2007 OVC Player of the Year Boden launched a solo shot to leftfield. Katie Speiser then singled. Fischer then hit her OVC-leading 13th homerun of the season to plate Speiser and make the score 4-0.

In the fifth the Redhawks ruined Sarah Street's bid for a shutout as Allie Borowiak (Nashville, IL/John A. Logan CC) touched her for a solo homerun to deep left center to make it a three-run game. The Redhawks then placed two runners on after the homerun but failed to get any of them across home.

Tech got that run back in their half of the fifth as Blaes Schmissrauter scored on an RBI groundout by her sister Maddi.

Dupuis (4-5) was credited with the loss as she allowed five runs (four earned) in her fourth complete game of the season. She struckout three and only issued one free pass.

Street got the win as she allowed only one run on six hits in seven innings. She struckout four and walked one.

McDonald led the Redhawks hitters with a 2-3 showing at the plate. It was her ninth multi-hit game of the season.

The two teams return to the field tomorrow for the rubber game of the series. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.