The Jackets softball team traveled to Clearwater, Florida this past weekend to compete in the annual Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational. The Eddie C. Moore Complex is the host site for 16 programs, including the No. 2 University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers, No. 4 University of Georgia Bulldogs and No. 5 Florida State University. University Seminole.
Tech's opponents include the Lady Volunteers, No. 8 Oklahoma State University Cowgirls, No. 9 Stanford Cardinal, No. 12 Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers, Northwestern Wildcats and University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. It will be done. A victory over the Lady Volunteers, Cowgirls, Cardinal or Tigers would make them the highest-ranked opponent defeated during head coach Eileen Morales' tenure.
The Jackets threw out the first pitch of the tournament against Stanford on Thursday morning, February 15th. Stanford's two-run home runs in the first and third innings put the Jackets on the back foot from the start. Starting right-handed pitcher Sophia Boyles, a third-year pitcher, was relieved by right-handed sophomore Jaydyn Studebaker and left the game in the top of the third inning. Senior shortstop Jin Sileo hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning off Regan Krause, a Stanford senior right-hander with a 2.33 ERA. The Cardinal's three-run fourth inning capped off Studebaker's two strikeouts.
Tech paced the Cardinal behind sophomore catcher Reece Hunter's second home run of the season. Fifth-year right-hander Chandler Dennis was replaced in the fifth inning, stalling Stanford 4-7. Tech scored two runs, then Stanford answered with six runs in the sixth inning. The Jackets couldn't match the Cardinal's good hitters with a home run by Hunter and a double by right fielder Paige Vukadinovic and a double by Sileo. The game was tied at 7-15 at the end of the 6th inning.
Right-handed junior Kinsey Norton started at 2:00 in the Jackets' game against the LSU Tigers. The Technics retired from the top of the order in the top of the first inning. After LSU committed two errors with the bases loaded, designated hitter Sarah Beth Allen and third baseman Mallory Black scored to take a 2-0 lead. LSU right-handed pitcher Raelynn Chaffin, a junior with a career 3.00 ERA, held Tech to five innings and had five strikeouts while keeping Tech off the scoreboard. The Tigers then acquired Norton, Studebaker and fifth-year forward Blake Neleman for nine unanswered points. Jacket down 2-9.
The lead was now eight points, with Black going in the yard on one run and freshman Gracyn Tucker driving in graduate student Tiffany Domingue. The Tigers got two runs back against left-handed freshman Makayla Coffield, and the Jackets had an eight-run lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning. Black singled for a home run before Domingue's late three-run homer, but Tech lost to LSU by four runs, losing 8-12.
The Jackets were looking to bring their powerful offense to life against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday, February 16th. Minnesota led 0-1 in the bottom of the second inning. Junior center fielder Ella Edgmon singled to Vukadinovic in the top of the third inning. Studebaker made his first start as a Jacket and had a career-high four strikeouts in 2.1 innings, but gave up four runs in the bottom of the third inning, when Cofield came in relief. Coffield scored the extra point and left the team. Tech rallied in the fourth, cutting the deficit from 1-6 to 5-6.
The next two teams, the Gophers and Jackets, traded two runs, one of which was Allen's two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning, bringing Tech within one run, 7-8. Minnesota increased its lead to three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior right fielder Madison Dobbins homered on an error, and junior pinch hitter Emma Minghini hit an inside corner ball against the fence to tie the game. The Gophers hit a walk-off single to take an 11-12 lead.
On Saturday, February 17th, the Northwestern Wildcats earned their third win of the season in five innings. Tech allowed one run in each of the first four innings and scored three in the fourth, but Nelleman allowed nine runs before being relieved by Coffield in the third. Coffield allowed just one run in the fourth inning, and the Wildcats offense piled up nine points in the fifth against Coffield, Dennis and Boyles. Graduate student Ashley Miller closed out the game for the Wildcats, going 6-for-19 called after holding Tech to one hit and striking out three.
The remaining games between the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers and Oklahoma State University Cowgirls were canceled due to inclement weather. The Jackets showed their grit and offensive power in the Clearwater Invitational Tournament, hitting nine home runs despite falling to 3 wins and 7 losses.Tech returns home to reset and rebound before hosting I-75 Tournament This coming weekend.
