Blue Raider Softball Splits with Dayton

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee softball (5-15) earned a split with Dayton (4-5), falling 4-2 in the first game and winning the second 3-2, Sunday at Blue Raider Field.

The Blue Raiders were protecting a 3-2 lead going into the top of the seventh inning, in the second game. Freshman hurler Ashley Katinas gave up a lead off walk to the Flyer's Cortney Schafer, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. With a runner in scoring position, and no outs, the Blue Raiders were facing a real threat by Dayton, but today would not be the Flyer's day. Katinas showed she is slowly shedding the manacles of rookie pitcher as she proceeded to strike out the next three batters to secure the Blue Raider's a split.

Middle Tennessee broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the sixth to secure the win. With one out, Middle Tennessee's Trish White reached on a single and then moved all the way to third on a seeing eye single by Jennifer Dorais. With runners on second and third, senior Liz Davis gave the Blue Raiders the lead when she hit a rope into right field for an RBI single.

White gave the Blue Raiders the first run of the second game when she hit a one out double in the first inning. She scored off an RBI single by Dorias to give the Blue Raiders a 1-0 lead after one inning.

Dorais started the game on the mound for the Blue Raiders in the second game, which was her first appearance in the pitching circle this year. After working two scoreless innings, Dorais got herself into a jam in the top of the third, giving up a lead off walk and two singles to load the bases. Dorais gave up back-to-back walks, allowing Dayton two runs. Katinas relieved Dorais with two outs and forced Dayton's Christina Vetter to fly out for the third out of the inning.

Down 2-1, Middle Tennessee tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Third baseman Melissa Weiland opened the inning with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Michelle Wilkes, who put the Blue Raiders in scoring position with a stolen base. Wilkes advanced to third on a wild pitch by Chelsea Grozenski and scored on a fielder's choice RBI by Brandi Boehner.

In the first game, Middle Tennessee gave up two runs in the top of the third innings after two scoreless innings. In the bottom of the third, the Blue Raiders answered when Weiland hit a two RBI double to tie the game at two.

The tie didn't last long, as Dayton racked up two runs in the top of the sixth inning. With the bases loaded, Katinas walked Christine Eggers to plate Laura Matthews making the score 3-2. Dayton tacked on a second run thanks to a Blue Raider error that scored Ellie Malchow.

Katinas went seven innings in the first game to take the loss and came in as a reliever in the second game for 4.1 innings of work to pick up the win. She runs her record to 2-12 on the season

Middle Tennessee returns to action on Wednesday when the Blue Raiders travel to Birmingham to take on Birmingham Southern. The first pitch is set for 5 p.m.

Game Notes: Katinas recorded a career-high eight strikeouts in the first game .... In the second game, Katinas tossed four plus innings of scoreless ball ... White hit her first double of the season ... Weiland knocked a season-high two doubles in game one against Dayton ... Middle Tennessee is 2-2 in their last four games after snapping an 11 game losing streak ... Freshman Brandi Boehner has been productive in her last four games as she has a .625 batting average, two doubles and has scored a run.

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