Tennessee State lost 9-4 to Eastern Illinois in the opening game of their Ohio Valley Conference softball series at Williams Field on May 1. The Tigers recorded one of their best offensive performances of the conference season, collecting 11 hits and scoring multiple times.
The game began with Tennessee State taking an early lead. Hailey Hunt hit a two-run single in the first inning, bringing home Alexis Woods and Noelani Wilkerson. However, Eastern Illinois answered quickly with two home runs in the bottom half of the inning to take control.
Woods led Tennessee State’s offense by going three-for-three at the plate, scoring twice and stealing a base. Hunt finished with four runs batted in on two hits, driving in all four Tiger runs for the evening. Dani James and Mariyah Brown also contributed with two hits each as Tennessee State matched Eastern Illinois in total hits during much of the contest.
Pitchers Tianna Salcido and Kristian Holder combined for steady relief work throughout the game, helping limit further damage from Eastern Illinois’ lineup. Defensively, Tennessee State played error-free ball while staying competitive against one of the top teams in their conference.
Despite falling short on Friday night, Tennessee State showed improvement at bat and consistency on defense as they prepare for upcoming games. The Tigers will continue their series against Eastern Illinois on Saturday.
