Golden Eagles split first day of Frost Classic
Tennessee Tech scored in each of the final five innings of its second game of the Frost Classic on Friday to beat Dayton by a score of 8-2 on a windy day in Chattanooga. The Golden Eagles relied on solid pitching and smart base running to earn the victory.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --Sophomore Kayla Floyd had the best game of her career on Friday, helping lead Tech to an 8-2 victory over the Dayton Flyers in the annual Frost Classic.
Floyd went 2-for-3 and stole a pair of bases while scoring two runs on the day.
Tech jumped on top in the third, rallying for two runs on three hits and a Dayton error. Sophomore Cassie Garrett singled up the middle to spark the offense. Junior Melody Christian then hit a grounder to third that ended up in center field after a throwing error by the Flyer third baseman. Garrett hustled all the way from first to score on the play while Christian advanced to third. A single by junior Chanelle Spalding scored Christian to give Tech the 2-0 lead.
After Dayton (1-5) tied the game on a two-run homer in the bottom of the third, Tech surged back to retake the lead in the fourth.
Floyd beat out a 3-2 bunt for a single and advanced to third on another single by Garrett. Christian hit a sharp ball to third which was again mishandled, scoring Floyd and leaving runners at the corners. Garrett came in to score as they Flyers unsuccessfully tried to catch Christian stealing second. Chanelle Spalding then doubled to score Christian and give Tech the 5-2 lead after four.
In the fifth, junior Brittney Spalding singled and came around to score on a double by freshman Angi Sakamoto.
The sixth then saw Floyd reach on another infield single, then steal both second and third bases. Christian took a check swing with a 2-2 count, as Flyer pitcher Sydney Cicchetti threw a wild pitch that reached the backstop, allowing Floyd to score. Coach Tory Acheson then told Christian to take first base. As she did, he asked the umpire to check to see if Melody swung. The third base umpire confirmed she did swing, giving her the base on the dropped third strike thanks to Acheson's quick thinking. Christian would then steal second, but be stranded there.
Sophomore Kendall Hooper tacked on Tech's final run in the seventh, hitting a double and advancing on a wild pitch before scoring on a fielder's choice.
Freshman Erica Tuck earned her second win of her young career, allowing just two runs and four hits while striking out three in 3.1 innings of work. Junior Claudia Harke provided excellent support in the circle, pitching the final 3.2 innings without allowing a single run while striking out six.
Garret went 3-for-5 and scored two runs while C. Spalding hit 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.
Cleveland State relied on a dominating performance by pitcher Megan Bashak to defeat the Golden Eagles 2-0 in the first game of the twinbill. Bashak shut down the Tech offense, allowing only two hits in the game without walking a single batter en route to her first win of the season.
Tech senior Holly Thomas pitched a solid game, striking out nine in her six innings of work. The Vikings (1-5) mustered five hits and two walks off of Thomas, but managed to score just to runs.
The Golden Eagles (5-6) return to action on Saturday with games against future Ohio Valley Conference foe Belmont and Troy. The first pitch of the day is slated for 10 a.m. CST.
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