Softball Welcomes Ohio for the 2019 Home-Opener

Game Notes
HerdVision on CUSAtv
Marshall Radio Broadcast Stream

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall softball team returns to Dot Hicks Field for the 2019 home-opener against regional rival the Ohio Bobcats. The single game is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 3 p.m.

Fans who cannot attend, can tune in through HerdVision on CUSAtv or through the Marshall radio broadcast on 88.1 WMUL-FM with the audio streamed online at www.marshall.edu/wmul.

The Thundering Herd comes in at 10-5 and the Bobcats enter at 7-5. The series against Ohio is the longest running series in Marshall softball history. The teams have met 57 times over the years. The first meeting came on March 5, 1994, and the only year that the teams did not meet on the field at least once was 1995. With just 81 miles of roadway separating the two schools, the programs have kept the rivalry going even after the Herd left the Mid-American Conference after the 2005 season.

Last Time Out: Holy City Showdown in Charleston, S.C. - Marshall finished 3-2
Marshall struggled offensively in three games and exploded for a combined 21 runs in two other contests. The Herd began the weekend against UMass-Lowell and trailed 1-0 until senior Briana Daiss hit a 2-run double in the bottom of the sixth. The Riverhawks tied the game with a solo homer in the top of the seventh. After UMass-Lowell scored a run in the top of the eighth, freshman Mya Stevenson crushed a 2-run home run to center for the walk-off win. Junior Kailee Williamson (6) and senior Abigail Tolbert (2) combined for eight strikeouts.

The Herd lost a 1-0 pitching duel to Iowa State in the second game on Friday. Tolbert for Marshall and Savannah Sanders for the Cyclones both allowed just one hit. Unfortunately for Marshall, Iowa State's lone hit was a triple that was followed by a sac fly. Senior Hayden Ellis finally got a hit on the board for the Herd with a double in the fifth.

Marshall's bats came back to life on Saturday, beginning with an 11-5 victory over UNC-Wilmington in what became a home run fest. The Seahawks hit four and Marshall had three dingers but the Herd also put together 10 hits and scored five in the second and three in the seventh to grab the win. Stevenson smacked the first homer of the game for the Herd with a 3-run shot in the second on her birthday. Sophomore Aly Harrell hit her fourth of the year in the fourth and senior Hannah Giammarino added her third of the season in the sixth. Tolbert earned the win. Williamson pitched the final two innings in relief and recorded four strikeouts.

The Herd kept the offense going in the nightcap against Charleston Southern with a 10-0 win in five innings. Four different players drove in two runs each including a 2-run home run from senior Briana Daiss. It was the 22nd of her career and gave her 100 career RBI. Marshall finished with 10 hits, drew five walks and the Buccaneers committed three errors. Williamson earned her third win of the year and has received 10 runs of offensive support from her teammates in each victory.

Marshall's offense struggled again in the final game of the weekend in a 2-1 loss to Appalachian State. Giammarino got the Herd's first hit with an infield single in the fifth. Marshall tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth as freshman Chloe Lee led off with a single, stole second and then reached home on a two-base error on a throw from the outfield. The Mountaineers reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the sixth and then held on for the win. Despite the loss, Tolbert finished the game with a career-high eight strikeouts.

Welcome to the 100 RBI Club - Briana "Tink" Daiss
Senior Briana Daiss added her name a little further into the Marshall record books in the second inning against Charleston Southern. The Clermont, Fla., native hit her 22nd career home run and reached 100 career RBI. Daiss is just the ninth player in program history to have 20+ home runs and 100+ RBI in a career. Tink began her career with 44 runs driven in, third most for a freshman at Marshall.

The Marshall Softball 100 RBI Club
1. Rachel Folden - 196
2. Shaelynn Braxton - 171
3. Samantha Rodriguez - 143
4. Amanda Williams - 142
5. Jazmine Valle - 138
6. Leigh Wintter - 126
7. Taylor McCord - 124
8. Rebecca Gamby - 105
9. Alianna Telles - 104
Morgan Zerkle - 104
11. Briana Daiss - 100

For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

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Players Mentioned

Shaelynn Braxton

Briana Daiss

Hayden Ellis

Hannah Giammarino

Aly Harrell

Chloe Lee

Taylor McCord

Mya Stevenson

Abigail Tolbert

Kailee Williamson

Morgan Zerkle

Marshall University Athletics