Marshall University Athletics
Sunday, April 28
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
1:00 PM
Marshall University
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Middle Tennessee
25-24, 0
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Middle Tennessee
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Photo by: Adam Gue
Softball Completes Sweep with Shutout of Blue Raiders
4/28/2019 5:10:00 PM | Softball
Harrell breaks Herd single-season walks record with 52nd
Box Score (PDF)
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Marshall softball team finished off the series sweep with a 5-0 victory over the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Sunday. During the victory, sophomore Aly Harrell was walked for the 52nd time this season, breaking the program record.
The Thundering Herd improves to 31-17 overall and 14-7 in Conference USA. The Blue Raiders fall to 25-24 overall and 9-11 in conference action.
"I'm proud of the way we came out today and got our first conference series sweep of the season," Herd head coach Megan Smith said. "Honestly, for me, I feel like Abbie's (Tolbert) performance this weekend was one of the most dominating performances I have seen. To be able to face them in all three games and to be as dominant as she was, is very unusual in this game. After this past week, I am really proud of how she bounced back and was incredible in all three games.
"Today our offense did what we needed to do to win the game and our defense was stellar all weekend. Just a really solid weekend overall."
Senior Abigail Tolbert earned her third win of the weekend, and 20th of the season, pitching all seven innings in the shutout. She scattered four hits and struck out three. During the weekend, Tolbert pitched 16 innings and allowed just five hits and no runs.
Harrell was walked twice in the contest with the second one, and the record-breaker, coming in the third inning. The sophomore broke the mark of 51 set by four-time All-American Rachel Folden (2005-08) in 2007. Marshall still has five games remaining in the regular season.
Freshman Mya Stevenson was walked three times in the contest after her three home run performance from Saturday. In her fourth plate appearance, Stevenson got the chance to swing the bat and hit an RBI single to center. She finished the weekend with eight total RBI.
Marshall put runners on base in the first and second innings but could not get any players to cross the plate. Finally, in the third inning junior Sierra Huerta drove in freshman Rachel Pennington and Stevenson with a bases-loaded double to left-center. The Herd led 2-0.
Junior Blakely Burch added another run for Marshall in the top of the fifth with a double down the left-field line that scored freshman Chloe Lee, who was in to run for Stevenson. Tolbert then got the Blue Raiders to go down in order in just five pitches in the bottom of the fifth to keep the three-run lead.
Marshall made it a 4-0 advantage in the top of the sixth when Stevenson finally got to swing the bat and brought home sophomore Rachel Rousseau from third.
The Herd added the final run of the game with the long-ball in the seventh when Huerta belted her sixth of the season for a solo shot to left. It was Marshall's ninth home run of the weekend, and 60th of the season increasing the program-record. Huerta was also hit by a pitch in the second, bringing her program single-season record up to 22.
Middle Tennessee put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but Tolbert closed out the game with her third strikeout.
Marshall has two non-conference, mid-week opponents on the schedule in the coming week as the Herd will travel to Morehead, Ky., for a doubleheader against the Eagles on Tuesday, April 30, beginning at 1 p.m. The Herd then returns to Dot Hicks Field for a single game against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Wednesday, May 1. Finally, Marshall ends the 2019 regular season on May 4-5, at home against the Florida Atlantic Owls.
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!
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Marshall softball team finished off the series sweep with a 5-0 victory over the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Sunday. During the victory, sophomore Aly Harrell was walked for the 52nd time this season, breaking the program record.
The Thundering Herd improves to 31-17 overall and 14-7 in Conference USA. The Blue Raiders fall to 25-24 overall and 9-11 in conference action.
"I'm proud of the way we came out today and got our first conference series sweep of the season," Herd head coach Megan Smith said. "Honestly, for me, I feel like Abbie's (Tolbert) performance this weekend was one of the most dominating performances I have seen. To be able to face them in all three games and to be as dominant as she was, is very unusual in this game. After this past week, I am really proud of how she bounced back and was incredible in all three games.
"Today our offense did what we needed to do to win the game and our defense was stellar all weekend. Just a really solid weekend overall."
Senior Abigail Tolbert earned her third win of the weekend, and 20th of the season, pitching all seven innings in the shutout. She scattered four hits and struck out three. During the weekend, Tolbert pitched 16 innings and allowed just five hits and no runs.
Harrell was walked twice in the contest with the second one, and the record-breaker, coming in the third inning. The sophomore broke the mark of 51 set by four-time All-American Rachel Folden (2005-08) in 2007. Marshall still has five games remaining in the regular season.
Freshman Mya Stevenson was walked three times in the contest after her three home run performance from Saturday. In her fourth plate appearance, Stevenson got the chance to swing the bat and hit an RBI single to center. She finished the weekend with eight total RBI.
Marshall put runners on base in the first and second innings but could not get any players to cross the plate. Finally, in the third inning junior Sierra Huerta drove in freshman Rachel Pennington and Stevenson with a bases-loaded double to left-center. The Herd led 2-0.
Junior Blakely Burch added another run for Marshall in the top of the fifth with a double down the left-field line that scored freshman Chloe Lee, who was in to run for Stevenson. Tolbert then got the Blue Raiders to go down in order in just five pitches in the bottom of the fifth to keep the three-run lead.
Marshall made it a 4-0 advantage in the top of the sixth when Stevenson finally got to swing the bat and brought home sophomore Rachel Rousseau from third.
The Herd added the final run of the game with the long-ball in the seventh when Huerta belted her sixth of the season for a solo shot to left. It was Marshall's ninth home run of the weekend, and 60th of the season increasing the program-record. Huerta was also hit by a pitch in the second, bringing her program single-season record up to 22.
Middle Tennessee put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but Tolbert closed out the game with her third strikeout.
Marshall has two non-conference, mid-week opponents on the schedule in the coming week as the Herd will travel to Morehead, Ky., for a doubleheader against the Eagles on Tuesday, April 30, beginning at 1 p.m. The Herd then returns to Dot Hicks Field for a single game against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Wednesday, May 1. Finally, Marshall ends the 2019 regular season on May 4-5, at home against the Florida Atlantic Owls.
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!
---HerdZone.com---
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tolbert, Abigail (20-13)
L: Kailey Ahlstrom (8-9)
Batting:
2B: Burch, Blakely 1 ; Huerta, Sierra 1
HR: Huerta, Sierra 1
RBI: Stevenson, Mya 1 ; Burch, Blakely 1 ; Huerta, Sierra 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Rousseau, Rachel 1 ; Pennington, Rachel 1 ; Stevenson, Mya 1 ; Lee, Chloe 1 ; Huerta, Sierra 1
HBP: Huerta, Sierra 1
Batting:
2B: Kirstyn Cuccia 1
SH: Sydney Heath 1
Base Running:
SB: Samantha Valentine 1
HBP: Lexi Cushing 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
dp/rf
AB
1
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballP
/ Softball
RHP/UTL
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