FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Wednesday afternoon, the Indiana Tech softball team started off their 2024 season with a two-game series with Olivet Nazarene University. After splitting the series with the Tigers last season with one win each, the Warriors would take both games in dominant fashion this year.
In game one of the doubleheader, Tech's sophomore ace on the mound, Savannah Bravo, would pick up right where she left off last season. She would throw a complete game with eight strikeouts, giving up just two hits and an unearned run, picking up the Warriors first win of the new season. On the offensive side, Kiersten Delaney would put Tech up in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly to centerfield that would allow Alyssa Fox to score the first run of the season. Olivet Nazarene would pick up a run in the top of the fourth on an error to tie the game at one, but the Warriors bats would get hot in the bottom of the sixth. Six total batters would reach base in the inning, but the damage came from the cleanup hitters in the lineup. Katie O'Drobinak would hit an RBI double off the left field wall to give Tech a 2-1 lead and then Bella Brock drilled a two-run homer deep to left to give the Warriors a 4-1 lead. The Tigers would go down 1, 2, 3 in the top of the seventh as Bravo and the Warriors took game one.
Game two would showcase a much more offensive display as there would be 16 total runs in the game. Olivet Nazarene would get on the board early with a run in the first inning, but the Warriors would immediately answer back with four first inning runs of their own. Maire Trouba would score Tech's first run on a passed ball and then freshman Grace Butcher would hit an RBI single to left in her first collegiate at bat to give the Warriors the 2-1 lead. Bella Brock would draw a walk with the bases loaded to drive in a run and transfer Taylor Hodgen would hit a sac fly in her first bat as a Warriors to extend the lead to 4-1. The Tigers would make it 4-2 in the second inning, but Kennedi Sullivan would homer in the bottom half of the inning to make it 5-2 Tech. Both sides would add one run in the third before the Warriors would pick up three in the fourth inning on RBI singles from Brock and Brooke Hughes. Olivet Nazarene would cut the deficit to five in the fifth inning, but the Warriors would again take care of business in the bottom of the sixth. Trouba would pick up an RBI single and so would Alyssa Fox, bringing the score up to 12-4 Warriors, enforcing the eight-run rule and ending the game. Along with Brock, Trouba, and Hughes, freshman Kenadee Schnick would pick two hits to lead the Warriors. Butcher would make her freshman debut on the mound for Tech, doing 2.1 innings and picking up the win. She would finish with three runs allowed, but did not give up a single hit, while also picking up one strikeout. Jayme Koning would come in to relieve the freshman in the third inning, as she would finish with 3.2 innings pitched, three hits, and one run allowed in 19 batters faced.
Indiana Tech starts off 2-0 on the season and will play a home doubleheader against #24 Saint Xavier (Ill.) in their next series on Saturday, February 24th starting at 1pm.
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