TSU Tigers Play at Home for Final Time This Season



HEAD COACH JEFFREY DABNEY
Photo courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- Tennessee State hosts SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois for a pair of Ohio Valley Conference double headers on Friday and Saturday. TSU will take to Tiger Field for the final time this season with both days starting at 1:00pm. TSU will honor Olivia Gamache and Ashley Haynes on Saturday during the senior day celebrations.

 

The Tigers have dropped five straight, including three in conference play. TSU, still fighting for a spot in the OVC tournament, is in tenth and will have to go through the top two teams in the West Division in consecutive days. The games can be seen on ovcdigitalnetwork.com.

 

Gamache enters the weekend in the top 10 in several pitching categories. The senior is sixth in appearances and games started. Gamache is seventh in wins and is six strikeouts away from surpassing 200, to become just the fourth Tiger to cross the threshold.

 

Haynes is ninth in games played and is four starts away from entering the top 10. Haynes has walked 37 times in her career, good for eighth. The senior has made her mark defensively as well and is one putout out of tenth. Haynes is fifth in assists and has a .935 fielding percentage, eighth best in history.

 

SIU Edwardsville (20-19, 12-3)

2013 Record: 35-13

Conference: Ohio Valley

2013 Finish: 17-5/2nd West

Series Record: 2-6

Last Time Played: 4-6-13, L 1-8

Last Win: 5-6-12, 4-1

 

SIUE turns to Haley Chambers to handle most of the pitching duties appearing in 29 of the teams 39 games. Chambers has tossed 159.1 innings and has earned a 12-12 record and a 1.97 ERA. Chambers is second in the conference with 163 fanning’s. Erin Greenwalt offers support at 8-7 and a 3.94 ERA with 71 punch outs in 80.0 innings. Chelsea Yankolovich sits atop the Cougars stat page, leading in average (.315), hits (40), runs (26) and stolen bases (9). Allison Smiley is batting .308 with a squad leading 17 RBI.

 

Eastern Illinois (30-11, 10-4)

2013 Record: 36-14

Conference: Ohio Valley

2013 Finish: 20-3/1st West

Series Record: 11-36

Last Time Played: 4-7-13, L 1-7

Last Win: 4-2-11, 7-3

 

The Panthers are batting .288 as a team and have four players hitting over .300. Jennette Isaac and Brooke Owens lead the way each batting .350. Isaac is tied with Rey Hutchinson (.325) in stolen bases with 10. Owens has a team high 28 runs, 10 doubles and five home runs. Hannah Cole is hitting at a .348 clip with nine doubles, three triples, five dingers and a team best 31 RBI. EIU relies on the pitching duo of Hannah Mennenga and Stephanie Maday. Mennenga is 16-4 with a 1.87 ERA and 147 strikeouts in 146 innings of work. Maday has compiled a 13-5 record with a 2.13 ERA and has sat down 100 in 115 innings.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION