TCC Softball wins two at NFCA Leadoff Classic for Patti Townsend’s 300th NJCAA victory

COLUMBUS, Ga. (March 1, 2014) – Patti Townsend picked up her 300^th career NJCAA victory – all as head coach at Tallahassee Community College – on Saturday night in the Eagles' 9-0 win over Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College in the Silver Championship Bracket quarterfinals of the NFCA Leadoff Classic. 

The Eagles defeated Georgia Perimeter College, 6-0, earlier on Saturday to complete pool play and move into the Silver Bracket as the No. 2 seed. 

In the win over Indian Hills, Brianna Murillo blasted two home runs and was 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. She had two of the Eagles' six extra base hits and Tallahassee banged out 11 hits altogether in the five-inning victory. 

After an Indian Hills error led to Tallahassee's first run in the second inning, the Eagles began to impose their will on the Falcons. 

Murillo hit her first home run of the game in the third – a two-run shot that scored Brenda Santana and capped a three-run inning. Santana reached base on a single that scored Te Reo Powhiri Matautia. 

In the fourth, consecutive doubles by Ashley Heath-Smith and Matautia resulted in two more runs and a 7-0 lead.

Heath-Smith was 2-for-4 and Matautia was 2-for-3. 

Murillo led off the fifth with a solo shot to left, putting the Eagles in position to end the game after five innings. Later in the inning, Danielle Patterson scored an insurance run when Marina Cobbs reached base on a two-out error by first baseman Sarah Wilson. 

Meanwhile, freshman pitcher Mariah Rivera got the job done in the circle, tossing a three-hit shutout for the victory.

Rivera's effort came on the heels of Ashley Dobson's one-hitter in Tallahassee's 6-0 win over Georgia Perimeter. 

Dobson allowed no walks and struck out six. 

Tallahassee gave Dobson all the offense she would need in the first, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. 

Again it was Murillo who delivered, scoring Heath-Smith and Matautia on a single to left. The next batter, Cobbs, singled to right and brought Santana home for the third run of the inning. 

The score remained 3-0 into the fourth. 

Patterson reached on an error that allowed Taesha DuBoise to score from second. The Eagles put the game out of reach with two runs in the fifth. 

Tallahassee will continue Silver Bracket play at 11 a.m. Sunday against sixth-seed Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist College, who defeated Midland (Texas) College, 8-2, on Saturday evening.