Softball Southern Conference

Michigan Trims Lady Mocs; Woodall Injured

Game 1
Game 2

Game 1

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Chattanooga coach Ralph Weekly knows the difference between winning and losing in an NCAA Tournament is very minute. "It's usually one play that makes the difference," Weekly said.

One play resulted in one run and Chattanooga lost a 1-0 heartbreaker Thursday afternoon to No. 21-ranked Michigan (40-15-1) at the NCAA Region 4 Softball Tournament. The Lady Mocs (48-17) will play again Thursday night against Illinois-Chicago (42-24), which was thumped by Alabama 8-2.

The aforementioned play came in the first inning when Michigan's Monica Schock lofted a high pop fly just beyond second base. Shortstop Leah Tucker and center fielder Amanda Woodall collided on the play and the ball rolled loose for an RBI double. It scored Melissa Taylor, who had doubled earlier in the inning.

Woodall, a freshman from Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., injured her left knee on the play and was carried off the field. Preliminary examinations indicate that Woodall could have a torn ACL and MCL in her knee.

"Our first concern is for Amanda," Weekly said after the game. "She's in a lot of pain and we all prayed for her. That was a big loss for us, but I'm proud of the way the team bounced back."

UTC nearly tied the game in the third when Tucker stroked a one-out triple to right center. Dana Reed hit a soft liner to right, which Michigan right fielder Taylor short-hopped and gunned out Tucker trying to score.

"That usually doesn't happen to us," Weekly said. "We've been good about pushing runs across. Leah sort of got caught in between whether it was going to be caught or not."

"Maybe I should have jumped off third a little more, but I went back to tag because I thought she was going to catch it," Tucker said. "I still think I was safe. I went right between her legs. I felt like I got in before she tagged me."

Replays by two TV stations covering the game proved Tucker's leg touched home plate before she was tagged on her chest.

UTC had three hits through three innings, and Michigan brought in Marie Barda to go the rest of the way. UTC managed just one hit off Barda.

"When Barda came in, we didn't work her enough," Weekly said. "We worked (Marissa) Young and got several walks off her. We should have made those adjustments but didn't."

Talya Trudell (19-8) went 4 2/3 innings and she gave up just one hit after the first inning. Beth Alexander went the final 1 1/3 innings.

Game 2

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Chattanooga's two RBI machines -- Angela Brewer and Jaci Welsh -- both drove in runs to power the Lady Mocs to a 5-2 victory over Illinois-Chicago in the NCAA Regional Softball Tournament Thursday night.

Chattanooga's 49-17 overall mark establishes a new school record for wins. UTC will take on Oregon State at 3:30 p.m. The Beavers dropped a 2-1 decision to South Florida earlier in the day. If the Lady Mocs survive the Oregon State game, they take on Region IV top seed Alabama at 8:30 p.m.

The Lady Mocs rapped out 11 hits against three Flames pitchers, including a 4-for-4 night by Brewer, who stroked a two-run double in the fourth.

UIC took a 1-0 lead on Amanda Rivera's RBI single in the first, and the Flames could have had more but Beth Alexander wiggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam with minimal damage.

In the next inning, Welsh smashed a moon-shot, two-run homer. Teri Herbert (2-for-4) had singled just ahead of Welsh's 13th blast of the season. "Coach (Ralph) Weekly told me to find my pitch and don't swing at the junk," Welsh said. "He yelled at me and got me fired up."

"That homer really motivated us," said Brewer. "That's also when Beth stepped up, too."

Alexander retired 13 of the next 14 batters until Edel Leyden hit a solo homer in the sixth. Talya Trudell relieved Alexander and picked up her third save.

Brewer added some needed insurance with a two-run double in the fourth that chased home Ashleigh Herman and Leah Tucker, both of whom walked. Herbert added a seventh-inning RBI single, which scored Sarah Dutcher, who was pinch-running for Brewer.

"We finally started hitting the ball like we are capable of doing," said UTC co-coach Karen Weekly. "Ralph got a little fired up because we weren't playing well and weren't fighting. If we hit like that, we can go a little farther."