Story Courtesy Chattanooga sports information
McNeese State 6, Chattanooga 4
Chattanooga 6, Southern Miss 3
LAFAYETTE, LA - After dropping game one 6-4 to McNeese State, Chattanooga bounced back to win its first game of the season, 6-3, over Southern Mississippi on Day One of the Ragin’ Cajun Invitational in Lafayette, La.
The Lady Mocs spotted the Golden Eagles three runs before getting on the board in the bottom of the third. Tara Tembey doubled to right field with two outs then scored on a single to left field by Toni Hutchison two batters later.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Lady Mocs opened up for five more runs. Laci Upchurch led off with a single up the middle and Alyssa Edwards sent a homerun over the fence in left to tie it up. Chattanooga tallied three straight singles to load the bases then Tembey drew a walk to push the go-ahead run across the plate giving the Lady Mocs a 4-3 lead. Hutchison singled to score Jeannie Cochran from third and Brittney Whittier hit a sac fly to centerfield to score Tembey.
Chattanooga pitcher JayCee Wood, making her second appearance for the Lady Mocs, grabbed her first win. She struck out three, walked four and gave up three earned runs including a first inning homerun.
Ashleigh Bull went 4-for-6 on the day with a double and an RBI. Tembey, Edwards and Hutchison each got two hits and two RBI. Ashley Cuticchia went 3-for-8 with a triple and an RBI while Cochran tallied three home runs and was 4-for-4 on stolen bases, for a total of six on the year.
In the first game, down 2-1, the Lady Mocs gave up four unearned runs on three errors in a disastrous fourth inning. Courtney Parks reached on a fielding error by Tembey to lead off the inning. Shayla Cormier laid down a sac bunt to advance the runner, but reached when Bull’s throw to first pulled Edwards off the bag. Frizzell threw Parks out at second on the next at bat and runners were safe at the corners.
Brooke Brodhead sent a soft grounder back to the pitcher. Frizzell looked the runner back at third but sailed the toss to first over Edwards head allowing Cormier to score and giving the Cowgirl’s a 3-1 lead. Kristi Hanan cleared the bases with a triple deep into right field for a 5-1 advantage. Hanan scored two batters later on an illegal pitch to make it 6-1.
Chattanooga cut the lead to 6-3 in the top of the fifth. With two outs, Cochran singled to center field. She stole second and then third to get into scoring position. Cuticchia’s triple down the right field line plated Cochran and Tembey singled to second base to get the Lady Mocs to within three runs.
In the top of the seventh Chattanooga tried to rally again with two outs, but fell short getting just one run. With one runner on, Bull doubled to right field, scoring Tembey from second to cut the score to 6-4, but the rally ended there.
Story Courtesy Appalachian State sports information
Marshall 8, Appalachian State 0
#12 Georgia 9, Appalachian State 0
ATHENS, GA - Appalachian State University softball dropped its first two games of the season at the Georgia Softball Classic, falling to Marshall, 8-0, and No. 12 Georgia, 9-0, Friday afternoon. Appalachian had just six hits on the day, with five coming in the opener against Marshall.
Sophomore Natalie Willis (Cherryville, N.C.) was the only Mountaineer to record a hit in both games going 2-for-5 on the afternoon with ASU’s lone hit against Georgia, a line drive down the left field line in the bottom of the fourth inning.
In the early game versus Marshall the two teams entered the third inning tied at 0-0 before Marshall plated a run on Amanda Williams’ home run down the left field line. The Herd brought two more runs across the plate in the fourth inning courtesy of Samantha Rodriguez’s two-run home run to center field.
ASU’s Keri Blackwelder (Stanfield, N.C.) started the game in the circle and surrendered the first three runs before she was replaced in the fifth by freshman southpaw Yancy Moose (Hamptonville, N.C.). The Herd gave the freshman a rough orientation, scoring three runs and drawing two walks in just one-third inning of work. Moose was relieved by classmate Teri Fister (Summerfield, N.C.) who inherited the two runs that scored on catcher Gina Guzzo’s single to right center.
Appalachian nearly got on the board in the bottom of the fifth as second baseman Kasey Motsinger (Yadkinville, N.C.) opened the inning with a single to left field. Unfortunately, the Herd was able to turn a 5-4-3 double play on the next at bat to clear the bases. Appalachian answered with back-to-back singles to left field from Mary Lutz (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Willis, but pinch hitter Kari Davis (Cornelius, N.C.) grounded out to the pitcher to end the threat.
With Marshall holding an 8-0 after five innings of play, the game was subsequently called as Marshall improves to 4-2. Junior Abigail Harter picked up the win to move to 3-0 this season. Blackwelder was charged with the loss.
Appalachian didn’t fare much better in its second game of the day, falling 9-0 to No. 12 Georgia in a five-inning game. UGA wasted little time getting on the board scoring four runs in the first frame, two of the coming via Alison Horne’s two-run shot down the left-field line. The Bulldogs added two more runs in the second inning, forcing freshman starter Kayla Richardson (West Jefferson, N.C.) to retire early after surrendering six runs and seven hits in one and two-third innings of work.
Fister replaced Richardson and held UGA in check for the next two innings before being tagged for three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Appalachian’s offense couldn’t get started against Katie Griffith who pitched all five innings with Willis’ fourth-inning hit being the only blemish on an otherwise perfect outing. The win improved the Dogs to 4-2 on the season.
Story Courtesy Georgia Southern sports information
STATESBORO, GA - Louisville and Troy each won two games while host Georgia Southern went 0-2 at the GSU Invitational Friday.
Troy defeated Georgia Southern 5-3 and Charleston Southern 4-0; Louisville downed Maryland 2-1 and GSU 3-0. Maryland shutout Charleston Southern 2-0.
Troy 5, Georgia Southern 3
Troy took a 5-0 lead into the sixth inning and held off a three-run Eagle rally to win 5-3.
Caurie Miller and Brittany Krbec provided the offense for the Trojans, combining for all the RBIs. Miller hit a two-run double down the left field line in the third and Krbec provided the winning runs in the sixth with a single to score two. Miller had the final RBI on a bases-loaded walk. Georgia Southern escaped further damage by leaving the bases full.
The Eagles came within two thanks to a three-run sixth. Senior Shanita Black reached on an error, stole second, then scored on a home run by junior Aurora Johnson. With one out, senior Sam Steiner doubled and was plated on a single by junior Maria Laurato.
Troy’s Laine Harcourt allowed two earned runs and six to improve to 2-1.
Louisville 3, Georgia Southern 0
Kady Garrick and Kassie Stanfill combined on a four-hit shutout for the Cardinals, who upped their mark to 5-0 on the season.
GSU out-hit Louisville 3-0 after two and a half innings, but failed to score. The Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and a single. Michelle Vasquez doubled to left, scoring two.
Courtney Moore added to the lead in the fifth with a run-scoring single.
Garrick went the first four innings, striking four and allowing four hits. Stanfill pitched three hitless innings to pick up the save.
Story Courtesy Furman sports information
Furman 5, Lipscomb 4
AUBURN. AL - Freshman Vanessa Williams allowed no earned runs in six inings of relief and Amber Nelsen laced a game-winning, RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning to guide Furman to a 5-4 victory over Lipscomb on the opening day of the War Eagle Softball Classic in Auburn, Ala.
After allowing three RBI singles in the top of the second to stake Lipscomb to a 3-0 lead, Furman answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth. Joni Lockridge opened the inning with an infield single and advanced to second on Stephanie Cushing's sacrifice bunt. Following a walk to Megan Jaudon, Nelsen singled to right-center to plate Lockridge. With two outs in the inning, Abby Robertson ripped a two-run double down the left field line to even the contest at 3-3.
Lipscomb started the eight inning with a runner on second as part of the international tiebreaker rule. A bunt moved Davidson to third and the Lady Bison took the lead on Jaudon's throwing error on a pickoff attempt.
Amber Kiser opened the bottom half of the eighth inning on second base and advanced to third on Lockridge's sacrifice bunt. With two out, Jaudon singled to right to tie the game at 4-4. Nelsen followed with a double to plate Jaudon from first to give Furman its second straight win.
Williams (1-1) surrendered just three hits and one unearned run while walking two batters and striking out three to pick up her first collegiate victory in the circle.
Nelsen went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI to pace the Lady Paladins' attack. Robertson added a double and two runs batted in.
Furman 3, Mercer 2
AUBURN, AL - Amber Nelsen and Kristen Arnold scored on a two-out error in the seventh inning and Blake Murray allowed just one hit in three innings of relief to lead Furman to a 3-2 victory over Mercer in Friday's nightcap at the War Eagle Softball Classic in Auburn, Ala.
Trailing 2-1 with one out in the top of the seventh inning, Megan Jaudon singled to center field to start the Furman rally. Nelsen followed with a single to third base moving Arnold, pinch running for Jaudon, to second base. After Lynn Parmer put both runners in scoring position with a sacrifie bunt, Abby Robertson's grounder to shortstop was misplayed allowing two runs to score.
Murray (1-2), who entered the game in relief of Jessica Mathis in the fifth, retired the Bears in the bottom half of the inning to earn her first victory of the season. Katie Rosentreter (1-3) suffered the loss for Mercer despite allowing just one earned run, scattering four hits and striking out 11 Lady Paladins in a complete game effort.
Furman took the early 1-0 lead in the first inning on a solo blast by senior Joni Lockridge, her second career home run.
Mercer struck back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. C.J. Martin opened the frame with a double and Crystal Condra followed with a single to give the Bears runners on the corners with nobody out. Rosentreter singled to drive home Martin and force Mathis from the circle. After retiring the first two batters she faced, Murray surrendered a hit to Jamie Madruga to plate the go ahead run. Madruga went 2-for-2 with an RBI for the Bears in the loss.
Earlier on Friday, Furman downed Lipscomb 5-4 in extra innings.
The win over Mercer, Furman's third straight victory, improves the Lady Paladins to 3-3 on the season while Mercer falls to 2-4. Furman will face host Auburn at 4:00 p.m. Saturday before battling Ohio Valley Conference favorite Jacksonville State at 6:30 p.m.
Elon 3, Towson 2
Elon 18, Bucknell 3
(East Carolina Pirate Classic)