Story Courtesy Chattanooga sports information

Chattanooga 3, Central Michigan 2

Chattanooga 10, Illinois 1

CLEARWATER, FL - Chattanooga swept its way through Day Two of the USF adidas Tournament in Clearwater, Fla., Friday with a 3-2 win over Central Michigan in the opening game and a 10-1 run rule victory over Illinois in the afternoon tilt.

Chattanooga jumped on its opponents early Friday getting a combined eight runs on six hits in the first innings. In the morning contest, Ashleigh Bull connected for a three-run homer and Chattanooga’s defense held on to defeat Central Michigan 3-2.

Jeannie Cochran led off the game with a single to right field and Ashley Cuticchia drew a walk to put two runners on. Tara Tembey sacrificed both runners over for Bull who drilled a shot over the fence in right center on a 1-1 count to give the Lady Mocs a 3-0 lead. The Chippewas scored twice in the bottom of the third, but would get no closer as the Chattanooga pitching staff held on to the tenuous lead.

Katie Horvath reached on a fielder’s choice as the lead off runner was thrown out at second. Karen Hohs doubled to center field to move runners into scoring position. A wild pitch allowed Horvath to score and Hohs advanced to third. Suzie Giroux grounded out to second and Hohs scored to get Central Michigan to within a run at 3-2.

In the sixth inning, Lady Mocs head coach Frank Reed pulled starter JayCee Wood after two hard hit singles put runners at the corners with just one out. Junior Ashley Frizzell pitched out of the jam to end the inning then struck out two in the seventh to get her first save.

In the afternoon game, Chattanooga erupted for five runs in the first inning on three singles and a grand slam. Cochran and Cuticchia led off with back-to-back singles. Cochran was thrown out at third on a grounder from Tembey’s bat and Bull struck out. A walk by Clarkson loaded the bases for Alyssa Edward’s single up the middle, plating Cuticchia to give the Lady Mocs a 1-0 lead.

Toni Hutchison stepped up and sent a shot out of the park to clear the bases and give Chattanooga a commanding 5-0 lead. The Lady Mocs gave a run back to the Illini in the bottom of the first on a pair of hits, but it was all the scoring Illinois would see.

Clarkson hit a solo homerun in the third to put UTC back up by five at 6-1 and the Lady Mocs would get four more runs in the fourth for a 10-1 run rule victory to even its record at 15-15.

Cuttichia singled with runners at first and second to plate its seventh run. Tembey walked to load the bases and Bull’s single sent two more runs home. Illinois entered Kacey Coonce to pitch in favor of Claire DeVreese and Clarkson hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Tembey.

Chattanooga outhit the Illini 8-6 and stranded just one runner. Wood improved to 9-7 on the year and Frizzell, 6-8, picked up a save against the Chippewas. Bull went 2-for-5 with five RBI and a homerun and Hutchison was 2-of-6 with a grand slam. Cutticchia was 3-for-4 with two walks and an RBI and three runs scored while Cochran reached base three times and scored twice.

Story Courtesy Western Carolina sports information

Winthrop 6, Western Carolina 4

ROCK HILL, SC - Trailing by three runs, Western Carolina loaded the bases with no outs in the top half of the seventh inning but could only manage to plate one run, falling to the homestanding Winthrop Eagles, 6-4, on Friday afternoon in its opening game of the 2006 adidas/Winthrop Invitational.

Junior Nikki Bost drew a six-pitch walk, working a full count to earn the free pass. She was moved to third after back-to-back singles to left field by sophomore Heather Pritchard and freshman Allyson McCubbins. Two batters later, sophomore Savannah Filley blasted one to the left center gap and it appeared as if she would tally the second grand slam in school history. However, the howling winds blowing in from right center thwarted the effort, turning the would-be slam into a sacrifice fly for the second out, plating Bost, with the game ending one batter later with a strikeout.

Western fell behind in the bottom of the fourth, giving up two runs on two hits to trail 2-0 after four played. But the Catamounts rallied half an inning later to pull ahead, 3-2. Freshman Beth Hauser led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Bost. Pritchard also drew the base on balls, and the two were scored on a three-run home run to left field by McCubbins. On the day, McCubbins led WCU going 2-for-3 with three RBI and drew a walk.

The Catamounts' lead was short-lived, though, as the Eagles put four across in the bottom of the fifth then held on for the victory.

Freshman Lauren Ross earned her first collegiate start, throwing three scoreless innings while only surrendering one hit and striking out three, walking none. Filley (2-5), who came on in relief at the start of the fourth inning, was saddled with the loss after giving up six runs, only two of which were earned, on five hits with two strikeouts. Freshman Jenny Jackson also threw an inning and a third in the loss, giving up three hits and walking one.

Western Carolina 12, Gardner-Webb 3

Led by two long balls by sophomore Savannah Filley and the second grand slam in school history by freshman Allyson McCubbins, Western Carolina pounded out 10 hits, including four home runs overall, en route to the 12-3 victory over the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs in five innings on Friday afternoon in pool play at the 2006 adidas/Winthrop Invitational.

The win snapped Western's five-game losing skid and evened WCU's record at 1-1 in the tournament. The Catamounts stand at 11-8 overall in their inaugural season with at least two additional games yet to be played at the current tournament.

Filley finished the game a perfect 3-for-3 with two home runs and a single. She scored three runs and drove in four. McCubbins hit 1-for-2 with two walks and delivered the grand slam in the top of the third inning to cap a six-run, two homer inning for the Catamounts.

Western opened the game with a leadoff walk by McCubbins. Two batters later, Filley belted her first homer to straight away center field to give WCU the early lead, 2-0. But the Bulldogs answered back in the bottom of the inning with a solo shot to right field by Jessica Williams to close the gap to one, 2-1.

After a scoreless second, Filley struck again as she delivered a solo blast to left center for her third RBI and second home run of the game. The Catamounts would break the game open later in the frame as freshmen Jenny Jackson and Lauren Ross both walked, with Jackson later driven in on a RBI double to left center by classmate Stephanie Beatty. Two hitters later, sophomore Heather Pritchard drew the free pass to load the bases for McCubbins who plated all three with one swing to center field.

The Catamounts added four runs in the top of the fifth as Pritchard led off with a ground rule double, but was later forced out at third. McCubbins walked and was scored by Filley on a single along the middle infield. With two on, junior Ashley Adams delivered her team-lead tying sixth home run of the season - tied with Filley - to give WCU a dozen.

Gardner-Webb scored one in the third and one in the home half of the fifth, but stranded the bases loaded in the fifth and could never move below the run rule barrier, falling in five innings.

Freshman right hander, Mendy McKenzie, earned her sixth victory of the season (6-2), going five innings scattering three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks.

Story Courtesy UNC Greensboro sports information

Ohio 6, UNC Greensboro 5

Pittsburgh 8, UNC Greensboro 2

ROCK HILL, SC ? The UNC Greensboro softball team lost both of its games on Friday afternoon at the Winthrop Invitational at Terry Field. The Spartans fell 6-5 against Ohio, while Pittsburgh won 8-2 in the nightcap.

In the first game of the day, Ohio (8-7) scored twice in the top half of the seventh inning for a come-from-behind victory over the Spartans. After UNCG had retired the first two batters of the inning, Kristen Salvatore’s RBI single to right center tied the game 5-5. Salvatore moved up to second on the throw in from the outfield and Robin Miller, who moved up to third on the play, scored the game-winning run when Debbie Szalejko lined a single to center.

Ohio took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, before UNCG answered back with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Senior left fielder Krista Judge reached on a one-out infield single. She then stole second, went to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1. Senior center fielder Gwen Johnson would reach on a fielder’s choice and later score an unearned run on a Bobcat throwing error for a 2-1 Spartan lead.

Johnson plated Judge with a run-scoring single in the third to give UNCG a 3-1 lead. Ohio got a run back on an RBI groundout by Szalejko in the fourth. The Bobcats then struck for two more in the fifth to take the lead back, 4-3.

In the bottom half of the fifth, Johnson singled through the left side and senior Kelly Allen followed with a walk. Freshman catcher Leslie Furness then singled to center. On the play, the Ohio centerfielder misplayed the ball that allowed both Johnson and Allen to score, giving the Spartans a 5-4 lead.

Candace Warden (2-2) came in relief and picked up the win by working 5.0 innings. She gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and struck out two hitters.

Vanessa Oakes (2-4) suffered the loss after allowing six runs (four earned) on 11 hits over 7.0 innings. Judge, Johnson and junior second baseman Adriane Audley each went 2-for-4 for the Spartans.

Szalejko, Salvatore, Kelly Rodriguez and Alicia Catlette each notched two hits for the Bobcats.

In the nightcap, Jess Dignon doubled to left center and came around to score on an RBI single by Jess Thomas to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead. The Panthers would add two more runs, both on wild pitches in the third, to take a 3-0 lead.

Johnson pounded out an opposite-field home run to right to get UNCG to within 3-1, but Pittsburgh answered right back with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to lead 7-1. Dignon did the most damage with a two-run double to center, scoring Sheena Hellen and Joey Scarf.

Audley picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice in the fifth for the Spartans.

Laura Belardinelli (2-4) garnered the victory for Pittsburgh as she worked 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and struck out four hitters. Freshman Hannah Angel (2-4) allowed eight hits and eight runs (six earned) over 6.0 innings for the Spartans.

Allen went 2-for-3 for the Spartans, while Johnson blasted her team-leading fifth homer of the year.

Dignon was 2-for-4 with a runs scored and two RBI for the Panthers. Scart was 1-for-3 with three runs scored.

Story Courtesy Furman sports information

Furman 5, NC A&T 0

ROCK HILL, SC - Vanessa Williams tossed a complete-game shutout and struck out seven batters to lead Furman to a 5-0 victory over North Carolina A&T in the Lady Paladins' first game at the adidas/Winthrop Invitational Friday afternoon at Eagle Park in Rock Hill, S.C.

Williams, a native of Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, scattered six hits and issued just one walk while recording her first collegiate shutout. The victory improved the righthander to 7-4 on the season.

Furman got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. After reaching on a fielder's choice, Danielle Franklin advanced to third on a throwing error and scored on Megan Jaudon's sacrifice fly to right field.

The Lady Paladins posted three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Furman used RBI singles from Joni Lockridge, Stephanie Cushing and Franklin to up the lead to 4-0. Jaudon added an insurance run in the sixth with a solo blast over the left-centerfield wall, her fourth home run of the season.

Franklin and Lockridge each collected two hits while Jaudon batted in two runs. Eight Lady Paladins recorded safeties in the 10-hit outburst.

Adia Dial, Chaola Simmons and Latronda Anderson each notched two hits for the Aggies (6-9). Anderson (4-5) allowed four earned runs on 10 hits over six innings to absorb the loss.

Furman 6, Charleston Southern 2

Furman posted a five-run sixth inning and took advantage of six Charleston Southern errors to down the Buccaneers 6-2 and complete an opening day sweep Friday at the adidas/Winthrop Softball Ivitational in Rock Hill, S.C.

Leading 1-0 entering the bottom half of the sixth inning, Lynn Parmer led off the frame with a single up the middle and was replaced by pinch runner Kristen Arnold. Megan Jaudon followed with a sacrifice bunt and reached base when the throw to first was mishandled. Abby Robertson delivered a squeeze bunt to plate Arnold and up the lead to 2-0.

With one out, Amber Kiser singled up the middle to drive home pinch runner Lyndy Wilcox. Joni Lockridge then laced a two-run single to center field to plate Robertson and Kiser. Charleston Southern's second baseman Dorothy Page misplayed Danielle Franklin's groundball to plate the final run of the five-run frame.

Jessica Mathis (2-2) worked seven innings allowing two runs on seven hits to pick up the win. The senior walked two while striking out four Bucs. Lockridge went 1-for-2 with two RBI while Robertson finished 2-for-3 with a triple.

Whitney James surrendered six runs in 5.1 innings of work to fall to 1-3 on the season. Jill Shondel and Ashley Robinson each collected two safeties for the Buccaneers.

Story Courtesy Appalachian State sports information

Appalachian State 9, Troy 7

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Appalachian State University softball extended its school-record winning streak to six games with a 9-7 victory in eight innings versus Troy. The game was Appalachian's first at the Florida State Invitational.

Appalachian upped its record to 9-8 on the season. With another game left to play versus Tulsa in action Friday.

Troy jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning before Appalachian cut the lead in half in the third, but Troy answered right back with a run in the fourth. The Mountaineers erupted for six runs in the top of the fifth, including a grand slam that capped the rally.

Providence 5, College of Charleston 4