Story Courtesy Chattanooga sports information

Michigan State 5, Chattanooga 2

BOCA RATON, FL - Second-seeded Michigan State touched up starter Ashley Frizzell for three runs in the fifth inning to defeat the Lady Mocs 5-2 in the Championship game of the Florida Atlantic Parent's Weekend Touranemnt in Boca Raton, Fla.

Chattanooga led 2-1 going into the fifth. The Spartans got two hits with one out and a wild pitch plated the tying run. Frizzell got one more out, but loaded the bases on two walks and was lifted in favor of JayCee Wood.

The first batter Wood faced snagged two RBI with a single through the left side to take a 4-2 lead. Michigan State added an insurance run in the sixth and stranded Chattanooga two runners to claim the tournament title.

Chattanooga got runs in the first and third innings from Tara Tembey and Ashleigh Bull. In the first inning, Jeannie Cochran reached on an error by the shortstop. She stole second and advanced to third on a ground out by Tembey. Bull lined out to left field for a sacrifice scoring Cochran to tie the game 1-1.

In the third Amanda Hoiness led off with a double and advanced to third on a ground out by Cochran. With two outs, Tembey singled to center field to plate Hoiness and give the Lady Mocs a 2-1 lead.

Hoiness went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Tembey was 1-for-3 with an RBI. The Spartans (15-8) out hit Chattanooga 8-3. Nikki Nicosia led off the game with a homerun and went 2-for-4 on the day with a pair of RBI. Dayne Feenstra went 2-for-2 with two RBI and pitcher Rachel Turney (8-4) fanned nine UTC batters.

Frizzell's record evens out at 10-10 and the Lady Mocs go to 19-19 on the year.

Story Courtesy Western Carolina sports information

Western Carolina 7, Detroit 1

UNCW 9, Western Carolina 1

CULLOWHEE, NC - Western Carolina split two games on Sunday, defeating Detroit 7-1 to conclude round robin play unbeaten, but fell to UNC Wilmington, 9-1 in six innings in the championship game of the 2006 Best Western Catamount Classic. The Seahawks claimed the inaugural title in the event while also pushing their head coach, Melissa Jarrell, over the 300-career win mark on the weekend.

Western and UNCW led the all-tournament team selections, with the Seahawks garnering four including Most Outstanding Performer, Ali Gardiner, who led the tournament going 10-for-15 for a .667 batting average and 10 RBI. Joining Gardiner were Jennifer Bosley, Meghan Murray, and Jess Luckett for UNCW. For the Catamounts, freshman pitcher Jenny Jackson highlighted the honorary selections, with classmates Allyson McCubbins and Mendy McKenzie also named to the team. Rounding out the nine-person squad were LaRue Lucero from Alabama A&M; Jill Shondel from Charleston Southern; and Jacqueline Nortman from Detroit.

In the final game of round robin play, Western Carolina surged ahead with four runs in the top of the fourth inning en route to the 7-1 win over the Detroit Titans. McCubbins opened the game with a leadoff home run, driving a 2-2 pitch over the left field fence for the early, 1-0 lead. The Catamounts would add another run two innings later when freshman Lauren Ross singled up the middle scoring junior Ashley Adams who delivered a one out single through the right side.

An inning later, WCU broke the game open taking advantage of two, one out walks. With McCubbins and Pritchard on, sophomore Savannah Filley belted a long ball over the right center field fence for the 5-0 lead. The Catamounts would push another run across in the frame as junior Nikki Bost worked the count full then singled to center to score Ross who had drawn the free pass on four straight pitches.

Detroit tallied a single run in the fifth as pinch hitter Kaleigh Rafter singled and moved around on a ground out and wild pitch before scoring on an RBI single by Nortman with two out. WCU would add an insurance run as Bost scored from third on a Titan field error on a ball hit by sophomore Heather Pritchard.

McKenzie picked up her team-leading 10th victory of the season as she held the Titans hitless through the first four and a third. Scattering three hits, she allowed one earned run on the afternoon while striking out four and walking three. McCubbins led the Catamounts going 3-for-3 including her team-lead tying eighth home run, two walks, and two runs scored. Adams went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Filley drove in three runs on her fourth inning homer.

In the championship game, the UNC Wilmington bats awoke as the Seahawks pounded out 13 hits including five doubles and two home runs and starting pitcher Jess Luckett held the Catamounts at bay for the 9-1 victory.

Jackson (6-2) suffered the loss for Western after pitching the first three innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits and both walking and striking out one. Filley threw the final three innings in relief, allowing two runs on six hits and duplicating Jackson's efforts with a walk and a strikeout.

After a scoreless first, UNCW plated the game's first run in the visitor half of the second inning to take the early, 1-0, advantage. Western tried to answer in the bottom of the frame, by loading the bases with two outs. Freshman Stephanie Beatty was hit by an inside pitch and was advanced by a walk by classmate Beth Hauser and a Ross single to center field. However, the threat was handled when Seahawk starter, Luckett, induced a ground ball to the right side by freshman Samm Keppel. All told, Western stranded seven runners in the loss.

In the third, UNC Wilmington managed to pull away, plating a total of six runs on five hits in the inning. All-tournament teal selection Meghan Murray led off the inning with a double to left and was successfully moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Whitney Knudsen, moving Murray to third. MVP Gardiner then doubled to left, scoring Murray still with just one out. Gardiner proceeded to steal third base despite a near putout from McCubbins to Beatty. Pinch runner, Allison Mashburn, was plated by a third double in the frame and UNCW would add four more runs to pull ahead, 7-0 after two and a half.

The Catamounts would manage their only run of the game in the bottom of the third when Pritchard blasted a one out home run to right center.

Western Carolina returns to action on Tuesday, March 21 when it visits East Tennessee State in a non-conference tune-up before opening Southern Conference play on Saturday, March 25, hosting Furman in doubleheader action at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm before concluding the three-game set on Sunday, March 26 at 1:00 pm. The Catamounts and Lady Paladins have met twice previously this season, with each team garnering a win during tournament play.

2006 Best Western Catamount Classic All-Tournament Team

LaRue Lucero, Alabama A&M
Jill Shondel, Charleston Southern
Jacqueline Nortman, Detroit
Jennifer Bosley, UNC Wilmington
Jess Luckett, UNC Wilmington
Meghan Murray, UNC Wilmington
Jenny Jackson, Western Carolina
Allyson McCubbins, Western Carolina
Mendy McKenzie, Western Carolina

Most Outstanding Performer - Ali Gardiner, UNC Wilmington

Story Courtesy Georgia Southern sports information

Boston University 5, Georgia Southern 2

DELAND, FL - Boston University used a three-run third inning to cruise to a 5-2 win over Georgia Southern Sunday afternoon in the two team’s finale at the Stetson Tournament.

The Terriers got on the board early sparked by Shayne Lotito.  Lotito led off the game with a single, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error.  Christy Leath’s bunt single with one out put BU up 1-0.

The game was broken open by Boston University’s three-spot in the third.  Tyler Benson started the inning with a double but was thrown out a third trying to stretch it into a triple.  But the momentum continued with two straight walks, and a fielder’s choice loaded the bases.  Josey Mendez followed with a single to score Leath, bumping GSU starter A.J. Street (Lilburn, Ga.) out of the game.  Another walk forced in BU’s third run and a squeeze bunt made the score 4-0.

After Boston University took advantage of two errors to go up 5-0 in the sixth, the Eagles attempted a comeback in their last at-bat.  A walk and a one-out double by freshman Carrie Mixon (Statesboro, Ga.) put runners on second and third.  Sophomore Aubrey Thweatt (Georgia, Vt.) ended the shutout with an RBI groundout and senior Shanita Black (Fayetteville, N.C.) doubled to left to score Mixon.  BU starter Brittany Detwiler ended the threat by striking out junior Heather Smith (Williamson, Ga.).

Street was tagged with the loss, dropping her to 3-7 on the season.