Story Courtesy SoCon Public Affairs
#5 Appalachian State 1, #1 Western Carolina 0
ASU-WCU Box Score
CHATTANOOGA, TN - After seven innings and only six cumulative hits between the teams in what could only be construed as a pitchers duel, the top-seeded Western Carolina Catamounts and the fifth-seeded Appalachian State Mountaineers needed extra innings to decide who would continue playing in the 2006 Southern Conference Softball Tournament and who would be going back to their respective campuses.
Appalachian State (28-29) was finally able to commandeer the game’s first and winning run in the bottom of the ninth when with the runners at the corners and two outs Mary Lutz singled in Kasey Motsinger to give the Mountaineers a 1-0 victory.
The victory by Appalachian State over its rival knocks the tournament’s top seed out of the championship. Western Carolina (41-20) concludes its inaugural campaign as the regular season champions of the Southern Conference, ending the 2006 season with a league-high 41 wins.
All-SoCon pitcher Yancy Moose was strong for the Mountaineers from the pitcher’s circle, ending the extra-inning affair having thrown nine innings of three-hit softball. Moose also struck out four batters.
Despite the one earned run given up in the bottom of the ninth, Western Carolina’s Jenny Jackson was just as strong as Moose on the afternoon. The SoCon Freshman of the Year pitched 8.2 innings, giving up just seven hits and striking out two on seven hits.
The Spartans move on to face the loser of the #6 Elon-#7 Furman game at 12 p.m. on Friday.
Story Courtesy Georgia Southern sports information
#3 Georgia Southern 11, #2 College of Charleston 2
GSU-CofC Box Score
CHATTANOOGA, TN - Georgia Southern senior Sam Steiner (Loxley, Ala.) hit two home runs, part of a 13-hit effort as the third-seeded Eagles stayed alive in the Southern Conference Tournament with an 11-2 victory over No. 2 seed the College of Charleston Thursday at Hargraves Field.
GSU moves to 29-33 on the season and will face the loser of the UNC Greensboro-Chattanooga contest held Thursday evening. The Cougars end their season at 29-30.
“We came out swinging the bat a lot better and we weren’t satisfied with the runs we were scoring and continued to get runners on,” said GSU head coach Natalie Poole.
The Eagles broke the game open with a six-run third inning, capped off with Steiner’s first long-ball of the contest, a three-run shot over the second fence onto the street. Junior Heather Smith (Williamson, Ga.) also had a big hit, a two-run single to score senior Shanita Black (Fayetteville, N.C.) and sophomore Aubrey Thweatt (Georgia, Vt.).
Junior Maria Laurato (New Orleans, La.) continued the hit parade with a two-run homer in the fifth to put GSU up 9-1. The Eagles failed to add to the lead, leaving the bases loaded.
One out away from ending the game in the fifth, Charleston’s Leshe Russell kept the Cougars alive with a solo shot to left-center. But Georgia Southern put it away with two more runs in the sixth, coming off the bat of Steiner, who launched her second round-tripper to complete the scoring.
Steiner’s two homers gives her the all-time lead at GSU with 20, breaking the tie at the top with teammate Aurora Johnson (Macon, Ga.).
Junior Logan Free (Sandpoint, Idaho) allowed four hits and one earned run to improve to 13-12. Amber Havnar was tagged with the loss, giving up nine earned runs and 10 hits in 4.1 innings.
Story Courtesy Chattanooga sports information
#4 Chattanooga 2, #8 UNC Greensboro 0
UTC-UNCG Box Score
CHATTANOOGA, TN - The softball team scored single runs in the fifth and seventh innings, and pitchers JayCee Wood and Ashley Frizzell combined to shut out UNC Greensboro 2-0 Thursday in the second round of the Southern Conference Softball Tournament.
The fourth-seeded Lady Mocs (38-33) remained unbeaten after two games and face Furman at 3 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals.
In the fifth inning, Ashley Cutticchia's infield single plated pinch-runner Laci Upchurch for the game's first run.
The Lady Mocs added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Robyn Johnson raced home from third base after Cutticchia reached on an infield error.
Upchurch was making her first appearance since April 17. She has been unable to participate because of a broken collarbone she suffered in a car accident.
Wood improved to 17-14 overall limiting the Spartans (20-41) to four hits and no runs in 4 2/3 innings. Frizzell did not allow a base runner in the seven batters she faced and struck out two to earn her third save.
UNCG starter Hannah Angel (7-18) was pinned with the loss, giving up two runs, one earned, on three hits and four walks. She fanned five.
Story Courtesy Furman sports information
#7 Furman 7, #6 Elon 6
Fur-Elon Box Score
CHATTANOOGA, TN - Abby Robertson singled up the middle on a 0-2 pitch with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to plate Stephanie Cushing and cap a three-run rally as Furman downed Elon 7-6 at the Southern Conference Softball Tournament at Hargraves Field in Chattanooga, Tenn., Thursday evening.
With Furman trailing 6-4 entering the bottom half of the seventh, Amber Kiser started the inning by reaching on an error by the Elon shortstop. Joni Lockridge followed with a single to cener giving Furman runners at first and second. Cushing kept the rally going with a grounder to short that was thrown away allowing Kiser to score and Lockridge to move to third. Megan Jaudon lined a double down the right field line that hit at the base of the fence to even the game at 6-6.
After Amber Nelsen flew out to shallow centerfield and Danielle Franklin grounded out to second, Robertson lined the game-winning single back up the middle to complete the come-from-behind win.
"I very proud of the way this team never quit and kept fighting back tonight," said head coach Dana Jenkins. "This win was a team effort and could not have happened without several people stepping up and making plays in key situations."
Furman jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Lockridge belted her fourth homer of the season, a solo shot, over the left field wall. Elon knotted the game with a two-out RBI single in the top of the second and took the lead on Tracey Dahlen's towering homer to left in the third inning.
Jaudon singled to center field to plate Kiser and tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the frame, but Elon answered quickly with three runs in the fourth. Laurin Smith and Rebecca Rijavec started the inning by drawing back-to-back walks and PattiWeber followed with a three-run homer to left giving the Phoenix a 5-2 lead.
After Elon added an insurance run in the top of the fifth, Furman began to nibble away at the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Cushing reached base on a fielder's choice and Jaudon singled to give Furman runners at first and second with two outs. Nelsen followed with a double to the right-center field gap to plate both runners and trim the lead to 6-4.
Senior Jessica Mathis (5-7) worked to scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory while Melanie Helterbran (3-4) suffered the loss after allowing five runs on six hits in 3.2 innings of work.
Lockridge and Jaudon each collected three hits to lead Furman at the plate. Weber went 2-for-3 with three RBI to pace the Phoenix.
The win puts Furman (28-35) into the winner's bracket final Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. against host Chattanooga. Elon (24-28) falls into the loser's bracket and will face Appalachian State in an elimination game at 12 p.m.