LADY MOCS FALL TO FORDHAM 7-1, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 6-3
Gainesville, Fla. ? The Lady Mocs had six hits but struggled defensively in the team’s 7-1 loss to Fordham Saturday morning.
“We played today like we should have played yesterday,” Chattanooga head coach Frank Reed said. “We were nervous and left eight on base. We can’t do that and expect to win ball games. We have to get a lot better.”
Sophomore Ashley Cuticchia had two hits, but the Lady Mocs (1-2) had four errors and allowed 10 hits and gave up six walks giving Fordham (1-3) its first win of the season.
Fordham jumped onto the board quickly picking up two runs in the first on two hits. Chattanooga answered with a Jeannie Cochran single and stolen base before she scored on a Fordham error to keep the team in the game.
The Lady Mocs reached base twice in the second on a Fordham error and fielder’s choice in the second but weren’t able to convert after three errors helped the Rams to tally three runs in the top of the third to make the score 1-5.
But after holding Fordham scoreless in the top of the third, singles by Cuticchia and junior Tara Tembey put players in scoring position but were left on base as the inning closed.
Sophomore Toni Hutchison was the lone Lady Moc to get on base in the fourth with a double to left field. She advanced on a passed ball but was left on third base. Fordham picked up one run on a home run by the catcher Allison Storc earlier in the inning making the score 1-6.
Fordham added its final run in the sixth and were held scoreless in the seventh.
Cochran got on base on a two-out Fordham error, the team’s third of the game, before Cuticchia hit a single to the right field line sending Cochran to third. But the Lady Mocs once again weren’t able to send any runners home ending the game.
The Rams had five RBI led by Storc and Allison Twarowski with two each. Twarowski also pitched a complete game with six strikeouts on 30 batters faced.
The Lady Mocs face No. 28 NC State at 6:15 p.m. Saturday evening before bracket play starting Sunday morning.
North Carolina State 6, Chattanooga 3
Gainesville, Fla. ? The Lady Mocs took an early 2-0 lead before giving up four runs in the sixth falling to No. 24 North Carolina State Saturday evening at the Cox Communications Classic.
Chattanooga (1-3) was led by freshman Brittany Eason who went 2-for-3 at the plate and tallied three RBIs.
In the second, leadoff batter senior Alyssa Edwards reached on a single up the middle. Junior Tara Tembey advanced Edwards on a sacrifice bunt, and freshman designated player Tia Blosser walked before freshman Brittany Eason hit a two-run double to left field to give the Lady Mocs an early 2-0 lead at the middle of the second inning.
Frizzell finished off the strong second inning striking out each of the three batters faced.
Tembey picked up a single up the middle in the top of the fourth before stealing second but was left on second as the inning ended. The Wolfpack picked up its first run of the game on a triple by Abbie Sims sending Shanna Smith home to make the score 2-1.
The Lady Mocs were held scoreless in the top of the fifth before giving up an unearned run by NC State’s Laura Klem who reached on a throwing error tying the game up at two all going into the sixth inning.
After three straight outs, the Lady Mocs gave up four runs on four hits and two errors making the score 6-2 going into the seventh. Tembey, the leadoff hitter, walked before being drove in by a two-out Eason single to left center narrowing the gap to 6-3. But the team was not able to put any more runs on the board ending the game.
NC State was led by Sims and Megan Dalthorp with two hits each. Sims also had 12 strikeouts and only allowed four hits in 27 batters faced.
The No. 5 seeded Lady Mocs will match-up against No. 4 seeded Fordham at 9 a.m. in the consolation bracket of the Cox Communications Classic.
Kent State 8, UNCG 0
GREENSBORO, NC ? Gabrielle Burns and Kylie Reynolds combined on a no-hitter as Kent State blanked UNCG, 8-0, in Game 6 at the 2007 Spartan Softball Classic.
Reynolds earned the win for Kent State, firing the final 4-2/3 innings in relief. She struck out 11 and walked one in earning her second win of the tournament. She took over for Burns, who had some early control problems with three walks, a hit batter and two wild pitches in 1-1/3 innings in the circle.
Kent State (3-0) jumped on top 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning, taking advantage of a throwing error and a wild pitch. The Golden Flashes extended the lead to 3-0 in the third when Megan Verde lined a two-run homer over the wall in center.
Another UNCG miscue helped Kent State extend its lead to 5-0 in the fifth.
Brittney Robinson and Corey Houck hit consecutive singles to open the inning. The Spartans cut down Robinson at third on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Jessica Toocheck for the first out of the inning. But Jamie Fitzpatrick followed with a single to left that skipped through the legs of the Spartan left fielder to the wall. Both Houck and Toocheck came around to score on the play and Fitzpatrick wound up on third base.
Kent State scored three more in the sixth on a bases loaded double by pinch-hitter Amanda Frobase.
UNCG (2-5) returns to action at approximately 2:45 when it faces Campbell University. Kent State returns Sunday at 11 am to face Morehead State.
UNCG 5, Campbell 4 (Game 2)
UNCG scored two runs in the final two innings to defeat Campbell, 5-4, in game seven of the 2007 Spartan Softball Classic.
Hannah Angel got her first start of the tournament and picked up her first win of the season. She struck out six batters and allowed one walk in seven innings of action.
Campbell (4-2-1) got on the board first scoring two unearned runs on miscues by UNCG third baseman Kara Clouser in the bottom of the first.
Campbell also had two hits in the inning, a single from Jessica Huffman and a doubles from Amanda Littlejohn.
The Spartans responded when Clouser recorded her first some run of the season in her first at bat of the game. She drove in teammates Lyndsey Wilson and Laura Olenderski and put UNCG (4-5) ahead 3-2 heading into the bottom of the inning.
Campbell countered with a two-run second inning to take a 4-3 lead. Marian Jones hit a double which drove in Jessica Huffman and Stephanie Pappas.
Huffman and Pappas were able to get on base on a Spartan fielding error and a wild pitch.
Down a run heading into the fifth inning, Brittany Ausley hit her third home run of the weekend to tie the game up and sealed the victory with a run scored by Lyndsay Mouse.
The Spartans will conclude the 2007 Spartan Softball Classic at 1 pm tomorrow, when they take on Ohio.
GSU SWEEPS OPPONENTS AT DAY TWO OF GSU SOFTBALL INVITATIONAL
STATESBORO, Ga. --- Georgia Southern and Samford both swept their opponents setting up a championship showdown Sunday in day two of the GSU Softball Invitational Saturday at Eagle Field.
Georgia Southern (3-4) shut out Charleston Southern (2-6) 3-0 and 1-0, and Samford (6-2) took two from Bethune-Cookman (3-4), 5-1 and 3-0.
CSU and BCC will square off in the consolation game Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. and Samford and GSU battle for the championship at 1 p.m.
Georgia Southern 3, Charleston Southern 0
Junior Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) tossed a two-hit shutout and struck out 13 to lead GSU to a 3-0 win over Charleston Southern to start the day’s festivities.
The game remained scoreless until the fifth when the Eagles broke out for three runs behind a two-run homer from freshman Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.). Senior Maria Laurato (New Orleans, La.) led off with a single and Russo followed with a shot off the left-field foul pole for her first career roundtripper.
Later in the inning, freshman Lindsey Hopkins (McDonough, Ga.) singled up the middle to bring home freshman Elizabeth Branan (Alpharetta, Ga.).
Laliberte (1-1) faced just two batters over the minimum and allowed hits in the sixth and seventh innings. Her 13 strikeouts is one less than her career high of 14 set last season against CSU at Eagle Field.
Amanda Noble (0-4) gave up five hits and struck out two for the Buccaneers.
Georgia Southern 1, Charleston Southern 0
Maria Laurato’s walk-off RBI double down the left field line in the bottom of the seventh broke a scoreless tie to give Georgia Southern a 1-0 victory.
Starting pitchers Jillian LaFrance of CSU and senior Logan Free (Sandpoint, Idaho) matched zeros on the scoreboard for the first six and a half innings. LaFrance did not allow her first hit until the sixth.
Only once before the sixth did a team have a player in scoring position. CSU put runners on first and second with two outs in the first but Free struck out Jenn Brooks to end the threat.
In GSU’s final at bat, senior Heather Smith (Williamson, Ga.) led off and reached on an error. Freshman Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) sacrificed pinch runner Elizabeth Branan (Alpharetta, Ga.) to second, and Laurato followed with a double that hit the chalk and went into the corner to score Branan.
LaFrance (1-2) was the hard-luck loser, allowing just two hits and no earned runs. She struck out three and walked one. Free (2-1) fanned 13 and gave up five hits and three walks.
CofC Defeats James Madison, Loses to North Dakota State
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. ? College of Charleston went 1-1 on the second day of the Cougar Classic as the Cougars fell to North Dakota State, 8-0, in Game 3, before the 2-1 win in Game Four over James Madison in softball action at Patriots Point Field in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
The Cougars (4-4) were led by Amber Shifflett as she went for 2-for-3 at the plate. Shannon Howard (1-3) took the loss against the North Dakota State, giving up eight hits, three runs and striking out one in 2 1/3 innings of work.
The Bison's’ leadoff hitter led the Bison's’ offensive attack on 3-for-3 hitting as she scored two runs and had two RBI. Bekki Rasmussen earned the win, giving up five hits and striking out four in five innings.
In the Cougars’ second game of the day, Jennifer Golden was 1-for-3 at the plate with one RBI. Shifflett and pinch runner Darla Roberson each scored a run. Terri Mesko (3-1) went seven innings, giving up six hits and 10 strikeouts, for the win.