LADY MOCS STOPPED BY BOWLING GREEN
Tampa, Fla. ? Chattanooga (16-15) had six hits but left eight on base in the team’s 7-1 loss to the Bowling Green Falcons Saturday morning.
Freshman pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) had 12 strikeouts but allowed 11 hits and was charged with the loss with her record now sitting at 10-6.
Freshman shortstop Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) got the first hit of the game with a single to the right side, but after one inning, the score still remained 0-0.
Bowling Green’s Allison Vallas put the Falcons on the board first in the top of the second with a lead off home run to right field to take the lead 1-0. But Loudermilk took control and closed out the inning with three straight strikeouts.
Sophomore third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) extended her hitting streak to eight games as she singled to the right side in the bottom of the second, but was left on first as the inning closed after back-to-back strikeouts.
The Falcons attacked again in the top of the third scoring two runs on three hits. Susan Sontag and Jeanine Baca both picked up runs off Emmy Ramsey’s single to the left side making the score in the middle of the third 3-0.
Chattanooga was still held scoreless in the bottom of the third with sophomore designated player Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) being left on base after reaching on a walk, advancing to second on a passed ball and advancing to third on junior center fielder Tara Tembey’s (Folsom, Calif.) ground out to first.
After shutting out the Falcons in the top of the fourth with two strikeouts and a pop up to senior second baseman Brittney Whittier (Scottsdale, Ariz.), the Lady Mocs got another hit by Whittier in a hard line drive at the third baseman. Junior right fielder Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.) was walked, and Whittier advanced to second, but both were left on at the end of four.
Bowling Green picked up another run in the top of the fifth with Sontag scoring again after reaching on a hit, advancing to second and third on passed balls before scoring on a sacrifice fly to left center by Baca to make the score 4-0.
Upchurch hit a lead off double to left center to start off the bottom of the fifth for the Lady Mocs. She advanced to third with one out on a wild pitch to Tembey before scoring on Tembey’s RBI single up the middle on a full count to make the score 4-1.
Blosser recorded her second hit of the day with a ground ball up the right side before senior first baseman Alyssa Edwards (Geneva, N.Y.) advanced both runners on a ground out to the third baseman. But the runners were left stranded on second and third as the inning came to a close with the score still at 4-1.
The Falcons picked up a couple more runs on three more hits in the top of the sixth by relief pitcher Hayley Wiemer and Vallas making the score 6-1.
Baca picked up the Falcons’ seventh run in the top of the seventh after reaching on a single and advancing to second. Vallas was credited with the RBI, her second of the game, to make the score 7-1, which would eventually stand as final.
Sickness still ran through the team with junior pitcher Heather Woods (Rocky Face, Ga.) staying behind, and freshman catcher Brittany Eason (Chattanooga, Tenn.) sitting out. Sophomore outfielder Ashley Cuticchia (Rising Fawn, Ga.) pinch hitting in the bottom of the sixth reaching on an error and left on first.
The Lady Mocs will face George Mason at 12:00 p.m. on field three to conclude round robin play in the Speedline Invitational.
SOFTBALL LIFTED BY HOME RUNS IN 8-1 WIN OVER GEORGE MASON
Tampa, Fla. ? Freshman catcher Brittany Eason (Chattanooga, Tenn.), despite sitting out on Friday due to illness, hit her second home run of the season in the Lady Mocs’ 8-1 win over George Mason Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Mocs (17-15) had nine hits while capitalizing on two Patriot errors and two walks.
Senior first baseman Alyssa Edwards (Geneva, N.Y.), also battling illness, belted a two-out home run over the left field fence in the top of the third, her third of the season.
And sophomore designated player Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) hit her fifth home run, third of the weekend, in the top of the fourth to drive in two runs, her 12th RBI of the season.
Senior pitcher Ashley Frizzell (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) recorded her sixth win of the season, second of the weekend, breaking even at .500.
The Lady Mocs jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first with lead off batter senior left fielder Jeannie Cochran (Maryville, Tenn.) reaching on a walk. Cochran stole her 16th base of the season before advancing to third on a sophomore center fielder Ashley Cuticchia (Rising Fawn, Ga.) ground out to second base. Freshman shortstop Tia Blosser’s (Knoxville, Tenn.) appearance at the plate drove Cochran home on a wild pitch on ball four.
The Lady Mocs turned a double play off of George Mason’s Kelsey Mack line drive to Blosser before picking off Dee Murray on first in the bottom of the first. A ground out followed to close out the inning with the score still at 1-0.
Chattanooga picked up another couple of runs and the team’s first hits of the game off of a senior second baseman Brittney Whittier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) single followed by Eason’s one-out home run over the left field fence making the score 3-0.
Edwards pushed the score to 4-0 after two quick ground outs with her solo home run after three innings.
The Lady Mocs shut out the Patriots in the bottom of the third with a strikeout, a ground out and a fly ball.
Sophomore third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) picked up another hit in the top of the fourth inning, extending her hitting streak to nine games, the longest in her career before Upchurch hit her two-out home run to right field making the score 6-0 going into the bottom of the fourth.
George Mason picked up a run in the bottom of the fourth after Becky Anderson reached on a hit, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Kristin Dickel and scored on a two-out single by Vickie Brill to make the score 6-1.
Leading off again in the top of the fifth, Cuticchia singled through the right side before advancing to second from a sacrifice bunt by Blosser. Cuticchia scored on a single by Edwards to make the score 7-1 with one out.
The Patriots had Meghan Hill reach on a bunt in the bottom of the fifth and advanced on a ground out to second, but was left on base as the inning retired with the score still 7-1.
Chattanooga was held scoreless in the top of the sixth for the first inning of the game with Upchurch reaching first on an error by the shortstop but getting the third out due to interference on a Cochran ground ball.
George Mason had three up and three down to close out the sixth with Frizzell capturing two strikeouts to close out the first two at bats.
Blosser earned her first hit of the game to get the bats going in the top of the seventh before Edwards quickly followed with a single of her own. Freshman pinch runner Nicole D’Apice (Knoxville, Tenn.) came into the game for Edwards. And both runners advanced into scoring position with Tembey’s out from the second baseman to first.
Blosser scored on a wild pitch with D’Apice advancing to third with sophomore pinch hitter Lindsey Davis (Okinawa, Japan) making her second appearance of the season before hitting a fly ball out to center field to close the inning with the score at 8-1.
The Lady Mocs will begin bracket play Sunday morning playing against the No. 2 seeds from the other three pools. The brackets will be announced after play concludes at the end of Saturday.
SOFTBALL LOSES PAIR AT CAPITAL CLASSIC
SACRAMENTO, Calif. --- The Georgia Southern softball team dropped two two-run decisions Saturday at the Capital Classic hosted by Sacramento State.
The Eagles (10-17) lost 3-1 to defending Big XII Tournament champion Kansas and 4-2 to Purdue.
Kansas 3, Georgia Southern 1
GSU starter Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) held Kansas to three hits through five innings but in the sixth, the Jayhawks erupted for three runs and three extra base hits to win 3-1.
Georgia Southern scratched across its run in the third. Freshman Lindsey Hopkins (McDonough, Ga.) led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and went to third on a groundout. She scored when a ground ball by sophomore Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) was booted by the KU shortstop.
In the sixth, Stevie Cristoso led off with a solo shot to left-centerfield. After a groundout, Amanda Jobe and Val Chapple hit back-to-back doubles to chase Laliberte. An Eagle error accounted for KU’s third run.
Laliberte (3-6) allowed seven hits and two earned runs and struck out five. Sarah Vertelka (4-3) gave up three hits and no earned runs for the Jayhawks (19-8-1).
Purdue 4, Georgia Southern 2
Purdue (12-21) made three first-inning runs stand up and got an insurance run in the seventh to hold on for a 4-2 win.
All three of the Boilermakers’ runs in the first were unearned and came with two out. After starter Logan Free (Sandpoint, Idaho) retired the first two batters, a walk, infield single and an error loaded the bases.
A hit batsman drove home the first run and two straight walks made the score 3-0.
The Eagles struck for two runs in the third but left the bases loaded. A hit batsman and consecutive singles loaded the bases for freshman Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) whose fielder’s choice cut the deficit to 3-1.
Senior Heather Smith (Williamson, Ga.) dropped in an opposite-field single for the team’s second run.
In the bottom of the seventh, GSU put runners on first and second with two outs, but Siliga lined out to first to end the game.
Purdue’s Brooke Baker (9-10) allowed nine hits and two earned runs while striking out five. Free (5-7) gave up one hit and three runs (all
unearned) in 0.2 innings of work. Senior A.J. Street (Lilburn, Ga.) went the remainder, and allowed six hits and one earned run.
Georgia Southern wraps up the Capital Classic Sunday against Minnesota at 9 a.m. PDT.
Charlotte Sweeps Twinbill From Furman 5-2, 5-1
Charlotte, N.C. ? The Charlotte 49ers limited Furman to only three runs in two games to sweep a doubleheader from the Lady Paladins 5-2, 5-1 Saturday afternoon.
The Niners are now 20-10 on the season while Furman falls to 9-13-1.
In game one, Charlotte got on the board early scoring two runs in the first inning. Evan Miller led off the game with a single then scored on an RBI single by Kristi Killough. Two batters later, Becky Matthews scored on an RBI single from Emily Forbes to make it 2-0 Charlotte.
The Niners would add some insurance in the second inning when Sarah Malene scored on a wild pitch, giving Charlotte a 3-0 lead. Furman cut into the lead in the third scoring their first run of the game on an error.
The Paladins added a run in the fifth on an RBI single from Brythe Blankenship to make it 3-2.
Charlotte padded their lead in the sixth inning on an RBI single from Miller. Matthews added an RBI single later in the inning for the final margin of 5-2.
Kristen Bowen got the win for Charlotte, improving to 8-5 on the season.
She went the distance giving up two unearned runs on three hits while striking out 10 batters. Vanessa Williams (0-1) took the loss, giving up three runs on eight hits in two innings.
Miller was 3-for-4 on the day with an RBI and two runs scored. Lauren Schmitz and Jenny Rumbles had two hits apiece.
The second game was scoreless going into the bottom of the fourth inning.
Kaycie Jones led off the inning with a single before Alyssa Kemmerer reached on a fielder's choice. A Malene sacrifice moved them over to second and third for Miller, who delivered with a two-run single.
Charlotte added some insurance the following inning. Matthews started the inning off with a double, which was followed by a single from Cee Brooks.
Two batters later, Kemmerer connected with her second home run of the year, giving the Niners a 5-0 lead.
Furman got their lone run in the seventh on an RBI single from Abby Robertson. They would send the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but Christy Murray struck out Megan Jaudon with the bases loaded to secure the sweep.
Murray got the win to improve to 10-5 on the year. She went the distance, giving up one earned run on seven hits while striking out five. Lana Mackey (5-5) took the loss, giving up five earned runs on eight hits while striking out two.
Miller was 1-for-3 with two RBI in the second game, she now has a seven game hitting streak. Kemmerer was 2-for-3 with the big three-run homer.
Furman returns to action Wednesday when it travels to Georgia State for a non-conference doubleheader.
Catamounts Split in Day Two of Tourney
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Western Carolina softball (8-17) split the second day of action Saturday at the Second Annual Best Western Catamount Classic at the Catamount Complex. The club defeated Detroit 11-9 and fell to Radford 5-4.
The Catamounts won the opening game of the day by holding off Detroit 11-9. Mendy McKenzie tossed her 11th complete game of the year and picked up the win. She allowed five earned runs, and notched four strikeouts.
An RBI single by Savannah Filley gave the Catamounts the first run of the game in the first inning. Detroit tied the game in the top of the second inning.
Western Carolina tacked on three runs in the bottom of the second inning. After Tatum Hargett led of with a single and an RBI double by Lauren Ross scored Hargett. Ross then advanced to third on a passed ball and then stole home when Detroit pitcher Adrienne Baron attempted to deliver the pitch and the ball slipped out of her hand and rolled to second. McKenzie’s RBI single scored the third run of the inning.
Nikki Bost saw her first action at the plate in the tournament and made the most of it, hitting a two-run homerun in the fourth inning which also scored McKenzie who led off the inning with a single.
Detroit tied the game in the top of the fifth inning scoring five runs to knot the game at six.
Western Carolina answered in its half of the fifth with four runs to recapture the lead with all the runs coming with two outs. Stephanie Beatty knocked in the first run with an RBI single that scored McKenzie. An RBI single by Beth Hauser and two RBI single by Hargett accounted for the final three runs of the inning.
Beatty tacked on an additional run for the Catamounts in the bottom of the sixth inning with an RBI single.
Western Carolina staved off a seventh inning rally by Detroit as the Titans scored three runs in the final frame. McKenzie forced Courtney Gill to pop up to the shortstop for the final out of the inning.
The Catamounts couldn’t hold off Radford in the second game of the day. Western Carolina, who was the visiting team thanks to a coin toss, trailed 3-2 heading into the seventh inning and scored two runs to take a 4-3 lead.
Western Carolina opened the seventh with Ross reaching on an error. Pinch hitter Mollie Fowler picked up a hit and put runners at first and second. Bost continued to have a strong day at the plate as her double scored Ross and Fowler for the lead.
The lead was fleeting, however, as Amanda Davidson hit a lead-off homerun to tie the game. An RBI single by Sarah Himan, with runners on first and second, was the game-winner for the Highlanders.
Radford took the early lead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Western Carolina answered in the top of the second inning when Ross’ RBI single scored Jamie Swank.
The Highlanders added a one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Filley’s RBI single in the top of the sixth inning pulled the Catamounts within one run, 3-2.
Western Carolina opens the final day of the tournament on Sunday as the No. 3 seed and will face No. 4 seed UNC-Wilmington at 10 a.m. The consolation and championship games will follow immediately at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at the Catamount Softball Complex.