Chattanooga 1, East Tennessee State 0
Iowa State 8, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Freshman pitcher Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) pitched four scoreless innings of relief to pick up her third win of the season as Chattanooga (6-7) split their first two games of the Chattanooga Challenge with a 1-0 victory over East Tennessee State (2-7) before being no-hit, 8-0, by Iowa State (8-1) in the night cap Friday evening at Jim Frost Stadium.
In Game 1 against East Tennessee State, Chattanooga made an RBI single by junior infielder Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) stand up as the Lady Mocs took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Despite several rallies by the Buccaneers, that they would not relinquish that lead the rest of the game.
Following an injury to starting pitcher Michelle Fuzzard that forced her to leave the game after the first inning, freshman pitcher Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) came in and provided four strong innings of relief and sophomore pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) worked her way out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth inning to preserve the narrow lead.
The Lady Mocs mounted a rally in the bottom of the sixth, advancing runners to second and third but could not capitalize. In the seventh, Loudermilk then set down the side in order to close out the 1-0 win and pick up her first save of the season.
Senior outfielder Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.) and junior third baseman Rachel Norris (Ringgold, Ga.) each went 1-for-2 while Hutchison was 1-for-3 with the lone RBI in the game.
Fuzzard, Irwin, freshman pitcher Kaitlin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.) and Loudermilk combined to scatter four hits and polish of the shutout.
In the nightcap against Iowa State, it was a much different story as the Lady Mocs faced the 7-1 Cyclones and freshman pitcher Rachel Zabriskie who entered the night having thrown two no-hitters in her first three collegiate starts.
Both Zabriskie and Chattanooga starting pitcher Brooke Loudermilk were on through the games first two innings as neither team managed to get on the scoreboard. That changed in the third inning when ISU picked up two runs on a sacrifice and a single before senior Ariel Coburn belted a two-run homerun over the left centerfield fence to give the Cyclones a 4-0 lead.
They quickly added to that in the fourth inning, as sophomore Sydni Jones singled through the left side to drive home a solo run and make the score 5-0. Iowa State continued to add to their lead in the fifth as Zabriskie continued her domination on the mound. A wild pitch, sacrifice fly and a groundout increased the Cyclone lead to 8-0 heading to the bottom of the inning.
Zabriskie quickly struck out the first two batters of the inning before inducing a game-ending groundball out to secure her third career no-hitter in four starts. She also struck out eight batters while allowing one walk.
Loudermilk took the loss for the Lady Mocs, dropping to 1-4 on the season, while Zabriskie improved to 4-1. Freshman pitcher Lauren Flores (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) was the lone base runner for Chattanooga, drawing a first inning walk.
UTC came closest to breaking up the no-hitter when Toni Hutchison drove a ball to deep left field before sophomore Michelle Dettmer hauled it in over her head to preserve the no-hit bid.
The Lady Mocs return to action tomorrow when they host Bowling Green at 4:30 p.m. at Jim Frost Stadium.
NOTES
The save by Loudermilk is the third of her career, moving her into eighth place on the Lady Mocs all-time career saves list.
St. Bonaventure 6, Western Carolina 1
Western Carolina 5, South Dakota State 4
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Western Carolina softball (1-4) picked up its first win of 2008 defeating South Dakota State 5-4 in the second game of opening day action of the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament. Earlier in the day, the Catamounts fell 6-1 to St. Bonaventure.
Junior college transfer Michelle Tating got her first win as a Catamount on the mound against South Dakota State. She tossed five scoreless innings before the Jackrabbits scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning to make a 5-0 scoring advantage by the Catamounts an interesting game.
Western Carolina took the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Senior Jamie Swank got a lead off single and moved into scoring position, advancing to second, off a wild pitch. Swank scored when junior Lauren Ross hit a double down the left field line.
The Catamounts tacked on three runs in the fourth inning. Back to back singles by freshman Amber Hawkins and Tating placed runners on first and second. Redshirt sophomore Mollie Fowler hit her first homerun, and the first by a Catamount, this season. The three-run shot gave WCU a 4-0 lead. Another freshman got in the mix when Rachel Drawdy hit an RBI single that scored Stephanie Beatty.
Coasting with a 5-0 lead, Tating got into a bit of a jam in the sixth inning. She allowed three South Dakota State runs on two hits and there was also two Catamount errors. With two outs, Tating was replaced by freshman Lilly McDonagh who forced a pop up to end the inning.
With one out in the top of the seventh inning, South Dakota State continued to attempt a rally as three straight singles loaded the bases. After a fly out to center field the Jackrabbits hit a sacrifice fly for the fourth run of the game but McDonagh forced a ground out for the third and final out.
McDonagh earned her first save as a Catamount and Tating improved to 1-1 on the season. Ross was the only Western Carolina player to have multiple hits in the game going 2-for-3.
The opening game of the tournament was a rocky one for Western Carolina, falling 6-1 to St. Bonaventure. The run against the Bonnies was the first of the season for the Catamounts and it occurred in the first inning.
The Catamounts lone run began when junior Heather Pritchard drew a walk and stole second. Hawkins hit a single up the middle to score Pritchard to give WCU an early 1-0 lead.
It was all St. Bonaventure after that as it scored two runs in the bottom of the first and four in the bottom of the fifth. McDonagh started the game and takes the loss falling to 1-1 on the season. She allowed six runs on seven hits and struck out six.
Western Carolina continues play in the tournament facing Boston College and host Florida Gulf on Saturday. First pitch for the Catamounts is set for 3 p.m.