Chattanooga 5, Furman 2
Greenville, S.C. -- Chattanooga scored five runs in the first three innings and held on for a 5-2 victory and three-game series sweep of Furman in Southern Conference softball action Sunday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
Chattanooga improves to 34-15 overall and 12-1 in the SoCon. Furman slips to 19-25 overall and 7-8 in conference play.
The Lady Mocs raced out to a 3-0 lead with three runs in the second and added two runs in the third. Laci Upchurch opened the scoring plating Toni Hutchison on a squeeze bunt. Tara Tembey extended the advantage to 3-0 with a two-out, two-run single to center.
After Lana Mackey answered for Furman with her fourth home run of the season in the bottom of the second, Katie Blevins drove in Michelle Fuzzard with a double and later scored on Ashlan Clarkson’s single through the left side to open a 5-1 lead after 2 1/2 innings.
Fuzzard held Furman to two runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings to improve to 5-2. Brooke Loudermilk earned her fifth save of the season limiting the Paladins to just one hit in 2 1/3 innings in the circle. Tembey notched two RBI for the Lady Mocs and Blevins collected two hits, including a double.
Mackey (14-18) suffered the loss allowing three runs on three hits in four innings. Bethany Ullrich went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Paladins.
Furman closes out its home schedule Wednesday hosting USC Upstate in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Pepsi Stadium. Chattanooga hosts College of Charleston next weekend for a three-game set.
College of Charleston 2, UNC Greensboro 1
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - A Shannon Howard home run and Terri Mesko sacrifice fly pushed the College of Charleston softball team 2-1 over UNC Greensboro in the finale of a Southern Conference series Sunday afternoon from Patriots Point.
The win brings the Cougars’ record to 28-29 overall and 9-6 in the conference as they win their final homes series two games to one. The Spartans move to 15-29 and 2-10 in league play.
The match-up was another defensive battle for the two teams. The teams combined for only nine hits on 47 at-bats. Greensboro opened the scoring in the fourth inning. Mary Greenway singled to left-center. She scored off a double from Lyndsay Mouse.
Charleston went to the bottom of the seventh scoreless, until Howard smacked her sixth home run of the season. She hit a solo homer deep to left field to even the score.
Kristie Shifflett reached on a single to center and Alex Williams came in to pinch run for the sophomore third baseman. Katie Nutaitis singled to third and Brittany Small reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Mesko hit a sacrifice fly to right, allowing Williams to tag up for the final score of 2-1 and the Cougar win.
Christal Kotchman hit her first triple of the year and owned the only CofC hit for the majority of the game until Tiffany Harmon bunted a single to third.
Howard (16-10) gets credit for the win in relief of Mesko (10-17). Mesko threw six strikeouts and allowed three hits. Howard struck out one batter and allowed one hit.
Charleston continues conference play on the road with a trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., to face the league-leading Lady Mocs Saturday, 26, and Sunday, April 27. UNC Greensboro visits Charlotte for a doubleheader Thursday starting at 4 p.m.
Elon 10, Appalachian State 9 (8 inn.)
ELON, N.C. ? An RBI single off the bat of freshman Allison Hartman in the eighth inning gave the Elon softball team a 10-9 victory and a weekend sweep of Appalchian State Sunday afternoon at East Field. With the win, Elon improves to 21-19 on the season, including a 9-6 conference mark. Appalachian State is now 7-31 and 5-8 in league play.
The Mountaineers posted three runs in the top of the first to take an early. The lead would not last as Elon drove in three in the bottom of the inning, tying the score 3-3. Debbie Zeigler was the first Phoenix to reach base after being hit by a pitch. Tracey Dahlen then reached on a fielder’s choice and later stole second. Melanie Helterbran singled to put runners at the corners before Hartman drew a walk to load the bases. Jaimie Rao, who went three-for-four at the plate with four RBI, tripled to drive in the tying runs.
Elon tacked on two in the bottom of the third for a 5-3 lead. Dahlen and Helterbran reached on a walk and a single. Rao drove in the first run of the inning with a single and then advanced on the throw to the plate. Pam DelPizzo recorded an RBI sacrifice hit to score Weber, who came in to run for Helterbran, for the final run of the inning.
The bats were quiet until the top of the fifth when ASU scored two to tie the game at five. A walk by Katie Boyd followed Natalie Willis’ single to right field. The two advanced on a passed ball. Brittany Gaston singled up the middle to drive in the two runs for Appalachian State.
Elon gave up two runs on two hits in the top of the sixth that gave the Mountaineers a 7-5 advantage. Stephanie Long drew a leadoff walk that was followed by a single by Sarah Rappe. The two scored on an RBI single from Andrea McIntyer.
ASU’s lead would not last as the Phoenix took advantage of three ASU miscues to score four in the bottom half of the inning to retake the lead, 9-7. Rao opened the bottom of the sixth with a single. DelPizzo followed with a walk to move the runner in scoring position. Rao later scored on a throwing error that allowed Brandi Jones to reach and moved Hannah Shelton, who pinch ran for DelPizzo, to third. An RBI single by Rebecca Rijavec scored Shelton to tie the game at seven. Jones crossed the plate on a throwing error by the centerfielder to put Elon up by one. A wild pitch allowed the final run of the inning to score.
ASU tied the game at nine in the top of the seventh inning. Gaston opened with a single up the middle and then scored when Meagan Squartino doubled. Morgan Price came in to pinch hit for the Moutaineers and doubled to score the tying run.
The Mountaineers looked to avoid the sweep in the top of the eighth when they loaded the bases with a single and two walks. The runners were stranded as the final batter was retired on a groundout to the shortstop.
Elon loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth after Zeigler singled, Dahlen reached on an error by the shortstop, and Helterbran walked. Allison Hartman took a 3-2 pitch through the left side to score Zeigler for the game-winning run.
Samantha Schroeder improved to 3-1 on the season with the win. She allowed just two hits and walked two in two innings of work. Kayla Richardson took the loss for ASU by allowing six runs on six hits and four walks in 3.1 innings of work. Each of the six runs was earned.
Elon returns to action Tuesday when it steps out of conference to face Radford in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. ASU hosts North Carolina Central Thursday, starting at 3:30 p.m.
Western Carolina 3, Georgia Southern 1
STATESBORO, Ga. --- Western Carolina’s Lauren Ross carried a shutout into the seventh inning and held Georgia Southern to one run and five hits in the Catamounts’ 3-1 victory Sunday at Eagle Field.
WCU takes the three-game series 2-1 and improves to 15-31 overall and 5-13 in the Southern Conference. GSU drops to 29-26 overall and 9-6 in the SoCon.
Western Carolina scored all three of its runs in the third inning. After two quick outs, four straight batters reached base, and the rally was capped off with a two-run double by Amber Hawkins.
GSU starter Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) retired the first eight batters she faced but was unable to get out of the third inning. She falls to 14-10.
Freshman Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) finished up, tossing four innings of three-hit shutout ball.
Ross (7-15) held the Eagles to three hits through six innings before allowing doubles in the seventh to sophomores Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) and Kristan Glover (Evans, Ga.).
The Eagles return to action Tuesday with a home contest against Savannah State. Western Carolina travels to face East Tennessee State Wednesday with a pair of games starting at 2 p.m.