Chattanooga 6, Dayton 4; Chattanooga 8, Princeton 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Behind four home runs, the Chattanooga softball team swept through the first day of the 2009 Frost Classic with wins over Dayton and Princeton. In is first contest, UTC (7-11) beat the Flyers (2-9) 6-4, while downing the Tigers (1-1) 8-0 in six innings.
The big bat of the day belonged to junior Brittany Eason, who had a monster day against Princeton. In the nightcap Eason had two home runs and the first triple of her career. She also knocked in a career-high four RBI.
Kandice Irwin (3-6) picked up her first victory since opening weekend with a three-hit, complete game shutout. The sophomore had complete control of her arsenal, striking out four and not walking a batter.
"It is good to be home," head coach Frank Reed said. "We have been working on some things in practice, cutting down on our swings and what-not. Tonight though we came out and played quality softball, offensively, defensively, and in the circle."
The Lady Mocs jumped on Princeton early with four runs in the first inning. Already up 1-0, a Michelle Fuzzard sacrifice fly doubled the lead to 2-0, before Eason launched her first two-run homer of the game.
Eason struck again in the fifth with a leadoff triple. The very next batter, Lauren Flores, put Chattanooga up 5-0 with a sacrifice fly.
In the sixth, a Toni Hutchison double scored Jessie Kuhlman to up the lead to 6-0, before Eason ended the game with her second round-tripper.
Against Dayton, the Lady Mocs were also able to jump out to a quick lead, scoring five runs through the first three innings. The big blast came in the form of a two-run home run off the bat of Hutchison, who belted her team-leading fifth home run of the season.
The Flyers were able to answer however with two runs in both the fourth and the fifth off UTC starter Michelle Fuzzard (2-4). Fuzzard struck out seven in four-and-two-thirds, allowing four runs, three unearned, and walking two.
Tia Blosser gave Chattanooga a big insurance run in the sixth thanks to a sac fly that scored Flores.
Kaity Holloway picked up the second save of her career, throwing the final two-and-a-third innings. Holloway allowed only one hit in relief, while striking out and walking one apiece.
Day two of the 2009 Frost Classic will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday from Warner Park. The Lady Mocs are scheduled to take the field at 3 p.m. against Valparaiso and again at 5 p.m. against Boston College.
UNC Greensboro 8, Rider 0
GREENSBORO, NC ? Amber Harrell came within inches of a no-hitter and Lyndsay Mouse hit a grand slam that wasn’t as UNC Greensboro cruised past Rider, 8-0 in five innings, at the UNCG Spartan Classic on Friday.
Harrell allowed just a pair of walks and a double that landed just inches inside the left field line as she improved to 3-5 on the season.
With the Spartans (7-11) up 4-0 and the bases loaded in the third inning, Mouse hit a towering shot out over the left field fence. As she rounded first, she passed Kristen Gabel and was called out, but the three runners all came around to score.
UNCG plated a trio of unearned runs in the first inning to set the tone for the game. After Jordan Jewett reached on a three-base error and Alex Emeterio walked, Mary Catherine Vercoe smoked a single to left to bring in Jewett. Kaitlin Merkt followed with a single through the left side to load the bases, and Whitney Sirois hit a sacrifice fly to score Emeterio. Emily Akiyama followed with an infield single to score Vercoe.
The Spartans added four more in the third, with Akiyama driving in Vercoe before Mouse’s would-be homer. UNCG added its eighth run in the fourth inning when Emeterio scored on Merkt’s long fly and the throw into second.
Harrell, meanwhile, was cruising. She sat down the first the seven batters she faced before walking Clarissa Ortiz with one out in the third. With one down in the fourth inning, Candice Harris laced a ball down the left field line that just snuck inside the chalk to break up the no-hitter.
Kristen Gabel made a nice catch on a low line drive for out No. 2, and Vercoe grabbed a popup in foul ground to end the inning.
Rider (0-2) got its leadoff on base in the seventh, as Amanda Centeno drew a five-pitch walk to get the bottom half of the frame started. Harrell closed the door on the Broncs in dominating fashion, striking out the next three batters ? two of them looking ? the end the game.
The Spartans pounded out nine hits, with Vercoe, Merkt, Akiyama and Mouse getting two each. Brittany Ausley also picked a base knock for UNCG.
Lauren Brunner (0-1) took the loss in the circle for the Broncs, as she allowed seven runs ? four earned ? on eight hits and a walk in three innings. Samantha Bennett pitched two innings of solid relief, allowing one run on one hit.
Harrell struck out a season-high eight batters as UNCG snapped an eight-game losing streak.
St. Johns, 4, College of Charleston 1
RALEIGH, N.C. - Junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) threw a complete game, striking out eight and junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) hit her third home run of the season but it was not enough as the College of Charleston (4-10) dropped a 4-1 decision to St. Johns (7-3) Friday morning in the first game of the N.C. State Wolfpack Challenge.
St. Johns got on the board early as the Red Storm put together a pair of hits and took advantage of two errors to score three runs in the first inning. Junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) struck out the side around the three runs and then proceeded to notch three consecutive strikeouts the following inning.
Sophomore pitcher Linzee Sumrall was just as dominant on the other side of the ledger as she recorded strikeouts on five of the first six batters and held Charleston scoreless through three innings. In the top of the fourth inning, the Cougars got on the board when junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) belted her third home run of the season over the centerfield fence to make it 3-1.
St. Johns would answer back with an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when freshman outfielder Kristi Cady doubled to lead off the inning and then scored on a single by sophomore outfielder Chelsea Durning to make it 4-1. That would be all the Red Storm would need as they closed out the three-run victory three innings later.
Durning led the way for the St. Johns with a 2-for-3, one run, one RBI performance while Dopudja and Cox each added an RBI. Linzee Sumrall earned the victory with a complete game, three-hit, one run effort. She struck out nine batters as she moved to 4-1 on the season.
For Charleston, Kristie Shifflett finished 1-for-3 with her 18th career homerun while senior shortstop Christal Kotchman (Seminole, Fla.) and junior catcher Brittany Small (Chesapeake, Va.) added the other hits for the Cougars. Mesko, went the distance in a losing effort, striking out a season-high eight batters and pulling to within nine strikeouts of the program record of 462.
The Cougars return to action tomorrow evening when they face Buffalo at 5:30 p.m. and St. Johns at 7:30 p.m.
NOTES
Terri Mesko is nine strikeouts away from breaking the career strikeout record for the College of Charleston ... she trails Rachael Stern’s mark of 462 for the all-time record (2003-05) and is seven strikeouts away from moving into second place all-time ... Kenzie Kohler is second with 460 career strikeouts.
SE Louisiana 4, Appalachian Sate 1; Troy 4, Appalachian State 1
TROY, Ala. - Ashlyn Williams struck out 17 batters for Troy as Appalachian State University (4-6) softball dropped a 4-1 decision at Troy Friday night.
The Trojans started the game off with three runs in the top of the first inning, all runs coming with two outs. Troy tacked on a run in the third inning on a Nikki Hollett RBI single.
ASU got on the board in the fourth inning when Brittany Gaston walked to start the inning and advanced to second on a passed ball. Ashley Gaston singled to move Brittany Gaston to third and she scored on an RBI single by Andrea McIntyre.
That was all the Mountaineers would get as Williams did not allow a runner past second the rest of the game. Ashley Gaston led ASU offensively with two hits while Tasha Elmore had two hits for Troy.
"Our hitters need to do a better job of getting quality at bats in crucial situations," head coach
Amy Herrington said. "Our pitching and defense can keep us in games but we cannot keep stranding runners on base the way we have been doing."
Kayla Richardson threw a complete game for ASU picking up the loss, allowing four runs while striking out four.
Appalachian State University softball out hit SE Louisiana 9-5, but the Lions came out on top 4-1 Friday afternoon in Troy.
The Mountaineers took the lead in the first inning when Megan Rembielak reached on a bunt single and advanced to second when Ashley Stubbs reached on an error. Brittany Gaston followed with a single to left field driving in Rembielak to give ASU the 1-0 lead.
It was the only run ASU could scratch across despite getting nine hits and two walks. Lions
pitcher Zievert Bailey worked around the nine outs, striking out four, allowing one unearned run.
Appalachian pitcher Yancy Moose worked three hitless innings to start the game, but hit a batter to start the fourth inning, Moose got the next two batters out, but Allyson McCubbins hit a home run to give the Lions a 2-1 lead.
SE Louisiana added runs in the fourth and fifth innings to make the final score 4-1.
Katie Boyd and Lindsay Whitlock had two hits apiece for the Mountaineers, while Boyd stretched her hitting streak to six games while Whitlock recorded the first two hits of her career.
Brittany Gaston went 3-for-3 and the lone RBI for the Mountaineers.
Moose went the distance for Appalachian, allowing the four runs and not walking a batter, while striking out four.