Tennessee State 3, Chattanooga 0; Chattanooga 9, Tennessee State 1

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Thanks to two big innings in Game 2 of a doubleheader with Tennessee State, the Chattanooga softball team was able to split with the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon. The Lady Mocs (17-16/7-2 SoCon) fell in Game 1 of the twin bill 3-0, before rallying back with a five inning, 9-1 win in the second game.

Brooke Loudermilk (3-0) received the win in Game 2. The junior threw all five innings and allowed only one run and one hit. She also struck out six and did not walk a single batter.

In the nightcap, Chattanooga was able to pull away with a five-run third inning, highlighted by two-run hits by Toni Hutchison and Lynleigh Hurndon. The Lady Mocs sent 11 batters to the plate in the frame, tallying five hits along the way. Hutchison and Hurndon both had career-tying games as the two had four and three RBIs respectively.

Lauren Flores led off the game-changing inning with her third hit of the double dip, a single through the left side of the infield. After a Lyndsey Stiles single sent Flores to second, Kaiti Kelley reached on an infield hit.

A fielder’s choice later, Tiffany Baker gave the Lady Mocs its first run of the day on a single into left. With runners at first and second, Hutchison kept the two-out rally going with a ringing double into left-center, bringing in Fuzzard and Baker. With the score 3-0, Chattanooga was not done as Brittany Eason drew a walk and Jessica Traxler reached on an error. Hurndon finished off the scoring in the inning with a two-run single up the middle as UTC led 5-0 after three innings.

In the top of the fourth, the Tigers took one of the runs back on a Caitlin Eaton home run, her second of the day. The four-bagger broke up a no-hitter for UTC starter Loudermilk, who had gone three and two-thirds of an inning without allowing a base hit.

In the bottom half of the frame, Chattanooga got one of the runs back, plus three as the Lady Mocs’ offense produced four more runs. The inning began with singles from Kelley and Fuzzard, before Baker reached on an error to load the bases.

Hutchison stepped in next and drove in two more runs with her second double of the day to put UTC up 7-1. Brittany Eason then continued the hit parade with her fifth double of the season, driving in Baker. The Lady Mocs would push across its ninth run of the contest a few batters later thanks to a fielder’s choice from Hurndon.

In the fifth, the Tiger hitters could not get anything done off Loudermilk as the right-hander sat TSU down in order with two strikeouts in the inning for the 9-1 victory.

In Game 1, Tennessee State was able to shut down the UTC offense to take the contest, 3-0.

Caitlin Eaton (9-6) threw a complete-game shutout for TSU as the righty allowed only five Chattanooga hits. Michelle Fuzzard (6-6) took the loss for UTC, allowing three runs, two earned, in three innings.

The Tigers struck first in the contest with two runs in the second inning. Caitlin Eaton led off the frame with her 10th home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. Royesha Goodman followed Eaton with a single down the leftfield line to give TSU its second hit of inning.

After a stolen base by pinch-runner Jill Gardner, the Lady Mocs gave the Tigers a run as pitcher Fuzzard threw a ball away on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Christy Hill.

In the fourth, Tennessee State padded its lead with another run thanks to a run scoring double from Hill. The two-bagger drove in Goodman, who had reached on a double of her own. That would be the final batter Fuzzard would face as Kandice Irwin came in for the final four innings. Irwin allowed only two hits and struck out six in relief.

The Lady Mocs would string together a small rally in the fifth as Jessica Traxler walked, followed by Lauren Flores reaching on her second single of the afternoon. The innings would not come into fruition however as Eaton was able to retire the next two UTC hitters.

That would be the biggest threat UTC made as Eaton allowed only one more baserunner for the remainder off the game.

Next up for the Lady Mocs will be a trip to Cullowhee, N.C., for a three-game set with Western Carolina. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 4 at 1 p.m.

The next home game for UTC will be on Friday, Apr. 10 as Chattanooga hosts Appalachian State. First pitch will be at 6 p.m. from Jim Frost Stadium.

Appalachian State 3, East Tennessee State 2; East Tennessee State 1, Appalachian State 0

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Katie Boyd (Walkertown, N.C./North Forsyth) broke her own single-season home run record with her 10th of the year as Appalachian State University softball beat East Tennessee State, 3-2, in game one Wednesday evening at the ETSU Softball Stadium. ASU lost game two, 1-0.

Ashley Gaston (Alpharetta, Ga./Roswell) broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth with her third home run of the season to give ASU a 3-2 lead.

After the Buc's scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the first, Morgan Price (Kannapolis, N.C./NW CCarabbus) led off the second with her first career triple and scored on an RBI single by Brittany Gaston (Alpharetta, Ga./Roswell).

Boyd tied the score in the third with her record-breaking shot over the left field fence. She now has 19 homers in her career and is just two away from tying the career record of 21 by Kristyn Hurt.

Ashley Stubbs (Balm, Fla./Newsome) earned the complete game win in the circle for ASU, allowing two runs, one earned while striking out three. The win is Stubbs' seventh of the season and the complete game is her ninth.

Down a run in the ninth, ETSU led off the seventh with a single and moved the runner to second with a sac bunt. Ashley Gaston made a diving catch in left field for the second out and made a running catch on a line drive to end the game.

Sarah Rappe (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) and Ashley Gaston led the ASU offense with two hits apiece.

Kayla Richardson (West Jefferson, N.C./Ashe County) and Marissa Hardy were matched in a pitchers dual in game two that ETSU won 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh.

Katie Henderson led off the inning with a single and Vicki McCoy followed with another hit. After a sac bunt that moved up the runners, Cheniece Cason looped a soft hit just out of Richardson's reach to score pinch runner Annie Martin.

It is the second tough luck loss in a row for Richardson, in her last two starts ASU has scored a total of one run.

Rappe provided ASU's offense with two hits and four hits on the day.

The Mountaineers return to SoCon action this weekend when they host College of Charleston on Saturday in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.

USC Upstate 9, Western Carolina 2; USC Upstate 3, Western Carolina 2

CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Western Carolina softball (9-20) dropped a pair of games, 9-2, 3-2, Wednesday to non-conference opponent USC Upstate (19-9) at the Catamount Softball Complex. The second game was an eight-inning, extra-inning contest, the second extra frame game in the last three played by the Catamounts.

USC Upstate put together nine runs on nine hits to take the first game. Spartan starting pitcher Morgan Childers sat down the first nine Catamount batters, and had a no-hitter through four innings, before freshman Chelsea Schaffer broke it up with a single up the middle.

Western Carolina starting pitcher Megan Taylor allowed lone runs in the first inning and third, before the Spartans exploded for five runs in the fourth. The Catamounts avoided the shutout scoring a run in the bottom of the fifth. Pinch hitter Beth Hauser hit a lead-off single and advanced to second on a ground out by Keri Burnside. Hauser scored thanks to a RBI single by Danielle Reese.

The Spartans tacked up two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Western Carolina added one run in the bottom of the seventh when Burnside led off with a double and then scored thanks to a sacrifice fly by Kristen Gay.

Taylor takes the loss on the mound and falls to 0-3. Childers gets the win and improves to 13-6.

With the score tied at two, in extra innings in the second game, USC Upstate took a 3-2 lead with an RBI single by Amber Patterson. With the international tie-breaker rule in effect, the Catamounts placed Stephanie Beatty on second and with one out, Lauren Ross hit a sacrifice but to move her to third. Beth Hauser struck out to end the Western Carolina threat and drop the second game of the doubleheader.

Down by one run, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh inning in the second game, freshman Chelsea Schaffer smoked a long ball, with one out, over the center field wall to tie the game at two. Amber Hawkins and Stephanie both flew out to the outfield to end the inning.

After four scoreless innings, USC Upstate took a 1-0 lead in the second game. With one out, Catamount pitcher Katie King hit Monica Hall and placed her first. Kim Brasil hit an RBI single for the first score of the game.

Western Carolina tied up the game in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, sophomore Amber Hawkins hit a homerun over the right field wall, her third of the season, to tie the game at one.

The tie was short lived as Spartan Crislyn Chewning hit a lead-off homerun to right field to take a 2-1 advantage.

Freshman pitcher Katie King takes the loss and falls to 3-8 on the season.

Western Carolina returns to action this weekend hosting Southern Conference rival Chattanooga. The doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday and the single game slate is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.

No. 6 Georgia 9, Furman 3

Athens, Ga. -- Megan Wiggan’s grand slam highlighted a six-run second inning as sixth-ranked Georgia downed Furman 9-3 in non-conference softball action Wednesday evening at the UGA Softball Stadium in Athens, Ga.

The Bulldogs improved to 25-4 on the season with their 10th straight win while Furman fell to 12-18 on the season.

Georgia struck for two runs in the bottom half of the first inning. Kristin Schnake singled to right field to plate Taylor Schlopy who opened the inning with a base on balls and stolen base. Alisa Goler followed with a line drive off of the center field fence to drive in Schnake before Mackey retired the next three batters to end the rally.

Georgia batted around to add six runs in the bottom of the second, highlighted by Tori Moody’s leadoff homer down the left field line and Wiggans’ roundtripper to left that chased Paladin starter Lana Mackey from the game after just 1 1/3 innings.

Senior Stephanie Cushing ended the Georgia no-hit bid in the top of the fourth with a solo homer, her sixth of the season, to straightaway center field off of Bulldog reliever Erin Arevalo. Morgan Hughey, Brythe Blankenship and Stephanie Mihaly followed with walks to load the bases before Jessie Homesley greeted reliever Christie Hamilton with a two-run single up the middle to trim the lead to 8-3.

Hamilton then held the Paladins to just one more hit while fanning four over 3 2/3 innings to secure the victory for Georgia. The senior improved to 12-3 on the season in the circle.

Wiggans went 2-for-3 with four RBIs to lead the Bulldogs’ nine-hit attack. Kristin Schnake added a pair of hits and Goler doubled and drove in two runs.

Mackey (6-10) suffered the loss for Furman allowing eight earned runs in 1 1/3 innings of work. Freshman Stephanie Mihaly contained the Bulldog offense the rest of the way allowing just one run on two hits in 4 2/3 innings of work.

Homesley went 1-for-3 with two RBIs for the Paladins. Along with her sixth homer of the season, Cushing recorded her 451st career assist in the field to surpass former shortstop and current head coach Dana Jenkins as the school’s all-time assists leader.

The Paladins return to Pepsi Stadium on Saturday to open a three-game Southern Conference series against the Elon Phoenix. Saturday’s doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. with the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.