Chattanooga 11, Ohio State 7
Chattanooga 11, Evansville 3
MOBILE, Ala. -The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team used a balanced offensive effort that registered 24 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Ohio State (2-4), 11-7, and Evansville (0-2), 11-3, on the opening day of the South Alabama Mardi Gras Tournament. Sophomore first baseman Kasey Tydingco connected on a grand slam, her first collegiate home run, to break the game wide open against the Buckeyes in the second, while senior outfielder Della Harrison connected on two round trippers and classmate third baseman Tiffany Baker added another against the Purple Aces.
In the circle, junior Michelle Fuzzard notched the victory against Ohio State, while senior Kandice Irwin picked up the three inning save striking out six. Against the Purple Aces, Irwin continued her dominant performance throwing 3.2 innings of relief along with nine strikeouts.
Three players in Fuzzard, Harrison and Tydingco drove in five runs each during the doubleheader. Leading Chattanooga (4-3) with five hits was Baker, who connected on a three-run homer and a double.
The Lady Mocs continue the South Alabama Mardi Gras Tournament on Saturday at 4:45 p.m. (E.S.T.) against the Jaguars and UT Martin. Live stats and audio can be found on the softball schedule page.
Game One: Chattanooga 11, Ohio State 7
Chattanooga fell behind early in the first inning, but responded with 11-straight runs and went on to a 11-7 win against Ohio State. Tydingco helped to put the Lady Mocs on top for good with a grand slam over the fence in center.
Starting for the Lady Mocs was Fuzzard, who went four innings and struck out three. Irwin came in and stopped the Buckeyes rally by picking up her third save of the season, striking out six.
It was the first win over a team from the Big Ten since a 3-2 victory over Michigan State on March 17, 2006. The Lady Mocs improved to 2-0 all-time against the Buckeyes as they won 2-1 in 10 innings at Frost Stadium on March 25, 2002.
The scoring began in the first as Dee Dee Hillman led off the game singling through the right side. Following a walk, Megen Coretta doubled to left center putting the Buckeyes on top, 2-0.
A two-out rally began in the bottom of the frame as Fuzzard doubled into the gap in right center. Baker continued the threat by singling to left center.
On a 3-2 pitch, Tydingco hit a ball right back up the middle scoring Fuzzard and Baker held at third. An error by the shortstop off the bat of Harrison allowed Baker to knot the score at two.
Fuzzard settled down in the second and retired the side in order. A leadoff walk by Flores and an infield bunt single by Stiles, put the wheels in motion for a big inning. Poteat drew a walk to load the bases and Fuzzard put Chattanooga on top with another.
Following a fly out by Baker to shallow right center, Tydingco stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and connected on a 1-1 pitch over the fence in centerfield for a grand slam as Chattanooga took a 7-2 lead. It was the first collegiate round tripper for the Fairfield, Calif., native and provided the spark that the Lady Mocs offense needed.
The game would remain within five runs until the bottom of the fourth as Chattanooga would strike for four more. Fuzzard started it off with a hit by pitch that was followed by a single through the left side by Baker. Head coach Frank Reed went to his dug out for pinch runners with freshman Layne Rainey and Caroline Curran, respectively.
With two runners in scoring position, Harrison hit a sacrifice fly to right driving in the first run of the inning, then freshman Natalie Powers singled to left center putting the Lady Mocs up 9-2. Flores followed it up with a single down the left field line scoring two more.
In the fifth, the Buckeyes struck for four leading off with a Julia Pecina single down the left field line, then Brittany Goodchild doubled to center. Clearing the bases was Hillman with a triple to right. Alicia Herron capped the start of the frame with a home run to left.
As Ohio State seemed poised to take back the momentum, Reed went to his bullpen and brought in Irwin, who got a ground out and fanned two batters to end the frame. The Knoxville, Tenn., native continued to keep the hitters off balance by striking out two in the sixth.
With one out in the top of the seventh, Herron and Evelyn Carrillo reached on an infield singles. Another infield single for Ohio State cut into the deficit at 11-7, but Irwin would record the final two strikeouts to earn the save.
Melanie Nichols and Kasie Kelley combined to pitch the contest for Ohio State as Nichols struck out one. Hillman, Herron and Coletta would each earn multiple hits against the Lady Mocs.
Game Two: Chattanooga 11, Evansville 3
The offense started strong for the Lady Mocs as they scored two quick runs, but Evansville fought back to take a 3-2 advantage. Chattanooga would go on to score nine-straight runs for the 11-3 victory at Jaguar Stadium.
Connecting on two home runs to left was Harrison and Baker added another as the two would combine for six RBI. Fuzzard drove in four runs to lead the Lady Mocs.
Junior Nikki Waters started for Chattanooga and had a hard time getting into a rhythm as Irwin relieved her in the third. Irwin tossed the final 3.2 innings and compiled nine strikeouts, only yielding four hits.
Leading off for Chattanooga, junior Lyndsey Stiles shower her power once again with a triple to the fence in right. She scored on a single to right by sophomore Sara Poteat. Following a groundout that allowed Poteat to take third, Baker drove her in with a single through the left side after a nine-pitch at bat.
Evansville led off with a single to first, stole second and eventually scored on back-to-back throwing mistakes by the Lady Mocs to cut into the lead, 2-1.
In the bottom of the third, the Purple Aces began the frame with a Betancur single to second and was thrown out by junior catcher Vivian Morimoto on a steal attempt. Gaertner singled to the shortstop in the hole towards third, then Perry hit a home run to straight-away center that provided Evansville with a 3-2 lead.
Coming into relieve Waters was Irwin, who struck out the final two hitters of the frame.
Chattanooga would not be behind for long as Harrison hit a towering home run that just cleared the fence next to the scoreboard in left center. It was the first homer of the season for Harrison.
Following a Morimoto walk, sophomore shortstop Jessica Traxler and Flores singled within the infield to load the bases. With two outs, Fuzzard came to the plate and helped clear the bases as the third baseman threw the ball away up the right field line as Chattanooga took a 7-3 led.
Two strikeouts were added to Irwin's total in the fourth.
To start the fifth, Tydingco singled to second and Harrison jumped all over the first pitch with a shot over the fence in left center. The Purple Aces would end the frame and Irwin went back to work striking out two more opponents.
In the sixth, Stiles opened with a bunt single to first and Poteat walked. Fuzzard drove Stiles in with a sacrifice fly to right and Baker would cap the Chattanooga scoring by drilling the first pitch she saw over the fence. It was the first home run of the season for the Lady Mocs all-time home run leader, who now has 33.
In the circle, Little and Perry were the pitchers for Evansville and Villanueva paced the team with two hits, while seven other Purple Aces added hits.
Elon 8, Seton Hall 4
ELON, N.C. - Behind five RBI from Tomeka Watson and solid performances in the circle from Lauren Taylor and Erin O'Shea, the Elon University softball team registered an 8-4 victory on Friday afternoon, Feb. 18, at East Field in the first game of the Elon Invitational.
Watson finished the afternoon 2-for-3 at the plate with a walk and five RBI, while O'Shea added a pair hits for the Phoenix, including her first home run of the season.
Taylor moved to 3-0 on the year after going four innings, giving up one earned run on five hits, while tallying four strikeouts for the Phoenix. O'Shea pitched the final three innings and gave up two runs on two hits, while striking out four Pirates to pick up her first save of the season.
Seton Hall (0-1) got going early in the first inning with a lead off infield single to short by Michelle Reed. But catcher Kaitlyn Piazzolla immediately gunned down Reed on an attempted steal during the following at bat to keep the bases clear. Seton Hall then followed with three infield singles to load the bases and pushed across a run on a walk, but Taylor limited the Pirates' damage to one run by getting a strike out and a foul out to limit Seton Hall to a 1-0 edge.
Elon (4-1) made it a 1-1 game in the third after putting runners on second and third with one down for their first scoring opportunity of the game. Lauren Oldham and Hannah Shelton reached base via a walk and single and Watson moved them both into scoring position on a ground out. Elon got on the board on a wild throw down the line by the SHU catcher but could not push Shelton across for the go-ahead run.
But the Phoenix broke through and took the lead in the fourth after exploding for four runs to take a 5-1 lead. After putting runners on first and second to start the inning, Pam DelPizzo delivered with a RBI single to give Elon the lead and put runners on the corners. Oldham forced a walk to load the bases and Watston followed it up with a three-run triple down the right field line with two outs to break the game open and give the maroon and gold a four-run edge.
O'Shea added on to Elon's lead in the sixth when she hammered a solo home run deep over the left field fence to give the Phoenix a 6-1 lead.
The Pirates responded with one run in the sixth, but O'Shea limited the damage and stranded two Seton Hall runners on base to keep Elon's lead intact, 6-2.
Elon added two runs in the sixth after the Phoenix put runners at second and third. Oldham reached second on an error and Carleigh Nester singled up the middle and advanced to second on the throw. Watson continued her big day with a single up the middle for her fourth and fifth RBI of the day to make it an 8-2 game.
Seton Hall added two runs in the seventh on a two-run homer to left off the bat of Laura Canulli to make it an 8-4 game, but that was as close as the Pirates would get.
The Elon Invitational continues tomorrow afternoon at East Field as the Phoenix takes on Dayton at 2 p.m. and Morgan State at 4:15 p.m.
Samford 1, Central Arkansas 0
Bradley 10, Samford 3
TROY, Ala. ---- The Samford softball team split a pair of games Friday in the first day of the Quality Inn Classic hosted by Troy University. The Bulldogs defeated Central Arkansas, 1-0, in the tournament opener before falling to Bradley, 10-2, in the nightcap.
Against Central Arkansas, Julianne Surane made her collegiate debut at second base. She also led the Bulldogs, going 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI. Aaren Fisher plated the winning run for the Bulldogs while Alex Adams had 13 putouts to lead Samford's defense.
Nicole Bobrowski got the start and the win for the Bulldogs in the circle, pitching a complete eight-inning game. She gave up just three hits and recorded three strikeouts.
Three UCA players had a hit each, including Nicole Beals, Melanie Bryant and Melissa Bryant. Kelsie Armstrong pitched 7.1 innings, giving up just one run on two hits. She struck out five batters and walked five.
The Bulldogs and Bears played an eight-inning game in an hour and half. Samford left just five runners on base while UCA left three. After seven and a half fairly quick, scoreless inning, Samford plated the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Because of the international tie-breaker rule, Fisher started the inning at second base. She advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Reynolds before scoring on a single through the right side by Surane.
In the second game, Bradley struck first, scoring right out of the gate in the first inning. The Braves tacked on four more in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead before adding four in the fourth to extend the lead to 9-0. Bradley added another run in the top of the fifth before Samford could plate its first run.
The Bulldogs made it a 10-2 game in the bottom of the fifth with a double by Lakan Smith to bring home Whitney Terry and Allison Reynolds but with an eight-run lead, Bradley would walk away with the win.
Three Bulldogs - Smith, Terry and Reynolds - had hits for Samford in the nightcap against the Braves. Kayla Burris pitched 3.1 innings, giving up four earned runs on five hits and striking out three batters. Emily Waters pitched the final 1.2 innings, striking out two batters and giving up one earned run on three hits.
Jackie Roth led the Braves at the plate going 3-for-3 while Kate Singler went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI. Brittany Fairbairn, Alex Chandler and Brianne Joseph each posted a hit. Fairbairn also had three runs, while Chandler and Joseph scored two runs each. Fairbairn, Madeline Lynch-Crumrine and Denise Jilka each had an RBI.
Mackenzie Camp pitched a complete game for the Braves. She had a no-hitter until Reynolds got a hit to lead off the fifth inning. She gave up two runs on three hits and struck out three batters.
Samford will start play at 9:30 a.m., Saturday morning against North Florida before taking on Troy at 3 p.m., to round out play in the tournament.
Akron 6, College of Charleston 3
Canisius 4, College of Charleston 3
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston softball team dropped its pair of games to Akron, 6-3, and Canisius, 4-3, on the opening day of the CofC Cougar Classic at Patriots Point on Friday afternoon. The games were two of six total games played on Friday.
Play continues on Saturday with five more games in total and one for CofC. The Cougars (1-4) will face East Tennessee State University at approximately 2 p.m.
Akron: 6, CofC: 3
In its opener, CofC was back and forth with Akron before ultimately falling, 6-3. The Cougars fell behind in the top of the first but rallied to equalize in the bottom half of the inning. Kristi Woodall drew a two-out walk to extend the inning. Katie Pesature then singled through the right side of the infield and when the Zips' center fielder misplayed the ball, it allowed Woodall - who had already advanced to third - to score on the play.
The Zips' regained the lead in the top of the third when Alissa Birkhimer homered to left center with a runner aboard.
The Cougars chipped back into the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Hillary Stringer reached on an error, worked her way around the bases and eventually scored on a wild pitch; cutting the lead to 3-2.
The Zips cushioned their lead in the next half inning, however, off of Sarah Earley's two-run triple.
The Cougars added one more in the bottom of the sixth when Amanda Lonergan tripled and was driven home by Katie Nutaitis' RBI double.
Unfortunately that was as close as the Cougars would get as the Zips would add one more in the top of the seventh, making the score the eventual final, 6-3.
Canisius: 4, CofC: 3
In the second contest, Canisius had to rally from behind with four runs over the fifth and sixth innings to steal a 4-3 victory.
The Cougars broke the pitchers' duel in the third when Katie Forbes hammered a pitch over the fence in left-center field for her first home run of the season.
In the fourth, Lonergan drew a walk before Nutaitis doubled and scored Lonergan all the way from first base. The next batter, Kelsey Hodgson, then singled up the middle to plate Nutaitis and put CofC up 3-0.
Canisius' bats awoke in the top of the fifth when they scored three runs off of three hits and one Cougar error to tie the game.
In the sixth, Stephanie Pfentner homered to left for what would become the game-winning run, making the score 4-3.
Charlotte 3, UNCG 0
UNCG 10, Eastern Kentucky 1
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - UNCG split on its first day at the First Pitch Classic, falling to host Charlotte 3-0 and downing Eastern Kentucky 10-1 in 5 innings on Friday.
UNCG (3-4) got a pair of solid pitching performances on the afternoon, with freshman Josie Felix (1-0) picking up her first career win in the second game on the strength of a two-hitter.
In game one, Charlotte's Katy Hackett (3-0) struck out 15 and held UNCG to just four hits in picking up the win. Freshman Aisha Figueroa had two of the Spartans' hits on the afternoon, rapping out singles in the first and third innings.
The Spartans had runners at first and second with one out in the first and sixth innings, but Hackett struck out the next two batters in both frames to escape damage.
Meanwhile, Charlotte (4-2) scored single runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings. Jalisa Rock had an RBI single in the third, Tenaya Tucker hit a solo homer in the fifth and Chelsea Ingersoll scored on a UNCG error in the sixth.
Tucker finished the contest 3-for-4 for the 49ers.
Cory Mattson (1-3) took the loss in the circle for the Spartans, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and eight walks in 7 innings.
UNCG found its offense in the second game, batting around to score six runs in the first inning. The Spartans hit four singles and drew four walks in the opening frame to jump out to a lead it would not relinquish.
The Colonels (0-2) got a run back in the bottom half of the frame without the benefit of a hit. Diane Gallagher was hit by a pitch with one out, and moved up a base on a two-out walk. An error on a ball that should have ended the inning allowed Gallagher to score EKU's lone run of the contest.
UNCG put two more runs on the board in the second, getting an RBI single from Kaitlin Merkt before Merkt later came around on an error.
Merkt put the game out of reach and into run-rule territory in the fifth, hitting her second home run of the season, a two-run shot that made it 10-1.
Merkt was 2-for-3 with three RBI in the contest, while April Langley and Jordan Jewett had two hits each, as well.
Felix allowed just two hits and walked one in the win. Stacye Toups took the loss for the Colonels, as she allowed six runs on four walks and three hits in just a third of an inning.
UNCG will take on St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday at 10 a.m., followed by its first game of bracket play, either at 2 or 4 p.m.
Kentucky 7, Georgia Southern 0
Florida State 6, Georgia Southern 4
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Georgia Southern dropped a pair of games at Florida State's Garnet and Gold Tournament, losing 7-0 to Kentucky and 6-4 to host Florida State at JoAnne Graf Field. The Eagles were plagued by fielding errors in the loss to Florida State and overwhelming pitching in the Kentucky game.
Marie Fogle led off the game against Florida State with a solo-shot to centerfield on the second pitch of the game for a 1-0 Eagle lead. Georgia Southern would load the bases with two outs in the frame, but was unable to do any further damage in the inning. The Seminoles would answer in the bottom half of the inning with a single by Shayla Jackson to plate the tying run.
The Eagle offense answered in the second inning by rebuilding the lead. Hanna Ennis worked an 0-2 count to a walk from Seminoles' pitcher Morgan Bullock. Junior Jorie Walker singled thru the left side to put Eagles on first and second base. Kelly Burnett singled to again load the bases. Senior Megen Smith hit a sacrifice fly to right field that plated Ennis to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead. Walker moved to third base as Mackenzie Williams stepped to the plate. Burnett stole second base on the first pitch, however, the throw down to second skipped into the outfield, allowing Walker to scamper home and give the Eagles a 3-1 lead.
The Seminoles would threaten in the bottom half of the second inning. With no outs and the bases loaded, Smith, the starting pitcher, was able to work herself out of the jam with a pair of fielder choices and a fantastic grab by Andrea Tarashuk at third base to preserve the Eagles lead.
Florida State would load the bases in the third. This time, the Seminoles would plate the two runs to tie the game at three all. In the bottom of the fourth, they took their first lead of the game, 4-3, on a sacrifice fly to centerfield by Ashley Stager. Florida State extended the lead in the sixth to 5-3 on another sacrifice fly to left by Stager. A wild pitch by relief pitcher Allie Miles would plate the final run for the Seminoles.
Smith, who moved to play right field, hit a solo shot to lead off the inning to left field, to pull the Eagles within two runs in the seventh inning. With one out, Tabby Douberley singled up the middle. Breigh Findlay pinch ran for Douberley and advance to second on a wild pitch. With the tying run at the plate and a runner on second, a strikeout silenced the Eagle threat and gave the Seminoles the 6-4 win.
Smith worked the first 2 and a third innings in the circle allowing three runs, two earned off seven hits. Miles took the loss for a 1-1 record on the year. She went 3 and two-thirds scattering five hits and allowing three runs, all earned. The freshman hurler fanned three while walking just one.
In the opening game of Florida State's Garnet and Gold Tournament, Georgia Southern dropped a 7-0 decision against Kentucky. Marie Fogle broke up Wildcats pitcher Chanda Bell's perfect game with a single up the middle at the start of the seventh inning. Bell struck out 15 Eagle batters in the 7-0 decision. Miles would pitch two scoreless innings in relief for the Eagles while striking out three Wildcat batters.
Senior Brianna Streetmon got the start and worked the first three and a third allowing six runs, five earned off just four hits. She walked three with two strikeouts, for a 2-2 mark on the year.
Georgia Southern returns to action on tomorrow, February 19th against Middle Tennessee State at 10 am. Bracket play begins on Saturday afternoon. Action in the Garnet and Gold Tournament concludes on Sunday.
Western Illinois 6, Western Carolina 0
AUBURN, Ala. - Western Carolina softball (6-1) dropped its first game of the season, falling 6-0 to Western Illinois (1-6) in day one of the Tiger Invitational hosted by Auburn University.
After going undefeated to start the season, and scoring 71 runs in the first six games, the Catamounts were shutout for the first time in 2011. Western Carolina put together just six hits in the contest while the Leathernecks parlayed seven hits into seven runs and benefitted from one WCU error.
Junior Catamount hurler Katie King got the call to the mound for day one of the tournament. Both Western Carolina and Western Illinois' pitchers tossed two scoreless innings before the Leathernecks struck in the bottom of the third.
Western Illinois got two runs off two hits in the third inning, posted three runs in the fourth inning, and added a run in the sixth.
Catamount sophomore outfielder Jordan Fulton was the only player with multiple hits, going 2-for-3. Erin Foster and Shemekia Scotton each had a hit in the contest.
King took the loss in the game and falls to 3-1 on the year. She went three innings allowing four runs on four hits and struck out one. King was relieved by Bekah Burkett who threw three innings and allowed two runs on three hits.
Western Carolina returns to action for day two at the Tiger Invitational on Saturday. The Catamounts face McNeese State at 3 p.m. and Southern Miss at 5:30 p.m.