Chattanooga
9, Appalachian State 0
Chattanooga
13, Appalachian State 2
CHATTANOOGA,
Tenn. - After the rain passed through the
Scenic City on Saturday, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball
swept a doubleheader, 9-0 and 13-2, from Appalachian State on Sunday at Frost
Stadium. Senior third baseman Tiffany Baker had a career-day
going 3-for-4 with two home runs including a grand slam and seven RBI.
Chattanooga improved to 21-7 on the
year and 5-0 in the Southern Conference, while Appalachian State fell to 11-5
and 4-4 in league play.
In the circle, junior
pitcher Michelle Fuzzard threw a complete game one-hitter in the first
game of the day striking out one. The no-no was broken up with two outs in the
fourth of the five inning game.
Toeing the rubber in the second game
was senior Nikki Waters, who threw a complete game four hitter, allowing two
runs, one earned, while striking out three.
Also connecting on solo home runs were
senior right fielder Della Harrison and junior designated player Vivian
Morimoto. Harrison drove in five runs on the afternoon for the Lady Mocs.
Chattanooga totaled 18 hits on the day
and put up 22 runs against the Mountaineers. The 13 runs in game two are
the most ever for Chattanooga in an inning against a conference opponent. The
only time that Chattanooga hit double digits in an inning in the SoCon was
against College of Charleston (10) on April 8, 2001.
The Lady Mocs are back in action on
Wednesday hosting their lone mid-week home doubleheader of the season against
Georgia State at Frost Stadium. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 4
p.m.
Game One: CHATTANOOGA 9, Appalachian State 0 (5 inn.)
Chattanooga used a one-hitter from
Fuzzard to defeat Appalachian State, 9-0, in five innings at Frost Stadium. The
Lady Mocs hurler gave up the lone hit with two outs in the fourth and fanned
one.
Baker registered two home runs in the
game including a grand slam and a two-run shot, both to left. Also notching
solo home runs were Harrison and Morimoto.
After a one-two-three inning, sophomore
second baseman Sara Poteat drew a one-out walk, then Fuzzard notched a
single off the fence in left center, just missing her seventh home run of the
season. Poteat had to hold up as the ball was hit high in the air and the Lady
Mocs were unable to score in the first.
It took no time in the second though,
as Harrison led off with a no-doubt home run over the bleachers in left to put
Chattanooga up 1-0. Morimoto singled through the right side and sophomore
shortstop Jessica Traxler and senior left fielder Lauren Flores drew
walks to load the bases.
With one out in the inning, Poteat
drove in a run on a productive groundout to second.
Following a four-pitch walk to Fuzzard,
Baker drove a 1-2 pitch high and deep over the left field bleachers. It was the
third career grand slam for the East Ridge native.
The Lady Mocs took a 7-0 advantage on a
Morimoto homerun to right that just cleared the fence. The round tripper was
the Sao Paulo, Brazil, native's third of the season.
In the fourth following a walk to
Fuzzard, Baker drove a 3-2 pitch just to the right of the left field foul pole
for her ninth homerun of the season and 41st of her career.
The no-hitter for Fuzzard was broken up
by Sarah Rappe, who singled down the left field line, but Flores gunned her
down at second for the final out of the game.
Appalachian State's duo of Hannah Down
and Caitlin Wainwright each threw two innings, combining for three strikeouts.
Game
Two: CHATTANOOGA 13, Appalachian State 2 (5 inn.)
The Lady Mocs offense picked right back
off where the left off in game one scoring 13 runs in the first on their way to
a 13-2 win against Appalachian State.
Pitching for the Lady Mocs and
improving to 4-1 on the season was Waters, who threw a complete game four
hitter and struckout three.
Offensively, Harrison drove in a
team-high four runs, while Traxler registered three RBI. Notching multi-hits
were Poteat, Tydingco, Harrison and Traxler.
After the Mountaineers scored the first
run of the contest in the first, Chattanooga responded with its largest
offensive out-burst of the season scoring 13 runs on 10 hits.
Stiles led the inning off with a walk
and Poteat singled to third. An error allowed Fuzzard to load the bases, then
Baker tied the contest at one with a single through the left side. Tydingco
reached on a fielder's choice, but Poteat was safe at home as the throw from
short went to the backstop.
A single by Harrison to left plated the
third run of the contest for Chattanooga. With two runners in scoring position,
Traxler doubled over the head of the right fielder as the Lady Mocs extended
their advantage to 5-0.
Following a single by freshman
catcher Natalie Powers to load the bases, Flores had a productive ground
out scoring a run. Then, Stiles singled into center as Chattanooga added its
seventh run of the frame.
Another single up the middle by Poteat
reloaded the bases and Fuzzard drove in a run on a fielder's choice to short.
Baker took first on four-straight pitches before Tydingco singled to left,
driving in a run.
With the bases loaded and a new pitcher
in Down, Harrison tripled to left as the fielder was unable to keep the ball in
front of her and it rolled up against the fence as three runs came around to
score. Traxler singled to the pitcher to plate Harrison and extend the Lady
Mocs lead to 13-1.
A leadoff home run by Katie Boyd
started the third for Appalachian State and cut into the 13-2 Chattanooga
advantage. The homer by Boyd was her fifth of the season.
Waters was able to retire the side in
the final two frames as Chattanooga won in five innings as the run-rule was put
into effect.
Pitching for the Mountaineers was
Louise Gibson and Hannah Down and they combined for one strikeout. Four
different Appalachian State players recorded hits in game two.
Georgia
Southern 6, College of Charleston 5
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Georgia Southern Softball (17-18, 7-2 SoCon) battled back throughout
the game and took the thrilling 6-5 victory over College of Charleston (19-11,
3-5 SoCon) to win the weekend's Southern Conference series. Senior Megen Smith
went 3-4 and recorded two RBI including the game-winning seventh-inning home
run, a mammoth blast to left-center.
Georgia Southern came ready to play with three
straight hits to open the game. Marie Fogle, (Rincon, Ga.) who was 3-for-4 on
the day, scored the opening run of the game on a frozen rope to centerfield by
Smith. The run gave the Eagles an early 1-0 lead with just a half inning of
play in the books.
The Cougars struck back for two runs in the third
inning with two outs to take a 2-1 lead which brought freshman Allie Miles into
the circle for the Eagles. After a scoreless fourth inning for both teams,
Charleston added another run in the bottom of the fifth off a two-out double to
take a 3-1 lead. Miles ended the inning with her fourth strikeout.
Georgia Southern tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth.
Smith doubled off the wall down the right field line and then advanced to third
on a ground ball. Tabby Douberley sent Smith in to score with a two-out RBI
single up the middle. Pinch runner Bethany Crenshaw replaced Douberley and
scored on Sarah Purvis' double to the gap in left-center.
Four hits in the bottom of the sixth, including three
with two outs, plated a pair of runs to put the Cougars back on top 5-3.
Jorie Walker drew a four-pitch walk to start the
seventh inning and scored off Fogle's RBI double down the right field line.
Fogle moved to third base on the throw and tied the game at 5-5 on Hanna Ennis'
RBI ground out. Smith stepped in and hit a towering towering home run on the
first pitch, sending the ball over the left-center fence.
Miles recorded two more strikeouts in the final frame
to preserve Georgia Southern's come-from-behind victory, the second in as many
games. Miles picked up her eighth win on the year.
The Eagles return home to play host to Jacksonville
on Tuesday (March 29th) for a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. Next weekend,
Georgia Southern welcomes Samford in a SoCon series at Eagle Field in
Statesboro.
On Saturday, April 2nd, the Georgia Southern Softball team will support the
ongoing fight against breast cancer with a Breast Cancer Awareness Game.
UNCG 4,
Furman 2
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Alex Emeterio went 3-for-3
and Cory Mattson pitched an efficient 7 innings as UNCG
topped Furman 4-2 on Sunday to win the three-game Southern Conference series.
The Spartans moved to 13-15 overall and 4-2 in the SoCon
with the win. Furman fell to 11-16 overall and 5-4 in league play. The teams
split Saturday's doubleheader.
With the game tied at 2 heading to the bottom of the fourth, Heather Robb and April
Langley led off the inning with
infield singles. After Aisha
Figueroa sacrificed both runners
over, Kristen Gabel lifted a sacrifice fly to right to
score Robb with the go-ahead run. Jordan
Jewett followed with a double to
the gap in right center to plate Langley with an insurance run.
Mattson (7-9) did the rest, limiting the Paladins to just
one hit the rest of the way for her seventh win of the season.
Furman jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Alex Bimonte's RBI double
in the top of the second, but the Spartans answered with a pair of runs in the
bottom half of the third.
After Jewett drew a one-out walk, Emeterio laced a double to
the gap in left center to put runners on second and third. Eileen Horsmon followed with a single through the
left side to knock in Jewett with the tying run, and Kaitlin Merkt brought in Emeterio with a sacrifice
fly in foul ground down the right field line.
Furman pulled even in the top of the fourth, with Jessie
Homesley reaching on a leadoff single and eventually coming in on a wild pitch,
but the Spartans went ahead for good in the bottom of the frame.
Mattson threw just 92 pitches in logging her 11th complete game of the season. She
allowed two runs on five hits and three walks, striking out three.
Kayla Suskauer (6-5), who picked up the win for Furman in
the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, was tagged for four runs on eight
hits and three walks in taking the loss Sunday.
Emeterio had a pair of doubles among her three hits, while
Langley was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Horsmon reached base three times, going
1-for-1 with an RBI and a pair of walks.
Homesley paced Furman at the plate with a 2-for-3 afternoon.
UNCG returns to action Tuesday at Virginia Tech for a
doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. The Hokies will be the third of four ACC teams
the Spartans will face this season.
Western
Carolina 8, Samford 7
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Freshman Morgan Wyatt's grand-slam homerun, in the first
inning, set the tone for Western Carolina softball's (14-19, 1-8 SoCon) 8-7 win
over Samford (7-25, 4-5 SoCon) Sunday at Bulldog Field.
The victory halts a
nine-game losing streak for the Catamounts. It is also the first win by WCU in
the Southern Conference this season.
Western Carolina took the
lead early over the Bulldogs and bent but never broke, never relinquishing said
lead.
Starting Bulldog pitcher
Nicole Brobowski got in a jam early loading the bases with Catamounts to start
the game. Western Carolina's Jordan
Fulton got a lead-off hit, Haley Pace reached on an error and Kelly Braman was hit by Brobowski to load the
bases.
Wyatt made Brobowski pay
for having the bases jammed, as she launched a shot over the left field wall
for her second homerun of the season and first grand-slam.
Western Carolina tacked on
a fifth run in the second inning. Amelia
Griffin led off with a single and
stole second. Fulton ground out but it allowed Griffin to move to third.
Brobowski was called for an illegal pitch allowing Griffin to score.
Sophomore Catamount pitcher Bekah Burkett started for the Catamounts and put in
a solid performance. She yielded two runs to the Bulldogs, both in the third
inning. Burkett picked up her first win of the season and moves to 1-4. She
allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits, and struck out three.
In the fourth inning,
Burkett was replaced on the mound by Amber
Steinhardt. Samford added two more runs, credited to Steinhardt, in the bottom of
the fourth to pull within one run, 5-4.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Western Carolina added a run
in the top of the sixth. With out, Griffin walked and Makenzi McAteer reached
first on a Bulldog error. After fouling off three pitches, sophomore catcher Haley
Pace hit an RBI double to right center to score Griffin.
Samford again
pulled within one run in the bottom of the sixth inning adding a run off an RBI
single by Whitney Terry.
Western
Carolina scored two key runs in the top of the seventh inning that proved to be
the game-winner for the Catamounts. Pinch hitter Robyn
Burnette drew a walk to begin
the seventh inning and Wyatt was hit by a pitch to place runners at first and
second. Erin Foster doubled to left center to score Burnette. With Wyatt at
third base, Steinhardt's sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Wyatt, proved to
be the game winner.
Samford put on
its rally caps and attempted a comeback in the bottom of the seventh. The
Bulldogs ended up a run short. Katie
King, who had come into the game in
relief in the sixth inning, had a rocky middle part of the inning. After
forcing Arica Dykes to strike out, a Catamount error put a runner on first.
Kayla Shaffer hit a two RBI homerun to centerfield to shorten the WCU lead to
8-7. King bounced back to force two Bulldog groundouts to end the game.
King earned a
save in the game, her first of the season, going 1.2 innings. She allowed two
runs on one hit and struck out one.
Western
Carolina returns home on April 2-3 to host UNCG.