Chattanooga 12, Furman 2
Chattanooga 9, Furman 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team completed a three-game sweep of Furman on Saturday with doubleheader victories of 12-2 after five and 9-3 at Pepsi Stadium. Senior center fielder Lyndsey Stiles and sophomore first baseman Kasey Tydingco each registered five hits in the doubleheader.
The Lady Mocs improved to 32-12 overall and 14-3 in the Southern Conference. Furman fell to 14-28 and 6-12 in the league.
Driving in the runs was junior pitcher and designated player Michelle Fuzzard with six on the day and leads the team with 52, while senior third baseman Tiffany Baker added four and has 48 on the year. Each notched a two-run homer and Tydingco blasted a solo shot.
On the base paths, Stiles stole two bases on the day and extended her conference leading total to 30. The Hixson, Tenn., native now has 83 in her career and is chasing the career leader Jeannie Cochrane, who has 93.
Picking up victories in the circle for Chattanooga was senior Nikki Waters and Fuzzard. Waters fanned six in her five innings and Fuzzard struck out four.
The Lady Mocs return home to Frost Stadium next weekend for a pivotal SoCon series against Georgia Southern beginning at 6 p.m. with a single game. Senior Day is set for Sunday with a doubleheader set for noon against the Eagles. The Lady Mocs will honor six seniors prior to the first pitch.
Game One: CHATTANOOGA 12, Furman 2
Chattanooga responded after the Paladins scored a run in the first with a seven-run second en route to a 12-2 victory in five innings. Baker and Tydingco each registered home runs during the contest.
The starting pitcher was Waters, who notched the victory to improve to 8-3 on the season and struck out six.
The Lady Mocs were led offensive by Baker, Stiles and Tydingco with two hits each, while Baker added four RBI, Fuzzard had three and Stiles had two.
A one-out double to left center by Tydingco seemed to start the Lady Mocs offense in the second, but the Paladins were able to record the second out of the frame before Chattanooga took control of game.
Junior shortstop Jessica Traxler started a two-out rally with a single down the left field line that got past the third baseman. Following a walk to senior left fielder Lauren Flores, Stiles tripled over the head of the left fielder as Chattanooga took its first lead of the game, 3-1. It was the fourth three bagger of the season for the Hixson, Tenn., native.
Sophomore second baseman Sara Poteat was hit by a pitch and Fuzzard delivered a double down the left field line scoring two to extend the Lady Mocs advantage to 5-1.
With Fuzzard at second, Baker connected on a home run to left for her 45th career and 13th this season. The blast put Chattanooga up 7-1 in the contest and ended a seven run frame as the Lady Mocs tallied six hits.
The third started with senior right fielder Della Harrison being hit by a pitch and Traxler reached on a fielder's choice. Beating out an infield single to third was Stiles to put runners on the corners. Stiles then stole second to move into scoring position.
A walk to Poteat loaded the bases for Fuzzard, who reached on an error by the shortstop keeping the Lady Mocs inning alive, and scoring a run. Baker stepped up and doubled to right center extending the Chattanooga lead to 11-1.
The Paladins answered in the bottom half as Morgan Huey drove in Nikki Legg, who doubled down the right field line, with a sacrifice fly, 11-2.
Leading off the fifth was Tydingco, who drove a pitch over the fence in center field for her fifth homer of the campaign, 12-2.
In the circle for the Paladins, Kayla Suskauer tossed two innings, while Hannah Pace finished the contest pitching three innings and yielding just one earned run.
Notching a multi hit game for Furman was Jessie Homesley, while Huey and Stephanie Spain drove in the two runs. Legg scored both runs for the Paladins.
Game Two: CHATTANOOGA 9, Furman 3
Chattanooga took the finale of the series, 9-3, against Furman as Fuzzard recorded the win in the circle, blasted her 10th home run of the season and drove in three runs.
Fuzzard tossed five innings to improve to 15-6, while striking out four. Completing the contest was Irwin, who fanned four of the six batters she faced.
The top of the lineup was on fire as Stiles and Poteat each notched three hits and scored a combined four runs. Tydingco also had three hits, while Fuzzzard and Morimoto registered two each.
The Lady Mocs carried the momentum over from game one as singles by Stiles and Poteat put two runners on for Fuzzard, who drove in one with a single to right. After Baker was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Morimoto delivered a single through the right side as Chattanooga took a 3-0 lead.
Following a pitching change that brought in Suskauer, Tydingco notched a base knock to left center to drive in one.
Following a Poteat one-out single, Fuzzard connected on a home run to right center extending the Lady Mocs lead to 6-0. It was 10th of the season for the Huntington Beach, Calif., native.
In the second, Emily Boyer and Katie Michaels drew two-out walks and Stephanie Field delivered a double to left center to score both runners, 6-2.
Another two-out rally was started by Stiles, who beat out an infield single to third and then stole second. Poteat singled to right extending the lead to 7-2.
Ending the fourth was Stiles diving to catch a liner and rob a Furman player of a base hit.
During the fifth, the Paladins added a run as Legg singled to left and later scored on Huey's double to right center.
Chattanooga scored two in the seventh as Morimoto and Tydingco started it off with singles and freshman Kaiti Dutton drew a walk to load the bases. Morimoto scored on a wild pitch and Dutton crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by senior left fielder Lauren Flores.
Taking the loss for Furman was Pace, who gave up four runs in the first without recording an out. Suskauer went the rest of the way and struck out one.
With two hits each, Legg and Huey led the Paladins at the plate, while Field drove in two runs.
Elon 7, Western Carolina 6
Elon 1, Western Caronlina 0 (8 innings)
ELON, N.C. - Two walk-off victories, including a seventh inning home run from Danielle Lafferty in game three, propelled the Elon softball team to a series sweep of Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon, April 23, at East Field. The victory in game three over the Catamounts marked the 270th career win for Elon head coach Patti Raduenz, who she is now Elon's all-time wins leader in this her 11th season at the helm. Raduenz passes former head coach Sue Leonard, who coached Elon from 1990-1998.
The Phoenix needed eight innings in game two for a 1-0 shutout victory over WCU behind a brilliant performance in the circle from Erin O'Shea before the team rallied back in game three for a 7-6 win behind Lafferty's two-run walk-off shot over the fence in center field.
Elon improves to 23-20 overall and 8-10 in the Southern Conference, while WCU drops to 18-28 (3-15 SoCon). Elon is a perfect 6-0 against WCU over the last two seasons, as the Phoenix has outscored the Catamounts, 63-10.
Game Two
Elon and Western Carolina traded zeros on the scoreboard for seven innings until the Phoenix broke through in the eighth on an RBI single up the middle off the bat of Tomeka Watson.
O'Shea (8-10), locked in a pitchers duel the entire afternoon, earned the victory after going eight strong innings of shutout softball and surrendering only three hits and striking out eight.
Western Carolina had an a chance to break the game open when they loaded the bases with two down in the third but O'Shea got a strikeout to end the threat and keep the game scoreless.
The Catamounts looked to get things going in the sixth after Scotton singled to start the sixth for the Catamounts. But Elon immediately erased that scoring threat by forcing a double play in the next at-bat to end the inning.
Elon put only its second runner into scoring position in the seventh when Emerald Graham beat out an infield single to tart the inning. She stole second and then moved to third on a Kaitlyn Piazzolla sacrifice bunt. But the Phoenix could not push across the winning run, as the game went to extras.
O'Shea shut down Western Carolina in the top half of the eighth and the Phoenix looked to win the game again in the bottom of the inning after Lafferty ripped a leadoff single through the left side. Jackie Gonzalez then attempted to move her into scoring position but instead reached on a miscue by the third baseman. Carleigh Nester followed with a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second on third. The Catamounts elected to intentionally walk Caitlin McGowan to load the bases before Tomeka Watson came up with a line shot up the middle to bring home the winning run for the Phoenix and a 1-0 win.
Game Three
Following a five-run top of the sixth from WCU that made it a 6-2 game, the Phoenix rallied in the bottom of the inning to pull within one. Watson and McGowan came up wit clutch RBI singles, while Nester reached on a fielder's choice that plated a run to help make it a 6-5 game going into the seventh.
Kari Pervell was solid in relief for the Phoenix, as gave up only one hit in one and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief of starter Lauren Taylor, including a quick scoreless seventh inning to give the Phoenix momentum going into the bottom half. Pervell earned the win to improve to 2-0 this season.
Following two quick outs in the seventh, Camille Hill singled down the left field line to put the winning run at the plate with Lafferty. On a 1-2 delivery Lafferty sent Katie King's offering over the left field fence to give Elon a 7-6 walk-off win, its second of the day.
Lafferty went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored in the series finale. In three games against WCU, Lafferty hit a scolding .750 (6-for-8) with two runs scored, seven RBI and a 1.125 slugging percentage.
Watson went 4-for-4 with two RBI in game two and finished the series with a .545 batting average (6-for-11) with one run, two doubles, two RBI and two stolen bases.
Elon got things stared early in the second game after Nester led off the game with a single to center and then moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by McGowan. Nester stole third and came home on a line drive double to left off the bat of Watson to give Elon an early 1-0 advantage.
Western Carolina immediately responded with its first run on the day after the Catamounts put runners on first and second with one down. Griffin came up with an RBI single to knot the game at 1-all.
The Phoenix regained the lead in the fourth after Piazzolla started the inning with a double down the left field line and moved to third on a well-placed sacrifice bunt by DelPizzo. With two outs, Lafferty roped a single through the left side to give Elon a 2-1 lead.
The Catamounts fought back in the sixth to put up a five spot after they loaded the bases with no down on back-to-back singles by Steinhardt and Braman, and a walk to Burnette. A walk to King and Fulton forced home a pair of runs and an Elon throwing miscue on a single by Pace allowed the Catamounts to plate three more runs in the inning to take a four-run lead.
But Elon quickly responded in the bottom of the inning with three runs and followed it up with Lafferty's game-winner in the seventh to finish off the Catamounts and earn the sweep.
Elon is back in action for a mid-week SoCon matchup at Furman on Wednesday and Thursday, April 27-28, in Greenville, S.C.
Georgia Southern 7, UNCG 2
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Softball (28-24, 16-5 SoCon) sent its senior class out in style with a 7-2 win over UNCG (19-27, 7-11 SoCon) to close the 2011 regular-season home schedule. Kayla Brooks led the Eagle offensive attack with a 3-for-3 day at the plate which included her scoring two runs. The pitching staff combined to scatter five hits as the Eagles swept their third three-game series of the season.
Prior to the game, seniors Kelly Burnett, Bethany Crenshaw, Megen Smith and Brianna Streetmon were honored for their contributions to Eagle Athletics. Georgia Southern University President Dr. Brooks A. Keel was on hand to throw out the game's ceremonial first pitch.
Georgia Southern broke a 2-2 tie in the second inning and surged ahead for the win with five hits in the third and fourth innings for the victory. Brooks raised her batting average to .441 on the season and was .727 (8-for-11 on the week. Hanna Ennis drove in two runs and punched her 12th double of the season in a 2-for-4 day. Defending Southern Conference Player of the Week Mackenzie Williams was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double to close out the series.
Streetmon got the start for the Eagles and was strong in the circle. She threw three innings, allowing two runs off three hits. She was replaced by Allie Miles who continued her solid run of play against the Spartans. She struck out four and did not allow a run to pick up her 14th win of the season. Miles has not allowed an earned run in her last 25.0 innings of work.
UNCG was first on the board, stringing together two bloop hits down the right field line and a walk to plate the game's first run. With two outs in the frame, a slow-roller to shortstop allowed a second run to score and gave the Spartans an early 2-0 lead.
Williams opened the bottom of the second with a leadoff double. Her pinch runner, Breigh Findlay advanced to third on Brooks' single through the right side and scored on a passed ball. Brooks reached third on a single by Burnett. With Andrea Tarashuk at the plate, Brooks got caught in a rundown, but scored on an errant throw by the Spartan first baseman. With two runs in the second, Georgia Southern tied the game at 2-2.
In the third, Georgia Southern plated another run off three hits and a UNCG error. Ennis, who reached on a single to spark the inning, rounded third and headed for home off a single up the middle by Williams. The relay throw from the outfield was in time, but the UNCG catcher bobbled the throw and was unable to apply the tag as Ennis scored to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
Ennis helped Georgia Southern extend its lead to 5-2 in the fourth when her double plated two Eagle runs. Alexa Lewis and Marie Fogle crossed the plate on the two-bagger to left field.
Two more runs scored in the fifth inning after UNCG walked the bases loaded with three-straight walks. Tarashuk singled back to the Spartan pitcher and brought Williams in for a run. Brooks scored with two outs as a result of Jorie Walker's fielder's choice to second base. The 7-2 lead for Georgia Southern was enough for the victory.
Georgia Southern travels next weekend for a three-game series against Chattanooga. Play begins on Saturday (April 30th) with an afternoon doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday, May 1st, at 1 p.m. for the regular-season finale.
The Eagles play host to the Southern Conference Softball Championships, May 11th through the 14th at Eagle Field. Tickets for the Championship are available at SoConSports.com.
Appalachian State 2, Samford 1
BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State University softball (22-19, 13-6 SoCon) earned its school-best third Southern Conference sweep of the season with a 2-1 win in the series finale with Samford (11-34, 7-11 SoCon) on Senior Day at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the High Country.
The Mountaineers tie the school record for SoCon sweeps after defeating Elon and College of Charleston earlier in the season. During the 2009 season, ASU swept Samford, Elon and Furman to set the record.
Appalachian got off to a shaky start in the first inning with Kayla Shaffer reaching on an error by junior Megan Rembielak in the first at bat of the game. Shaffer advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brianna Chambers and Robyn Harmon doubled down the right field line allowing Shaffer to plate Samford's only run of the game. Back-to-back groundouts ended the frame for the Bulldogs.
In the fourth inning, the Mountaineers scored the two runs needed to seal the victory for Appalachian.
Sophomore Meghan Smith walked to start off the stanza and stole second. Sophomore Allie Cashion then delivered a double to left center to score Smith, giving ASU a 1-0 lead. Junior Michelle Lighton nailed a deep sacrifice fly to center field, advancing Cashion to third base. Senior Hannah Dow got just enough on a fly ball to right field that allowed Cashion to tag up and give the Apps the 2-0 edge. Sophomore Sheridan Phillips shot a ball through the left side of the Bulldog defense, but she was left stranded when senior McKenzie Phillips struck out to end the inning.
The Black and Gold offense combined for 25 hits through the first two games of the series, but only needed three to take care of business in the series closer.
Samford also collected three hits, but was not able to capitalize on two Mountaineer errors.
Dow (11-4) went six complete innings in the circle, allowing the three hits and an unearned run for the win. With the victory, Dow is tied for second all-time for most wins in a single season. The record of 12 is held by her teammate, junior Caitlin Wainright, who picked up her third save of the season in the final inning.
Kayla Burris (8-14) went the distance for the Bulldogs, but was tagged with her 14th loss of the season.
The Mountaineers will take the next week off to take final exams and return to the diamond on May 5 when they travel to Blacksburg, Va. to take on Virginia Tech in a non-conference bout at 5 p.m.