Mercer 13, Western Carolina 2
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Western Carolina softball (3-6) was defeated by Mercer (2-6) 13-2, in five innings, in the final day of action at the Seminole Classic 2 Sunday at JoAnne Graf Field.
It was the second, time in as many days, the two teams have faced off in the tournament hosted by Florida State. Mercer enforced the run-rule, ending the game in five or innings or more if a team led by eight runs, against Western Carolina on Saturday evening and again on Sunday morning. Mercer defeated WCU 12-4 on Saturday evening.
The Bears jumped on senior starting pitcher Katie King early, in the top of the first inning, scoring four runs on three hits. King went 1.1 innings before being replaced by freshman Jordan Garrett, who did not record an out in the second inning giving up two runs on two hits. Junior Amber Steinhardt was the third pitcher to enter the game for Western Carolina and she went 3.2 innings allowing five runs on four hits and struck out four.
King took the loss in the game and falls to 0-2 on the season.
Mercer scored in four of the five innings played. After posting four runs in the first, the Bears added five runs in the second, four in the third and one in the fourth.
Western Carolina avoided a shutout by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. Erin drew a lead-off walk and Shemekia Scotton followed with a bunt single that allowed Foster to advance to second. Six-foot freshman catcher Heather Chastain stroked a single past the short-stop to load the bases full of Catamounts with one out. Redshirt junior Megan Taylor hit an RBI single which plated Foster for Western Carolina’s first score of the game. Scotton scored the second run of the inning when Jordan Fulton reached on a Mercer fielding error. The inning ended, on the same play, when Chastain tried to leg out a trip home and was called out at the plate.
The Catamounts had five hits in the contest, two coming from Chastain. Scotton, Foster and Taylor each had one hit.
Western Carolina returns to action Friday competing in a tournament hosted by North Carolina A&T. The Catamounts open the tournament, in Greensboro, N.C., facing Marist at 11 a.m. February 24.
Eastern Illinois 5, Chattanooga 4
ATLANTA, Ga. - Junior first baseman Kasey Tydingco hit a game-tying home run in the sixth inning, but Eastern Illinois loaded the bases and scored the game-winning run in the top of the seventh handing the Lady Mocs a 5-4 loss to conclude the Georgia State Panther Invitational on Sunday. Blasting two home runs for Chattanooga (4-4) and three RBI was senior pitcher Michelle Fuzzard.
Taking the loss in the circle was freshman pitcher Taylor Deason, who threw two innings of relief and struck out four, but yielded one earned run to fall to 3-2 on the year. Fuzzard started the game and completed five innings giving up four unearned runs, while fanning two.
Also notching two hits for the Lady Mocs was junior second baseman Sara Poteat and Tydingco.
Helping her own cause in the circle was Fuzzard, who provided the Lady Mocs with a first inning lead with a solo shot to right, 1-0.
Eastern Illinois was able to convert five Chattanooga errors into four runs scoring once in the second, twice in the third and adding another in the fifth. The five errors for Chattanooga were the most since a 2006 game against Tennessee Tech.
With the Lady Mocs down 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth, sophomore outfielder Stephanie Rieck led off the frame with a single to center. She was called out on the next play as Poteat hit a ball that was going through the right side, but glanced off the runner, Rieck, for an out.
After a ground out, Fuzzard stepped up the plate with a runner on second and homered to left center, cutting the Panthers lead to 4-3. It was the second multi home run game of the Huntington Beach, Calif., native's career.
Entering the game for the Lady Mocs in the circle was Deason, who retired the side forcing Eastern Illinois to strand two runners.
In the bottom of the sixth, Tydingco came up and connected on a game-tying shot to right center. It was the seventh career homer for the Fairfield, Calif., native and second this season. She narrowly missed one in the fourth as a poke to left went off the top of the fence and bounced back into play. She was called out by the umpire on the double after the shortstop tagged her for being off the bag.
Eastern Illinois loaded the bases in the seventh on two singles up the middle with the second out, a strikeout, recorded in between. The Panthers drew a walk to load the bases and pinch hitter Hannah Pieper singled up the middle to score the game-winning run.
After Poteat beat out an infield single to third with one out, the Lady Mocs had a chance, but the Panthers were able to end the game on a strikeout following a walk to Fuzzard.
Stephanie Maday (2-0) picked up the victory for Eastern Illinois and struck out six in the complete game effort. Driving in a run on three hits was Morgan Bell to lead the Panthers.
Chattanooga begins its home schedule on Friday to start the annual Frost Classic with a doubleheader between Valparaiso and Niagara starting at 1:15 p.m. The 12-team tournament held at Frost Stadium and adjacent Warner Park also features Ball St., Belmont, Cleveland St., Dayton, East Tennessee St., Purdue, Tennessee Tech, Troy, and UT Martin.
USF 2, Georgia Southern 0
TAMPA, Fla. - Another strong pitching performance for Georgia Southern Softball wasn't enough to get past USF on Sunday afternoon in the finale of the USF Invitational. The Eagles held the Bulls to one hit in the first four innings, but a two-run sixth inning gave USF the 2-0 victory.
Sarah Purvis held the South Florida offense in check through the first four innings allowing just one hit. The Bulls would strand two runners in the fifth inning and load the bases with one out in the sixth before a single gave USF a 2-0 lead. Purvis struck out four batters, but was relieved by Brooke Red after allowing the runs. The freshman pitcher got the Eagles out of the sixth with no further damage.
With the heart of the Georgia Southern lineup headed to the plate to open the seventh inning, Mackenzie Williams laced a single to right center to open the frame. Williams was replaced by pinch runner Breanna McLendon. A USF fielding error put Shelby Morrill, who represented the tying run, on first with one out in the inning. South Florida sealed the victory with a pair of strikeouts to retire the final two outs of the game, stranding Eagle runners on first and second.
Georgia Southern returns home next weekend for the Eagle Classic which begins on Friday morning at Eagle Field. The Eagles play a pair of games on Friday and Saturday afternoons at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. with the weekend's finale on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. For the complete Eagle Classic schedule, look at the Softball schedule on GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.