Chattanooga 8, UMass 0 (5 inn.)
Chattanooga 10, Hartford 1 (5 inn.)
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team made quick work on the first day of the USF’s Michele Smith Spring Break Tournament at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla., posting five-inning victories against UMass, 8-0 and Hartford, 10-1 on Friday.
Chattanooga (16-7) posted 12 hits against the Minutewomen and nine base knocks against the Hawks as seven Mocs recorded a multi-hit game.
The key run producer against UMass was senior Nicole Osterman with four RBI. Adding multi-RBI contests against Hartford was senior Marina Wilkerson with six.
Freshman Cori Jennings tossed a two-hit complete game against the Minutewomen, improving to 6-2 with eight strikeouts. Tossing a two-hit game against the Hawks was senior Taylor Deason who moved to 7-3 with five strikeouts.
The Mocs continue the three-day event on Saturday with a doubleheader against Syracuse and Army beginning at 4:45 p.m. ET.
To start off the bottom of the first, J.J. Hamill registered a standing double for the second time this season. Sarah Beth Roberts followed with a single to center field before a bad pass from UMass would allow Roberts to advance to second and Hamill to third. Osterman popped a sacrifice hit to center field driving in Hamill, setting the score 1-0.
UTC extended its lead with a five run inning in the bottom of the third. The Mocs sent 10 batters to the plate and opened the frame with the first four reaching base after a leadoff home run by Sam Taylor. The fourth batter up, Osterman singled to center field running in Hamill for a second time. Criket Blanco would run in Roberts from third off a sacrifice fly to left field before Alyssa Taylor singled to right field to drive in Osterman. With the score set 5-0, Wilkerson singled to the pitcher giving Robles the opportunity to run in.
The Mocs last offense burst was a homer by Osterman that tacked on two more points in the bottom for the fourth. Shutting down the Minutewomen’s offensive attempts the Mocs closed out the game, 8-0.
UTC shut the Hawks out in the first two frames before tagging on three runs in the bottom of the bottom of the half. Marina Wilkerson blasted a hit out of the park for her first home run of the season. The senior’s hit collected three RBI, as it also ran in Alyssa Taylor and Courtney Ervin.
Trailing 3-0 heading into the third, the Hawks grabbed one run back to close the gap to two runs. Leading off the inning with a single to outfield, Ferguson advanced 60 feet on a walk by Soles and continued to move down the paths on Fisher's single. With the bases loaded, Jenice Alovo pushed Ferguson across home plate on an infield ground out to make it a two-run game.
The Hawks would get no closer to the Mocs, though, as Wilkerson struck with her second three-run blast, leading the squad to add seven more runs to the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth to eventually score the five-inning victory. Loading the bases four more times plating J.J. Hamill, Sarah Beth Roberts, Anyssa Robles and Criket Blanco, Chattanooga seized the victory 10-1.
Mercer 13, Youngstown State 5 (5 inn.)
Mercer 1, Michigan State 0
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University softball team had an impressive opening day of the Mercer Bears Classic, winning two games against Michigan State University and Youngstown State University. The Bears defeated the Spartans 1-0 in their first game of the day and moved passed Youngstown State 7-1 in their second game.
The game was a pitchers duel for the majority of the contest. Kirsten Stevens pitched 12th complete game of the season, allowing four hits with no base on balls and six strikeouts. This was Stevens' first shutout of the 2015 campaign and her 12th win. Jastine Alaan had the lone run of the game off of a second inning solo-shot to right field. The hit marked her first home run of her Mercer career. The Bears had six hits and no errors during the contest, as they moved to 16-13 on the year.
Mercer got the bats going early against the Penguins, scoring three runs in the first inning. Riley Carter led off the scoring with a two-run home run followed by Natalie Shiver's solo home run. Rachael Hugghins would hit a solo home run in the second, Carter drew the walk in a bases loaded situation, scoring Emma Andrew. Taylor Miller scored on a RBI single by Shiver, followed by a sacrifice fly by Caroline Taylor to score Meghan Rud.
Youngstown St. got on the board in the third on a solo-homer of their own to make the score 7-1. Alaan would anewer with an RBI single for the Bears giving them a seven-point lead once again. The Penguins had their most productive inning in the fourth scoring three runs on a bomb from Dowd. Rud, Shiver, and Quirisa Mauga would all score in the fourth to extend the Mercer lead to 11-4 heading into the seventh inning.
Youngstown State would add a RBI in the top of the fifth to set the score at 11-5. Miller and Rud would both reach and advance bases to put runners on second and third with one out and Carter at bat. Carter lined a ball to right center, driving in both runs for a walk-off double to seal the victory for Mercer in five innings.
Mercer will be back in action tomorrow for day two of the Mercer Bears Classic. The Bears will face Youngstown State at 2:30 PM followed by Michigan State at 4:45 PM.
Wisconsin 5, Furman 3
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Wisconsin plated three runs in the first inning and another in the second en route to a 5-3 victory over Furman on Friday night in the CofC Softball Invitational at College of Charleston's Patriots Point Athletics Complex.
The top two batters in the Badger order, Maria Van Abel and Marissa Mersch, went 4-for-6 with two RBI, two runs, two walks and three stolen bases combined to propel Wisconsin (10-12) to the victory in the opening game of the tournament for both teams.
Van Abel reached on a bunt single to start the bottom of the first and scored on Ashley Van Zeeland's RBI single to center field. Samantha Arents drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Megan Tancil capped the three-run first with a bunt single to drive in Van Zeeland. Katie Christner opened the bottom of the second with a double and scored two batters later when Mersch lined a double to left-center field to put the Badgers in front 4-0.
In the top of the third inning, Ambree Muller set the table for Furman by lining a single off of the first baseman's glove before stealing second base after Wisconsin starter Mariah Watts was lifted due to an apparent illness. Lindsey Bert drew a base on balls off of reliever Sarah Fonk and Sieara Bishop worked a walk to load the bases. Elise Smith put Furman on the board with a single through the left side and the Paladins plated a second run on Natalie Clemmons' RBI grounder to second base, but Fonk retired the next two hitters to strand runners at second and third.
Furman (12-6) inched closer in the top of the fifth as pitcher Lindsey Bert lined a single off the glove of Watts, who returned to the game the previous inning, and moved to third following a Bishop single to left and a wild pitch. With one out, Bert slid under Watts' tag at the plate after a wild pitch, but the Wisconsin hurler induced fly outs to left by Clemmons and Taylor Jenkins to keep the Badgers in front, 4-3.
Courtney Jacobs opened the sixth inning with a bunt single and moved into scoring position on Candace Johnson's sacrifice bunt, but Watts got Hannah Reynolds to bounce out to third base and Taylor-Paige Stewart came out of the bullpen to fan Muller to end the threat.
After Mersch's RBI single plated Van Abel to up the Wisconsin lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Stewart worked around Bishop's one-out single in the seventh to close the door on Furman.
Watts (4-2) surrendered just one run on four hits over four and 2/3 innings to earn the victory. She walked one and struck out one. Stewart picked up her second save of the season, allowing only one hit in one and 1/3 innings in the circle.
Van Abel went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI and two srolen bases, while Mersch collected two hits and batted in two runs. Christner added two hits, including a double for the Badgers.
Bert (8-3) suffered the loss for the Paladins allowing five runs on 10 hits in six innings of work. She walked three batters and fanned four. Muller and Bishop delivered two hits apiece for the Paladins.
Furman returns to action in the CofC Invitational on Saturday when it faced New Mexico at 9 a.m. and Marist at 6 p.m.
San Diego 5, Western Carolina 4
Santa Clara 9, Western Carolina 7
SANTEE, Calif. – Western Carolina (7-14) dropped both games in opening day action at the Santa Clara Classic II falling to San Diego 5-4 and Santa Clara 9-7.
San Diego scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to come back from a 4-3 defeceit to defeat Western Carolina 5-4. The Toreros rallied with two outs to get a pair of base runners. Starting pitcher Jordan Garrett was relieved by junior Taylor Sigmon who gave up a walk to load the bases. A passed ball tied the game at four and a single RBI by San Diego ended the game.
Western Carolina hit the scoreboard first. Freshman Abigail Daniels led off with a single and moved to second on a passed ball. Daniels scored thanks to an RBI by Kara Salvo.
Santa Clara tied it at 1-1 in the bottom of the second when Olivia Sandusky hit a solo homerun.
Western Carolina has a big top of the third scoring three runs. Victoria Mariscal led off with a double and Salvo followed with a double to centerfield scoring Mariscal. Sigmon followed with a two run homerun to left field. It was Sigmon’s fifth homerun of the year.
San Diego cut the Catamount lead to 4-3 with its second homerun of the game – a two RBI shot by Kailey Hill.
Garrett takes the loss as her pair of runners charged to her scored in the bottom of the seventh before she was replaced by Sigmon. Garrett falls to 5-6 on the year. She gave up five runs on six hits and struck out seven.
In the first two innings, Santa Clara scored a pair of runs off a passed ball and a bases loaded walk to lead WCU 2-0. Western Carolina junior Crystal Cyr cut the Santa Clara lead to one, 2-1, when she hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the second.
Santa Clara tacked on its third run in as many innings when it scored a single run in the top of the third. Ashely Haney hit an RBI single to give the Broncos a 3-1 lead.
The Catamounts knotted the game at three in the bottom of the third. Junior center fielder Amber Kimrey led off with the first triple of her career. With one out, Mariscal was hit by a pitch and Salvo reached on a fielder’s choice. With bases loaded, Sigmon hit a two RBI single down the first base line. Salvo tried to leg out the hit and go home but was thrown out for the second out. Salvo lined out to end the bottom of the third inning.
Cyr hit her second homerun of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning to give WCU its first lead of the game, 4-3.
The Catamount lead was short-lived as a hit by a pitch and two straight walks loaded the bases for Santa Clara in the top of the seventh. The Broncos scored six runs to take the lead in the top of the seventh.
Western Carolina attempted a rally in the bottom of the seventh but came up short. Daniels led off with a single and moved to third on a double by Salvo who was replaced by pinch runner Anna Hughey. Sigmon hit a two RBI single scoring Daniels and Hughey and scored herself from an RBI single by Courtney Price. A pair of Catamount ground outs ended the inning and the rally.
Buchanan had 12 walks in the game and takes the loss falling to 0-5 on the season. She gave up eight runs, five earned, on seven hits and struck out six.
For the second straight game, Sigmon came into the game in relief. She entered with one out and gave up one hit and struck out one.
Cyr was 3-for-3 in the game for Western Carolina with two homeruns and a double and two RBI.
Western Carolina will play BYU at noon EDT and Utah Valley at 5 p.m. EDT Saturday.