Chattanooga 5, UNCG 4
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team (20-8, 3-0 SoCon) completed a three-game sweep of the UNCG Spartans Sunday afternoon in Frost Stadium.
It’s the first three-game sweep of the conference season for Chattanooga and gives the Mocs a 3-0 Southern Conference record. With the loss, UNCG falls to 0-3.
Criket Blanco led Chattanooga with 3 RBI while Nicole Osterman and Anyssa Robles recorded one RBI apiece. Freshman lefty Cori Jennings improved to 9-4 after holding the Spartans to just two hits in five relief innings.
The Mocs took an early 4-0 lead with a four-run first inning off four hits. Sam Taylor singled to left field to start the frame and JJ Hamill reached off a fielder’s choice. Chattanooga loaded the bases off a walk from Sara Beth Roberts and Nicole Osterman lined a RBI single up the middle. Cricket Blanco gave Chattanooga a 3-0 lead after a two-run single and Anyssa Robles had a RBI sacrifice fly to score the fourth run.
UNCG matched UTC’s efforts with four runs in the second inning off a three-run home run from Lindsay Thomas.
After two scoreless innings, the Mocs regained the lead off a RBI sacrifice fly from Cricket Blanco in the fifth inning. Roberts and Osterman worked back-to-back walks with one out. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch and Blanco followed with the RBI sacrifice fly to left field to make it 5-4 Chattanooga.
The Spartans had the tying runner at second base in the seventh inning with one out but Jennings was able to induce a strikeout and a fly out to finish the victory.
Chattanooga will face ETSU for a three-game series on the road, with the first game Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m. ET.
Furman 11, Samford 9
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Furman scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning and escaped a bases loaded situation with the tying run on second base in the bottom of the frame to down the Samford Bulldogs, 11-9, in the series finale of a three-game Southern Conference set on Sunday at Samford Field.
In the top of the ninth, Courtney Jacobs reached base for the Paladins on an infield single, Lindsey Bert doubled and Sieara Bishop was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. Samford reliever Mollie Hanson hit senior Taylor Jenkins with a 2-1 pitch to force in Jacobs and sophomore Candace Johnson followed with a two-run single through the right side to give the Paladins an 8-5 lead. After Hanson threw out Jenkins at the plate on Natalie Clemmons' bouncer back to the circle, Andrea Abbatiello hammered a three-run homer to center field to put the Paladins ahead 11-5. It was her second roundtripper of the game.
The Bulldogs' Abby Sweeney ignited Samford's rally in the bottom of the ninth by opening the inning with a solo homer to center field. Karsin Spinks followed with a single and Abby Adams drew a walk. Megan Dowdy singled to load the bases after Wilder fouled out to the catcher. Abbie Miranda laced a single up the middle to drive in a run and drive Bert from the circle. Reliever Alex Sappington walked Shelby Maze to force in a run and Caitlin Bice drew a bases loaded walk to trim the Furman lead to 11-9 after Callie Brister popped out to right field for the second out.
Before Samford's Sweeney, who had homered in her previous two at-bats and opened the frame with a homer, could step to the plate, the game went into a rain delay that lasted more than an hour. Once the teams returned to the field, Sweeney worked a 3-2 count before lining out to Sappington in the circle to end the game.
Bert, who allowed nine runs on eight hits in eight and 1/3 innings of work, garnered the victory to improve to 11-5 on the season. She walked four batters and struck out four. Sappington worked around two walks to pick up the save.
Hanson (11-6) suffered the loss for the Bulldogs after surrendering nine earned runs on eight hits in five innings of relief.
Samford (20-11, 2-1 SoCon) scored an unearned run in the first to grab the early lead. Bert doubled in the third inning and scored on Bishop's RBI single to help Furman even the game. Abbatiello put Furman in front with a solo blast with one out in the fourth, but the Bulldogs rallied in the sixth. Maze reached on an error and Bice drew a two-out walk to setup Sweeney's three-run homer to center field to give Samford a 4-2 lead.
Down to its final three outs, Furman mounted a rally of its own in the top of the seventh inning. Ambree Muller singled down the right field line on the first pitch of the frame and Emma Ogburn singled to center on the next pitch. Jacobs sacrificed to move the runners to second and third before Bert drove in Muller with a single to bring the Paladins within 4-3. It appeared that Bishop had put the Paladins in front, 6-4, when she belted a Hanson pitch over the right-center field fence, but discussion about Furman's pinch runner that was entered moments before changed the score. The umpiring crew ruled that Furman had given the incorrect number when pinch running Hope Smith for Ogburn resulting in an out and a 5-4 lead instead of a 6-4 cushion. Samford's Caroline Wilder homered to leadoff the bottom of the seventh and send the game to extra innings.
Furman (15-12, 1-2 SoCon) pounded out a season-high 14 hits in the victory, led by Bert's 4-for-5 outing with two doubles. Bishop went 3-for-4 with her team-leading seventh homer of the season and three RBIs, while Abbatiello finished 2-for-5 with two homers and four runs batted in.
Sweeney posted a 3-for-5 performance with two home runs and four RBIs for the Bulldogs.
The Paladins will return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Columbia, S.C., to take on Southeastern Conference foe South Carolina.
Western Carolina 8, ETSU 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina softball senior pitcher Jordan Garrett tossed a two-hit shutout as the Catamounts took the Southern Conference series, 2-1, against ETSU Sunday with an 8-0 win in six innings at the Catamount Softball Complex.
The Catamounts improve to 11-18 on the year, having won four of its last five games, and 2-1 in the Southern Conference. ETSU falls to 11-14 and 1-2 in the SoCon.
Garrett was near perfection Sunday after tossing a career-high 11 innings in a no decision yesterday against ETSU. The Henderson, N.C. native had five strikeouts and did not give up a walk in the game. She allowed just two base runners, who never moved past first base, and sat down the last seven batters she faced to end the game. She improves to 7-8 on the season.
The Catamount battery also helped out Garrett as Western Carolina had 12 hits in the game.
In the bottom of the second Western Carolina all put the game out of reach for ETSU, with Garrett on a roll, when the Catamounts put up five runs all with two outs.
Junior centerfielder Amber Kimrey started the two out rally in the bottom of the second with a single to right center. An RBI double by freshman Emily Helton, that extended her hitting streak to eight, plated Kimrey for the first run of the game. An RBI single by Victoria Mariscal and an RBI double by Courtney Price put WCU up 3-0. Sophomore left fielder Courtney Price’s two RBI homerun over the left field wall gave the Catamounts a 5-0 lead.
The Catamounts tacked on two runs in the bottom of the third. Heather Chastain drew a walk and Kassandra Flores pinch ran for her. Karley Harkey followed reaching on an ETSU error. Flores scored on an RBI single by Helton and Harkey came home courtesy of a sacrifice fly by Mariscal.
Western Carolina went scoreless for the next two innings threatening with base runners but not pushing a run across to end the game early.
The Catamounts didn’t have to play the seventh when they scored their eighth run in the bottom of the sixth. ETSU reliever Whitney Leon, who replaced starting Buccaneer pitcher Taylor Carter in the middle of the second inning, got into a jam when she walked Taylor Sigmon, Leon was lifted for Kelsey Smith who gave up a single to Catamount junior Crystal Cyr and then a walk to Heather Chastain. With bases loaded and no outs Smith’s wild pitch scored Sigmon to end the game.
Helton, Mariscal, Price and Sigmon each had a pair of hits in the game.
In the last three games, Western Carolina had 43 hits in 25 innings.