Softball Drops Close Doubleheader to Birmingham-Southern; Loudermilk Breaks into Career and Single Season Top 10

3/27/2007 8:00:00 PM | By: GoMocs.com

Hardees Game Day Wrap-Up

Box Score - Game 1

Box Score - Game 2

Chattanooga, Tenn. ? Freshman catcher Brittany Eason (Chattanooga, Tenn.) hit a lead off home run in the bottom of the second to help the Lady Mocs take an early 1-0 lead before falling to the Birmingham-Southern Panthers in two games on Wednesday night's doubleheader 1-3, 3-4.

Freshman pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) threw nine strikeouts and only gave up one walk, but picked up her eighth loss of the season with her record now sitting at 11-8.

She moves into ninth place all-time for strikeouts and into 10th place on the single season list with 163 strikeouts. She continues to hold the career record for most strikeouts per seven inning game, averaging 8.64 per game on 132.0 innings pitched.

Sophomore third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) picked up another hit on the day in the bottom of the second after Eason's home run, but was left base.

Senior left fielder Jeannie Cochran (Maryville, Tenn.) led off the bottom of the third reaching on a throwing error by the first baseman before stealing second, her 17th stolen base of the season. Sophomore center fielder Ashley Cuticchia (Rising Fawn, Ga.) advanced Cochran to third on her single up the right side before stealing second.

Eason walked to load the bases, and senior first baseman Brittney Whittier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) reached on a fielder's choice with Cochran thrown out at home for the second out. And all three runners were left on base after a checked swing for a third strike retired the inning with the score still 1-0.

Loudermilk picked up her fifth strikeout of the game in the top of the fourth after allowing the first batter of the game on base on balls, but after four innings it was 12 up, 12 down and no hits.

Junior designated player Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.) picked up a double but was left on second as the inning closed with the score still 1-0 after four.

The Panthers' Grace Stokes picked up the first hit for Birmingham-Southern in the top of the sixth before pitcher Raquel Sanfiel fouled into a double play to pick up the first and second outs. Loudermilk picked up the third out on a pop-up.

Junior second baseman Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) hit a two-out triple, close to being a in park home run, in the bottom of the sixth to pick up the fifth hit on the game for Chattanooga but was left on third as the inning closed with the score still at 1-0.

Birmingham-Southern's Anne Lawrence, from Chattanooga, Tenn., picked up her second home run of the season, picking up three RBI and scoring DiAmond Jordan and Brooke Reed in the top of the seventh putting the Panthers up 3-1 going into the bottom of the inning.

Chattanooga tried to rally with two outs with Cuticchia reaching on a walk before freshman shortstop Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) picked up a single, but both were left on base to close out the game.

The first game of the doubleheader had a similar tone. Senior pitcher Ashley Frizzell (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) recorded nine strikeouts, including the first five outs on defense, to but gave up an error in the team's 4-3 loss to Birmingham-Southern in game one dropping her record to 8-8 on the season.

Chattanooga committed two errors and allowed six hits in the loss, but picked up seven hits and left five on base.

Hutchison went two-for-three with a two RBI double before scoring one run to lead the Lady Mocs on offense.

The Panthers struck first with designated player Creighton getting a hit in the first inning before getting another on her second at bat, advancing to second on a ground out by Lawrence and scoring on Heather Fox's two-out home run over the left field fence to make the score 2-0 going into the bottom of the third.

Chattanooga answered back with Blosser's lead off single before scoring on Hutchison's two-out double to right center. Hutchison advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on sophomore first baseman Rachel Norris' (Ringgold, Ga.) single to the left side tying the score at 2-2.

Birmingham-Southern picked up two more runs in the top of the fifth off of Reed's double to left center, scoring Backlund and Schmissrauter and increasing the margin to 4-2 after four and a half.

Upchurch hit a solo home run over left center to start off the bottom of the fifth and to make the score 3-4. Cochran grounded to the short stop but beat out the throw before Cuticchia advanced her to second on a hit. Blosser advanced both runners into scoring position with her ground out with Tembey coming to the plate.

Tembey struck out, bringing Whittier up to the plate with runners still on second and third, but both were left on base as the inning retired with the score still 3-4.

Chattanooga picked up its second double play in the game in the top of the seventh picking up the first and second outs before Schmissrauter popped up to Frizzell to end the inning.

The Panthers were led by Creighton with two hits and one run on three at bats, and pitcher Bethney Reynoldson picked up her 11th win of the season throwing eight strikeouts and only allowing one walk.

The Lady Mocs head to UNC Greensboro for a conference series beginning on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.

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