UNCG vs. Chattanooga Boxscore - Game 1
UNCG vs. Chattanooga Boxscore - Game 2
Photo Album vs. UNCG - March 21
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Sophomore pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) struck out a program record-tying 15 batters in Game 1 while freshman catcher Katie Blevins (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) belted a three-run walk-off homerun in Game 2 as Chattanooga (18-14, 2-0) swept the first two games against UNC Greensboro (9-17, 0-2) by scores of 4-1 and 4-2 Friday evening at Jim Frost Stadium.
In Game 1, Loudermilk took care of business early, retiring the first eight batters she faced by strikeout and ringing up 10 of the first 12 batters through the game's first four innings. Blevins made sure she was working with a lead in the second inning as she pounded her tenth homerun of the season, a towering blast over the left centerfield fence, to put UTC ahead 1-0.
Chattanooga struck again in the fifth, once again utilizing the long ball, as senior shortstop Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) ripped her fourth homerun of the season and the Lady Mocs manufactured another run to extend their lead to 3-0. Loudermilk continued her strong outing as she allowed only one hit through five innings before the Spartans managed a single run in the sixth.
UTC tacked on an insurance run in the seventh inning when sophomore catcher Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.) doubled to right field with one out and freshman utility player Della Harrison (Nashville, Tenn.) pinch ran for her. Following a second out, Tembey drove Harrison home with a single to right to make it 4-1. Tembey then proceeded to swipe her eighth base of the season to go 8-for-8 before UNCG got out of the inning.
At that point, the only drama remaining was whether or not Loudermilk would be able to break her own strikeout record of 15 set against Bowling Green early this year. Entering the seventh inning with 13 K's, the Locust Grove, Georgia native induced a fly out from the leadoff batter before punching out the last two batters to tie her own program record with 15 strikeouts.
On the game, Tembey went 3-for-4 with a solo homerun, a steal, run and two RBIs while Hurndon finished at 2-for-3 to tie her career-high for hits. Blevins went 1-for-3 with her solo shot in the second inning. Loudermilk notched her eighth complete game of the year as she allowed only three hits, two on bunts, to move to 7-6 on the season while redshirt junior Hannah Angel pitched a complete game, striking out eight batters, to take the loss and fall to 3-9.
In Game 2, both team's pitchers came out strong as the two teams battled to a scoreless tie through the first four innings of the contest. This time, it was UNC Greensboro that got on the board first as they took advantage of a lead-off walk by sophomore catcher Whitney Sirois and advanced her to third on a sacrifice bunt. A double by redshirt-freshman Kaitlin Merkt then drove home pinch runner Laura Olenderski to put the Spartans up 1-0.
It would be a short lived lead however, as Tembey walked with one out and advanced to second on a ground out before freshman first baseman Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) singled through the left side to tie the game at 1-1. The score would stay that way until the top of the seventh when a single and a sac bunt to lead off the inning set the stage for an RBI double from junior catcher Leslie Furness. That put UNCG ahead 2-1 heading into the last of the seventh inning.
Chattanooga got an early break in their half of the inning as freshman outfielder Lauren Flores (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) reached on an error before being erased by a fielder's choice. With a runner on first and one out, junior third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) drew a walk to put runners on first and second.
At that point, Katie Blevins proceeded to hammer her 11th homerun of the season out over the right field fence to give the Lady Mocs a walk-off, 4-2 victory and a sweep of the first two games of the series.
In addition to Blevins' three run blast, Hutchison went 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored for Chattanooga while Fuzzard added a hit and an RBI. Junior outfielder Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) and senior outfielder Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.) each contributed a hit.
Brooke Loudermilk picked up her second win of the day as she pitched a scoreless two thirds of an inning, striking out one, while freshman Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) went 6.1 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out six batters to get a no-decision. Loudermilk is now 8-6 on the season while sophomore Amber Harrell took the loss for the Spartans and dropped to 6-8 on the year.
With 11 homeruns on the season, Katie Blevins is now tied for the fifth most proflic long ball season in Lady Mocs history and has moved into a ninth-place tie on the UTC career homerun list. She is currently three homeruns away from tying the single season mark of 14 set by Angela Brewer (2000-01) in 2001.
The Lady Mocs wrap up the series tomorrow afternoon when they face UNC Greensboro at 12:00 p.m. at Jim Frost Stadium.
NOTES
Loudermilk's sixth strikeout to begin Game 1 was the 400th of her career ... she currently has 410 ... it is the second time this season that Blevins has homered twice in a double-header ... with her eighth consecutive steal, Tembey is one steal away from equaling her career-high of nine set last season ... Tembey is 27-for-34 for her career and currently ranks fifth on the Lady Mocs all-time steals list ... prior to the today's first game, Staff Sergeant Jacob Hurndon, brother of Lady Mocs catcher Lynleigh Hurndon, threw out the ceremonial first pitch ... he has recently returned from a 15-month deployment in Iraq and his return was a surprise to his sister.
