UNCG vs. Chattanooga Boxscore - Game 3
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Freshman pitcher Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) struck out a career-high seven batters while going 2-for-4 with a homerun and two RBIs as Chattanooga (19-14, 3-0) swept UNC Greensboro (9-18, 0-3) Saturday afternoon with a 9-2 victory at Jim Frost Stadium.
After a 1-2-3 top of the first inning, the Lady Mocs wasted no time in getting on the board in their half of the inning. Following a fly out, three straight singles and a sacrifice fly from freshman catcher Katie Blevins (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) put UTC ahead 1-0.
A walk to junior outfielder Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) reloaded the bases for senior outfielder Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.) who proceeded to single home two runs before a pair of errors made it 5-0.
The score would stay that way until the third inning, when the Spartans advanced freshman outfielder Kristen Gabel to third base on an error and wild pitch. Senior outfielder Mary Greenway then tripled right field for the game's first hit and drove home Gabel to make it 5-1.
UNCG would add another solo run in the top of the sixth inning when a two-out double from junior catcher Leslie Furness and a pair of wild pitches made it 5-2. That would be all the Spartans would get as freshman pitcher Kaitlin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.) entered in relief and closed out the inning.
Chattanooga then erupted in their half of the sixth with four runs on four hits, including a massive two-run homerun by Fuzzard, to make it 9-2. Freshman outfielder Lauren Flores (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) added a sac fly for an RBI while Upchurch singled home a run to push her season total to 20 RBIs.
Holloway then proceeded to shutdown UNC Greensboro in the seventh to collect the first save of her career. Fuzzard went 5.2 innings, allowing only three hits, two runs, one earned, and struck out a career-high seven batters to move to even her record at 2-2 on the season. Sophomore Amber Harrell took the loss for the Spartans as she went three innings and gave up five runs to drop to 6-9 on the year.
At the plate, Fuzzard led the way with a 2-for-4 outing with two runs, two RBIs and her fifth homerun of the season. That shot slammed off of the scoreboard in centerfield and places her second on the team behind fellow freshman Katie Blevins who has 11 on the season. Blevins registered a sac fly to pusher her team-leading RBI total to 29 while Upchurch went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
Clarkson finished the day at 1-for-2 with a run and season-high two RBIs and junior third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) added a hit and two runs.
Chattanooga takes the field again on Wednesday, March 26 when they travel Nashville, Tenn. for a non-conference double-header with Tennessee State. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
NOTES
With her RBI today, Flores becomes the sixth member of the Lady Mocs to reach double-figures with 10 ... Fuzzard continues to lead the team with a .387 batting average, eight doubles and .441 on-base percentage and is second on the team with 23 RBIs and a .634 slugging percentage ... with her 20th RBI of the season, Upchurch becomes the third Lady Moc to reach that mark this season ... she is currently nine RBIs away from matching her career-high of 29 set last season.
