UAB vs. Chattanoga Boxscore - Game 1
UAB vs. Chattanoga Boxscore - Game 2
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Sophomore pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) struck out 13 batters in the nightcap and junior third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh of the first game as Chattanooga (26-14, 6-0) swept the University of Alabama at Birmingham (18-23, 5-7 C-USA) 4-3 and 2-1 Wednesday evening at Jim Frost Stadium.
The Blazers got on the board early in Game 1 as a single, sacrifice bunt and an RBI single up the middle by junior catcher Andrea Rogers gave them a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Chattanooga responded in the bottom of the second inning as freshman catcher Katie Blevins (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single down the right field line by freshman outfielder Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) to tie the game at 1-1.
UTC's offensive attack continued as senior shortstop Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) doubled down the right field line with runners on second and third to take a 3-1 lead. UAB then notched single runs in the two ensuing innings with senior second baseman Leigh Walker belting a solo home run in the third and sophomore third baseman Cameron Skates singled home a run in the fourth to tie the game at 3-3.
The score would stay that way over the next two and half innings as both team's pitchers settled in before freshman first baseman Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) roped a two-out double to left field. Following a pinch runner, Toni Hutchison then lined a single up the middle to bring home the winning run and close out a 4-3 Chattanooga victory.
Freshman pitcher Kaitlin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.) pitched four scoreless, one-hit innings of relief and struck out five to get the victory and move to 3-1 on the season while junior Kayla Harris took the loss for UAB to fall to 8-8.
Tara Tembey led the way offensively for the Lady Mocs with a 2-for-4, two RBI performance and swiped her ninth base of the year, improving to 9-for-9 on the year, while Fuzzard finished at 2-for-4. In addition to Hutchison's game-winning RBI, Stiles went 1-for-2 with a run, RBI and her fourth steal of the year.
In Game 2, it was Chattanooga that got out in front early, taking advantage of a lead-off double by junior outfielder Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.), a runner reaching on a fielder's choice and a run scoring error to take a 1-0 lead. With the bases loaded, freshman outfielder Lauren Flores (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) laced a single field to push the lead to 2-0.
That would be all that the Lady Mocs would need as Brooke Loudermilk pitched another magnificent game, allowing only three hits over the final five innings. One of those hits was a solo home run by Skates in the fourth inning to close to 2-1 but that would be all that the Blazers would get. Loudermilk then set down nine of the next ten batters she faced, five by strikeout, to lock up Chattanooga's 10th straight victory, 2-1.
Loudermilk finished the night with her tenth complete game and struck out 13 batters while allowing only four hits and the one earned run. Senior Jennifer Nelson suffered the loss to fall to 10-15 for the University of Alabama at Birmingham despite allowing only three hits and two runs over six innings.
Lauren Flores accounted for the lone UTC RBI as she went 1-for-2 while Upchurch finished at 1-for-3 with a run scored. Sophomore catcher Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.) added the only other hit as she finished 1-for-3.
Chattanooga resumes it's Southern Conference schedule this weekend when they travel to Appalachian State for a three-game series with the Mountaineers. The Lady Mocs will play a double-header on Saturday, April 5 beginning at 1:00 p.m. and will close the series with a 1:00 p.m. game on Sunday, April 6.
NOTES
With her two RBIs, Tara Tembey is now tied for fourth place on the Lady Mocs' all-time RBI list with 111 for her career ... Brooke Loudermilk's 13 strikeouts is the 17th double-digit strikeout performance of her career and is the sixth this season ... Chattanooga has now won 10 consecutive games and is 16-4 at home in 2008.
