Charleston vs. Chattanooga Boxscore - Game 1
Charleston vs. Chattanooga Boxscore - Game 2
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Sophomore pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) threw 6.1 scoreless, two hit innings and freshman outfielder Lauren Flores (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) added two hits and an RBI but it was not enough as the College of Charleston (30-29, 11-6) handed Chattanooga (34-17, 12-3) its first back-to-back losses since February 20 with 2-0 and 3-2 victories Saturday afternoon at Jim Frost Stadium.
A leadoff single and a double helped to load the bases in the top half of the first inning for the Cougars before Loudermilk worked out of the jam with a strikeout. In the home half of the inning, Lauren Flores lined a single down the right field line before back-to-back outs ended the inning.
That's when both team's pitching kicked in as Loudermilk and freshman pitcher Kaitlin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.) combined to retire 16 consecutive batters while Cougars sophomore Terri Mesko set down 21 straight to keep the game scoreless and send it to extra innings. UTC's run ended in the seventh with a leadoff walk while Mesko carried Charleston's string into the eighth inning.
In the top of the eighth inning a single by junior shortstop Christal Kotchman and a double by freshman outfielder Kristi Woodall gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead before junior Shannon Howard singled up the middle to make it 2-0. Mesko then made that lead hold up in the bottom of the eighth despite seeing junior outfielder Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) reach on a throwing error to snap her string of 21 consecutive outs.
Mesko improved to 11-17 on the year while Holloway saw her string of six consecutive wins snapped to fall to 8-2. On offense, Flores notched the only hit for the Lady Mocs, going 1-for-3.
Game 2 was nearly a carbon copy of the opener as Chattanooga compiled two hits early on while Charleston managed only one and both team's pitchers were dominated as they kept the game scoreless until the top of the sixth inning. A pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners on first and third and a steal of second put two runners in scoring position. A throwing error and a single by Woodall then put the Cougars ahead 2-0.
The Lady Mocs responded in the bottom half of the inning when senior shortstop Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) leadoff with a triple to right field and was driven home on a sac bunt by Flores to make it 2-1. Freshman first baseman Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) then singled up the middle and was pinch run for by freshman infielder Kristin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.). Holloway then scored from first on a double to the left centerfield gap by junior third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.), tying the game at 2-2.
Charleston would respond in the top of the seventh, however, as sophomore third baseman Kristie Shifflett doubled to left center to lead off the inning. Freshman Katie Nutaitis then singled up the middle to score pinch-runner Alex Williams and give the Cougars a 3-2 lead.
A leadoff single in the seventh by senior outfielder Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.), sac bunt by redshirt-freshman infielder Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) and a ground out by pinch hitter Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.) put the tying run on third base for Chattanooga with two outs. Facing the top of the order, Shannon Howard then struck out Tembey to lock up the 3-2 victory.
Howard improved to 17-10 on the year while freshman pitcher Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) took the loss for UTC to fall to 8-7 on the year.
Offensively, Hutchison went 2-for-3 with an RBI while Flores finished 1-for-2 with an RBI. Tembey, Fuzzard, Clarkson and freshman catcher Katie Blevins (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) each added a hit.
The Lady Mocs wrap up the Charleston series, and their 2008 home schedule, tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Tomorrow will also be the final home game for seniors Ashlan Clarkson and Tara Tembey as the Lady Mocs celebrate Senior Day 2008.
