No. 1 Chattanooga vs. No. 5 UNC Greensboro Box Score
Mt. PLEASANT, S.C. - Sophomore pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) struck out five in 3.2 innings of relief and junior third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) went 2-for-2 with a walk, but it was not enough as No. 5 UNC Greensboro (23-31, 7-11) defeated Chattanooga (36-20, 13-5) 3-1 in the second round of the 2008 Southern Conference Tournament in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. on Thursday afternoon.
The Spartans got on the board early as they took advantage of a fielding error and then a single by first baseman Mary Catherine Vercoe to pull ahead 2-0. The score would stay that way until the top of the fourth inning when freshman first baseman Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) led off the inning with a double of the centerfield wall and was singled home by junior outfielder Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) to make it 2-1.
UNC Greensboro added to its lead in the home half of the fifth inning, netting a run on a bases loaded sac fly by left fielder Brittany Ausley to push the lead to 3-1. It would be all the Spartans would need as Hannah Angel retired nine of the final ten batters, allowing only a seventh inning walk, to close out the two-run victory and earn her second save of the year.
Freshman pitcher Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) suffered the loss for the Lady Mocs, dropping to 8-8 on the year, while Amber Harrell pitched four innings of four-hit, one-run ball and struck out five batters to move to 11-17 for UNCG.
Offensively for Chattanooga, Hutchison led the way with a 2-for-2 performance to go along with a walk while Fuzzard laced her team leading 14th double of the season and scored the only run of the game. Laci Upchurch delivered a hit and the game's only RBI.
The Lady Mocs will face No. 7 Appalachian State at 10:00 a.m. in the loser's bracket. Should they win that game, they will play at 5:00 p.m. against the winner of the Elon ? Georgia Southern/College of Charleston game. That game will be played at 12:00 p.m.
NOTES
Fuzzard's 14th double of the season ties her with Denise Posey (1997) for tenth in the Lady Mocs single season record book.
