CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga softball team returns to the diamond this weekend for the Gamecock Invitational in Columbia, S.C. The Lady Mocs (5-7) will play four games this weekend, with contests scheduled against James Madison, Troy, South Carolina and North Florida.
UTC will begin the tourney at 7 p.m. on Friday against James Madison. On Saturday the team will play Troy at 11 a.m. and USC at 3 p.m. Chattanooga will close out the tournament on Sunday at 3 p.m. against North Florida.
The team heads to the Palmetto State looking to rebound off a 1-5 weekend in Tempe, Ariz. The Lady Mocs were at the Littlewood Classic, hosted by Arizona State, and faltered against some of the toughest competition it will face this season. In the six games UTC played, the Lady Mocs scored only 11 runs and hit .185. Hitting was not the only phase in which the team struggled, as UTC committed 12 errors and had an ERA of 6.22.
Scouting the Lady Mocs
Despite its struggles as a team, the Lady Mocs have seen success at the top of its batting order. Michelle Fuzzard leads the team in batting average (.387) and RBI (8). The sophomore has also drawn a team-high eight walks and has a .513 on-base percentage.
Tiffany Baker is the other Lady Moc with a batting average over .300, at .314. Lyndsey Stiles is currently hitting .286 on the season, and has provided much needed speed on the base paths for UTC. Stiles is 6-for-6 in stolen bases as the teams is a perfect 10-for-10 in swiping bases. Senior Toni Hutchison leads the team in home runs after belting two round-trippers this past week. Hutchison now has three on the season and has a team-high 19 total bases.
Scouting the Dukes
James Madison (6-3) enters the Gamecock Invitational off a perfect 5-0 weekend at the College of Charleston Classic. The Dukes were very impressive, defeating Howard, East Tennessee State, Syracuse, Akron and the College of Charleston. JMU was dominant in the tournament, outscoring its opponents 25-8.
As a team, James Madison has a .275 batting average. Amber Kirk is currently the team leader, hitting at a .400 clip. She also leads the squad with six RBI. In the circle JMU is paced by Meredith Felts. In 24 innings pitched, Felts has a 1.75 ERA and 27 strikeouts, which lead the team.
Scouting the Trojans
This will mark the second time the Lady Mocs and Trojans have faced off this season. Troy (7-3) was able to defeat UTC 14-2 back on Feb. 7 in the Chattanooga Challenge. The Trojans travel to USC after suffering a 3-2 setback to Auburn on Tuesday. Troy has now lost two straight games after claiming seven victories in a row.
As a team, Troy is hitting .276 with Kala Moore leading with a .385 batting average. Tasha Elmore has provided the power so far this season with two home runs and 13 RBI. Ashlyn Williams is the Trojans' go-to pitcher, having accumulated a 6-2 record with a 0.85 ERA.
Scouting the Gamecocks
South Carolina returns to Columbia, S.C., after a 5-0 record at the UCF Early Bird Tournament last weekend. The Gamecocks (7-1) have been impressive throughout the early parts of 2009, outscoring its opponents 29-10.
Jill Semento leads the team with a .389 batting average, while Audrey Broyles is the primary starting pitcher for USC. In 31.2 innings, Broyles has a 0.88 ERA and has struck out 40 batters.
Scouting the Lady Ospreys
Entering the weekend, North Florida is 4-10 after splitting a doubleheader with Albany on Wednesday. As a team, the Lady Ospreys are hitting .223 and have an ERA of 2.56.
Caroline Torre leads UNF with a .297 batting average. She also has one home run and three RBI.
The Lady Mocs will begin the weekend on Friday against James Madison. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. ET from Beckham Field in Columbia, S.C. Live stats will be available for all four of UTC's contests at GoMocs.com.
