Softball Sweeps Away Paladins 3-1

3/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | By: GoMocs.com

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Thanks to another clutch hit from Jenni Martin and a stellar outing from Brooke Loudermilk, the Chattanooga softball team defeated Furman 3-1 on Sunday. The win gives the Lady Mocs (11-11/3-0 SoCon) the series sweep over the Paladins (6-11/0-3 SoCon) and extends its season-long winning streak to six.

“You can not put a price tag on a conference sweep,” head coach Frank Reed said. “We do not want to look back later in the season and regret we were not able to sweep at home. I am really proud of our pitchers, they kept us in the ballgame all weekend long and you cannot ask for more.”

Loudermilk (1-0) captured her first victory of the season going the full seven innings and allowing one unearned run. The Furman offense was only able to muster four hits of the righty, who threw the 41st complete game of her career.

Furman's starting pitcher, Lana Mackey (3-5), was very effective as well holding the UTC offense to only five hits. One of the hits however, came off the bat of Martin, who had another two-out, two-run single to put Chattanooga on top to stay.

In the Lady Mocs' game two 2-0 victory on Saturday, Martin broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with a two-run single.

Chattanooga struck first in the contest with a RBI single by Michelle Fuzzard that scored Lyndsey Stiles. Stiles, the Southern Conference's stolen base leader, put herself in scoring position by stealing her 10th base of the season.

Mackey would settle down however as the junior allowed only hit for the next four innings. The Paladin offense would help its pitcher out in the fifth with its first run of the weekend. Furman centerfielder Meredith Mielke had a two-out single that scored Brythe Blankenship. The run was first that UTC had allowed in 21 innings and the single run the Chattanooga staff allowed the whole series. Blankenship finished the day 2-for-3 for the Paladins.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Mocs started another late rally with a leadoff walk to pinch-hitter Kristin Holloway. A Fuzzard sacrifice bunt sent Holloway to second, followed by a single up the middle by Tiffany Baker. Baker was able to advance to second on the throw by the Paladin centerfielder, which held up Holloway at third. After a Toni Hutchison strikeout, Martin come up big again with a 0-1 two-run single down the left field line to put UTC up to stay.

Loudermilk was able to close the door in the seventh with her fifth strikeout as the Lady Mocs kept its winning streak in tact.

The team will now hit the road for its first road conference series of the season as the team heads to Greensboro, N.C., for a series with UNC Greensboro on Mar. 14-15. The three-game tilt will begin of Saturday, Mar. 14 with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The Lady Mocs next home game will be on Wednesday, Mar. 18 as the team hosts Belmont at 5 p.m.

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