Courtesy: Jeff Hurndon
Junior Lauren Flores had a game winning two RBI single in the fourth inning against Butler.
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Chattanooga vs. Butler
Feb. 20, 2010 |
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Clarksville, Tenn. (Rossview HS)
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| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
| BU (1-2) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| UTC (5-2) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
X |
2 |
2 |
0 |
WP-Brooke Loudermilk (3-1) LP-Jenny Esparza (0-1)
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Chattanooga vs. Austin Peay
Feb. 20, 2010 |
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Clarksville, Tenn. (Rossview HS)
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| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
R |
H |
E |
| APSU (1-2) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
| UTC (6-2) |
5 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
X |
9 |
13 |
1 |
Game Notes:
-The 13 hits are the most for Chattanooga since they reached the same number against Georgia Southern (4/25/09) last season.
- Brooke Loudermilk's 10 stikeouts is a season-high. She holds the record with 16 strikeouts in a game.
-Tiffany Baker hit her 23rd career home run putting her in a tie for fourth with Tara Tembey (2005-08) on the UTC charts.
-Tia Blosser recorded her second home run of the season against Austin Peay. It was the third of her career.
-Nikki Waters recorded six strikeouts a season-high against the Lady Govs.
-Freshman Kasey Tydingco posted her first collegiate base hit in the fourth inning against Austin Peay.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - After a day where the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team blasted five home runs, the squad found different ways to score for most of the day Saturday recording a 2-0 win over Butler and 9-0 victory against Austin Peay. The Lady Mocs only recorded one extra-base hit, a double by senior Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.), until their last at bat in the second game when junior Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) and Blosser hit home runs to left.
"It was good that Brooke [Loudermilk] kept us in the game giving us an opportunity to win," said head coach Frank Reed, who is two victories away from 800 in his career. "Lauren Flores had a great hit with runners in scoring position. It came at a great time for us and showed a lot of team pride and unity. I think that it carried over into the second game because they realized that we cannot let other teams hang around for three, four or five innings. We scored early and often. We had some help from people off the bench getting some key hits to push the runs up to nine. Getting finished in five innings is always a good feeling."
Senior pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) pitched another gem for the team when the squad needed it most recording 10 strikeouts, while only allowing one hit in the win against the Bulldogs. Against Austin Peay, junior Nikki Waters (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) pitched a two hitter with both hits coming with two outs in the fifth inning.
Chattanooga concludes the three-day tournament on Sunday when they face Northern Iowa at Noon. The matchup with the Panthers will be for the Play It Again Sports Austin Peay Classic title as both teams come in undefeated for the weekend.
Game One: Chattanooga 2, Butler 0
The UTC softball team used another 10-strikeout performance from Loudermilk to defeat Butler, 2-0, in Clarkesville, Tenn. at the Play It Again Sports Austin Peay Classic. Timely hitting by junior outfielder Lauren Flores (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) proved to be the difference in the game as both teams left a combined eight runners on base.
A pitching duel between Loudermilk and Bulter's Jenny Esparza was the story of the game as the two hurlers combined for 17 strikeouts and only yielded three hits. Loudermilk retired the final 18 Bulldogs in order and only gave up one hit.
After Loudermilk gave up a walk and fanned two batters to start the contest, senior Kaity Kelly (Chattanooga, Tenn.) was the first base runner for Chattanooga hitting a bunt single to the pitcher, where no one was covering first base. Falkenberry erased the threat after striking out the next two batters in order.
The Bulldogs had an opportunity in the second inning, when a hit batter and a bunt single put two runners on base with no outs, but Loudermilk was up to the task recording a fly out and two strikeouts.
Chattanooga had a similar situation in the bottom half, when Esparza hit the first two Lady Mocs, but a failed sacrifice bunt that would have moved the runners up a base and a strikeout quickly put an end to the inning.
After each side was retired in the third, the Lady Mocs scored the first runs of the game on a two RBI single by Flores into left center field. The two runners that came in were freshman Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.), who pinch ran after junior Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) walked, and senior Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.), who reached on a throwing error by the third baseman that placed two runners in scoring position.
There were plenty of opportunities for the Lady Mocs as they had at least one runner on base in each inning against the Bulldogs, but only could push two runs across the plate.
Game Two: Chattanooga 9, Austin Peay 0 (5 innings)
Playing in the twilight, Chattanooga banged out 13 hits to score nine runs in a shutout victory against Austin Peay. Baker went 3-for-3 picking up two singles and a home run, while driving in two runs.
In the circle, Waters gave up only two hits with both coming with two outs in the final inning, while she fanned six hitters.
Seven different Lady Mocs notched a base hit, while Blosser and Baker each drove in two. Senior Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) had two hits along with Blosser.
After the Lady Govs stranded one on base in the top of the first, junior Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) led off with a single thru the hole on the left side of the infield and freshman Sara Poteat (Thomaston, Ga.) legged out a base hit to the pitcher. Another single to the pitcher from junior Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) scored Stiles from third.
Following all the infield base hits, Baker hit a laser line drive off the fence in center scoring Poteat. Two more runs came off RBI singles by Upchurch and Flores. Chattanooga took a 5-0 lead with six hits, but had the opportunity to push even more runs across leaving the bases loaded.
Defensively, shortstop Poteat made a diving stop on a ball hit up the middle in the second and threw a bullet over to Fuzzard at first for the out, which was one of the many plays that the Lady Mocs made on the day.
Once again, Baker started a rally in the second inning with a single to left, while Upchurch followed with a single to right, all with one out. Blosser drove in one with a RBI double into the left center gap. The Lady Mocs would end the inning leaving two runners on base in scoring position.
With the bases empty in the fourth, Baker drilled a 2-2 pitch that landed on the tennis courts beyond the left field fence. The solo shot was the 23rd of her career moving into a tie for fourth with Tara Temby (2005-08), which was fifth on the season.
Just two batters later, Blosser joined in by hitting a home run to left center, which was her second of the season. Tydingco picked up her first career hit on a line drive over the third baseman, while sophomore Jenni Martin (East Ridge, Tenn.) also notched a hit for the first time this season.
The Lady Govs put a scare into Chattanooga with a two-out rally in the top of the fifth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, but Waters was up to the task striking out the final batter.
Chattanooga plays its home opener Feb. 26 in the Frost Classic against Rutgers and Kansas starting a 3 p.m. from Frost Stadium. The Lady Mocs welcome 15 teams into the Scenic City for the annual three-day event and continue action against Kentucky and Georgetown on Saturday. The tournament concludes for Chattanooga on Sunday with a matchup against Miami (Ohio).
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Lady Mocs. The Lady Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ChattanoogaMocs, or on Twitter, www.twitter.com/GoMocs.
