Courtesy: Jeff Hurndon
Junior Nikki Waters drove a double into the right center field gap in game two scoring two runs.
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Chattanooga vs. Furman
March 13, 2010 |
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Chattanoooga, Tenn. (Frost Stadium)
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| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
| FUR (2-4) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
0 |
| UTC (13-7) |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
X |
9 |
9 |
1 |
WP -Brooke Loudermilk (9-5) LP - Lana Mackey (1-2)
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Chattanooga vs. Furman
March 13, 2010 |
|
|
Chattanooga, Tenn. (Frost Stadium)
|
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
| FUR (2-5) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
5 |
8 |
2 |
| UTC (14-7) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
x |
7 |
9 |
1 |
Game Notes:
- Sophomore Jessica Traxler blasted her second career home run in the first inning of game one. She hit her first home run against Western Carolina (4/4/09).
- Senior Brittany Eason drove in a runner with a double to right center. It was her second hit of the season, who missed two weeks with an injury. She hit the first home run for Chattanooga this season against Florida Atlantic.
- Senior Brooke Loudermilk struckout four batters in game one raising her career strikeout total to 754 inching closer to leader Beth Alexander at 785.
- Junior Nikki Waters registered her first career hit, a two-RBI single with the bases loaded in game one.
- In game two, Waters hit two pitches over the fence adding ot her own cause as a pitcher. The long balls were her third and fourth career hits.
- She also set a team season high with five RBI in the contest and had seven on the day.
- Junior Kandice Irwin notched her fourth save of the season and in game two took a victory, the first this year.
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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Opening the Southern Conference schedule, junior Nikki Waters (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) registered seven RBI in the two games leading the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team to a sweep over Furman 9-3 and 7-5. Waters went 4-for-5 with two home runs and a double in an afternoon where it drizzled throughout both games and pushed the start time back two hours.
"I wanted to be there for my team to help them score because the game was close," said Waters on hitting her first home run to put Chattanooga up 2-1 in game two. "I was just thinking, 'See the ball, hit the ball.' to be honest. Hitting [as a pitcher] just makes me work harder, so when I do get chances I can do something positive for the team."
Senior Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) and junior Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) picked up victories in the circle as Chattanooga improved to 14-7 on the season and 2-0 in the SoCon. In the first game, Irwin recorded her fourth save of the season.
Also doing well at the plate was senior Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.), who recorded four hits and drove in a run, while sophomore Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills,Calif.) went 3-for-6 with a double, home run and scored four times.
The three-game series with the Paladins wraps up with a 2 p.m. contest on Sunday. The Lady Mocs continue a six-game home stand on Tuesday when they host Tennessee Tech at 5 p.m.
Game One: Chattanooga 9, Furman 3
The UTC softball team used a four-run first inning and never looked back in a 9-3 victory over Furman in game one at Frost Stadium. Traxler registered the second home run of her career, a two-run shot capping the scoring in the first.
With the first SoCon victory, Chattanooga improved to 13-7, while Furman fell to 2-4 on the season.
Loudermilk started for the Lady Mocs and went 5.1 innings striking out four and surrendering two earned runs. Closer Irwin came on with the tying run on deck and received her fourth save of the season striking out three.
To open the game for the Lady Mocs, Stiles singled to the second baseman after the ball went off the pitcher's glove. After stealing her ninth base of the season, Stiles advanced to third on a fly out by senior Kaiti Kelley (Chattanooga, Tenn.).
A passed ball brought Stiles in to score the first run of the game. The Lady Mocs took a 2-0 lead when senior Brittany Eason (Chattanooga, Tenn.) doubled into the right field gap plating junior Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.). Traxler hit her second career home run that landed just over the left field fence putting Chattanooga up 4-0.
After a quite third inning for Chattanooga, senior Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) drilled a ball high off the left field fence with the wind blowing in for a double. A Baker line drive into the right center field gap scored the fifth Lady Mocs run.
Sophomore Jenni Martin (East Ridge, Tenn.) was hit by a Hannah Bradley pitch and junior Della Harrison (Nashville, Tenn.) pinch ran scoring on a freshman Kasey Tydinco (Fairfield, Calif.) single through the right side increasing the lead to 6-0 for UTC.
The Paladins scored their first run in the sixth with a single that was knocked down by third baseman Baker on a ball that would have gone down the left field line. A fielding error by the shortstop led to two more Furman runs, but the Lady Mocs still had a 6-3 advantage.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning, Stiles slapped a ball up the middle to score Traxler from third. Waters drove the first pitch she saw into centerfield scoring two runs bringing the Lady Mocs lead to 9-3.
Three pitchers, Lana Mackey, Hannah Bradley and Stephanie Mihaly, saw the circle for Furman with Mackey striking out four batters. Morgan Huey had an RBI single and went 2-for-3, while Mackey plated a runner on an error, all in the sixth.
Game Two: Chattanooga 7, Furman 5
Chattanooga used a three-run rally in the sixth after giving up the lead in the top half of the inning to register a 7-5 victory. Waters started the game in the circle, but her bat was the most impressive driving in five runs with two home runs and double.
After giving up one run in the second, Waters pitched well striking out six in 5.1 innings, but the Paladins used three singles in the sixth to chase the junior. Irwin came on to pitch and recorded her first victory of the season.
Furman's Stephanie Field led off the second game with a triple to right center and eventually scored the on a routine groundout to the shortstop.
Following a couple of scoreless innings, Waters helped her own cause with an opposite field two-run homer to right center putting the Lady Mocs up 2-1 in the fourth. Traxler singled through the left side prior to Water's first home run on her second career hit.
After Waters retired the side in the fifth, Baker singled to right and Traxler followed with a double to right. With two runners on, Waters plated both runners with a double to right center extending the Chattanooga lead to 4-1.
The Paladins responded with a four-run inning in the sixth, three singles loaded the bases and Loudermilk relieved Waters. The Locust Grove, Ga., native was unable to stop the bleeding as Furman was ready for the pitching change and a throwing error and single tied the game at four. Irwin came in after two batters and retired the side with a strikeout and ground out.
To lead off the six for Chattanooga, Kelley beat out an infield single to short, then the pitcher threw a sacrifice bunt over the second baseman's head into right center field scoring Kelley and Blosser advanced to third knotting the score at five. After a wild pitch put Chattanooga ontop, Waters nailed a pitch over the bleachers in left field for her second home run of the game to put the Lady Mocs on top for good, 7-5.
The seventh ended as early as it started with Irwin retiring the side to pick up her first win of the season.
Furman's Katie Michael went 3-for-3 in the contest, while Lana Mackey drove in a run and struckout five in a relief effort.
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