Courtesy: Jeff Hurndon
Junior Tiffany Baker blasted two home runs putting her in sole possession of the UTC home run record. This is from the second round tripper going the other way to right center.
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Chattanooga at Georgia State
March 21, 2010 |
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Atlanta, Ga. (Bob Heck Field)
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| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
R |
H |
E |
| UTC (22-9, 6-0) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
| GSU (21-10, 1-2) |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
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WP - Heather Lowry (3-4) LP - Brooke Loudermilk (12-9)
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Chattanooga at Georgia State
March 31, 2010 |
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Atlanta, Ga. (Bob Heck Field)
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| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
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| UTC (22-8, 6-0) |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
11 |
1 |
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GSU (21-11, 1-2)
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0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
2 |
Game Notes:
- Junior Tiffany Baker broke the UTC career home run record with two against Georgia State. She passed former teammate Laci Upchurch and Melissa Ramirez at 25.
-It was the second time this season that Baker hit two home runs doing it earlier against Butler (2/13/10)
-Junior Kandice Irwin added to her season save total and she now has eight breaking the UTC record held by Amy Robertson with eight set back in 1998. She also tied the SoCon single season mark held by Maureen Flynn from UNCG in 2002.
-Irwin has tied teammate Brokke Loudermilk with 10 career saves.
-Junior Lauren Flores went 3-for-3 in the second game tying a career-high with three base hits.
-Junior Nikki Waters picked up victory number six on the season. She also hit her first career triple down the right field line. It was the second triple by the Lady Mocs this season with the first coming on March 28 at Samford.
ATLANTA, Ga. - Junior Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) swung her way to the top of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball home run list at 27 by hitting two in the 5-1 game two victory. The Lady Mocs banged out 11 hits in the second game, but only came up with four in the first game as they fell 2-0 to the Panthers.
The two home runs was the second time that Baker has done that feat this season drilling two against Butler on Feb. 19. She passed Melissa Ramirez (2002-05) and Laci Upchurch (2006-10), who each hit 25 long balls in their career.
"It's over with," said Baker about the record that she and former teammate Upchurch have been chasing. "It's finally over and now I get to set my own record. I saw the ball really well in the first game and was making good contact, but I was unable to get anything going. In the second game, I was just trying to get on base and start something because we were really struggling to get hits."
Another milestone was broken for Chattanooga as junior Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) picked up her eighth save of the season passing Amy Robertson (1998). The eight saves also ties the Southern Conference record held by Maureen Flynn from UNC Greensboro back in 2002. Irwin also has tied teammate Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) with 10 career saves.
"I am excited, but I want to just keep moving on and want our team to make progress and get better," said Irwin. "I want to see us succeed in the Southern Conference. I am not really worried about the saves or wins. I want the team to keep winning."
Chattanooga's record now stands at 23-9 after the split, while Georgia State ended tonight's action at 21-11 on the season.
The Lady Mocs return to Frost Stadium on Friday at 6 p.m. to start a series with Western Carolina. The three-game set wraps up on Saturday with a doubleheader against the Catamounts beginning at Noon. Prior to the double header with Western Carolina, fans have an opportunity to discuss Lady Mocs softball with assistant coach Brad Irwin during "Breakfast with Coach" starting at 8:30 a.m. from Wally's Restaurant off McCallie Ave.
Game One: Georgia State 2, Chattanooga 0
The UTC softball team dropped its opening contest of the day at Georgia State, 2-0. The Lady Mocs could only muster three hits on the Panthers' starter Heather Lowry in a complete game at Bob Heck Field.
Loudermilk took the loss for Chattanooga in a four hitter striking out four.
Picking up hits for Chattanooga was senior Kaiti Kelley (Chattanooga, Tenn.), junior Lauren Flores (Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga.), senior Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.) and Baker. Hurndon stretched her hitting streak to five dating back to a hit in the second game against Eastern Illinois.
In the second inning, the Panthers struck first after drawing two lead off walks and a sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position. With two outs, Tiffany Bess came through driving both runners in with a double to right center.
Junior Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) beat out a chopper to the third baseman for the first hit of the game for the Lady Mocs in the fourth. Blosser moved to third on Baker's single down the third base line. The Lady Mocs would leave a runner on third after a pop up to the catcher ended the third.
The best scoring opportunity for Chattanooga came in the fifth after a Flores single up the middle, Hurndon doubled down the left field line. Flores advanced to third and a high throw sent the runner home, but the Panthers recovered and gunned Flores out at home to conclude the inning.
Game Two: Chattanooga 5, Georgia State 1
In the second game against the Panthers, the Lady Mocs attacked as hitters compiling 11 hits and scoring five times as Baker lifted two home runs in the contest. Flores and Baker each went 3-for-3 during the nightcap for Chattanooga as it won 5-1.
Junior Nikki Waters (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) toed the rubber for Chattanooga recording her sixth win of the season striking out two and allowing four hits.
Excelling as a reliever, Irwin came on strong in a 2-1 game and kept the Panthers off balance fanning four to earn her eight save of the season and setting the UTC all-time single season saves record.
"I think there is always pressure, especially if you come in and you are winning," said Irwin. "You have the pressure of wanting to keep the lead. I feel like I work better in those situations. And even if those aren't the circumstances, I like to put that pressure on myself to be better and to do well."
Baker took sole possession of the UTC career home run record with her 26th, a blast to left to begin the second inning for Chattanooga. She tied the record on March 27 against Samford with Ramirez (2002-05) and Upchurch (2006-10) at 25.
"Usually I struggle with lefties, but this season I have been hitting pretty good against them," said Baker. "I think I have been seeing the ball better off of lefthanders. The pitch I hit was just middle-in and I pulled it."
Continuing to rally the bats, Waters went the other way tripling down the right field line. It was the first of her career and only the second of the season for the Lady Mocs. Waters later scored when Flores hit a grounder to the shortstop, who threw high to the first baseman and Flores advanced to second.
Chattanooga has been just about perfect on suicide squeeze plays this season, but the second out of the inning came when Flores was picked off third after contact was not made on the bunt attempt.
The Panthers got on the board cutting the deficit to 2-1 on an error by the shortstop with two down and a runner on third. Cunningham scored as pinch hitter Paige Nowacki put the bat on the ball.
Baker once again started the offense for Chattanooga in the fourth with a leadoff double to left. She advanced on a single by Flores and scored on a sophomore Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills, Calif.) single through the left side putting Chattanooga up 3-1.
With two outs and a Blosser on second via a single in the fifth, Baker deposited her 27th career home run to right center as the Lady Mocs took a 5-1 advantage. It was the ninth round tripper for Baker this season.
"My second homerun came off of a really good at bat," said Baker. "I was proud of that at bat because I was taking pitches where they needed to go. Before I got up there, I had planned on trying to go to opposite field no matter what pitch she threw me. I have been pulling the ball too much and I needed to change it up."
