Courtesy: Jeff Hurndon
Senior Brooke Loudermilk pitched her final innings on Thursday in what proved to be a memorable career.
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Chattanooga vs. UNC Greensboro
May 13, 2010 |
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Chattanooga, Tenn. (Frost Stadium)
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| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
| UNCG (25-28) |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
8 |
0 |
| UTC (39-15) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
WP: Amber Harrell (14-14) LP: Brooke Loudermilk (17-12)
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Chattanooga vs. Georgia Southern
May 13, 2010 |
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|
Chattanooga, Tenn. (Frost Stadium)
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| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
| UTC (39-17) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
|
UTC (29-26)
|
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
X |
3 |
3 |
0 |
WP: Megan Smith (8-13) LP: Kandice Irwin (11-2)
S: Brianna Streetmon (5)
Game Notes:
- Junior Tiffany Baker tied Angela Brewer with 14 home runs in a single season. Baker holds the career mark with 32, set earlier this season.
- Senior Brooke Loudermilk has fanned 872 batters in her career.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team had many wonderful moments in the 2010 season on its way to capturing the Southern Conference Regular Season Title. The SoCon Tournament quickly became a disappointment as the Lady Mocs were only able to score one run as they were eliminated on the opening day by UNC Greensboro, 4-1, and Georgia Southern, 3-0.
The lone run came off the bat of junior Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.), which ended up tying the single-season UTC home run mark at 14 with Angela Brewer (2001). It broke up a no-hit bid by Amber Harrell with two outs in the seventh innings.
After dropping the second contest of the day to end the season, the Lady Mocs said good bye to five seniors Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.), Brittany Eason (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.), Kaiti Kelley (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Brooke Loudermilk.
"I am definitely going to look back on my career and I am going to smile," said Loudermilk looking back on her time at UTC. "It is something that I don't think that anybody can take away from me. Every year, it has gotten and this is the best group of girls that I have played with for this program. It is easy to say that is the end of something good, but it is the beginning of something else."
Chattanooga finished the season with a 39-17 record and captured its 12th regular season title.
Game One: UNC Greensboro 4, Chattanooga 1
Baker blasted her 14th home run of the season to break up a no-hitter by No. 4 UNC Greensboro's Amber Harrell with two outs in the seventh as the No. 1 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team fell 4-1 in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament at Frost Stadium. Baker's blast into the left field bleachers tied the UTC single-season home run record with Angela Brewer at 14, while she holds the career mark with 32.
"It was definitely a do or die situation," said Baker. "I was just trying to keep it going. It was just an at bat to me. We needed more runs in that situation."
Harrell was masterful in the circle all afternoon as she kept Chattanooga off balance, while striking out five. She was helped by a stout Eagles defensive that made a couple of plays that affected the outcome of the game. Shortstop Kaitlin Merkt caught a liner up the middle and third baseman Emily Akiyama made a fantastic play on a hard hit grounder, both plays were with less than one out.
In the circle for the Lady Mocs, Loudermilk began the contest going two innings and striking out one, but she got into trouble in the third with a leadoff walk and single.
Then with no outs, Waters came into pitch with runners on first and second and Merkt reached on a fielder's choice to third base as Brittany Ausley slide under the tag in what proved to be a very close call keeping the inning alive.
With the bases loaded and one down, Eileen Horsman connected on her first career grand slam into the bleachers in left field. It was the second time this year that Horsman hit a home run against Chattanooga.
Chattanooga tried to get a run back in the bottom half as Kelley was the first Lady Mocs to reach base on a hit by pitch and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills, Calif.). With two outs, Kelley took third on a wild pitch, but would be stranded on a strikeout, the third of the game by Harrell.
After a rough start by Waters in the third, the Soddy Daisy, Tenn., native found her rhythm and was able to complete the game holding down the Spartan offense. Water threw five innings and struck out three.
Game Two: Georgia Southern 3, Chattanooga 0
The UTC softball team had their opportunities in the second game, but wound up leaving eight runners on base as Georgia Southern picked up a 3-0 victory in the first elimination game of the SoCon Tournament at Frost Stadium. The Lady Mocs had multiple runners on base three times, but came up blank in those situations.
Junior Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) started the game in the circle for Chattanooga and went three innings giving up three runs. Entering in the fourth, Loudermilk completed the contest throwing three scoreless innings and keeping the Lady Mocs within striking distance, while striking out six.
The Eagles started the scoring in the bottom of the second with a great piece of hitting by Jenny Side, who went with the pitch on the outside corner and drove it over the fence in right.
To start the third, junior Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) singled to second up the middle and Kelley reached on a fielder's choice as Stiles beat out the first baseman's throw. To load the bases, Blosser laid down a textbook bunt single down the third base line with the infield back.
Followed by a strikeout, the inning was ended as the pitcher Megan Smith dove and caught a soft liner on a bunt attempt and doubled off the runner at third. This became the turning point of the game as Chattanooga could have taken the lead and gained some much needed momentum.
During Georgia Southern's at bat, Marie Fogle advanced to first on an error by the shortstop with two out and Megan Smith made the Lady Mocs pay with her 18th home run of the season putting the Eagles up 3-0.
After a single up the middle by junior Lauren Flores (Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga.), Hurndon took first on a fielder's choice to short. Then, Traxler doubled to right center, but Georgia Southern was able to gun Hurndon as the catcher MacKenzie Williams blocked the outside of the plate.
Leading off the fifth, Stiles drew a walk and swiped her 24th base of the season. Followed by another walk to Blosser, pitcher Brianna Streetmon entered to face Baker with runners on first and second with one out, Streetmon was up to the task striking out the next two in order as Chattanooga left its eighth runner on base.
Capturing the fifth save of the season, Streetmon was dominant in the circle fanning four batters in 2.2 innings of work and threw out of a tough jam.
The Eagles offense was efficient on the day scoring three runs on three hits and only leaving one runner on base. Georgia Southern now is scheduled to play the loser of the Elon and UNC Greensboro contest tonight at 11 a.m. on Friday.
