Courtesy: GoMocs.com

Freshman catcher Natalie Powers talking with head coach Frank Reed after reaching third following her first career triple. She went on to hit for the cycle (3B, HR, 2B, 1B) in four-straight at bats carrying over from game one of the series.

Samford at Chattanooga March 13, 2011

Chattanooga, Tenn. (Frost Stadium)
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
SAM (3-18, 0-3)	0	1	0	0	2	0	1	4	12	1
UTC (16-5, 3-0)	0	7	2	0	0	1	X	10	11	1

W: Kandice Irwin (6-1)  L: Robyn Harmon (0-8)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team defeated Southern Rail Rival Samford, 10-4, on Sunday afternoon under partly cloudy skies at Frost Stadium to open Southern Conference play with a sweep. Senior center fielder Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) led the team with three hits at the plate and stole her conference leading 16th base of the year.

The victory improves the Lady Mocs record to 16-5 on the year and 3-0 in conference play. The Bulldogs dropped to 3-18 and 0-3 in the Southern Conference.

Senior third baseman Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.), sophomores second baseman Sara Poteat (Thomaston, Ga.) and first baseman Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.) and Stiles all batted in two runners apiece. Junior shortstop Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills, Calif.) and freshman Natalie Powers (Glenpool, Okla.) both record multiple hits in the game.

In the circle, sophomore Michelle Fuzzad (Huntington Beach, Calif.) got the start. She went two innings, giving up one run, four hits and striking out one. Senior Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) came on in relief and went the final five innings to pick up the victory.

Irwin gave up three runs, with only one earned, as the Bulldogs scattered eight hits, while striking out seven. The victory improves her record to 6-1 on the season.

Samford got on the scoreboard first with a home run by Amanda Jordan, her second of the series, in the second to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.

To leadoff the bottom of the second, senior right fielder Della Harrison (Nashville, Tenn.) got her first career triple on a ball the right fielder lost in the sun. Traxler followed with a double to right center field to tie the game at 1-1.

Powers copied Traxler with a double to right center to give the Lady Mocs a 2-1 advantage. After a walk to freshman outfielder Kaiti Dutton (Tulsa, Okla.), Stiles beat out a groundball to the pitcher to load the bases.

Poteat then singled through the left side to plate two and give Chattanooga a 4-1 lead. After a Fuzzard fly out, Baker doubled to shallow left center bringing Stiles and Poteat home to increase the lead to five, 6-1.

Tydingco singled to right field and advanced to second on a fielding error by the right fielder. The error allowed Baker to score giving the Lady Mocs a 7-1 advantage after two innings.

In the third, Traxler and Powers led off with back-to-back singles and advanced into scoring position after Dutton nearly beat out a ground ball to the shortstop. Stiles followed with a single thru the middle to plate both runners and give Chattanooga an eight-run lead, 9-1.

The Bulldogs began the fifth with a single from Robyn Harmon and Nicole Bobrowski followed it up with double and advanced to third on the throw home. Harmon scored on the play on a muffed catch by Powers.

Briana Chambers grounded out to Poteat allowing Samford to put another run on the scoreboard and cut the Lady Mocs lead to 9-3.

In the sixth, the Bulldogs threatened to cut into Chattanooga's lead with back-to-back infield singles by Whitney Terry and Emily Waters and then advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Julianne Surane grounded back to Irwin, who went home with the ball and Powers was able to hang on to tag Terry out.

During the bottom of the frame, Stiles lead off by beating a ground ball to the shortstop for an infield single and then stole second. Back-to-back walks to Poteat and Fuzzard loaded the bases.

Baker then reached base on a fielder's choice when Samford's shortstop went home to get Stiles. Tydingco grounded out to the first baseman allowing Poteat to score and give the Lady Mocs a 10-3 advantage.

The Bulldogs lead off the top of the seventh with a double from Harmon who advanced to third on a ground ball to Traxler. She scored when Jordan beat out a single on a ball hit a few feet in front of the plate to cut the lead to 10-4.

On the rubber for Samford, Harmon started and lasted only 1.1 inning before being pulled. She allowed six runs on fives hits and two walks. Waters threw the last 4.2 innings surrendering six hits, four runs, while walking two and striking out one.

In the batter's box, Harmon led the team with three hits and Bobrowski, Jordan and Terry all had two hits apiece.

Next weekend, the team will be in Clearwater, Fla. for the USF The Game Tournament March 18-20. Live stats and audio will be available through GoMocs.com. Chattanooga returns home March 26 to face Appalachian State in a weekend series with game one of a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.