Courtesy: Dale Rutemeyer
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No. 2 Chattanooga vs. No. 4 Jackson St
May 21, 2011
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Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Rhoads Stadium)
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H |
E |
UTC (43-13)
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0
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0
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0
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5 |
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0
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3
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8
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10
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2
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JSU (26-21)
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0
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0
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0
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0
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1
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1
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2
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1
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga softball team won its first NCAA Tournament game since 2002 on
Saturday afternoon against Jackson State, 8-1, at the Tuscaloosa Regional. Senior
pitcher Nikki Water tossed a gem against the Tigers striking out nine in the
complete game two hitter. The Lady Mocs are currently battling Memphis in the
loser's bracket final for the right to play on Sunday against Alabama.
The offense came alive in a five-run fourth as senior third
baseman Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) recorded a two-run blast. She added
another in the seventh to increase her career total to 49 leading the Southern
Conference and Chattanooga all-time charts.
Waters continued her dominance in the circle for the Lady
Mocs and improved to 14-4 on the season.
Notching multi-hit games were Morimoto, Tydingco (Fairfield,
Calif.) and Baker. Junior shortstop Jessica Traxler and senior center fielder
Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) each registered two RBI.
The eight runs scored were the most in NCAA Tournament
history for the Lady Mocs softball program. Chattanooga improved its overall
record to 4-14 in regional action. The last victory for Chattanooga was a 6-1
win over Florida Atlantic in Tallahassee, Fla., on May 17, 2002.
Chattanooga was the first threaten with a runner in scoring
position during the second as junior catcher Vivian Morimoto (Sao Paulo,
Brazil) drew a four-pitch walk and sophomore first baseman Kasey Tydingco
(Fairfield, Calif.) singled to center with one out. Jackson State left fielder
Sims caught a hard liner down the left field line to save extra bases for
senior right fielder Della Harrison (Nashville, Tenn.).
In the fourth, junior designated player Michelle Fuzzard
(Huntington Beach, Calif.) was hit by the first pitch of her at bat and senior
third baseman Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) drove a liner over the fence in
center to provide the Lady Mocs with a 2-0 lead. It was the 48th homer of her
career, 16th this season and second in a NCAA Regional (2008 vs. Texas).
After Morimoto was pitched around for the second time in the
game, freshman Kaiti Dutton (Tulsa, Okla.), who entered the game defensively in
the third, hit a ball to second as the infielder applied the tag to the runner,
but the ball came out of the glove. A single into the gap in right center
plated Morimoto from second and put two runners in scoring position.
Registering her fifth triple of the year, Stiles crushed a
pitch that one-hopped the fence in right center and cleared the bases to extend
the Chattanooga lead to 5-0.
Starting off the seventh was Fuzzard with a double to left,
then Baker blasted a no-doubt shot over the fence in left for her second of the
game. Back-to-back singles by Morimoto and Tydingco continued the offensive
outburst. A walk issued to Dutton loaded the bases and everyone was safe as the
shortstop's throw to the plate was late, 8-0.
The Lady Mocs loaded the bases in the fifth as Baker was
hit, Morimoto singled down the right field line and Tydingco walked, but they
were unable to add to their advantage.
LeEthel Guillory and Nicole O'Grady combined in the circle
for the Tigers and struck out one. Anesha McClendon and Arianna Smith tallied the
two hits for Jackson State.
