CLERMONT, Fla. - Sophomore outfielder Layne Rainey (Clarksville, Tenn.) led off the fifth with a triple to right center, igniting the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team to a five-run inning in a 7-1 victory against Florida Atlantic (0-5) at Dot Richardson's National Collegiate Invitational. The inning enabled freshman pitcher Taylor Deason (Clarksville, Tenn.) to relax and go the distance in the three-hit complete game, where she struck out five as Chattanooga finished the weekend 3-2.

"FAU is a good softball team and we knew that coming in," said head coach Frank Reed. "To put up seven runs is huge. The student-athletes played well. We played four really good quality softball games and three of the we won. We have a learned a lot this weekend."

The Lady Mocs were led on the offensive side with senior shortstop Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills, Calif.), who tallied three hits and two RBI. Juniors shortstop Sara Poteat (Thomaston, Ga.) and first baseman Kasey Tydingco (Fiarfield, Calif.) each registered two hits and one RBI during the contest.

To open the game, Chattanooga used a two-out rally to load the bases on three-straight walks, but were unable to push the first run across the plate.

The bottom-half of the frame saw the Owls walk twice before Deason settled down to retire the side.

"Taylor came through big time today," said Reed. "She is getting tougher and tougher, learning what she can do out there for us."

Both teams would be retired in order until the third, when Sarah Howell started off with a Lady Mocs mistake. A groundout moved Howell over to second with two outs. A clutch two-out single up the middle by Stephanie Call scored the first run of the contest for FAU.

Morimoro led off the fourth with a single through the right side, but sophomore pinch runner Stephanie Rieck (Chandler, Ariz.) was eliminated from the base paths on a pickoff. An infield single by Tydingco put a runner at first and a two-out single to left off the bat of Traxler put two runners on base before the Owls retired the side.

In the fourth, FAU had a runner on first following a walk issued to Kimberly Diaz. Whitley Herb hit a sharp grounder to junior third baseman Ninjja Suetsugu (Sao Paulo, Brazil), who threw the ball to second baseman Poteat for the first out, then as the ball went back to Deason, the runner at first took off, and the Lady Mocs registered a double play as Deason tossed it back to Poteat in time to tag out the runner.

Chattanooga opened the fifth as Rainey tripled to right center and Poteat took first on a throwing error by the pitcher, allowing sophomore outfielder Kaiti Dutton (Tulsa, Okla.) to load the bases on a safety squeeze to the pitcher, who attempted to get Rainey at third.

With the bases loaded, Fuzzard knocked in two on a grounder to the second baseman, who was unable to come up with the ball cleanly and Poteat alertly scored from second, 2-1.  A walk drawn by Morimoto loaded the bases again, but the Lady Mocs used two outs without putting a run across. Traxler stepped up and went with the pitch as the ball landed down the right field line and two more runs scored. The fifth run of the frame was plated when Suetsugu reached on an error.

Deason continued to roll in the circle, retiring the side in order during the fifth.

The top of the lineup started the sixth and Poteat singled to left before Dutton used a sacrifice bunt to move her up a base. Fuzzard was plunked by a pitch and Tydingco singled tough the left side extending the Chattanooga lead to 6-1.

Traxler's third hit of the game, a single up the middle, led off the seventh inning. Two quick outs brought Poteat to the plate, who drove in a run with a single to center, 7-1.

The Owls began their last at bat with a single by Diaz to left center. A double play, the second of the game, turned by Poteat eliminated the base runner. Deason ended the game with her fifth strikeout of the contest.

FAU was led offensively by Call with two hits and an RBI. Taylor Fawbush took the loss in the circle tossing seven innings and striking out six.

Chattanooga begins the Georgia State Panther Invitational on Saturday with a doubleheader against IUPUI and Georgia State starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Illinois is set to face the Lady Mocs the next day before bracket play determines the final game. Fans can follow the action with live stats and a free audio broadcast with Tyler Brown, the Voice of the Lady Mocs, providing the call on the softball schedule page of GoMocs.com..