Courtesy: GoMocs
Senior Michelle Fuzzard went 4-for-4 with four RBI in game one including a three-run homer at Samford.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Chattanooga Lady Mocs softball team
flexed its offensive muscles at Samford with 26 hits in two five-inning wins,
9-0 and 14-0, on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Field. The pitching was just as impressive
as senior Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and freshman Taylor Deason (Clarksville, Tenn.) held the Bulldogs without a run in the
doubleheader, allowing just 10 hits.
Chattanooga, with the sweep, improved to 30-14 overall and
13-2 in the Southern Conference, while Samford would drop to 11-33 and 4-13 in
the league.
Powering the offense in game one was Fuzzard, who went
4-for-4 with a three-run home run and four RBI. Freshman third baseman Sarah Beth Roberts (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) was perfect with two hits, a walk and three
RBI.
After scoring two runners in game one, junior first baseman
Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.) connected on a three-run homer in the first
frame of the second contest. Driving in an additional three runs was senior shortstop
Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills, Calif.), which included a two-run round tripper. Senior
catcher Vivian Morimoto (Sao Paulo, Brazil) stroked her team-leading 12th home
run of the season.
Going a perfect 3-for-3 was junior shortstop Ninjja Suetsugu
(Sao Paulo, Brazil) and sophomore outfielder Layne Rainey (Clarksville, Tenn.)
At the top of the order, freshman outfielder Cheyenne Willis
(Manchester, Tenn.) and sophomore outfielder Stephanie Rieck (Chandler, Ariz.)
combined for five hits, seven runs scored and two RBI in the twinbill.
Deason earned the start in game one and fanned five in 4.1
innings before Fuzzard closed the door against the Bulldogs with back-to-back
strikeouts with the bases loaded. Fuzzard registered her eighth-career shutout in game two
and second this season as she allowed just three hits and fanned two batters.
Samford was led by Misha Aldridge and Shelby Scott as each
tallied multi-hit games during the two contests. Nicole Bobrowski fell to 1-5
on the season in game one as she recorded one strikeout, while Robyn Harmon went to 3-7
following the game two defeat.
The final of the series between Chattanooga and Samford is
set for Sunday at 1 p.m. Fans can follow all the action with live stats and
free audio through links on the softball schedule page. The Voice of Lady Mocs softball, Tyler Brown, provides the play-by-play call, while Nate Blythe adds insight duing the audio broadcast.
GAME ONE: CHATTANOOGA 9, SAMFORD 0
Willis led off the game with a double to left before Rieck
singled up the middle. Driving both runs home was Fuzzard as she connected on her
ninth homer of the season, 3-0. Singles would be notched by Morimoto and
Traxler before the side was retired.
In the bottom-half, Samford notched two hits before Deason
settled down with a groundout and strikeout.
The second started off with Willis reaching on an error and
Rieck singling up the middle. A single by Fuzzard down the left field line
loaded the bases. A one-out walk drawn by Tydingco extended the lead to 4-0.
Roberts doubled to the right center gap to plate two runners, 6-0.
For the third time in the game, Willis began the frame by
reaching base via an error this time. Knocking her home was Fuzzard with a
double down the left field line. A gapper hit by Tydingco through the left side
reached the fence to score the runner. Back-to-back singles by Traxler and
Roberts increased the Chattanooga lead to 9-0.
Samford would load the bases in the third with two singles from
Julianne Surane and Alex Adams and a hit by pitch with one out. Deason was able to get
the next batter swinging before a grounder ended the threat.
After the Lady Mocs went quietly in the fifth, a walk and
hit by pitch put two runners on with one out and Abby Adams singled through the
right side chasing Deason. Fuzzard entered the circle and notched two
strikeouts to end the game, securing the run-rule win for the Lady Mocs.
GAME TWO: CHATTANOOGA 14, SAMFORD 0
After Rieck was walked with one out in the first, Morimoto was plunked by a pitch.
Tydingco ensures the Lady Mocs would once again have an early three-run cushion
with a blast to right. It was the ninth homer of the season for the Fairfield,
Calif., native.
In the second, Suetsugu began the frame with a double to
right center, and Rainey singled down the left field line. A double to right
center by Willis drove in both runners, but she would be out on the play at
third, 5-0.
For the second time in three games, Morimoto led off the third
inning with a home run, her 12th of the season, that wrapped around the left
field foul pole. Following a walk to Tydingco, Traxler hit a homer to
straight-away center field. The Chino Hills, Calif., native trotted around the
bases for the eighth time this season.
Suetsugu continued the inning with a single to left and took
second on a wild pitch. She moved to third on a single up the middle by Rainey
before scoring on a passed ball, 9-0.
In the bottom-half, Samford tallied singles by Scott and
Seay before Fuzzard induced two pop outs to end the frame. The first out of the
inning was a diving catch by sophomore catcher Natalie Powers (Glenpool, Okla.)
in foul territory.
Starting off the fourth, Rieck singled down the left field
line and Fuzzard walked. A single to left center by Tydingco loaded the bases.
The next three batters, Traxler, Roberts and Suetsugu, were able to reach base
and drive in runs. Rainey stepped up to the plate and laced a double to right
center as two more runners scored, extending the lead to 14-0.
Recieving her first collegiate at bat was freshman Haylee Blalock (Chattanooga, Tenn.) in a pinch hitting role, but she would be robbed of a hit by the second baseman on a liner.
The Lady Mocs would complete the victory in the fifth as
Fuzzard recorded her second strikeout.
