GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Chattanooga Lady Mocs softball team
registered at least 10 hits in each game en route to 7-1 and 6-2 wins on Sunday
afternoon at the UNCG Softball Complex. Senior catcher Vivian Morimoto (Sao
Paulo, Brazil) connected on a grand slam and drove in five runs in game two,
while junior first baseman Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.) plated five runs
in the first game.
Chattanooga completed the regular season at 37-14 overall
and 20-2 in the Southern Conference to earn a second place finish. The Lady Mocs will
face No. 7 Elon to begin the SoCon Tournament on Wednesday at noon.
Sophomore outfielder Stephanie Rieck (Chandler, Ariz.) paced
the Lady Mocs with five hits in the two contests, while senior pitcher Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.), senior shortstop Jessica Traxler (Chino
Hills, Calif.), sophomore outfielder Stephanie Rieck (Chandler, Ariz.),
freshman Cheyenne Willis (Manchester, Tenn.), Morimoto and Tydingco each
tallied multi-hit games.
Producing seven runs was Tydingco as Morimoto and Tydingco
each notched multiple RBI contests.
Tossing the complete game in the first contest was Fuzzard,
who tied a season-best with six strikeouts to improve to 15-7 on the season.
Freshman pitcher Taylor Deason (Clarksville, Tenn.) tied the
Lady Mocs freshman record with 22 wins along with Brooke Loudermilk (2007) and Talya
Truddell (1998). The Clarksville, Tenn., native went the distance, yielding
just five hits and striking out four.
Chattanooga additionally set a new single-season doubles
record with 101 surpassing the 98 hit in 1998. The Lady Mocs have already tied
the 58 homers that were blasted last season in just 51 games.
UNCG (21-32, 10-12 SoCon) was led by Katelyn Bedwell and
Aubrey Baldwin, who had two hits in games one and two, respectively. Heather
Robb blasted her ninth homer of the season in game two.
Taking that losses were Erica Navarette (6-13) and Cory
Mattson (13-16). Navertte struck out three batters, while Mattson registered
two strikeouts.
GAME ONE: CHATTANOOGA 7, UNCG 1
With one out in the first, Rieck singled infront of the left
fielder down the line and Fuzzard walked, but UNCG would turn a double play to
end the frame.
The Lady Mocs would threaten in the second as Traxler drew a
one-out walk. A Roberts double to right center put two runners in scoring
position before a walk to sophomore outfielder Layne Rainey (Clarksville, Tenn.) loaded the bases.
With two outs, Willis sent a ball towards the second baseman
that hit the runner Sara Poteat (Thomaston, Ga.) and interference was ruled to end the frame.
In the third, Rieck singled through the right side just
before the rain came on Saturday that forced the game to be postponed till
Sunday. The Lady Mocs resumed play with back-to-back doubles from Morimoto and
Tydingco to take a 2-0 lead.
During the bottom of the fourth, Chattanooga registered its 22nd double play of the season as second baseman Poteat fielded the
grounder, which was turned by shortstop Traxler and tossed the first baseman
Tydingco. Bedwell for the Spartans tallied a single to left before Fuzzard
retired the side.
Extending the Lady Mocs lead in the fifth was Fuzzard with a
one-out solo shot to right center. It was the 14th homer of the season for the
Huntington Beach, Calif., native, tying the career-best she achieved in 2011.
UNCG began the fifth with a Madruga single to center. She
was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, but Fuzzard would tally a strikeout to
conclude the frame.
To leadoff the sixth, Traxler drilled a pitch to centerfield
clearing the fence by 10 feet for her 10th round tripper of the season. She
became the fourth Lady Moc to reach double digits in homers.
Another big strikeout for Fuzzard came to end the sixth as
UNCG had a runner on third following a double by Horsman down the left field
line.
The Lady Mocs started a one-out rally in the seventh a Rieck
singled up the middle before Fuzzard registered a base knock to right and took
second on the throw. Tydingco extended the Chattanooga lead to 7-0 with a
three-run homer to left center.
In the seventh, UNCG was able to score one, taking the
shutout away from Fuzzard. A walk to Robb and single by Toni MacReynolds put two
runners on. Tatiana Alcala used a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into
scoring position. Robb scored on a fielder's choice to third base by Aisha Figueroa.
GAME TWO: CHATTANOOGA 6, UNCG 3
The Lady Mocs recorded back-to-back singles to begin the first
by Willis and Rieck. A walk to Morimoto loaded the bases, but UNCG was able to
get out of the jam on a double play.
During the bottom-half, the Spartans threatened with a
single and walk, but Deason notched a strikeout to end the frame.
Another opportunity presented itself for Chattanooga in the
third as Poteat started with a bunt single and moved to second on a groundout.
A second double play would be converted for UNCG with a strikeout and caught
stealing.
The first team to break through were the Spartans in the
third as Baldwin began a two-out rally with a single to center. Alex Emeterio
drove the runner home with a double down the left field line as the outfielder
Rainey just missed a diving catch.
In the fourth, Fuzzard walked and later moved to third on a
double down the right field line by Tydingco. Traxler knotted the contest at
one with a sacrifice fly down the right field line.
The Lady Mocs loaded the bases in the fifth as Poteat and
Willis singled to left center and a walk was issued to Fuzzard.
With two outs, Morimoto put Chattanooga ahead for good with
a home run to left center, 5-1. It was the 13th of the campaign for the Sao
Paulo, Brazil native and the first grand slam hit this year by the Lady Mocs
as the team tied a single-season record with 58 homers.
In the seventh, Rieck began with a double to left center.
The Chandler, Ariz., native scored on Moirmoto's RBI single through the left
side, 6-1.
A 15-pitch walk to Bedwell began the seventh for Deason in
the circle. Robb brought the Spartans to within three runs on a homer down the
left field line. The Lady Mocs defense recorded three groundouts behind Deason to end the game.
