CLERMONT, Fla. – The Chattanooga Mocs softball team couldn't overcome timely miscues as they fell in the final two games of the Dot Richardson NCSI Tournament during opening weekend in Clermont, Fla.
Chattanooga dropped game one, 8-0, in six innings against Liberty before falling in the nightcap, 9-5, to Fairleigh Dickinson.
After the pair of losses, the Mocs fall to 2-2 on the season. UTC will be at home for the next ten games on the schedule by hosting the Chattanooga Challenge and Frost Classic at Frost Stadium. Season ticket and tournament ticket information can be found at the tickets link above.
Liberty 8, Chattanooga 0 (6)
Liberty struck first with a solo homerun over the left center wall from Jaclyn Amader in the top of the second to take an early 1-0 lead. The Flames would add to their lead in the fifth on a delayed steal at home ahead of another deep ball, this time a two-run shot from Tori Zavondy, to extend their lead to 4-0.
Liberty plated four runs in the top of the sixth with a two-run single and a two-run double to build an 8-0 advantage. The Mocs couldn't put anything together in the home half to fend off the eight-run mercy rule.
UTC finished the game with only two hits, one of them a single up the middle in the top of the first by
Hayleigh Weissenbach.
J.J. Hamill added the other hit, a single through the right side.
Celie Hudson (1-1) suffered the defeat, tossing 5.1 innings and allowing eight earned runs and five walks while striking out three.
FDU 9, Chattanooga 5
After a scoreless first inning,
Aly Walker belted a one-out double to right field in the top of the second and later advanced to third on a wild pitch. Walker scored on a
Morgan Kazerooni sacrifice fly to left to give the Mocs a 1-0 lead.
Chattanooga would add to the lead in the top of the fourth when
Emma Sturdivant launched a double to right, scoring Lewis from first and extending the lead to 2-0.
FDU answered with a three run inning in the bottom of the fourth on the help of three walks and a hit by pitch from the Mocs pitching staff to take a 3-2 lead. UTC tied things up in the top of the fifth on a
Halie Williamson single to left.
The Knights would add another big inning in the home half of the fifth with six runs on just three hits. Chattanooga committed two errors and walked a pair, allowing FDU to stretch their lead to 9-3.
The Mocs would make an attempt at a comeback in the final inning by scoring two runs with just one out and loading the bases. Chattanooga had the tying run at the plate twice but a strike out and a ground out ended the game.
