CHATTANOOGA --- Off to an impressive 11-1 start to the season, the Chattanooga Mocs softball team will look to continue its early success in Madeira Beach, Fla., at the Madeira Beach Invitational III hosted by Powerline Softball this weekend from Friday through Sunday.

UTC is coming off a three-game series sweep over Eastern Kentucky last Sunday and Monday at Frost Stadium after scheduling plans altered the originally scheduled Frost Classic.

The Mocs walked-off the Colonels in game one of Sunday's doubleheader, 2-1, on a Katie Corum pinch-hit two-RBI single before earning a 2-0 win in the nightcap. The sweep was completed with a 5-2 victory on Monday afternoon behind a first-inning grand slam from Amanda Beltran.

Chattanooga's pitching staff was dominant during the series, allowing just three earned runs and 14 hits over 21.0 innings of work. Mariah Ramirez (GM1) and Celie Hudson (GM2) tossed CG wins during Sunday's doubleheader while the duo of Allison Swinford (5IP, W) and Ramirez (2IP, SV) handled Monday's workload with quality appearances.

All information for this weekend's action is below. Live stats are available for all games.

MADEIRA BEACH INV. III | INFO
Teams: Chattanooga, Villanova, Presbyterian, Florida A&M, St. John's, Boston College
Fri, Mar. 1          vs. Villanova – 11 a.m.             (LIVE STATS)
Fri, Mar. 1          vs. Presbyterian – 1:30 p.m.    (LIVE STATS)
Sat, Mar. 2         vs. Florida A&M – 1:30 p.m.    (LIVE STATS)
Sat, Mar. 2         vs. St. John's – 4 p.m.             (LIVE STATS)
Sun, Mar. 3        vs. Boston College – 9 a.m.    (LIVE STATS)
 
CHATTANOOGA NOTABLE | GAME NOTES
- Chattanooga improved to 11-1 on the season to continue one of best starts in program history…  now 8-0 against OVC-members in 2019… 5-1 against 2018 conference champs.
- In 21.0 innings pitched against EKU the pitching staff allowed just three earned runs & 14 hits…  staff holds SoCon-bests in ERA (2.12), opp. batting avg. (.231) and runs allowed (29) this season.
- Amanda Beltran ranks 2^nd in the SoCon with a .412 batting average… blasted second grand slam of season in Monday's 5-2 win… 4 HR's & 16 RBI this season.
- Sidney Swantic went 7-for-11 with seven singles in EKU series… batting .500 (10-for-20) this season… upped current hit-streak to five games.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEWS
Villanova | Friday, 11 a.m. | 2019: 4-6, 0-0 BIG EAST
Villanova enters weekend play with a 4-6 overall record after playing to a 1-4 mark last weekend at Auburn's Tiger Invitational. The Wildcats went 3-2 the previous weekend at the Disney WWOS Orange Blossom Classic and claimed wins over Iowa, LIU Brooklyn and Bethune-Cookman.
 
Jordan Olivarez and Caroline Jones who carry .316 and .310 batting averages, respectively lead the Nova offense while Paige Rauch has added six extra-base hits including four homeruns in just seven total at-bats. Rauch also leads the pitching staff with a 4-2 record and 3.07 ERA. Villanova defeated Chattanooga last season, 4-3, during the USF Invitational in Clearwater.

Presbyterian | Friday, 1:30 p.m. | 2019: 4-7-2, 0-0 Big South
Presbyterian currently holds a 4-8-2 record and most recently dropped a 7-1 decision to No. 8 Georgia Wednesday night in Athens. PC has faced a few familiar faces, playing ETSU to a 9-9 tie and falling to Eastern Kentucky 18-1.
 
The Blue Hose went winless last weekend at Coastal Carolina's Battle at the Beach tournament while suffering from a -46-run differential in five games. The team is led Ansley Wilbanks who is batting a blistering .500 (.21-for-42) with eight RBI and 11 runs scored.

Florida A&M | Saturday, 11 a.m. | 2019: 1-12, 0-0 MEAC
Florida A&M holds a 1-12 record during the young 2019 season but have faced stiff competition and found themselves on the wrong end of four one-run games. The lone win of the year was a 10-2 rout of ACC-member Syracuse last weekend in Gainesville, Fla.
 
FAMU has battled No. 3 Florida twice this season and were very much in each game, but ultimately dropped 4-0 and 7-1 decisions. Tyra Bowers leads the offensive attack with a .316 batting average on a team-high 12 hits. Kyaira Brown has tossed a team-most 36.0 innings and leads the squad in the circle with a 2.92 ERA.

St. John's | Saturday, 4 p.m. | 2019: 4-5, 0-0 BIG EAST
BIG EAST-member St. John's is 4-5 this year and has wins over Virginia, SoCon-rival UNCG, Bethune-Cookman and Campbell. SKU went 2-2 in last weekend's Gamecock Invitational hosted by South Carolina following a 2-3 weekend at FAU's 'First Pitch' Classic to open the season.
 
SJU defeated UNCG 6-0 in game one of a doubleheader before falling in game two, 8-4. Marissa Rizzi is hitting .391 with a team-high nine hits and two homeruns while slugging at a .696% clip. St. John's has struggled in the circle as a staff this season and carries a 6.71 team ERA.  
 
Boston College | Sunday 9 a.m. | 2019: 3-7, 0-0 ACC
After a tough 0-4 opening weekend at the Texas Classic hosted by Texas, Boston College responded with a 2-2 mark in the ACC/B1G Challenge, sweeping Michigan State, before splitting a pair of games at the rain-shortened Pirate Invitational on the campus of East Carolina.
 
The Golden Eagles went 30-23 overall last season and finished 13-10 in a very competitive ACC conference. BC features three .300+ hitters in the lineup while Ellie Mataya leads the pack with a .375 average in nine games. Susannah Anderson has made a team-high 10 appearances in the circle and has pitched to a 1-1 record with a 3.28 ERA in 32.0 innings of work.


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