In position for a sweep of its opening Southern Conference series of the season, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team scored five runs in its first time at bat Saturday.
After rallying in the final inning for their second win Friday against UNC Greensboro, the Lady Mocs gave freshman pitcher Michelle Fuzzard early support and won the series finale 9-2. They’re 19-14 overall, while UNCG dropped to 9-18 with its eighth consecutive loss and 11th in 12 games.
Among their other defeats, the Spartans lost 2-1 to Virginia Tech and 3-1 to both North Carolina and N.C. State, so UTC coach Frank Reed made sure his players didn’t take them lightly.
Home runs keyed the UTC offense Friday and Fuzzard contributed a two-run homer in the sixth inning Saturday, but they jumped ahead with singles.
Lauren Flores, Fuzzard and Hutchison singled with one out in the first inning to load the bases for Katie Blevins, who had driven in four runs with homers Friday. She got her 29th RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly, and Laci Upchurch walked to refill the bases.
Still, Spartans pitcher Amber Harrell was to the bottom third of the UTC order with a chance to get out of a major jam with only one run allowed, but Ashlan Clarkson’s bloop single brought in two and Upchurch and Clarkson scored on errors to make the score 5-0.
“I was trying to look for a good pitch I could drive, but wherever it falls it works, and it worked,” said outfielder Clarkson, the team’s only senior besides shortstop and leadoff batter Tara Tembey. “I just didn’t want to leave them stranded out there.”
Said Fuzzard: “It doesn’t have to be pretty if it gets the job done.”
After allowing only two hits and one run through five innings, she got two outs in the sixth before UNCG catcher Leslie Furness lined a double over center fielder Flores. Pinch runner Laura Olenderski reached third and scored on ball-four wild pitches to Kaitlin Merkt and Baylor alumna Mary Catherine Vercoe. Another UTC freshman, Kaiti Holloway, struck out the next batter and pitched the seventh for her first college save.
“I think Kaiti’s perfect for that role,” Reed said. “She got behind some of the other pitchers because of injuries, but she’s pushing to get some innings in. And it’s great that Greensboro saw four different pitchers in three games.”
Pitching depth is a luxury the Lady Mocs haven’t had in recent years.
“It’s nice to have more than two pitchers,” Clarkson said. “I don’t see these freshmen as freshmen — I see them as teammates. They’ve proved themselves, especially Michelle. She’s done an excellent job hitting as well as pitching.”
Back at her usual first-base position, Fuzzard added her fifth homer and 22nd and 23rd RBIs of the season while pushing her team-high batting average to .387. Only fellow freshman Blevins has more homers (11) and RBIs.
Fuzzard is from Huntington Beach, Calif., and admitted feeling homesick around her Sept. 8 birthday, “but this is where I want to be, and the people here have made it real easy,” she said Saturday. “And it’s nice to be able to play when I’m not pitching.”
Versatility could be a hallmark of this team, and Chattanooga fans don’t have to wait a couple of years to see the freshmen develop, Reed noted.
Upchurch was 1-for-2 with an RBI Saturday, and fellow junior Hutchison scored twice. Flores was 1-for-2 and had a sixth-inning sacrifice fly when center fielder Kristen Gabel made a diving catch.
“I think it’s going to be a fun team to watch,” Reed said. “We’ve proven we can score runs, whether it’s by homers or other ways, and we’ve pitched well at times. If we pitch like we’re capable and hit like we’re capable on any given day, we can play with anybody. We just haven’t had the consistency we would like, and that’s indicative of a young team.”
Mary Greenway had an RBI triple for UNCG in the third inning.
