UTC softball gets weekend sweep

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

MOBILE, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team finished off a successful weekend trip Sunday with a 9-0 rout of Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday. With the win, the Lady Mocs wrapped up a 5-0 sweep at the South Alabama Mardi Gras Tournament and improved their season record to 7-3.

Junior pitcher Michelle Fuzzard continued her impressive return from knee surgery that sidelined her most of last season by pitching three hitless innings to earn her third win of the season, striking out two and allowing one walk.

At the plate, Fuzzard was 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs to improve her batting average to .310 for the year as the Lady Mocs pounded out 15 hits -- including five extra-base hits -- against the Lady Lions.

Sophomore second baseman Sara Poteat went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple and two RBIs, and senior center fielder Lyndsey Stiles was 3-for-5 with three runs scored.

Junior college transfer Vivian Morimoto got the start at catcher for UTC and went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and senior left fielder Lauren Flores finished her weekend with a 2-for-3 performance to boost her team-leading batting average to .421 on the year.

UTC pitchers Kandice Irwin and Caroline Curren each pitched two innings in relief to finish off the win. Curren -- a freshman walk-on from Bradenton, Fla. -- allowed a single hit in her first-ever college appearance.

UTC returns home from the successful road trip -- which included an 11-7 win over Ohio State out of the Big Ten on Friday -- to host the Frost Classic this weekend starting with games against Toledo and East Tennessee State on Friday.

n UTC 4, UT-Martin 3 (8): The Lady Mocs had to dig themselves out of a 3-0 hole in Saturday's late game after Skyhawks' shortstop Jenny Bain hit a three-run homer off UTC starter Nikki Waters in the top of the fourth inning.

Waters settled down after that and held UT-Martin hitless over the final four innings to allow her teammates a chance to rally.

UTC first baseman Kasey Tydingco produced RBIs in the fourth and sixth innings to help the Lady Mocs trim the deficit to 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

Morimoto gave UTC the boost it needed by leading off the seventh with a game-tying, pinch-hit home run to send the game to extra innings where Fuzzard's sacrifice fly brought home Stiles with the game-winner in the eighth.