The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team looked to be getting off to a rough start in its Frost Classic on Friday afternoon.
But late in their opening game, the Lady Mocs got a big lift from an unexpected source, as senior pinch hitter Della Harrison came up with a two-run hit in the bottom of the eight inning for a 6-5 win over Rutgers. UTC followed with a 6-0 rout of Kansas for its ninth consecutive win of the season.
The win over Rutgers gave UTC coach Frank Reed his 800th college win, and he had profuse praise for Harrison’s hit.
“For her to come up there with that poise and find a way to get a decent hit under that pressure, she deserves to be commended,” Reed said. “She’s a great kid who comes from a great family. She deserves this moment.”
Despite outhitting the Scarlet Knights and solid pitching from Michelle Fuzzard, Nikki Waters and Kandice Irwin, UTC trailed 3-1 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning. Singles by Loren Flores and freshman Sara Poteat set the stage for a tying two-out liner by Kaiti Kelley over the head of Rutgers first baseman Mandy Craig.
UTC senior ace Brooke Loudermilk entered the game to pitch the top of the eighth inning, but Ashley Bragg hit a two-run double to put Rutgers back in front 5-3.
But the Lady Mocs had one more rally left in the bottom of the inning. Tiffany Baker opened the inning as a baserunner at second under international softball tiebreaker rules and scored on a single by senior second baseman Tia Blosser leading off the inning.
Two outs later, with Blosser on third and Flores on second, Harrison came up big with just the second hit of her UTC career.
“As a pinch hitter, my role is to do what I have to do to get the runs in,” Harrison said. “We’ve been working on that a lot in practice.”
After a lackluster start against Rutgers, UTC jumped on Kansas for three runs in the first inning, and Blosser continued her early-season power surge with a home run to center field in the third inning. The homer was her third of the 2010 season after she hit just one the previous three seasons.
“I don’t know. It just happened,” Blosser said after the game. “We have a new weight coach, and that could be part of it.”
Loudermilk pitched a scoreless game against the Jayhawks to earn her second win of the day. She gave up five hits and struck out six against Kansas to go with two strikeouts and two runs allowed — one earned — in her inning against Rutgers.
Play continues today at the Frost Classic with UTC taking on Kentucky at 3 p.m. and Georgetown University at 5:30.
In other action Friday, former Ooltewah and Chattanooga State player Jessica Duncan threw a complete game for East Tennessee State in a 2-1 win over Ball State. Duncan allowed seven hits and an unearned run.
Baylor graduate Maddie Schimissrauter earned the victory in relief as Tennessee Tech defeated Miami of Ohio 5-4. She struck out six batters and allowed no earned runs in 3 2/3 innings, and former Baylor teammate Samantha Everett was 1-for-2 as designated hitter for the Golden Eagles. In Tennessee Tech’s late game Friday, former Ooltewah standout Holly Thomas homered and pitched six innings for the victory as the Golden Eagles beat Oakland 4-2.