The feel-good moment didn’t last long Friday for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team on the first day of its Frost Classic tournament at Warner Park.
The Mocs ended their three-game losing streak from the previous weekend’s home tournament by beating Eastern Illinois 3-0, but then they were run-ruled, falling 11-1 in five innings to Evansville. The Purple Aces outhit the reigning Southern Conference champions 14-3.
Sophomore left-hander Cori Jennings (5-1) pitched a seven-hit shutout in UTC’s first game Friday, but the Mocs (9-4) had only six hits. Leadoff batter Sam Taylor got on base all three times she came to the plate and scored all three runs.
Taylor was 2-for-2 in the win. The senior center fielder walked in the first inning and scored on Anyssa Robles’ two-out double, doubled in the third and scored on a Jordan Fortel double and singled in the fifth and raced home from third when the throw on a force-out attempt on Fortel’s roller got away from the second baseman.
“We just played average even in that one,” UTC coach Frank Reed said later. “Cori kept us in the game and we mustered just enough offense to win. But we haven’t played well in the last five games.
“I thought we had that fixed this week. We did some different things in practice and the girls worked hard,” Reed added. “We played this one crazy song over and over: ‘You can’t be a wimp and play college softball.’
“I’ve been beat like this before. I don’t like and it doesn’t taste good. And I’ve won like this before, and the other teams don’t like it and it doesn’t taste good. We’ll keep working.”
Evansville (9-3) scored a run in the top of the first inning on Chandra Parr’s two-out double and then erupted for five runs with two outs in the second, beginning with Olivia Cheatham’s two-run home run. Parr had a two-run double later in the outburst, after Fortel replaced Kailey Palazzola in the pitcher’s circle.
Parr wound up 3-for-4 with four runs driven in, and Danielle Freeman was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
Nationally 18th-ranked Kentucky used senior pitcher Kelsey Nunley from Soddy-Daisy for only two innings but beat Lipscomb 4-0 on a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts and one walk by Erin Rethlake and topped Miami of Ohio 8-0 as Meagan Prince (5-0) and Nunley combined on a one-hitter. Nunley allowed no hits and struck out five in her six outs.
Brooklyn Hinz hit a three-run homer and Nikki Sagerman was 2-for-2 with a homer against Lipscomb for the Wildcats (11-2). Against Miami they had a seven-run second inning, when Abbey Cheek hit a three-run homer. She was 2-for-3 with four RBIs and Katie Reed was 3-for-4 with a triple and scored twice.
The Wildcats (11-2) face Eastern Illinois at 11 a.m. today on Field 1 and take on UTC at 4 p.m. in Frost Stadium, after the Mocs face Miami of Ohio at 1:30. Also at 11, Lipscomb meets Evansville in Frost while Northern Kentucky takes on Miami on Field 2. Evansville plays Northern Kentucky at 1:30 on Field 1, where Eastern Illinois and Lipscomb play at 4.
The tournament concludes with four games Sunday, at 11 and 1:30.
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com