After collecting a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Appalachian State on April 5 before being fogged out and slogged out in Boone, N.C., the Lady Mocs return home to Jim Frost Stadium looking to extend their season-high 11-game winning streak with a double-header against Middle Tennessee on April 10. First pitch is slated for a special time of 5:00 p.m.
Team Capsules
Chattanooga Lady Mocs
2008 Record: 27-14, 7-0
2007 Record: 35-31, 16-5
2007 Southern Conference Regular Season Champions
The Lady Mocs continue to dominate both Southern Conference and non-conference competition as they have run their win streak to 11 games over the past two weeks. In that time, Chattanooga has swept double-headers from Tennessee State and UAB in non-conference action while sweeping series from UNC Greensboro and Western Carolina and a single game from Appalachian State to claim sole possession of first place in the Southern Conference.
UTC is now a perfect 7-0 in conference following their 2-1 victory over Appalachian State on April 5 in Boone, N.C. In that game, neither team scratched a run until the bottom of the fifth when the Mountaineers used back-to-back doubles to take a 1-0 lead. Trailing by that score in the bottom of the seventh, senior outfielder Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.) laced a two-out, 0-2 pitch into right field to tie the game at 1-1 before senior shortstop Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) singled to the same spot to bring home the go-ahead run.
Freshman pitcher Kaitlin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.), who entered the game in the fifth with a runner on second, pitched three scoreless, one-hit innings of relief, including striking out ASU's top player, Katie Boyd, looking with a runner on second base to end the game. She collected her fourth win of the season and has now pitched seven scoreless, two-hit innings over her last two outings.
Tembey finished the day 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI while Clarkson delivered a 2-for-3 performance with the tying RBI. Junior outfielder Laci Upchurch added a 2-for-3 day.
Offensivley, freshman catcher Katie Blevins (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) leads Chattanooga with team-highs of 12 homeruns, 31 RBIs and a .775 slugging percentage while freshman first baseman Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) leads the way with a .364 batting average, .420 on-base percentage and 11 doubles. She is second on the team with five homeruns, 26 RBIs and a .585 slugging percentage while Tara Tembey is batting .324 with eight doubles, three triples, four homeruns, 18 RBIs and a team-leading nine steals. Junior third baseman Toni Hutchison adds a .306 batting average with four home runs, 24 RBIs and eight doubles to go along with a .471 slugging percentage.
Sophomore pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) leads the pitching staff with a 2.02 ERA, 161 strikeouts, 12 wins (12-6), an opposing batting average of .199 and 121.1 innings while Kandice Irwin is second on the team with eight wins (8-5), 86 strikeouts, 2.52 ERA and .228 opposing batting average.
Nationally, Loudermilk is 22nd in the country with three saves and is 25th in strikeouts per seven innings with a 9.3 average while Blevins is ninth in home runs per game (0.35), 25th in slugging percentage (.775) and 50th in RBIs per game (0.91). As a team, Chattanooga is seventh in the country with a .978 fielding percentage and trails NCAA leader Texas A&M (.984) by only .006.
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
2008 Record: 14-18, 7-7 Sun Belt
2007 Record: 30-30, 14-9
Middle Tennessee plays a double-header at Southeast Missouri on April 9 before traveling to the Scenic City for a double-header with the Lady Mocs. The Blue Raiders bring a 14-18 record to Jim Frost Stadium, having won seven of their last nine games following a seven-game losing streak and seven cancellations. Among their defeats during that first stretch were pairs of losses to No. 17 Louisiana-Lafayette, 8-1 and 12-1, South Alabama, 2-0 and 9-1, and Evansville, 8-3 and 5-3, and a single loss to Troy 4-0.
MTSU's recent wins have included a series victory over North Texas this past weekend with 8-4 and 4-3 victories, a pair of wins over Louisiana-Monroe, 2-1 and 11-3, and back-to-back victories over Austin Peay, 8-2 and 11-3. The Blue Raiders have won their last two series and their last double-header. They have also defeated Southern Illinois 6-0 on February 24 and have fallen twice to No. 2 Alabama by scores of 7-1 and 6-0.
Leading the way for Middle Tennessee is the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week, sophomore outfielder Corrie Abel. She is currently batting a team-leading .359 with three home runs, 18 RBIs and a team-best .524 slugging percentage while junior outfielder Martha Davis leads the team with five home runs and 19 RBIs. Junior infielder Whitney Padgett has added three home runs and 14 RBIs while senior catcher Katie Mielke is batting .277 with three home runs and 11 RBIs.
In the pitching circle, sophomore Lindsey Vander Lugt has compiled a 10-10 record and 17 complete games with a 2.25 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 143 innings while freshman Kellie Head is 4-8 with a 5.52 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 66 innings.
All-Time Series vs. Middle Tennessee State
Chattanooga holds a 13-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Blue Raiders, having won the first ten meetings dating from April 3, 1996 ? March 26, 2003. The series has featured five one-run games, all won by the Lady Mocs, and one of the highest scoring games in Chattanooga history, a 13-12 affair won by UTC in eight innings on March 26, 2003. MTSU's two victories in the series came back-to-back on March 1, 2006 with 3-0 and 5-3 decisions. That was the first of five meetings that year between the two teams. Having won the last three games that year, Chattanooga currently holds a three-game series winning streak. That stretch includes a pair of 2-1 decisions.
All-Time Results vs. Middle Tennessee State
April 25, 2006 - Chattanooga, 7-5
April 25, 2006 - Chattanooga, 2-1
March 3, 2006 - Chattanooga, 2-1
March 1, 2006 - MTSU, 5-3
March 1, 2006 - MTSU, 3-0
March 26, 2003 - Chattanooga, 13-12 (8)
March 26, 2003 - Chattanooga, 1-0
April 25, 2002 - Chattanooga, 1-0
April 25, 2002 - Chattanooga, 3-1
April 21, 1998 - Chattanooga, 4-3
April 21, 1998 - Chattanooga, 3-1
April 15, 1996 - Chattanooga, 2-0
April 15, 1996 - Chattanooga, 6-1
April 3, 1996 - Chattanooga, 8-0
April 3, 1996 - Chattanooga, 5-2
Upcoming Promotions
For the April 10 double-header with Middle Tennessee State, the first 200 fans will receive a free Gold Rush T-shirt, compliments of Unitrin, Bi-Lo and Russell.
The concession stand will also offer a special promotion for this event as a spaghetti dinner including salad, bread and a drink will be available for only $5.00.
April 12 vs. Elon is Chattanooga Area Food Bank Day at Jim Frost Stadium. The first 150 people who bring a canned good or box of macaroni and cheese will receive a free “Moc & Cheese” T-shirt.
