Indiana shades UTC, 2-0

The bats finally fell silent for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team Friday. Indiana edged the Lady Mocs 2-0 in their opening game at the Bulldog Invitational in Athens, Ga.

UTC pitcher Michelle Fuzzard allowed only an earned run in the first inning and an unearned run in the fifth. She gave up four hits and struck out a career-high nine batters in six innings in her second loss of the season.

UTC (12-4) had its best chance to score in the top of the first as Fuzzard was hit by a pitch and Tiffany Baker walked with two outs, but Kasey Tydingco grounded out to strand the runners.

Tydingco hit a one-out double in the fourth inning but was stranded when Della Harrison and Vivian Morimoto struck out.

Indiana pitcher Morgan Melloh threw a two-hit shutout against UTC, allowing also a fifth-inning single by Lauren Flores.

The Lady Mocs return to action this morning against Campbell at 9 and take on James Madison at 1 p.m.

Lady Tigers 20-5

The Chattanooga State softball team improved to 20-5 with two differing wins Friday in the NFCA Leadoff Classic at Panama City, Fla. After going 4-2 at the Wallace State tournament in Alabama last weekend, the Lady Tigers opened play in this event with a six-inning 12-1 defeat of Florida State-Jacksonville and a come-from-behind 6-4 victory over Parkland.

Misha Aldridge pitched a two-hitter and hit a three-run home run against Jacksonville, while Shelby Whitfield had a two-run homer and Chelsea Burgess was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Brittany Cooley was 2-for-3 with two RBIs in each game. Against Parkland, Megan Crawford was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, Courtney Delay and Shelby Johnson each had two hits and Jennifer Long got the win with five innings of scoreless relief after the Lady Tigers fell behind 4-0.

n Lee 14-8, Truett-McConnell 0-3: At Cleveland, Ga., Brittany Balough pitched a five-inning two-hitter and then got a save in the second game when the Lady Flames pulled away late to complete the sweep.

A run in the fifth inning and four in the seventh provided the final margin in game two, when Caitlin Beshears (4-1) allowed five hits in four innings and Balough gave up one in three. Charlie Wooden and Danielle Balough each tripled and doubled, Wooden going 3-for-4 with an RBI and the elder Balough going 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs. Tabitha Farrow was 2-for-3 and Taylor Horseman scored twice.

In the first game for Lee (8-2), Hernanza Ruiz and Ana Coscorrosa each drove in four runs, Ruiz going 4-for-4 with four runs and Coscorrosa 2-for-3 with three scores, and Nicole Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

n Tennessee Wesleyan (5-5) won 20-1 and 20-0 at Wesleyan in Georgia. Bryan College's scheduled tournament at Jackson, Miss., was rained out.

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