BOONE, N.C. - Senior outfielder Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.) went 2-for-3 and tied the game with two outs in the seventh and freshman pitcher Kaitlin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.) pitched three scoreless innings as Chattanooga (27-14, 7-0) came from behind to defeat Appalachian State (4-22, 3-4) 2-1 Saturday afternoon at ASU Softball Stadium in Boone, N.C.
After four and a half innings of scoreless innings in Game 1, Appalachian State finally broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of doubles to lead off the frame and take a 1-0 lead. It would be all they would get in that inning as freshman pitcher Kaitlin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.) entered with a runner on second and proceeded to retire three of the next four batters to get out of the inning.
Chattanooga rallied in the top half of the sixth inning with a single to left center by freshman first baseman Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) before a double-play ended the inning. Holloway worked another solid inning in the bottom half of the inning, striking out the last two batters to keep it a one run game.
Freshman catcher Katie Blevins (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) led off the top of the seventh inning with a fly out to left field and junior outfielder Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) singled to shortstop before being erased in a fielder's choice. A second consecutive fielder's choice, this one by freshman outfielder Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) resulted in her beating out the play to put runners on first and second with two outs.
With an 0-2 count, Ashlan Clarkson then singled to right field and redshirt-freshman infielder Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) scored from second, beating a play at the plate, to tie the game at 1-1. Senior shortstop Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) then gave Chattanooga the lead in the next at bat as she also singled to right, making it 2-1 before a third fielder's choice ended the inning.
Holloway got the first out of the seventh quickly, inducing a ground out to third base, before allowing the tying runner on base with a single to right. Another ground out put the Lady Mocs within one out of a late come from behind win but brought freshman catcher Katie Boyd to the plate, the Mountaineers best player and leading home run hitter with six.
After working the count to 1-2, Holloway then poured a pitch across the corner of the plate to strike out Boyd looking and lockdown the 2-1 victory for the Lady Mocs and her fourth win of the season. Kayla Richardson pitched seven innings and allowed only the two earned runs to suffer the hard luck loss for ASU and fall to 3-10 on the season.
For Chattanooga, Clarkson led the way offensively with a 2-for-3 outing with an RBI while Tembey finished at 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI. Laci Upchurch went 2-for-3 while Baker and Stiles each added a run. Sophomore pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) started the game for UTC and went four innings, scattering five hits and allowing only the one run while striking out four batters.
In the second game of the series, Chattanooga jumped out to a 6-0 lead through the first four innings before heavy fog blanketed the Boone area and forced the suspension of the game until tomorrow afternoon.
That game will resume from that point at 12:00 p.m. and will be followed with the series finale directly afterward.
NOTES
Having trailed 1-0 entering the seventh inning, the victory is Chattanooga's first this season when trailing after the sixth inning ... they were previously 0-8 in that situation.
