Chattanooga Takes Two in Key SoCon Series
4/11/2010 2:21:00 AM | Softball
STATESBORO, GA. - Southern Conference leader Chattanooga (30-9, 11-0 SoCon) took a pair of key league games from Georgia Southern (20-16, 6-4 SoCon) at Eagle Field. The Lady Mocs recorded a 5-3 win in the first game and a 1-0 decision in game two.
The Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game one as senior shortstop Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) got the offense rolling with an infield single to the shortstop. She moved to second on a Kelly Burnett (Boynton Beach, Fla.) sacrifice. Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) hit a double down the left field line to bring Iduate in to score and give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
On a Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) single, Smith beat the throw home to extend the Eagles' lead to 2-0. Side advanced to second on the play and moved to third on Sam Russo's (Snellville, Ga.) single. A sacrifice fly to left field by Andrea Tarashuk's (Flemington, N.J.) put Side across the plate for the Eagles' 3-0 advantage.
Chattanooga got back in the game in the middle innings, thanks in part to defensive errors by the Eagles. An unearned run in the fourth put the Lady Mocs on the board for the first time in the afternoon. An error in the fifth allowed Kasey Tydingco to reach base and eventually score. UTC would bring two more in to score in the inning, only one earned. Chattanooga added another run in the seventh to put it up by two, 5-3. Georgia Southern could not get a run in its half of the final inning.
Iduate went 2-4 with one run scored, and Side, who went 2-3, posted one RBI and one run scored.
In the second game, Smith struck out six Lady Moc batters, giving up a solo home run, the only run, in the third inning to Lady Moc third baseman Tiffany Baker. Iduate went 2-3 from the plate in game two.
Georgia Southern concludes its weekend series with Chattanooga on Sunday at 1 p.m. That game can be heard, locally, on 91.9 FM, The Buzz, with announcers Justin Baker and Daniel Sallerson. Livestats will be available on www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com at the bottom of the homepage. Fans may also follow the score, posted every half inning, via Twitter at www.twitter.com/GSScores.
