Five Run Seventh Gives Cougars SoCon Championship - CofCSports.com--Official Web site of College of Charleston Athletics
1/1/1970 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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The College of Charleston improves to 51-16, while Chattanooga falls to 46-21.
The Cougars got on the board in the bottom of the first, moving two runners across and taking the early 2-0 lead. Leshe' Russell led the inning off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice by Bridget Loudermilk. Jayme Durand reached on a walk and Russell moved to third on the wild pitch on the fourth ball. Shondra Schlichenmayer plated Russell and Durand with a triple.
The College of Charleston tacked on one run in the bottom of the second to extend its lead to 3-0. Darcy Johnson led off inning the with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kolby Schooly. Renee Francis brought Johnson home with a single and advanced to second on the throw to the plate.
Chattanooga moved two runners across in the top of the third to cut the lead to 3-2. Tara Temby led the inning off with a single. Melissa Ramirez was hit by a pitch, moving Temby over to second. Ashleigh Bull singled to plate Temby. With the bases loaded, Brittany Whitter hit a ground ball to the shortstop as Ramirez beat the throw home to score.
The Mocs brought home one run in the top of the fourth to knot the game up at 3-3. With one out, Cochran singled and moved to second on a single by Tara Temby. Temby beat the throw to second on a Ramirez groundball to the shortstop. Bull plated Temby on a sacrifice fly to center field.
Chattanooga scored four runs in the top of the fifth to take a 7-3 lead. Brittany Whittier led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second when Aylssa Edwards was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Amanda Hoiness brought home Whittier and Edwards with a two RBI triple. Hoiness beat the throw home on a fielder's choice by Jeannie Cochran. Cochran moved to second on the throw to the plate and scored on a Melissa Ramirez sacrifice fly.
The Cougars, who had either been tied or trailing going into the sixth inning of each tournament game, used more late game heroics to secure the championship and the tournament berth.
Renee Francis started the inning with a double to right center off of Lacey Swarthout and advanced to third when Russell reached on an error. Bridget Loudermilk was then hit by a pitch and Ashley Frizzell relieved Swarthout. A Jayme Durand single down the left field line scored Francis. Swarthout then hit Martinez on a 1-1 pitch to plate Russell. Schlichenmayer then walked to score Loudermilk and cut the lead to 7-6.
Frizzell got Jessica Lyness to foul out to third base and Darcy Johnson struck out looking. With two outs, designated player Kolby Schooley walked to score Durand and tie the game. With the winning run 90 feet away, Renee Francis hit a bouncer to third that Chattanooga could not handle to score Berni Martinez and give the Cougars their first ever SoCon tournament title.
Schlichenmayer was 1-for-3 at the plate with a triple, walk and three RBI. Her first inning triple was her sixth on the season and tied the school record held by Amanda Bacon. Renee Francis went 2-for-4 and drove in two RBI.
Natalie Smith picked up the win in relief for the Cougars, improving to 21-7 on the year, while Ashley Frizzell took the loss for the Mocs, falling to 12-8 for the season.
College of Charleston will learn who they will play in the 2005 NCAA Championships this evening at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNews. Fans are invited to attend the selection show party that will be held at the Kickin' Chicken in Mt. Pleasant.
2005 All-Tournament Team
Rachael Stern, College of Charleston
Bridget Loudermilk, College of Charleston
Berni Martinez, College of Charleston
Melissa Ramirez, Chattanooga
Lacey Swarthout, Chattanooga
Jeannie Cochran, Chattanooga
Tara Temby, Chattanooga
Dani Concepcion, Elon
Rachael Henley, Furman
Amber Nelson, Furman
Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Rachael Stern, College of Charleston
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