apellegrino@statesboroherald.com
Posted: May 10, 2008 10:53 p.m.
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. —Heading into Saturday, Georgia Southern’s softball team was sitting pretty.
The second-seeded Eagles were perched in the winner’s bracket of the Southern Conference tournament, needing just one win over Chattanooga to lock up the crown and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
But top-seeded Mocs rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to take game one, 3-2, and force a deciding matchup, which they ran away with by exploding for nine runs and eight hits — all with two outs — in the fifth inning.
It was the third straight title-game appearance for the Eagles, who were hoping to bring home their third SoCon tournament championship and first since 2006.
“It was a frustrating day,” GSU coach Natalie Poole said. “I thought we came out with the intent to win. I felt like we were there, we were ready, and it just didn’t happen for us. At times we pitched well, at times we didn’t. We just couldn’t put together an offensive rally to be able to make it happen for ourselves.”
In the deciding game, the Mocs took an early 1-0 lead when shortstop Tara Tembey led of the game with a solo home run to right. The Eagles tied it one inning later with Sam Russo’s shot over the fence in right-center.
But Chattanooga broke loose in the fifth, going ahead for good with a surge that commenced innocently enough with Ashlan Clarkson’s RBI double to left, scoring Laci Upchurch who drew a walk one batter earlier. Tiffany Baker followed with a single up the middle to chase starter Megen Smith.
Melissa Laliberte came on in relief but lasted just three batters, surrendering a
RBI single, a two-run double to left-center and Tembey’s two-run home run to left, which put the Mocs on top 7-1. The Eagles brought Smith back to the mound, but UTC’s outburst continued with Toni Hutchison’s three-run bomb to left.
GSU then went down in order in the bottom half of the inning to invoke the mercy rule (eight-run lead after five innings) with Chattanooga on top 10-1.
“Sometimes when you lose momentum, you lose,” Poole said. “It doesn’t matter who’s throwing, who’s playing. They just get on it, they see the ball and that’s it.
In the opener, the Eagles led the entire game until UTC scored the game-winning run with one out in the bottom final inning on Michelle Fuzzard’s single to right-center. Laliberte (19-12) took the loss despite holding UTC scoreless for the first four innings until Lauren Flores’ two-out single drove home Lynleigh Hurndon in the fifth. Georgia Southern scored its only two runs in the top of the third when a wild pitch brought home Metter’s Michelle Beasley, who was on board with a leadoff double to left-center, and Jenny Slide knocked a two-out RBI single.
The Eagles end their season at 37-30 with a school-record eight All-SoCon selections and three all-tournament honorees — Nina Iduate, Robyne Siliga and Laliberte.
“I’m very proud of them,” Poole said. “I thought we had a good year. We broke quite a few records and showed some positive tendencies. I definitely look forward to our returners coming back next year.”
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
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