CLERMONT, Fla. - The UTC softball team scattered eight hits on a chilly night in Clermont, Fla., at Dot Richardson's National Collegiate Invitational, but fell to UCF (4-0), 6-2 in a game that was closer than the score indicates. Junior second baseman Sara Poteat (Thomaston, Ga.) and freshman third baseman Sarah Beth Roberts (Clarksville, Tn.) each tallied two hits to lead the Lady Mocs (2-2) including a double by Roberts.

"We are still trying to figure out where we are going after the first ball game today," said head coach Frank Reed.

"We still have bright spots and places where we are going to improve.
"We put together a first-inning run and should have built off of that. We also made some errors that we probably should not have made, but this is a young team and we are going to figure it out. There is just too much talent on this team and it may take some time for everything to come together."

The story of the game was the pitching of UCF freshman Mackenzie Audus, who threw a complete game and fanned 10. Senior pitcher Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) went the distance tossing six innings, striking out three, and giving up four earned runs, but the back-breaker for the Lady Mocs turned out to be a three-run sixth for the Knights.
Adding to the hit total for Chattanooga were senior designated player Vivian Morimoto (Sao Paulo, Brazil) junior first baseman Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.), freshman catcher Natalie Powers (Glenpool, Okla.) and Fuzzard. Powers and Morimoto tallied one RBI each during the contest.

The Lady Mocs started off on the right foot following a tough loss to North Carolina to open the day as Poteat beat-out an infield bunt single to third. She took second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a single to center by Fuzzard. A sacrifice fly by Morimoto, who popped up a pitch to the first baseman, was able to bring home the speedy Poteat providing an early 1-0 lead.

With Fuzzard in the circle, Kahley Novak drew a leadoff walk for the Knights and immediately stole second as the throw from Powers was a second late. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Novak scored on a groundout to second to knot the game at one. The Knights added another as Natalie Land singled to center, which was followed by another single by Marissa Menendez, but the throw from short was off target allowing Land to score, 2-1.
With two outs in the second, Roberts saw the infield playing deep and dropped a bunt down to second that she beat-out for an infield single.

Adding a run in the second was UCF as an error put Land on base and was called safe on a bang-bang play at second on a stolen base attempt. She later scored as Farrah Sullivan doubled to center pushing the UCF lead to 3-1. Chattanooga notched singles in the fourth and fifth by Tydingco up the middle and Poteat to third base, respectively.

Fuzzard was able to limit the damage in the fifth, stranding a runner on third base after notching a strikeout to retire the side.

A two-out rally looked possible in the sixth as Morimoto split the gap in right to put a runner in scoring position. Tydingco then drilled a pitch that appears to be destined to land over the fence in straight-away center, but the wind kept the knocked the ball down allowing center fielder Venessa Perez to make the catch at the top of the fence.

After the stellar defensive play, the Knights struck for three runs on the sixth as Perez singled through the right side and Tawny Swan found a hole in left to put two runners on. Allie Jest cleared the bases with a triple to the fence and later scored on a ground out to third, 6-1.

Back-to-back strikeouts started the inning for the Lady Mocs in their last at bat before Roberts drove a pitch over the right fielder's head for a double. Powers followed it up with an RBI single through the right side, but the threat ended with a ground out to second.