The Chattanooga Mocs softball team will host in-state foe Belmont at Frost Stadium on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. showdown before heading to Clearwater, Fla., for ten days as part of the USF Under Armour Invitational.
Chattanooga meets Belmont for the first time since March 2, 2012, where they faced each other in the Red & Blue Classic hosted by Ole Miss. The Mocs hold the all-time series record against the Bruins 8-1.
UTC enters the game 8-11 on the season while Belmont carries an impressive 11-3 overall mark.
The Bruins are winners of ten of their last 11 games while the Mocs have dropped their last three.
Chattanooga is coming off a tough 1-4 weekend where they faced stiff competition in Oxford, Miss., at the Ole Miss Classic, notching their lone win over UT Martin, 7-6. They fell to Saint Louis twice, Southern Miss and tournament-host No. 17 Ole Miss.
The Mocs feature five hitters batting over the .300 mark including team-leader Emma Sturdivant, who carries a .347 (17-for-49) average with two doubles, a triple, a homerun and 11 runs batted in. Aly Walkerfollows with a .340 (17-for-50) average while adding four doubles and a team-high 15 runs scored to the offensive production.
Brook Womack is now batting .306 (11-for-36) after a solid weekend in Oxford, as she went 4-for-10 with two doubles and an RBI in four games. Ashley Conner (.308) added to her offensive totals last weekend when she roped her second grand slam of the season during Friday's 7-6 win over UT Martin. She now has two homeruns, 11 RBIs and a team-high .513 slugging percentage for the year.
The Mocs rank second in the Southern Conference with a .269 team batting average and sit third with 128 hits. UTC tied, or out-hit, four of the five opponents last weekend but stranded 28 runners during that span.
The game against Belmont will be broadcasted LIVE on the Southern Conference Digital Network, courtesy of GoMocs.com. Links can be found on the schedule page. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or by clicking the link above.
USF Under Armour Invitational | LIVE STATS
Chattanooga will play 11 games in just ten days spanning from March 9-18 in Clearwater, Fla., at the USF Invitational.
Opponents include:
Friday, March 9
· UCF (4:15 p.m.)
· Central Michigan (6:30 p.m.)
Saturday, March 10
· Central Connecticut State (11:15 a.m.)
· Rider (4:15 p.m.)
Sunday, March 11
· Villanova (11:15 a.m.)
Thursday, March 15
· Maine (10 a.m.)
Friday, March 16
· Quinnipiac (2 p.m.)
· FGCU (4:15 p.m.)
Saturday, March 17
· Army (12 p.m.)
· Elon (2:30 p.m.)
Sunday, March 18
· LIU Brooklyn (9 a.m.)
All 11 games will feature LIVE STATS scoring on GoMocs.com. Chattanooga will return home on Saturday and Sunday March 24-25 for the SoCon opening series, a three-game set against Mercer. Tickets can be purchased on GoMocs.com with the link on the schedule page.