The Chattanooga Mocs softball team travels to Nashville, Tenn.,Wednesday afternoon to take on the Bison of Music City at 6 p.m. ET. The in-state matchup pins the Mocs (24-8, 6-0 SoCon) against a 17-20 Lipscomb.
With a weekend off, a rested Chattanooga is looking to extend its seven-game winning streak after claiming its lone game last week, a 6-4 victory over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday. The Mocs scored six runs over the last three innings to hold off the Golden Eagles.
Junior Sam Taylor continues to be the Mocs’ offensive catalyst, batting .380 and leading the team with 41 hits. Also making an impact on UTC’s offense is Nicole Osterman. The senior is slugging .824 with a conference best 11 long-shots. Her career-best performance ranks her 39th in the nation for homeruns.
Senior Taylor Deason (9-3) continues to pace Chattanooga’s pen with a 2.12 ERA, rating second in the SoCon. The right-hander has also recorded two saves, thus far. Freshman lefty Cori Jennings follows close behind with a 2.28 ERA, but leads Chattanooga’s pitching staff with 11 wins. Jennings has struck out 63 batters, averaging 5.13 strikeouts per game.
Lipscomb comes into Wednesday’s game on a two-game losing streak after going 1-2 against Jacksonville this past weekend. Staying busy, the Bison are set to match up with Memphis for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 7.
The lineup for the Bison features only two batting above the .300 mark, led by infielder Paige Neely. The senior is batting .387 and leads the team in extra-base hits with 14. Neely is helped by junior Brittany Elmore. The Mount Juliet native is batting .345, collecting 41 hits.
As a team, Lipscomb ranks fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference and 91st in the NCAA. The Atlantic Sun member averages 4.43 runs per game with a .459 winning percentage.
The Bison pitching staff is led by Kelly Young. The junior boasts a 9-10 record, a 2.85 ERA and four solo shutouts.
Live stats are available free on GoMocs.com and are available approximately 15 minutes before first pitch.
APPLYING FOR THE MILLENNIUM CLUB
A 24-8 standing and 6-0 start in SoCon Action has put Head Coach Frank Reed’s overall career record at 998-374 and his UTC record at 522-307. He secured his 500th win at Chattanooga this season as the Mocs defeated George Washington, 4-2 and Evansville, 5-3 in the opening day of the Plainsman Invitational. The five-time SoCon Coach of the Year is only 2 wins away from his 1,000th career victory.