CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Amber Harrell fell one out shy of her first career no-hitter and Eileen Horsmon hit her first career grand slam as fourth-seeded UNC Greensboro downed No. 1 seed Chattanooga 4-1 in the first round of the Southern Conference Championship on Thursday.
UNCG (26-28) will now face No. 2 seed Elon, a 3-2 winner over No. 3 Georgia Southern earlier Thursday, at 7:30 p.m.
Harrell was simply dominant against the Lady Mocs (39-15), facing just two batters over the minimum. Her lone mistake through the first six innings came in the bottom of the third, when she hit leadoff batter Kaiti Kelley with the first pitch.
The McDonough, Ga., senior was untouchable after that until the seventh, getting the first two outs in the inning before allowing Tiffany Baker's home run down the left field line to lose the no-hitter and the shutout.
Harrell recovered to strike out the next batter to end the game as UNCG knocked off the top seed in the tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Spartans didn't face the top seed last year.
The Spartans played some excellent defense behind Harrell to keep the no-hitter intact. In the bottom of the fourth inning, shortstop Kaitlin Merkt snared a line drive off the bat of Lauren Flores that seemed destined for extra bases.
In the fifth, Alex Emeterio made a nice backhanded snag at first to rob Kasey Tydingco of a single, while third baseman Emily Akiyama made an outstanding pickup on Kelley's grounder to end the inning.
Horsmon gave Harrell all the offense she would need in the top of the third, hitting a monster shot to put the Spartans on top 4-0. The grand slam was the first of her career and her sixth home run this season.
UNCG batted around in the inning, with Brittany Ausley drawing a leadoff walk. After Kristen Gabel followed with her second hit of the game, Emeterio sacrificed both runners over. Merkt reached on a fielder's choice as Chattanooga tried to get Ausley straying off third, but Ausley avoided the tag and got back to the bag to load the bases for Horsmon.
The freshman from Dunkirk, Md., wasted no time in putting UNCG on the board, depositing the first pitch she saw into the top row of stands in the bleachers beyond left field.
The Spartans missed a chance to add more in the frame, as the next two batters walked and Laura Olenderski hit a two-out single to reload the bases. Chattanooga reliever Nikki Waters got a groundout for the final out of the inning as the Lady Mocs avoided further damage.
Harrell evened her record at 14-14 on the year, striking out five. Brooke Loudermilk (17-12) took the loss for Chattanooga, as she was charged with two runs on three hits and two walks in two-plus innings of work. Waters worked the final five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks.
Horsmon finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBI, while Gabel was 2-for-4. It was Gabel's second straight two-hit game.
AGATE
UNC Greensboro 4, Chattanooga 1 (May 13, 2010 at Chattanooga,
Tenn.)
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UNC Greensboro...... 004 000 0 - 4 8
0 (26-28)
Chattanooga......... 000 000 1 - 1 1
0 (39-16)
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Pitchers: UNC Greensboro - Amber Harrell and Eileen Horsmon;
Whitney Sirois. Chattanooga -
Brooke Loudermilk; Nikki Waters(3) and Brittany Eason.
Win-Amber Harrell(14-14) Loss-Brooke Loudermilk(17-12)
T-1:41 A-391
HR UNCG - Eileen Horsmon (6).
HR UTC - Tiffany Baker (14).
Weather: 84 degrees, mostly cloudy
Loudermilk faced 2 batters in the 3rd.
- UNCG -