UTC buries ASU
From staff reports

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. — Appalachian State closed a tough 2008 softball season Friday with a 9-2 loss to No. 1 seed Chattanooga in the consolation round of the Southern Conference Tournament.

The Mountaineers finish the 2008 SoCon Tournament with a 1-2 record at the Patriots Point Athletic Complex. The Mountaineers finish the year with a 11-37 record.

The Mountaineers’ offense was anemic early in the game, recording their first hit in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ashley Gaston hit a single into left field. The Mountaineers stranded two runners in scoring position in the inning and in the sixth, the Mountaineers left two more on base.

Chattanooga’s offense was steady, scoring a single run in four separate innings before adding three in the sixth to up the lead to 7-0. A two-run home run in the seventh extended the margin to 9-0.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, ASU’s Stephanie Long mashed her second home run of the season down the left-field line. The solo bomb stayed fair by a matter of inches.

Later in the inning, Andrea McIntyre laced a single up the middle to drive in Tiffany Hensley.

The Mountaineer rally was snuffed out two batters later as freshman first team All-SoCon selection Katie Boyd lined out to short to end the game.

Boyd closed the season with a .386 batting average to rank second on the Appalachian State all-time single-season batting chart. She has a seven point lead in the SoCon batting title race.

Appalachian State pitcher Kayla Richardson was charged with all seven runs in 5 2/3 inning’s work. She allowed nine hits while fanning four and walking four.

She was replaced by Teri Fister, who finished the game on the mound for the Mountaineers. She allowed two runs off two hits with a strikeout.

The game was delayed by an hour and 45 minutes due to heavy rain prior to first pitch.