2005 - 2006 Tigers Softball Team

Lady Tigers...4th In The Nation

Season Ends with Fourth Place Finish at the Nationals

Facing the daunting task of needing to win four games in a row to win the tournament, the Lady Tigers lost to Gulf Coast 4-1 to end a remarkable tournament and season with an overall record of 55-14.  While out hitting Gulf Coast 5-3, Chattanooga State was not able to string any hits together.  Melissa Hendon who pitched six innings started and gave way to Kala Cooper for one inning.  Gulf Coast scored two in the second and two in the seventh.  The Lady Tigers lone run came in the third on an RBI single by India Turner.  Joining Turner with hits were Kala Cooper, Hendon, Dana Kirtley and Boo Leftwich.

Statistically for the tournament the Lady Tigers batted .304 as a team.  Melissa Hendon batted .500 followed by Boo Leftwich at .438, Kala Cooper .350, Vicki McCoy .316, Dana Kirtley .316, and India Turner .294.  Turner belted two home runs and knocked in seven, while Cooper and McCoy each scored five runs. 

Pitching wise, Cooper won three games with an ERA of 1.75 and pitched 16 innings while Hendon tossed 15 innings including the complete game shutout versus Odessa.  Tiffany Walker had a 1.27 ERA and threw 11 innings as the combined ERA for the staff was 1.83. 

While going 4-2 in the tournament the Lady Tigers out hit their opponents 48-24 and outscored them 23-16.       

Fourth Win in a Row

With every game do or die the Lady Tigers took on Odessa College and won 6-0 behind Melissa Hendon who struck out 12, giving up just one hit.  With a little bit of pay back for last years national tournament loss to Odessa, Chattanooga State scored five runs in the first three innings to assure them of at least a final four finish.  Vicki McCoy, Hendon and Boo Leftwich each had two hits while India Turner banged out a homerun and knocked in two.  Kala Cooper, Brittany Kopcsak, Tiffany Walker and Dana Kirtley each had one hit.  Hendon and Kirtley chipped in with one RBI.  

Cooper and Walker Toss Two Hitter

In their second game on the second day of the tournament Kala Cooper and Tiffany Walker combined on a two hitter as Chattanooga State shutout Louisburg College 4-0.  Jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first the Lady Tigers won their third game of the nationals while banging out seven hits.  Vicki McCoy and Melissa Hendon had two hits each while Cooper, Christina Haskew and Boo Leftwich contributed one each.  Cooper picked up her third win.  In her energy conservation strategy Coach Randolph continued changing pitchers every two innings.

India Strikes Again

 Jefferson College should have scouted the Region VII tournament.  If they had they would probably be still playing and the lady Tigers would have been on the bus to Chattanooga.  With two out and two runners on base, India Turner hit a monster three-run homer to give the Lady Tigers the lead in the top of the seventh inning.  Down 2-0, Brittany Kopcsak ground a one out single up the middle.  After the second out of the inning Kala Cooper doubled home the Lady Tigers first run.  Vicki McCoy lined a single into left field setting up the heroics for Turner.  In the 4-2 victory, Coach Beth Keylon-Randolph employed a strategy to save her pitchers by pitching all three pitchers a minimum of two innings each.  Cooper was the winner while Melissa Hendon picked up the save.  Tiffany Walker tossed the middle three innings, giving up only two hits.  The Lady Tigers were spearheaded in the nine hit attack by Dana Kirtley who had three hits and Hendon who had two. 

Blown Lead...Come From Behind Victory...Lady Tigers Stay Alive

In what has become the trade mark of 2006 Chattanooga State softball, the Lady Tigers came from behind to beat Lake Land College 7-6 with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Jumping off to a 4-0 lead after the first inning, the Lady Tigers saw Lake Land chip away and eventually take a 6-4 lead.  In the bottom of the sixth Boo Leftwich singled and was sacrificed to second by Brittany Kopcsak.  Kala Cooper followed the second out of the inning by reaching base on a single.  Vicki McCoy stepped to the plate and after a Cooper stolen base and with two strikes, promptly singled in two runs to tie the score at six.  Melissa Hendon followed McCoy with the game winning RBI in giving Kala Cooper the win.  Tiffany Walker pitched 5 innings and was credited with the save.   

Lady Tigers Open Nationals with a Loss

After winning their 13th region championship in a row the Lady Tigers started the national tournament on Thursday May 18 on a down note by losing to the tournaments number 11 seed, Southeastern Community College 4-1.  In a game that saw the Lady Tigers play like they were physcially spent from their dramatic region win, the number six ranked team in the tournament could only muster five hits.  Melissa Hendon, Dana Kirtley, Kala Cooper Christina Haskew and Boo Leftwich each had one hit while Hendon took the loss.  With the score knotted at one in the sixth Southeastern pushed across a run to take the lead and for insurance scored two in the seventh.     

TIGERS, TJCCAA/NJCAA REGION VII SOFTBALL CHAMPIONS
13 CONSECUTIVE YEARS!

In 9 innings, the Tigers won the TJCCAA/NJCAA Region VII Tournament 5 to 4.  The Tigers will represent the Region at the National Tournament.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW  REGION TOURNAMENT BRACKETS

REGULAR SEASON ENDS... THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY

• Final game score: 15-0 over Volunteer State on April 27

• Overall season record: 47-11

• Conference record: 27-3

27TH ON THE 27TH
Melissa Hendon won her 27th game by beating Volunteer State 3-1 on April 27. In a game where the Lady Tigers had nine hits injured Brittany Kopcsak drove in the first run in the first inning with a single to right field and India Turner drove in runs two and three with a double in the 5th inning. In moving their overall record to 46-11 and conference mark to 26-3 Boo Leftwich had three hits while Vickie McCoy and Dana Kirtley had two hits each.

COLD BATS
The Lady Tiger bats went cold on a hot day as Motlow State scored three runs in the first inning and won 3-1. With only four hits the Lady Tigers overall records dropped to 45-11 and 25-3. Tiffany Walker drove in the only Lady Tiger run setting up a key conference doubleheader against Volunteer State on April 27.

HENDON DOES IT AGAIN
Once again Melissa Hendon did it with her arm and bat as she won her 26th game of the season by giving up only three hits and hitting a 3-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Lady Tigers a 4-1 win over host Motlow State on April 25. While striking out 10 the Lady Tigers increased their conference mark to 25-2 and overall record to 45-10. Vicki McCoy, India turner and Christina Haskew chipped in with one hit each. Haskew joined Hendon in the four run ninth with one RBI.

WALKER WINS 16TH
The Lady Tigers ended April 23 by beating Cleveland State 6-0. Tiffany Walker gave up one hit and won her 16th game of the season. The 44-10 Lady tigers led by India Turner whose round tripper drove in two runs. Vicki McCoy, Christina Haskew and Melissa Hendon had tow hits each while Dana Kirtley and Kala Cooper each had one. In moving their conference record to 24-2 Hendon drove in tow while Kirtley and Haskew had one RBI each.

PERFECT FIELDING
Rebounding from their fielding woes at Volunteer State the Lady Tigers scored 14 runs on 14 hits and were flawless in the field beating Cleveland State 14-0 in the five-inning game on April 23.  Melissa Hendon won her 25th game and gave up one hit as Mandy Matthews Tiffany Walker and Christina Haskew each drove in three runs each.  Boo Leftwich knocked in three while India Turner led the way with five RBI’s increasing the Lady Tigers overall record to 43-10 and conference record to 23-2. 

HANDFUL OF ERRORS
Poised to win the second game of the doubleheader vs. Volunteer State the Lady Tigers stepped out of character and committed five errors in losing 4-2.  Leading 2-0 in the seventh inning, Volunteer State capitalized on two errors to score four runs as the Lady Tigers overall record dropped to 42-10.  Kala Cooper had two hits and drove in one run while Tiffany Walker, Vicki McCoy Melissa Hendon and Emily Barker each had one hit.  Barker also had one RBI in the non-conference game.

EXTRA, EXTRA, EXTRA ON APRIL 19
Trailing Volunteer State 6-4 in the seventh inning the Lady Tigers scored a deuce to knot the score at six and then went on to score one in the 10th to improve their overall record to 42-9.  In the non-conference match up Hendon won her 24th going the distance and striking out 13.  India Turner had two homeruns and four RBI’s while Dana Kirtley, Kala Cooper and Boo Leftwich each had two.  Vicki McCoy and Hendon had one hit each as Kirtley and Leftwich combined for three RBI’s.     

TURNER, WALKER AND KIRTLEY…9-FOR-10 IN 9-1 WIN
The Lady Tigers exploded for nine runs on 14 hits in the second game of the April 18 doubleheader beating Walters State 9-1.  Tiffany Walker won her 15th game and helped her own cause with three hits and three RBI’s including a homerun.  India Turner and Dana Kirtley had three hits and two RBI’s each as the Lady Tigers improved their conference record to 22-2 and overall record to 41-9.  Rounding out the 14-hit attack with one hit each were Vicki McCoy, Christina Haskew, Kala Cooper, Emily Barker and Boo Leftwich.        

HENDON WINS 23RD
April 18 saw Melissa Hendon win her 23rd game by shutting out Walters State 3-0 on two hits while striking out eight.  In moving their overall record to 40-9 and conference mark to 21-1 three Lady Tigers drove in one run each; Tiffany Walker, Christina Haskew and Dana Kirtley.  Kala Cooper had two hits as Walker, Haskew, Emily Barker, and Boo Leftwich each had one.

GOOD FRIDAY ENDS BAD
The Lady Tigers started where they left off by scoring two runs in the first inning of the second game of the doubleheader vs. Motlow State.  In the second and third innings Motlow scored a total of four runs to take a 4-2 lead.  With the Lady Tigers collecting eight hits and committing three errors it took a two run rally in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game.  Starter Tiffany Walker gave way to Melissa Hendon to start the seventh inning.  That move was greeted by a homerun giving Motlow State the eventual 5-4 win.  India Turner had two hits and Walker had two RBI’s as Vicki McCoy, Brittany Kopcsak, Hendon, Kala Cooper and Boo Leftwich each chipped in with one hit each.  The Lady Tigers move into the Easter weekend with an overall record of 39-9 and conference mark of 20-2.

HENDON SHUTS OUT MOTLOW STATE
Melissa Hendon started off Good Friday by winning her 22nd game by shutting out Motlow State 7-0 while giving up only four hits and driving in two runs to help her own cause.  The Lady Tigers jumped off to a 5-0 lead by scoring five in the first inning.  Tiffany Walker banged out three hits for the 39-8 Tigers who moved their conference record to 20-1.  Brittany Kopcsak, Hendon and India Turner each had two hits as Vicki McCoy and Christina Haskew each tallied one.

COOPER COMPLETES SECOND SWEEP WITH SHUTOUT
In the second game of the Hiwassee doubleheader Kala Cooper won the run rule game by a score of 11-0.  Tiffany Walker completed a five homerun day by belting two out of the park to lead the 12 hit attack.  The Lady Tigers enter the Good Friday doubleheader vs. Motlow State with a conference record of 19-1 and overall mark of 38-8.

HENDON NO-HITS “HOME TEAM” HIWASSEE
Hiwassee visited Chattanooga State as the “home team” on April 11 as their real home field was not playable due to weather conditions.  Melissa Hendon greeted them by pitching a no hitter and hitting one of six Lady Tiger homeruns in the 10-0 victory.  Tiffany Walker put on a show by belting three round trippers and India Turner hit two.  In winning her 21st game Hendon moved the Lady Tiger overall record to 37-8 and conference record to 18-1.

WALKER WINS IN SWEEP
Tiffany Walker won her 14th game of the season as the Lady Tigers completed the doubleheader sweep of Hiwassee with a 7-0 win.  With a 36-8 record Chattanooga State banged out 12 hits to move their conference record to 17-1.  India Turner had three’s across the board; three at bats, three hits and three RBI’s.  Walker and Boo Leftwich rounded out the Lady Tigers that had multiple hits with two hits each.

BOO LEFTWICH:  SIX RBI’S IN 12-0 WIN
Boo Leftwich drove in six runs in the opening game of the April 10 contest vs. Hiwassee College.  Kala Cooper won the 12-0 game as the Lady Tigers scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth making it a run rule game.  Cooper with three hits and two RBI’s joined Leftwich who also had a homerun to account for eight out of the twelve Lady Tiger runs. 

15-HIT ATTACK
The 34-8 Lady Tigers completed a successful April 9 by beating Columbia State 8-7 to move their conference mark to 15-1.  Scoring six runs in the first the Lady Tigers used a 15-hit attack to hold off Columbia State as pitchers Tiffany Walker and Melissa Hendon split the seven innings.  Vickie McCoy was a perfect 4-for-4 and Walker had three hits and two RBI’s.  Emily Barker drove in two runs while India Turner, Brittany Kopcsak and Hendon each knocked in a run.

HENDON AND HENDON
In the opening game on April 9 vs. Columbia State it was Melissa Hendon the pitcher and Melissa Hendon the batter who carried the lady tigers to a 4-1 victory.  Hendon in winning her 20th game, struck out 11 and hit a two run homer in the sixth inning to assure that Chattanooga State moved their overall record to 33-8 and conference record to 14-1.  Christina Haskew’s round tripper in the second tied the score while India Turner chipped in with one RBI to give the Lady Tigers the lead for good.     

10 RUNS AGAIN
Ten was the number on April Fools day as the Lady Tigers beat Jackson State in the second game of the day by scoring another 10 runs in the 10-2 victory giving Tiffany Walker her 11th win of the season.  Melissa Hendon hit her 10th homerun of the season with 2 RBI’s while Mandy Matthews, Emily Barker, India Turner Kala Cooper and Boo Leftwich each had two hits each.  The five inning win moved Lady Tiger softball to an overall mark of 30-8 with a conference record of 11-1.

18-HIT ATTACK
On Saturday April 1 the Lady Tigers beat Jackson State 10-0 in the first game of a conference doubleheader.  Melissa Hendon won her 18th game combining with Kala Cooper on the five inning shutout.  Chattanooga State had six players with two hits each while Boo Leftwich banged out three hits.  Hendon supported the cause with three RBI’s while India Turner hit a homerun with two RBI’s.  With a conference mark of 10-1 and an overall record of 29-8 the Lady Tigers are now exclusively conference games. 

GAME TWO VS. DYERSBURG...MORE OF THE SAME
The Lady Tigers completed the March 31 sweep of Dyersburg with an 11-1 win.  Melissa Hendon teamed up with Kala Cooper to win her 17th game of the season.  India Turner and Emily Barker cracked homeruns in the barrage of 14 hits.  Brittany Kopcsak was a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI’s while Many Matthews banged out two hits and knocked in two.  Kala Cooper had two hits while Nicole Lyons, Hendon, Vicki McCoy and Tiffany Walker had one hit apiece.

With a season record of 28-8 and a conference mark of 8-1 the Lady Tigers will host Jackson State on Saturday April 1.

5-INNING WIN
Dyersburg State arrived amidst the threat of rain and lost to the Lady Tigers 9-1 in the first game of a conference doubleheader.  Melissa Hendon won her 16th game and was 2-for-2 at the plate including a homerun.  Chattanooga State moved their overall conference record to 27-8 behind a 13 hit attack.  India Turner, Christina Haskew, Emily Barker and Boo Leftwich at two hits each as the Lady Tigers scored four runs in the second and five in the third.  The five inning win gives the Lady Tigers a conference record of 8-1.

WALKER SHUTS OUT WALTERS STATE
Scoring in every inning but the second the Lady Tigers bounced back in the second game of the doubleheader and run ruled Walters State 8-0 in six innings.  Tiffany Walker won her 10th game of the season in giving up four hits.  Walker and Melissa Hendon hit homeruns in the 10 hit attack.  India Turner walked four times giving her seven walks on the day as the Lady Tigers scored four times in the sixth to assure the victory.  In bettering their overall record to 26-8 and conference record to 7-1, Brittany Kopcsak had three hits and two RBI’s. Hendon had two hits and three RBI’s.  Christina Haskew and Kala Cooper had two hits a piece while Walker added one.       

STRANDED
Thursday, March 30 the Lady Tigers traveled to Morristown TN and in game one of the conference doubleheader stranded 12 runners on base and lost 2-1 in eight innings.  Chattanooga State took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning only to see Walters State tie the game with a homerun.  In the eighth inning with the score tied at one, Walters State scored the winning run when Elisha Collins turned an intentional walk into a game winning RBI by reaching across the plate and dumping the ball down the right field line.  The Lady Tigers had runners throughout the game with via five hits, four walks and two Walters State errors.  The conference loss was only the fourth in Coach Beth Keylon-Randolph’s 4 ½ year coaching stint. Chattanooga State has an overall record of 25-8 and a conference mark of 6-1.          

WINTER WONDERLAND
With temperatures dropping into the 20’s and snowflakes hitting the bus windshield the Lady Tigers traveled to Columbia Kentucky on March 25 to face Monroe Community College out of New York.  Scheduled to play two games and with the schedule running behind Chattanooga State hit the field 2 ½ hours late.  After a meeting between the players from both teams, it was decided due to weather conditions that only one game would be played.

The Lady Tigers then proceeded to run rule Monroe by a score of 10-0.  Melissa Hendon won her 15th game while pitching a no hitter and striking out 14.  In knocking out 12 hits the Lady Tigers scored four runs in the first keyed by a two run double by Megan Blake.  Tiffany Walker hit a homerun and drove in three while India Turner had three hits and three RBI’s.  Brittany Kopcsak was a perfect 3-for-3 with 2 RBI’s and Boo Leftwich was 2-for-2 as Chattanooga State scored in every inning of the 4 ½ inning game.  With Chattanooga State running wild with five stolen bases, batters Kala Cooper, Vicki McCoy, Blake and Walker had one hit each.

The Lady Tigers take their 25-7 record to play conference rival Walters State at Morristown TN on Thursday March 30.

RUN RULE II
In the sequel to “Run Rule” Chattanooga State run ruled Roane State 16-0 in the second game of the conference doubleheader as Tiffany Walker pitched a perfect game to win her 9th game of the year.  With an overall mark of 24-7 the Lady Tigers used the hot hitting of Melissa Hendon to stay perfect in conference with a 6-0 record.  Hendon went 3-for-3 with two homeruns and four RBI’s.  Walker joined the homerun derby with her second of the day to go with a double and two RBI’s.  Vicki McCoy was on base three times and India Turner had a perfect 3-for-3.  Emily Barker, Kala Cooper and Boo Leftwich all had doubles to round out the hot hitting on a cold day.

Saturday March 25 the Lady Tigers travel to Columbia Kentucky to play Monroe Community College out of New York.

RUN RULE
Friday March 24, on their way to a run rule game Lady Tiger pitcher Melissa Hendon had allowed only four balls to be put in play in four innings.  In the fifth inning with the game already decided Hendon gave up Roane State’s only hit as Chattanooga State won the first game of the conference doubleheader 13-0.  Tiffany Walker, Vicki McCoy and Hendon hit three run homers as the Lady Tigers scored in every inning of the run rule game.  Hendon plated four in her 14th win of the season.  Kala Cooper, Hendon and McCoy each had two hits while Walker, Brittany Kopcsak, Dana Kirtly, Megan Blake, Mandy Matthews and Boo Leftwich chipped in with one hit apiece.

CLEVELAND STATE SWEPT
The Lady Tigers moved their overall record to 22-7 by completing the two game sweep of Cleveland State by a score of 12-3.  In the six inning game on March 23, Tiffany Walker won her 8th game of the season while hitting her seventh homerun of the season.  Spraying 16 hits all over the field the game featured a 3-run inside the park homerun by Boo Leftwich.  Vicki McCoy raised her on base percentage to .514 with two hits while Walker, India Turner, Brittany Kopcsak Emily Barker and Leftwich had two hits each.  Kala Cooper ran and hit her way to three hits as Chattanooga State had another five run inning in the third. 

The Lady Tigers take a 4-0 conference record into their home opener against conference foe Roane State on Friday March 24.

LADY TIGERS ROUTE CLEVELAND STATE IN GAME ONE
Melissa Hendon had two hits and one RBI in winning her 13th game as the Lady Tigers beat Cleveland State 10-2 in five innings on March 23.  Scoring five runs in the first inning, Chattanooga State banged out 12 hits in the game as Tiffany Walker and Vicki McCoy’s timely hitting were the catalyst to the win.  Walker had three hits and four times McCoy reached base and sacrificed in runs to assure the game would ended at the end of five.  Megan Blake drove in three runs while Brittany Kopcsak had two RBI’s.  India Turner drove in one run on two hits as Dana Kirtley, Kala Cooper, Boo Leftwich and Blake had one hit each.       

LADY TIGERS OPEN CONFERENCE PLAY WITH SOUTHWEST SWEEP
Beth Keylon-Randolph and her coaching staff breathed a collective sigh of relief as Melissa Hendon rebounded from a previous week arm injury to win her 12th game of the season by beating Southwest 14-0. Hendon showed no sign of the much talked about injury as Chattanooga State scored 12 runs in the second inning in their first conference win.  Vicki McCoy had three hits and scored three runs, while Tiffany Walker and Boo Leftwich each plated three.  Kala Cooper lashed out two hits and scored two runs as teammates Christina Haskew Hendon, Brittany Kopcsak, Megan Blake and Leftwich each had one hit.

Tiffany Walker pitched and hit the Lady Tigers to a 9-1 win in the second game improving Chattanooga State’s record to 20-7 and conference mark to 2-0.  Walker hit a homerun and drove in three.  Leftwich had three RBI’S and Kopcsak knocked in two.  Dana Kirtley, Emily Barker and Cooper joined Walker with two hits each as McCoy, Kopcsak, Leftwich and Blake each had one.  Walker pitched the complete game for her seventh win of the season.

The Lady Tigers travel to Cleveland TN on March 23 to play a conference doubleheader vs. the Cougars of Cleveland State.        

FOUR HITS IN 3-2 LOSS
Physically spent the Lady Tigers ended the Hanceville Tournament on March 12 by losing 3-2 to Jefferson College in eight innings.  Only able to find four hits from Christina Haskew, Brittany Kopcsak, Boo Leftwich and pinch hitter Melissa Hendon Chattanooga State limps home to recover and ready itself for conference play.  Pitching in her fifth game of the tournament Tiffany Walker who pitched 6.1 innings gave way to an injured Kala Cooper as the 18-7 Lady Tigers lost their third game of the three day tournament. 

Chattanooga State opens conference play on the road vs. Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis on March 18.

LADY TIGERS FALL TO CONFERENCE RIVAL 
Pitching in her fourth game of the tournament a determined Tiffany Walker was not enough to beat Columbia State in a 4-2 loss.  The Tiger bats went cold as they were only able to muster seven scattered hits during the game.  Brittany Kopcsak hit a homerun and Christina Haskew dropped in two hits.  Vicki McCoy, Kala Cooper, Megan Blake and Boo Leftwich each had one hit as the Lady Tigers saw their record drop to 18-6.

TIFFANY WALKER OPENS DAY TWO BY WINNING HER SIXTH
On the second day of the Hanceville tournament the Lady tigers picked up where they left off by beating Enterprise 11-2.  Tiffany Walker won her sixth game of the season as she and her teammates scored 11 runs in three innings.  Dana Kirtley had two hits and drove in three runs while India Turner hit a homerun.  Vicki McCoy and Kala Cooper had three hits each.  The 18-5 Lady Tigers were also supported by lead off hitter Christina Haskew and Brittany Kopcsak each banging out one hit.

CHATTANOOGA STATE BOUNCES BACK WITH 13-4 WIN
Facing the loss of Melissa Hendon for the remainder of the Hanceville Tournament the Lady tigers came out swinging, taking out their frustrations on Shelton State with a 13-4 win.  Tiffany Walker pitching in her second game of the day took the win with a cameo appearance by Boo Leftwich.  Brittany Kopcsak was 4-for-4 and drove in two runs while second place hitter Vicki McCoy had one hit and three RBI’S.

Megan Blake and Boo Leftwich had three hits each and Walker helped herself with two hits.  Dana Kirtley hit her first homerun of the season as the Lady Tigers ended the win with a record of 17-5.

HENDON INJURED IN OPENING OF HANCEVILLE TOURNAMENT
The story was not the Lady Tigers taking a loss at the hands of Tallahassee 5-4 but it was Melissa Hendon leaving the game with an injured shoulder after pitching one inning.  Down by three the Lady Tigers battled back behind Tiffany walker to take a 4-3 lead, but to no avail.  Tallahassee scored one in the sixth and one in the seventh to win the game and drop Chattanooga State’s record to 16-5.  India Turner had two hits, a homerun and four RBI’S to account for the scoring.  Vicki McCoy went 2-for-4 while Walker, Megan Blake and Brittany Kopcsak chipped in with one hit each.

LADY TIGERS NO-HIT CARL SANDBURG
March 8 was a historic day for Lady Tiger softball as Melissa Hendon and Tiffany Walker each pitched a no hitter, with Walker’s game being a perfect game.  In game one Chattanooga State scored a total of nine runs in the first four innings.  Hendon supported her own cause by hitting a homerun as did India Turner.  Christina Haskew, Vicki McCoy, Tiffany Walker, Kala Cooper, Turner and Hendon had two hits each.  Boo Leftwich also contributed a single in the 12 hit attack.

In the second game as Walker coaxed an out from every hitter she faced the Lady Tigers banged out 15 hits and had six run innings in the second and third.  Christina Haskew and Boo Leftwich had 3 hits each.  India Turner, Kala Cooper and Megan Blake each had two hits.  Haskew drove in four runs in the five inning game.  With an overall record of 16-4 Chattanooga State travels to Hanceville Alabama on March 9 for a three day tournament.

LADY TIGERS WIN TOURNAMENT AS NUMBER ONE SEED

The Lady Tigers moved into Sunday's elimination play as the number one seed of the Enterprise Community College tournament based on pool play.

Chattanooga State (12-4, 0-0) opened the elimination bracket by beating LBW 12-1, using three pitchers and scoring nine runs in the first inning.  Brittany Kopcsak had four RBI’S and India Turner drove in three as the Lady Tigers continued the tournament with an 11 hit attack.  Vicki McCoy and Kala Cooper joined Kopcsak with two hits each.  Melissa Hendon won her ninth game of the season.

In the second game on Sunday the Lady Tigers (13-4, 0-0) bested first day opponent Faulkner State 7-1 behind the pitching of Melissa Hendon and Tiffany Walker. Walker won her third game of the season, hit a home run and drove in two runs.  Hendon had two hits, including a home run and two RBI’S as Chattanooga State scored four runs in the first inning.  Christina Haskew and Vicki McCoy continued to set the table with two hits each in the 11 hit attack.

In the championship game Chattanooga State (14-4, 0-0) was pitted against Chipola Community College.  The Lady Tigers won 5-1 coming back from a 1-0 first inning deficit.  After knotting the score at one in the fourth, Brittany Kopcsak hit a three-run homer in the sixth when the Lady Tigers scored four times to take the lead for good.  Melissa Hendon won her 10th game while driving in a run to go with another India Turner RBI.  Vicki McCoy ended the day with two runs scored as she batted .529 for the five game weekend.

For the tournament Brittany Kopcsak added two home runs and 11 RBI’S and Tiffany Walker hit three homers while driving in nine.  Hendon, Leftwich and Kala Cooper all batted .400 or better and Haskew and Turner added five game averages of .389 and .364.

Hendon did not give up an earned run in 15 innings while Walker pitched 13 innings with an ERA of 1.38.

The Lady Tigers travel to Hanceville Alabama to play in a weekend tournament beginning March 10.

LADY TIGERS OPEN TOURNAMENT WITH TWO WINS

Saturday March 4 the Chattanooga State (10-4, 0-0) opened the Enterprise Community College Tournament by beating Faulkner State 14-4 and Southern Union 9-2.  In the five inning game against Faulkner, Chattanooga State scored five in the first, one in the second, six in the third and two in the fourth. Melissa Hendon pitched three innings of no hit ball and went 2-for-3 with two RBI'S in notching her eighth win of the season.  Tiffany Walker was 2-for-3 including a 3-run homer while driving in 4 runs.  Christina Haskew leading off for the first time since her junior year in high school was 2-for-4 with three runs scored. Brittany Kopcsak was 2-for-3 with two RBI'S.  Vicki McCoy, Mallory Simmons, Mandy Matthews, Boo Leftwich, India Turner and Emily Barker all chipped in with one hit each.

In the 9-2 win over Southern Union Tiffany Walker gave up five hits and supported her own cause by walking twice, while driving in four runs, with another 3-run homer. Vicki McCoy had three hits including a triple and Boo Leftwich ended her day by going 2-for-3.  Brittany Kopcsak continued her afternoon by lashing a double and a homerun as lead off hitter Christina Haskew banged out another two hits.  India Turner drove in another two runs with one hit.  On the day the Lady Tigers (11-4, 0-0) had a total of 24 hits.

THURSDAY, MARCH 2 - TIGERS SPLIT WITH KING COLLEGE VARSITY

Chattanooga State Lady Tiger Softball (9-4, 0-0) traveled to Bristol Tennessee and split a doubleheader with King College varsity winning the first game 6-3 and dropping the second 2-1.  Melissa Hendon moved her record to 7-2 while pitching five scoreless innings.  Hendon also helped her cause by driving in two runs in the first game victory.  Tiffany Walker doubled twice and scored two runs while Christina Haskew had two hits and a RBI.  Boo Leftwich doubled and singled.

After giving up two runs in the first inning, second game pitcher Tiffany Walker settled down to strike out 10 while giving up four hits.  Down 2-0 the Lady Tigers mounted a rally and scored one run in the seventh inning.  Haskew tripled and scored but the Lady Tigers were unable to push across any more runs in the disappointing loss.

LADY TIGER GAME... PANAMA CITY BEACH CLASSIC, FEBRUARY 24-26

The Lady Tigers (4-2) started their six game series in Panama City at the Beach Classic by being shutout twice on Friday February 24.  In the first game the Lady Tigers lost in a less then spirited effort 2-0 to Lakeland Community College.  Tiffany Walker started and in 4 1/3 innings struck out five and gave up four hits.  In the third inning Lakeland led off with a home run and pushed across another run aided by two errors.  Kala Cooper, Walker, India Turner and Megan Blake each singled in the loss.

In the second game of the day the Lady Tigers (4-3) bounced back only to lose to Gulf Coast Community College 1-0.  Melissa Hendon pitched a complete game while not giving up an earned run.  Gulf Coast scored one in the first as a Chattanooga State pass ball led to the unearned run.  The Lady Tigers who had several opportunities to score were led in hitting by India Turner with two hits.  Boo Leftwich, Tiffany Walker, Emily Barker and Brittany Kopcsak each had one hit.

On Saturday February 25, Melissa Hendon notched her third win of the young season by beating Tallahassee Community College 2-1.  Hendon struck out 12 and once again did not give up an earned run.  India Turner continued her torrid hitting with two hits including a triple and driving in a run while Hendon supported her own cause with a hit and an RBI.  The Lady Tigers (5-3) scored their two runs in the sixth to overcome a one run deficit.  Hendon had the game winning RBI.

Saturday afternoon saw the Lady Tigers (6-3) play their most exciting game of the season.  In 8 innings they beat Darton Community college 10-9 on a walk off two run home run by India Turner.  Three pitchers did not keep Darton in check as Chattanooga State committed three errors to keep the game interesting.  Melissa Hendon won her fourth game while striking out 10 in 5 1/3 innings.  The Lady Tigers pounded out 17 hits to mount four different comebacks during the game.  Interspersed among the hits were four home runs; Tiffany Walker to tie the game in the first, Hendon in the fourth, Brittany Kopcsak to lead off the seventh and Turner’s game winner in the eighth.  Emily Barker was 4-4 while Hendon, Kopscak, Christina Haskew and Vicki McCoy each had two hits.  Tiffany Walker scored three runs.

On Sunday February 26 the Lady Tigers (7-3) started the day by beating Wallace-Hanceville 3-0.  In the complete game shutout Melissa Hendon struck out seven and gave up four hits in winning her fifth game of the season.  India Turner picked up where she left off in the morning by going 3-3 including a home run in the fourth inning to give Chattanooga State a 1-0 lead.  The game stayed 1-0 until the seventh inning when Turner led off with a single and one out later Hendon blasted a homerun that ultimately gave the Lady Tigers the 3-0 win.  Boo Leftwich and Christina Haskew each had one hit to round out the six hit attack.

The Lady Tigers (8-3) left Panama City by beating Gadsden State 5-4 behind a 12 hit attack led by Boo Leftwich, Kala Cooper and Vicki McCoy who had two hits apiece.  Tiffany Walker hit a two run homer in the first and that was enough to keep the momentum in favor of Chattanooga State.  Melissa Hendon recorded the win to raise her season record to 6-2 as she came on in relief of Walker who pitched 4 2/3 innings.  Gadsden took the lead and went up 3-2 in the third inning only to see Cooper drive in two runs in the fourth to give the lead back to Chattanooga State 4-3.  Gadsden once again tied the score in the sixth only to see the Cooper lead off the seventh and eventually work her way around to score on an RBI fielder’s choice by India Turner.  Turner, Hendon, Emily Barker, Christina Haskew and Nicole Lyons had one hit each.

At the conclusion of the six game road trip, India Turner was batting .500, Vicki McCoy .400, Emily Barker .393, Melissa Hendon .382, Christina Haskew .323, Megan Blake .312, Boo Leftwich .305 and Kala Cooper .305.  Tiffany Walker, Turner and Hendon each have two home runs while Brittany Kopcsak has one.  Cooper leads the Lady Tigers in runs scored with six. 

To go with her 6-2 pitching record Hendon has a miniscule ERA of 0.78.   

TIGERS WIN SEASON OPENER
The Tigers won their season opener in St. Augustine, Florida by defeating Okaloosa-Walton 1-0.  Melissa Hendon pitched the shut-out. In the second game on Saturday afternoon, the Tigers faced Daytona Beach.  Tiffany Walker took the mound in the 5-4 win, and Sarah Warren pitched the final scoreless inning in relief.  In Game 3 of Saturday, the Tigers defeated St. John's River, 6-1.

In opening play on Sunday morning, Chattanooga State defeated Coastal Georgia 3-1.  Sunday afternoon, the Tigers lost to Florida Community College 5-1.

TIGERS RANKED NUMBER 2 NATIONALLY IN PRE-SEASON POLL
The NJCAA Pre-Season Poll ranked the Chattanooga State Tigers, number 2, second only to last year's NJCAA champion Central Arizona.  The Tigers will be led by sophomore pitcher Melissa Hendon (209 IP, 255 SO, 0.93 ERA, 31-4) and the power hitting of India Turner (.433, 18 HR, 69 RBI).  With the return of sophomore Sarah Warren (injured the majority of last season), and Freshmen talents, Tiffany Walker and Kala Cooper on the mound, Beth Keylon-Randolph's pitching staff looks to be one of the best in the nation.  

BROKEN DOWN AND RAINED OUT IN FLORIDA
As the Chattanooga State Softball team traveled to St. Petersburg on Thursday for their spring season opening, they were met with a series of unfortunate events that led to an early return on Saturday.  After just reaching Florida, their bus experienced a rare mechanical problem.  A trip that normally takes around nine hours ended after seventeen and a half hours on the road.  The late arrival had no effect on the team's desire to get their first game underway.  With growing anticipation, the team left for the game.  As they neared the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex, the team ran into the worst weather Florida has seen in a hundred years.  Due to the inclement weather, the tournament was cancelled, so Chattanooga State will play their season opener in St. Augustine on Saturday at 11AM against Okaloosa-Walton.

TIGERS CHRISTMAS PARTY

2004 - 2005 Tigers Softball Team

  Tigers Win 12th Consecutive Region VII Championship

The Tigers came back from the losers bracket on Monday to defeat Walters State 3-1 and 4-1 to win their 12th consecutive Region VII Championship.  The Lady Tigers will compete in Clermont, Florida next week for the National Championship.