The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team got off to a slow start offensively in the Southern Conference tournament Wednesday, but sophomore Brooke Loudermilk’s pitching gave the Lady Mocs a chance late in the game.

Top-seeded UTC rallied with three runs in the sixth inning to defeat No. 8 seed Western Carolina 3-1 in the first round of the tournament in Charleston, S.C.

Loudermilk struck out 14 Western Carolina batters in a complete-game performance, scattering seven hits and allowed only one unearned run in the top of the sixth.

“It was a big-time game for her,” UTC coach Frank Reed said. “She showed a lot of composure out there. She pitched like a senior.”

Redshirt freshman Tiffany Baker continued to show signs of breaking out of her seasonlong hitting slump, going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Baker said she is happy that her batting is finally coming around at the right time.

“I didn’t have anything to lose and everything to gain,” Baker said. “I had been hitting the ball hard all year, but just couldn’t get anything to fall until lately.”

UTC returns to action today in day two of the tournament, when they will take on No. 5 seed UNC Greensboro at 3 p.m.

Reed said the Lady Mocs need to score earlier in the game from now on if they want to have a chance at winning the tournament.

“We can’t continue to hang around like this,” Reed said. “Our goal is to go out and get runs early from here on out.”

SoCon honors

Fresh off her strong pitching performance, Loudermilk was named pitcher of the year for the second consecutive year by the Southern Conference at the conference awards banquet Wednesday night. UTC’s Michelle Fuzzard was named freshman of the year, and Reed was honored as coach of the year in the SoCon.

Georgia Southern’s Robyne Siliga was named conference player of the year.

In addition to Loudermilk and Fuzzard, UTC senior Tara Tembey and junior Laci Upchurch were named to the all-conference first team. Lady Mocs freshman Lyndsey Stiles was named to the second team.