For the second-straight game, junior pitcher Celie Hudson tossed a complete game shutout to lift the Chattanooga Mocs softball team to a 6-0 series-sweeping victory over Western Carolina on Friday afternoon inside Jim Frost Stadium.
Chattanooga completes the three-game series sweep after earning a pair of wins in yesterday's doubleheader and improves to 29-12 overall and 7-5 in SoCon play. WCU fell to 17-26 and 4-10 in the league.
Chattanooga 6, Western Carolina 0
Junior pitcher Celie Hudson picked up her 17th start of the season while making back-to-back starts in the circle for Chattanooga on Friday afternoon.
She retired the first WCU hitters she faced before allowing the first hit of the game in the top of the third.
Hudson escaped the inning with no damage after picking up a strikeout and a pair of groundouts.
The scoring opened up in the bottom of the third when Halie Williamson launched a two-out, two-run homerun to left center, giving Chattanooga a 2-0 lead. Aly Walker scored on Williamson's homer after starting the rally with a one-out single.
UTC extended its lead to 3-0 in the fourth after Alyssa Coppinger laced her first homerun of the season, a two-out solo shot to left center. She worked a seven-pitch at-bat before homering on a full count.
Following Coppinger's homerun, Emily Coltharp drew a walk and Katie Corum was hit by a pitch in a pinch-hit appearance to land runners at first and second with two outs. Walker delivered with an RBI single to left, scoring Coltharp and putting UTC ahead 4-0.
Hudson continued to dazzle in the middle innings, retiring the Catamounts in order in the fourth while allowing just a single in the fifth to protect the four-run lead.
The offense added a run in each the fifth and sixth innings to amount the eventual final score of 6-0. A WCU throwing error pushed a run across before another RBI single off the bat of Walker capped things off.
Hudson stranded two Catamount runners in the sixth after she allowed a walk and hit a batter during the frame. A leadoff walk was issued in the seventh before a pair of strikeouts and a soft pop out to short secured the victory.
Hudson (10-8) fired a complete-game shutout for the second-straight game, allowing just two hits while striking out seven. She allowed three hits and struck out five in a complete game performance during yesterday's game two win.
Notable Performances: Celie Hudson (W, CG, 2H, 7K), Aly Walker (3-for-4, 2 RBI), Alyssa Coppinger (1-for-1, HR, RBI), Halie Williamson (1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI)
Chattanooga heads to Johnson City, Tenn., next weekend for a three-game Southern Conference series at ETSU on Saturday and Sunday (April 27-28). Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's series finale both carry a 1 p.m. start time.