Chattanooga claimed its 15th Southern Conference softball regular season title Friday night without ever stepping onto the field. On Saturday, in the rain, the Mocs secured the title outright with a 9-6 win over Western Carolina at Catamount Softball Field.
With bases loaded, Kendall Forsythe celebrated her graduation earlier Saturday with a grand slam to left center putting Chattanooga up 9-5 in the sixth inning.
Western Carolina hit the first two batters of the sixth before getting the next two out. However, with runners on the corners, Baileigh Pitts took a hit to the ribs, loading the bases for Forsythe. She broke the game open with a grand slam to left center after the Catamounts had tied it up in the fifth.
Chattanooga picked up its first run in the first inning. Kailey Snell, who also walked the stage at McKenzie Arena Saturday morning, reached on a throwing error by the shortstop and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Camryn Cernuto. Olivia Lipari singled to left center to put runners at the corners with one out. Pitts shot to short was fumbled and Snell scored the game’s first run.
Western Carolina got the run back on savvy base running by freshman Lily Bell. She led off the bottom of the first with a single to left field. On a successful sac bunt, Bell pushed the envelope and reached third, beating out the throw. A wild pitch with two out scored Bell, tying it up 1-1.
Goold closed out the inning with the first of her seven strikeouts.
The Mocs didn’t wait long to retake the lead. With two outs in the second, Acelynn Sellers drilled a home run over the fence in left center to put UTC up 2-1.
Two more runs crossed the plate in the third for the Mocs. Cernuto led off the inning with a double down the left field line and took third on a wild pitch. Pitts took a 0-1 pitch out of the park to centerfield, building the Mocs lead to 4-1.
In the fourth, with two on and two out and a pitching change, Lipari singled up the middle, scoring pinch runner Abi Pikas, running for Jayce Purdy who walked to lead off the inning.
Western Carolina made a serious cut in Chattanooga’s lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Two walks and a stolen base put runners at the corner with one out. The Mocs made a pitching change, but the Catamounts sent a run home and the other to third on a wild pitch. A double to left center made it a 5-3 game and the runner took third on a wild pitch in the next at bat for WCU.
A hard hit ball to third deflected off Kaili Phillips’ glove, but Snell was backing her up and threw out the runner at first. However, that drove in another run to cut Chattanooga’s lead to 5-4 in the fourth with the rain coming down.
The Mocs stranded a runner in the fifth and Western Carolina tied it 5-5 in the bottom of the inning on a single to score the lead off runner.
Goold returned to the circle with one out and the game tied in the fifth to get the final two outs.
Her win was secured on Forsythe’s grand slam in the sixth.
A home run for Western Carolina leading off the seventh made it a 9-6 game. But that’s all the Catamounts would get.
Pitts was 1-for-3 with three RBI and a home run. Lipari was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Forsythe was 2-for-4 with a grand slam. Sellers was 1-for-3 with a solo home run.
Goold left in the fourth with the lead but came back into the game in the fifth with the score tied to pick up her seventh win of the season.
Chattanooga and Western Carolina will play a double header Sunday beginning at Noon. Follow all the action online at GoMocs.com. Links are available online on the softball schedule page.
Chattanooga secured the No. 1 seed in the 2024 Southern Conference Softball Championship hosted by UNC Greensboro. The Mocs will play the 10:00 a.m. game on Thursday and will play the winner of Game 3 on Wednesday.