The Chattanooga softball team closed out the regular season Sunday with a sweep of Western Carolina. The Mocs won the first game 4-3 and claimed the second 8-6 on a sunny afternoon at the Catamount Softball Complex.
Chattanooga closed out the year at 38-15 overall and 16-5 in Southern Conference play. Western Carolina wrapped up the year at 16-33 overall and 7-14 in league play. UTC earned the No. 1 seed and will play Thursday, May 9 at 10:00 a.m. with its opponent to be determined. Western Carolina drew the No.
7 seed and will face No. 6 Furman in a single elimination first round game Wednesday, May 8 at 1:00 p.m.
Jayce Purdy went 5-for-7 in two games Sunday with five RBIs on two doubles and two home runs. She slugged 1.857 for the day and scored twice.
Presley Williamson, pinch hitting for Kendall Forsythe, drilled a two-run shot over the fence to deep centerfield in just her third plate appearance this season.
Peja Goold picked up the win in Game One Sunday and earned a save in the second.
GAME ONE: Chattanooga 4, Western Carolina 3
Chattanooga put up a pair of runs in the second, but fell behind 3-2 in the fifth. UTC tied it up in the sixth, added the game winner in the seventh and sat down the side in the bottom of the inning for the win.
Kendall Forsythe singled to left to lead off the second inning. Kaili Phillips sacrificed her over to second and Addy Keylon walked to put two runners on for Jayce Purdy. Her double down the left side drove in both runs to give the Mocs an early lead.
Western Carolina led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run to cut into Chattanooga’s lead. The Mocs made a pitching change, bringing in Taylor Long who got two strikeouts in the inning and stranded two.
The Catamounts scored two runs in the fifth to take the lead. The lead off batter singled and made it to second on a sac bunt. She scored on a double to centerfield, tying the game at 2-2. Another single scored the runner from second to give WCU its only lead.
In the top of the sixth, Olivia Lipari led off with a hit by pitch. A wild pitch moved her to second and Baileigh Pitts sacrificed her over to third. Kaili Phillips doubled to right field to score Lipari and the Mocs tied it up 3-3.
Peja Goold entered the game in the sixth with one runner on. She struck out her first batter and Purdy threw out the runner trying to steal second. After a walk, Goold recorded her second strikeout to end the inning.
Camryn Cernuto drew a walk with one out and stole second. Pitts doubled down the left field line, scoring Cernuto for the go ahead run.
The Cats went 1-2-3 in the seventh with two strikeouts and the Mocs won their fifth SoCon series of the year.
Purdy was 2-for-3 in the game with two RBI and a double. Phillips was 1-for-2 with a double, sac bunt and RBI. Pitts was 1-for-2 with a double, RBI, sac hit and a walk.
Goold won her eighth game, striking out four in two innings of work with one walk.
GAME TWO: Chattanooga 8, Western Carolina 6
Chattanooga scored eight runs on 10 hits including three home runs to take all three games from Western Carolina and earn its fourth series sweep of the season.
Jayce Purdy was 3-for-4 in the game with two home runs, a double, three RBI. Camryn Cernuto was 2-for-3 with a stolen base, two RBI and a run scored. Presley Williamson hit a two run shot to dead center field in her third place appearance in three games.
Kailey Snell led off the game with a single to third and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Cernuto singled to left field advancing Snell to third. The Catamount defense tried to throw her out at first when she went a bit too far down the baseline, but she slid back to first under the tag. Snell took off for home on the throw and was also in past the tag to put the Mocs up 1-0. Cernuto took second on the throw to home.
After a sac bunt to move her to third, however, she was left stranded.
The Cats got the run back in the bottom of the first after a lead off walk. The runner advanced to second on a ground out and third on a wild pitch before scoring on a fielding error. WCU stranded a pair, however, and the Mocs moved on.
With two outs in the second, Purdy sent a shot over the fence in left field to put Chattanooga up 2-1. She recorded her second home run of the game in the fourth, this time a two-run dinger, to give Chattanooga a 4-1 lead. With two outs, Addy Keylon reached on a single and scored on Purdy’s home run.
The fifth saw the Mocs add another run on the board. Snell led off with a single and Cernuto reached on a throwing error to put runners at the corners. Cernuto stole second and Lipari walked to load the bases.
With two outs and bases loaded, Anna Dovey pinch hit for Phillips and drew a walk to put UTC up 5-1.
Western Carolina mounted a fifth-inning comeback and tied the game. With runners in scoring position and two outs, a single and error scored two runs and a two-run home run in the next at bat tied the game 5-5.
The Mocs retook the lead in the sixth inning. Purdy led off with a double. Zoe Wright came in to run. She made it to third on a ground out and scored on Cernuto’s single to the shortstop.
Chattanooga added two more runs in the seventh. Pitts led off with a single. Abby Orr came in to run for Pitts and Williamson entered the game to pinch hit for Forsythe. Williamson took a 2-2 count to deep centerfield giving the Mocs and 8-5 lead.
A walk, single and error put runners at second and third for the Catamounts. The next batter struck out, but a successful steal attempt at second sent the runner from third to home for WCU’s sixth and final run. Goold, on in relief of Lamb, struck out the last two batters to close out the regular season.
Lamb went five innings to pick up her fourth win of the season. Goold went two, struck out four batters and gave up one run to get her third save of the season.
Chattanooga is the top seed in the 2024 Southern Conference Tournament that starts Wednesday at UNCG. UTC earns the bye to play its first game Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. UTC will learn its opponent after the second round of games on the first day.