The Chattanooga softball team beat ETSU 9-1 in Game One Friday afternoon and followed that with a 13-1 victory in the second game to improve to 23-8 overall and 5-0 in Southern Conference play.
The Mocs scored 22 runs on 23 hits that included three home runs and three triples. Kailey Snell went 6-for-7, scored five runs and swiped three bags. Olivia Lipari was 3-for-5 with six RBI over two games with a three-run home run and a triple. Kaili Phillips went 2-for-4 with five runs batted in and hit two over the fence.
CHATTANOOGA 9, ETSU 1/6 INNINGS The Mocs used a three-run blast and back-to-back-to-back triples to dominate the first game, beating the Bucs 9-1 in six innings.
A double down the right field line drove in a run and put ETSU on top 1-0 in the first inning.
It took until the third for the Mocs to tie and then take the lead over the Bucs.
The inning started with Addy Keylon taking first on a hit by pitch. Acelynn Sellers sacrificed her over to second and a single by Kailey Snell coupled with a muffed throw sent Keylon home. Camryn Cernuto singled through the right side and took second on the throw to third attempting to get Snell out. With two on, Olivia Lipari hit a three-run blast to left field to make it 4-1.
The Mocs added four more runs in the fourth to stretch the lead to 8-1. Sellers reached on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder and ended up at second. She took third on a wild pitch and scored when Cernuto hit it back at the pitcher.
After a pitching change, Cernuto stole second. Lipari, Pitts and Kendall Forsythe hit back-to-back-to-back triples, driving in three more runs to put Chattanooga up by seven.
Lipari picked up her fifth RBI of the game with a game-winning sac fly in the sixth. Snell started the sixth with a single. She stole second and advanced to third on Cernuto’s hit. Cernuto took second and Lipari sent a fly ball to right field for the game winning run by Snell.
Taylor Long did not make it easy for the Bucs as she claimed her 11th win of the season. She struck out a career-high 13 batters, also a season-high for Chattanooga and did not issue any free passes while allowing just one run through six innings.
CHATTANOOGA 13, ETSU 1/5 INNINGS The Mocs scored all 13 runs in the first three innings led by a pair of home runs from Kaili Phillips.
ETSU started the game with another run on an RBI single. The batter tried to stretch it to a double, but was thrown out by Addy Keylon from right.
Snell opened the Mocs bottom of the first with a single and stole second. With two outs, she made her way to third on a wild pitch where a single to center by Pitts sent her home to tie the game. Forsythe reached first on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder and both runners advanced on the error. Kaili Phillips drove the third pitch she faced over the fence in center field to put the Mocs up 4-1.
Chattanooga sat the Bucs down in order in the second and got to work in the bottom of the inning, adding six runs.
Keylon led off the second with a single to right center. Sellers got her second sac bunt of the day to move Keylon to second. Snell singled to left to put runners on the corners. Cernuto drove in Keylon and Snell advanced to second on a single to center. Lipari was hit by the pitch to load the bases.
Baileigh Pitts grounded out to second and drove in two runs with Snell and Cernuto crossing the plate.
Forsythe drove in Lipari from third on a single to make it an 8-1 game. Phillips launched a shot over the fence in right for her second home run in consecutive at-bats and consecutive innings. That stretched the lead to 10-1.
ETSU went down in order in the third and Chattanooga got back to business.
Keylon led off with a single and stole second. She advanced to third on a dropped third strike and scored on a single up the middle by Snell. She swiped second and was held on the base when Cernuto’s single went to the short stop. Lipari’s RBI single up the middle scored Snell and made it a 12-1 game.
The Mocs final score came on the next at bat, a ground out to score Cernuto.
Alyssa Lavdis, with her sixth win of the year, got three outs in the top of the fifth to close out the game. She struck out four in the contest, allowed one run and walked one.
The two teams will meet up Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Frost Stadium to close out the series.