The Chattanooga softball team retains its lead in the Southern Conference but must share it with Mercer after falling 6-3 to the Bears in the rubber game Sunday afternoon at Frost Stadium.
Mercer drove in three runs in the seventh inning, including a two-run home run to break a 3-3 tie. Chattanooga moves to 30-13 overall and 10-5 in league play. Mercer improves to 21-23 on the year and an identical 10-5 against the SoCon.
Olivia Lipari was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Kaili Phillips was 1-for-3 with a double and RBI and Baileigh Pitts drove in one run.
The Mocs had three doubles and three sacrifice hits. Peja Goold got the start and struck out three through four innings and gave up two runs, one earned.
The Bears struck first, taking advantage of a throw that went into the outfield on a stolen base in the third inning.
In the home half, the Mocs took a 2-1 lead on a single from Olivia Lipari. Acelynn Sellers led off the inning with a first-pitch double to left field. Kailey Snell, in an attempt to sacrifice Sellers to third with a bunt, reached on a fielder’s choice leaving both runners safe. Camryn Cernuto laid down a sac bunt to move the runners up a base and Lipari hit a single into the gap in right center sending both home to give UTC a 2-1 lead.
Mercer tied the game in the fourth with two outs. A single and walk put runners on first and second. Another single into centerfield sent the runner at second across the base to tie it up 2-2. The Bears added another run in the fifth to retake the lead.
Chattanooga picked up a third run in the sixth and stranded a pair. Kendall Forsythe reached on a fielding error by the shortstop. Zoe Wright, pinch running for Forsythe, scored on a double down the left field line by Kaili Phillips. Addy Keylon walked but three straight outs left two on board heading into the seventh.
The seventh started with a double to left field. Back-to-back singles with one out drove in a run and a throw to third caught the second runner for two outs in the inning. The next batter sent the ball over the right field fence to drive in two runs before a fly out to right ended the inning.
Cernuto doubled down the left field line to start the bottom of the seventh. Back-to-back ground outs pushed Cernuto around to score and cut the Bears’ lead to two runs. That’s all the Mocs would get, falling into a tie for first in the conference standings through five series.
Chattanooga heads to Nashville Tuesday to take on Tennessee State in a non-conference matchup. The game will start at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time. A link for live stats is available online at GoMocs.com on the softball schedule page.