Chattanooga swept Furman with its third straight shutout, beating the Paladins 9-0 in five innings in Greenville, S.C. The Mocs scored eight runs through the first three innings and added an insurance run in the top of the fifth.
The Mocs improve to 29-11 overall and 8-3 against the Southern Conference. The Paladins fall to 13-29 on the year and 3-9 in league play.
Peja Goold picked up the win, improving to 16-5 on the year. She struck out six through four innings and walked three and allowed one hit. Alyssa Lavdis came on to finish the game, facing five in the final inning.
Chattanooga got the scoring started with two runs in the first inning with no hits. Kailey Snell led off with a walk and took second on a passed ball. Camryn Cernuto drew a walk and both runners advanced on a sac bunt from Olivia Lipari.
Snell then scored on a wild pitch and Cernuto took third. Acelynn Sellers walked and then stole second. Cernuto scored on a fielder’s choice. Williamson grounded to first and the throw came back home, but Cernuto slid under the tag to make it 2-0.
Furman loaded the bases in the first with a lead off double and two walks with one out. The next batter popped up to Sellers and Goold got the third out with her second strikeout of the inning.
In the second, the Mocs added another four runs on three hits. Lexi Cooley led off with a walk and took second on a passed ball. Zoe Wright, attempting to sacrifice her over, reached on a hit and the runners were safe at the corners. Wright stole second to move into scoring position and scored with Cooley on a double from Snell down the left field line.
Cernuto drew a walk to put runners at first and second and Lipari bunted both over for Williamson who singled into right, scoring the pair to make it 6-0.
Raven Jones singled through the left side and advanced to third on single from Cooley to right. Cooley stole second. Wright had a sac fly to center, scoring Jones and Cooley scored on the throw home that went wide to put the Mocs up 8-0 through three innings.
Furman went three up, three down in the second and third innings and stranded a lead off walk in the fourth.
With two outs, Baileigh Pitts, pinch hitting for Cooley, drew a walk and stole second. Alyssa Orlando, pinch hitting for Wright, drew a walk. Mia Leone had a pinch hit single up the middle to score Pitts from second to put the Mocs up 9-0.
Furman put a pair of runners on with two outs in the fifth, but a ground out to Snell ended the game.
The Mocs scored nine runs on six hits and gave up two. Williamson was 1-for-3 with three RBI and Snell went 1-for-2 with two RBI, two runs scored, a double and a walk. Cernuto reached twice on walks and scored both times.
NOTES
• Olivia Lipari drew three walks over the weekend and broke the Chattanooga program record with 112 base on balls.
• Peja Goold leads the Southern Conference with 16 wins, 166 strikeouts and seven shutouts. She has a league-best 1.64 ERA and a .164 opponent batting average.
UP NEXT:
Chattanooga will host Lipscomb on April 15.
April 16 vs. Tennessee State is “On Wednesdays We Wear Pink” day.
The next SoCon series for the Mocs is Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19 (DH) at Wofford.