Chattanooga put four runs on the board in the top of the first and added five more in the final three innings beating Wofford 9-0 in Spartanburg, S.C., to claim the series win.
Kailey Snell led off the game with a first pitch single to left. She scored on a one-out double by Olivia Lipari and Acelynn Sellers drew a walk to put runners at first and second. Baileigh Pitts singled up the middle, driving in Lipari to make it 2-0. Jayce Purdy followed that with a single that hit off the fence in center field, driving in Sellers and the Mocs lead grew to 3-0.
Wofford pulled their ace pitcher Margaret Axelson, but the next walked Raven Jones to load the bases with one out.
Lexi Cooley hit a sac fly to left field, scoring Pitts from third to make it 4-0.
In the bottom of the inning, the first two Terriers walked and then moved up a base on a wild pitch. Peja Goold fanned the next batter then walked the bases loaded. However, she sat down the next looking and the final out came on a pop up to second, stranding the runners.
The Mocs made a threat with two outs in the second. Lipari hit a second in the gap to left center and Sellers and Pitts were hit by a pitch to load the bases. However, a flyout ended the inning.
The next eight Wofford batters wouldn’t make it out of the box, but Goold’s no-hit bid was broken up by a triple in the fourth. It was the Terriers’ lone hit of the game.
Goold struck out eight, walked five and picked up her eighth shutout of the season and improves to 19-5 overall. It was the Stockton, Calif., junior’s 17th complete game. She has 190 strikeouts this season and sports a 1.45 earned run average.
In the fifth inning, Chattanooga sent eight to the plate and picked up two runs. Pitts led off with a single up the middle and Abi Pikas came in to run. Purdy sacrificed her over to second and Jones walked to put runners at first and second.
Presley Williamson came into pinch hit for Cooley and drove a single up the middle to load the bases. Cooley returned to run the bases. Abi Bunt came on to pinch hit for Zoe Wright and her fly ball to shallow center fell safe, scoring Pikas from third and all runners advanced safely. Wright reentered the game.
Snell drew a walk to plate the Mocs second run of the inning and sixth of the game. The Mocs left them loaded, however, ending the inning on the next two at bats.
Chattanooga went up 7-0 in the sixth on a solo home run by Pitts to left field. In the seventh, two more runs crossed the plate. Snell drew a walk with one out and Camryn Cernuto hit a triple to left field, driving Snell in to score. Cenuto would score on a sac fly from Lipari to make it 9-0.
Wofford went 1-2-3 in the seventh and the Mocs picked up the shutout.
Pitts went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Lipari was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Snell was 1-for-3 with two walks, drove in a run and scored twice. Jones went 1-for-1 with three walks and scored a run for Chattanooga.
The Mocs will hit the road for a return trip to Kennesaw State this Wednesday, April 23 at 6:00 p.m.