Chattanooga softball swept Samford on the opening day of Southern Conference action with a 3-1 win in the first game and a come-from-behind 5-4 victory in nine innings in the second. The Mocs improve to 20-8 overall and 2-0 in league play.
Kaili Phillips had a two-run homer and Kaili Snell, an inside-the-park home run. Addy Keylon hit .667 (4-6) with a double and a run. Camryn Cernuto was 3-for-8, had a triple and RBI and scored two runs. Olivia Lipari was 1-of-3 for the day and walked five times.
Three Mocs were hit by pitch including Phillips who owns the UTC career record with 42 as well as Acelynn Sellers who returned from injury after getting hit by a pitch.
Taylor Long picked up her 10th win of the season and first save and Riley Lamb won her second game.
Two intentional walks led to a double play and forced extra innings in game two.
GAME ONE | Chattanooga 3, Samford 1 Taylor Long claimed her 10th win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Samford in the opening game of SoCon play.
She struck out nine in the game and allowed one run on five hits.
Samford loaded the bases in the bottom of the second with nobody out on two walks and a double. The Bulldogs’ first out came on a pop up to Phillips at third and the second was Long’s second strikeout of the day. However, a bases-loaded walk in the inning gave Samford a 1-0 lead.
Chattanooga tied it up 1-1 in the top of the third on back-to-back errors. Cernuto reached on a throwing error and took second. A throwing error by the pitcher put Lipari on first and sent Cernuto around third for the score.
The Mocs added another run in the sixth on yet another error. Keylon singled to center field with one out and advanced to second on a play at the plate. Zoe Wright, pinch running for Phillips, was sent home, but was caught on a relay from center field to home. Keylon scored on an error by the first baseman that allowed Sellers to reach
The seventh inning saw Chattanooga add another run to its lead. Cernuto led off with a single and was advanced to second on a sac bunt from Lipari. Baileigh Pitts walked to put runners at first and second. Kendall Forsythe sent a single up the middle to score Cernuto from second, giving UTC a 3-1 lead that would stand as the final score.
The Mocs had six hits in the game, walked five times and had two hit-by-pitch. Forsythe was 1-for-3 with the lone RBI and Cernuto was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
GAME TWO | Chattanooga 5, Samford 4/9 innings Chattanooga claimed a thrilling come-from-behind victory in the second game, getting nine hits in nine innings and scoring four of its five runs in the final four innings.
Through three innings the game was tied 1-1. Samford put three runs on the board in the fourth on three hits. The inning started with a hit-by-pitch and a sac bunt to move the runner to second. A double down the left field line sent the runner home and a walk put runners on first and second. Back-to-back RBI singles made it a 3-1 lead for the home team.
With two outs in the sixth, Phillips took a 2-2 pitch over the fence in center field for a 2-RBI homer and drawing the Mocs within a run, 4-3.
The seventh saw even more heroics from the Mocs. Kailey Snell drove a shot down the left field line that landed fair. The ball carried into the corner and hit off the fence, shooting into left field. Mocs head coach Frank Reed pulled back the stop sign and sent the short stop home for the tying run on an inside-the-park home run.
The bottom of the seventh called for strategy. The lead runner reached on an infield single to the pitcher. A sac bunt moved the runner to second and on to third on the throw to first.
With just one out, Reed called for the next two batters to be walked intentionally to load the bases. The next batter lined to Phillips at third who dove to the bag, beating out the Bulldog runner at third for the double play and the end of regulation.
Chattanooga went in order in the eighth and Samford’s lead off walk only made it as far as second.
Keylon led off the ninth with a single up the middle. Sellers was hit by a pitch, her second in three games since returning to the line up. Keylon was forced out on the next at bat as was Sellers one batter later for two outs in the inning.
With Snell on second and Cernuto at first, Lipari drove the ball back up the middle, scoring Snell for the go ahead run.
Samford led off the bottom of the inning with a double and Reed opted for Long to close out the game. The next batter fouled out the Jayce Purdy behind the plate. The second out came on a deep fly out to Cernuto in center and Long ended the game with her 10th strikeout of the day.
Riley Lamb claimed the win, her second of the year. She went 4-2/3 innings, gave up three hits and no runs. Long picked up her first save.
Chattanooga and Samford will meet again Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. The Bulldogs drop to 6-20 overall and 0-2 in league play.