No. 3 seed Chattanooga 10, No. 1 seed UNCG 2 (5 inn.)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Kaili Phillips had five RBIs, four coming on a third-inning grand slam, as No. 3 seed Chattanooga advanced to the championship round of the Southern Conference Softball Championship with a 10-2 victory in five innings over No. 1 seed UNCG on Friday at UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
UNCG (38-17) will now play an elimination game later Friday, at 3 p.m., against the winner of the game between No. 4 seed Furman and No. 2 seed Samford. UTC (28-25) will play the winner of the 3 p.m. game from Friday on Saturday, at 1 p.m. If the Mocs win their next game, they will be the tournament champions for the first time since 2019 and the 15th time overall.
 
Friday’s win was the first time Chattanooga defeated the Spartans this season, after dropping the first three against UNCG back in April. It was also the sixth straight win for the Mocs against conference opponents, dating back to their three-game sweep of Western Carolina to end the regular season, before getting three wins in the conference championship.
 
Delaney Cumbie hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning for UNCG to score the first run of the game. She would hit another solo shot in the fifth to account for both runs for the Spartans. Her two homers tied a SoCon Softball Championship record for home runs in a game. The last time it happened was a year ago when UNCG’s Kayleigh Willis did it versus Western Carolina.
 
The Mocs threatened to score in the first inning as they loaded the bases but were unable to capitalize. Phillips made sure that did not happen again when she sent her home run off the scoreboard in right center field. Chattanooga would load the bases again in the third inning, as Emily Coltharp would deliver an RBI infield single to score Presley Williamson and make the score 5-1.
 
Both teams would load the bases in the fourth frame, but neither would take advantage as the score remained 5-1 heading into the fifth. Coltharp would draw a one-out walk and Kailey Snell would follow that up with a double to right center to place runners on second and third. Reagan Armour then singled down the left field line and advanced to second as Coltharp and Snell scored. The Armour hit put the Mocs up 7-1 and forced a pitching change by the Spartans.
 
The offense for Chattanooga continued to produce as Acelynn Sellers singled to put runners on the corners. Sellers advanced to second on a groundout, and Phillips would come through again with a single through the left side to bring pinch-runner Skylar Berkhiser in to score. Liz Rodebaugh tripled to left field on the next at-bat to score Sellers and Phillips to make the score 10-1.
 
Cumbie’s leadoff homer in the fifth kept the Spartans alive to have a chance to extend the game; however, Izzy Alley would not allow another hit as she finished with two innings of relief pitching, giving up one run and one hit. Brooke Parrott (14-7) started the game for UTC and pitched three innings, allowing two hits and one run.
 
Phillips went 2-for-3 with five RBIs and two runs in the game. Coltharp and Sellers also had two hits and two runs apiece.
 
SoCon Pitcher of the Year Morgan Scott started the game for UNCG but left the game after two scoreless frames with four strikeouts due to injury. Reese Byrd (11-5) pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief of Scott and gave up eight runs on six hits. Alex Rodriguez threw the final 2/3 inning for the Spartans.
 
UNCG had only one other hit outside of Cumbie. It came from first-team All-SoCon outfielder Grace Loftin in the second inning.
 
No. 2 seed Samford 6, No. 4 seed Furman 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Southern Conference Freshman of the Year McKenzie Newcomb pitched a complete-game five-hitter and No. 2 seed Samford scored six unearned runs to stay alive at the Southern Conference Softball Championship with a 6-1 win over No. 4 seed Furman on Friday afternoon at UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
With the win, the Bulldogs (34-18) advance to face No. 1 seed UNCG in an elimination game Friday at 3 p.m. Five days after meeting with the regular-season title on the line, the squads will square off again with the right to play in Saturday’s tournament title tilt against No. 3 seed Chattanooga in the balance.
 
Furman, which committed four errors, saw its season come to a close at 22-33.
 
Samford plated the only runs it would need in the bottom of the third inning. With two on and two out, SoCon Player of the Year Mary Katherine Tedder reached an error, allowing the first run of the game to score, and Timberlyn Shurbutt followed with a double to left center to score two more runs.
 
The Paladins scored their only run the following inning, with Caitlin Goldwait singling up the middle to drive in Emily Bartlett, who reached via error with one out.
 
Samford added on in the fifth and sixth innings. With Amanda Briskin on third with two outs, Tedder reached on another error to allow Briskin to score. The following inning, Gwynnie Hornibrook reached on an error with one out and Ansley Yantis laced a triple down the right field line to drive in pinch-runner Abigail Dorsett. A grounder to shortstop by Kolby Holcombe brought in Yantis with the final run of the game.
 
The Paladins threatened to rally in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with one out on a hit batter and singles from Chloe Fabio and Chrissy Fleming. Newcomb was up to the task, however, getting a line out and a strikeout to end the game.
 
Newcomb, who allowed the one unearned run and struck out five with just one walk, improved to 21-8 on the season.
 
Furman’s Sierra Tufts (10-17) was saddled with the loss after allowing three unearned runs on four hits in three innings of work. Emme Buzhardt pitched the final three innings, also allowing three unearned runs on just one hit and a walk.
 
Samford’s Yantis and Furman’s Fleming had two hits apiece to share game-high honors.
 
No. 1 seed UNCG 3, No. 2 seed Samford 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year Morgan Scott pitched a three-hit shutout and Makenna Matthijs hit a tournament-record three doubles as No. 1 seed UNCG downed No. 2 seed Samford 3-0 Friday to reach Saturday’s title game of the SoCon Softball Championship at UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
The defending champion Spartans (39-17) will face No. 3 seed Chattanooga on Saturday at 1 p.m. with the tournament title on the line. UNCG must defeat the Mocs, who beat the Spartans 10-2 earlier Friday afternoon, twice Saturday to claim its third SoCon crown, while UTC needs just one win for its 15^th tournament title.
 
Samford finished its season with a 34-19 record.
 
With the squads locked in a scoreless stalemate in the fifth, Matthijs led off the frame with her second double of the afternoon. One out later, Jordan Gontram doubled off the wall in center to score Matthijs with what would prove to be the winning run.
 
The Spartans added some insurance in the sixth, with Delaney Cumbie lifting a sacrifice fly to right to score Brooklynn Maxwell and Matthijs followed with an RBI double to score pinch-runner Tori Dalehite from third.
 
Scott handled the rest in the top of the seventh, working around a two-out McKayla Cothran single, an error and a wild pitch to strand Samford’s best scoring chance since the first inning at third base.
 
Scott, who left Friday’s game against Chattanooga with an injury after two innings, returned in the afternoon to twirl her fourth shutout of the season. She walked six but struck out five Bulldogs to extend her single-season program record to 277 on the season. She needs six strikeouts to take sole possession of fifth in a season in SoCon history and needs seven more to become the ninth player in league history to reach 600 for her career. Dating back to the 2021 NCAA Regionals, Scott has pitched 16 consecutive scoreless innings in postseason play.
 
Scott’s counterpart, Jordyn Partain, fell to 11-9 on the campaign after allowing one earned run on six hits and five walks in six innings of work.
 
Matthijs, who was 3-for-3, had the only multi-hit game for either squad.
 
Each side left nine runners on base. Scott worked out of trouble several times, stranding two Samford runners each in the first, second, fourth and sixth innings. UNCG left two on in the second and the bases full in the third, as Partain got a strikeout to escape the jam.
 
2022 SoCon Softball Championship (all games on ESPN+)
Greensboro, N.C.
Wednesday, May 11
Game 1: No. 4 Furman 4, No. 5 Mercer 3
Game 2: No. 2 Samford 4, No. 7 ETSU 3 (9 inn.)
Game 3: No. 3 Chattanooga 3, No. 6 Western Carolina 2 (10 inn.)
 
Thursday, May 12
Game 4: No. 6 Western Carolina 3, No. 7 ETSU 2
Game 5: No. 1 UNCG 9, No. 4 Furman 0 (5 inn.)
Game 6: No. 3 Chattanooga 4, No. 2 Samford 0
Game 7: No. 6 Western Carolina vs. No. 4 Furman, 5:30 p.m.
Game 8: No. 5 Mercer vs. No. 2 Samford, 8 p.m.
 
Friday, May 13
Game 9: No. 3 Chattanooga 10, No. 1 UNCG 2 (5 inn.)
Game 10: No. 2 Samford 6, No. 4 Furman 1
Game 11: No. 1 UNCG 3, No. 2 Samford 0
 
Saturday, May 14
Game 12: No. 3 Chattanooga vs. No. 1 UNCG, 1 p.m.
Game 13 (if necessary): Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser, 3 p.m.