No. 1 Chattanooga 5, No. 2 UNCG 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 1 seed Chattanooga avoided elimination by defeating No. 2 seed UNCG, 5-0, at the SoCon Softball Championship on Saturday at UNCG Softball Stadium.
The Mocs (41-14) and the Spartans (33-25) will now play a winner-take-all contest at 3:30 p.m. today. Chattanooga, the 2022 champion, will be looking for its 16th tournament crown. UNCG, the 2023 champion, is going for its fourth tournament title.
In a game that was a pitcher’s duel for the first 4 1/2 innings, Chattanooga finally broke through in the fifth inning. With two outs, Jayce Purdy singled and Acelynn Sellers was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second. Mocs coach Frank Reed inserted pinch hitter Anna Dovey and the sophomore delivered, crushing a three-run homer to left field, her first of the season, making the score 3-0 in favor of Chattanooga.
The next inning, the Mocs got another two runs. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases for Chattanooga. Kaili Phillips hit a two-run double on the next at-bat, scoring Olivia Lipari and Baileigh Pitts to put Chattanooga ahead 5-0.
UNCG went down in order in the top of the seventh inning, leading to the decisive game.
SoCon Pitcher of the Year Peja Goold threw a complete game inside the circle for the Mocs, striking out six batters and allowing zero runs on four hits.
Grace Loftin went 2-for-3 at the plate for UNCG. Brooklynn Maxwell and Anna White accounted for the other two hits by the Spartans.
No. 1 Chattanooga 9, No. 2 UNCG 5
GREENSBORO, N.C. – No. 1 seed Chattanooga won its second game of the day over the No. 2 seed UNCG, winning 9-5 on Saturday at the SoCon Softball Championship at UNCG Softball Stadium.
With their 16th SoCon tournament title, the Mocs (42-14) claimed the SoCon’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. The selection show will air on ESPN2 on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.
After failing to score in the first contest of the day, UNCG got a run in the opening inning of the championship game. Maycin Brown led the game off with a single. Two batters later, Grace Loftin singled and Jorde Chartrand walked on the next at-bat, loading the bases for the Spartans. Jessie Shipley hit a sacrifice fly to left center field after that, scoring Brown to make the score 1-0 in favor of UNCG.
In the bottom of the next inning, Kendall Forsythe hit a leadoff double. Kaili Phillips hit just the second triple of the tournament on the next at-bat, scoring Forsythe to tie the score. After a pair of strikeouts, Acelynn Sellers doubled off the top of the left center field wall, allowing Phillips to score and putting the Mocs ahead 2-1.
The Mocs got another two runs in the third inning. After two quick outs, Chattanooga drew three straight walks to load the bases. Jayce Purdy singled just beyond the infield on the next at-bat, scoring Forsythe and Phillips to make the score 4-1.
UNCG was able to get two runs in the top of the fourth without getting a hit. After Shipley was hit by a pitch to begin the inning, three straight walks brought her across home plate. Brown stepped into the batter’s box after that and hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring Madelyn McKinnon on the play to make the score 4-3 in Chattanooga’s favor.
Chattanooga created more distance on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. Phillips and Addy Keylon hit back-to-back solo home runs, making the score 6-3. Purdy singled to right field in the next at-bat, bringing Keylon and Phillips across home plate to give the Mocs a 9-3 lead heading into the final inning.
UNCG would not go away quietly in the final frame. Tori Dalehite drew a walk and Brown doubled, setting the stage for an RBI single by Brooklynn Maxwell. Two batters later, Chartrand singled to score Brown, making the score 9-5 with one out. Following a strikeout, Anna White hit a long drive to left field that had the distance of a home run, but the ball hooked foul. She would not be able to keep the game going after that, ending the game and the championship.
Peja Goold, the tournament’s most outstanding player, tossed 4 1/3 innings in the final game, striking four batters and giving up four hits. Alyssa Lavdis pitched the other 2 2/3 innings for the Mocs in the title game.
Phillips went 3-for-3 with a home run, a triple, a walk, two RBIs and four runs scored, which is a SoCon Championship record for runs in a game by a player. Purdy had two hits and four RBIs, while Keylon had two hits, two runs and two RBIs. Forsythe had a hit, a walk and a run in the contest.
Brown was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, and Chartrand had a hit, a walk and an RBI for UNCG.
Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Peja Goold, So., RHP, Chattanooga
Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Kaili Phillips, Gr., INF, Chattanooga
All-Tournament Team
Maycin Brown, UNCG
Jorde Chartrand, UNCG
Peja Goold, Chattanooga
Kendall Forsythe, Chattanooga
Kaili Phillips, Chattanooga
McKenzie Newcomb, Samford
Katie Campbell, Samford
Lily Bell, Western Carolina
Tessa Juett, Western Carolina
Jeralynn Wells, Western Carolina
2024 SoCon Softball Championship
Greensboro, N.C.
Wednesday, May 8
Game 1: No. 5 Wofford 5, No. 8 ETSU 4 (10 innings)
Game 2: No. 7 Western Carolina 8, No. 6 Furman 6
Game 3: No. 4 Mercer 1, No. 5 Wofford 0
Game 4: No. 3 Samford 5, No. 7 Western Carolina 2
Thursday, May 9
Game 5: No. 1 Chattanooga 10, No. 4 Mercer 1 (5 innings)
Game 6: No. 2 UNCG 13, No. 3 Samford 5
Game 7: No. 7 Western Carolina 10, No. 4 Mercer 2
Game 8: No. 3 Samford 4, No. 5 Wofford 3 (10 innings)
Friday, May 10
Game 9: No. 2 UNCG 5, No. 1 Chattanooga 4
Game 10: No. 3 Samford 4, No. 7 Western Carolina 1
Game 11: No. 1 Chattanooga 7, No. 3 Samford 3
Saturday, May 11
Game 12: No. 1 Chattanooga 5, No. 2 UNCG 0
Game 13: No. 1 Chattanooga 9, No. 2 UNCG 5