No. 2 UNCG 5, No. 1 Chattanooga 4
GREENSBORO, N.C. – In a matchup of the top two seeds at the SoCon Softball Championship at UNCG Softball Stadium on Friday, No. 2 seed UNCG picked up a 5-4 win over No. 1 seed Chattanooga.
 
Chattanooga (39-14) will now play an elimination game later Friday at 4 p.m. against the winner of the game between No. 3 seed Samford and No. 7 seed Western Carolina. UNCG (33-24) will play the winner of the 4 p.m. game from Friday on Saturday at 1 p.m. If the Spartans win their next game, they will be the tournament champions for the third time in four seasons and get their fourth overall.
 
UNCG scored the game’s first run in the top of the second inning. Jessie Shipley and Tori Dalehite walked to give the Spartans runners on first and second base. Maycin Brown hit a double down the right field line after that, scoring Shipley to make the score 1-0.
 
Chattanooga got a pair of two-out hits in the third inning to take the lead. The first was a two-run single up the middle by Olivia Lipari, which scored Kailey Snell and Zoe Wright. In the next at-bat, Baileigh Pitts singled to center field, scoring Lipari to give the Mocs a 3-1 advantage.
 
The Spartans grabbed the lead back in the next half inning. Brown hit her second RBI double of the day, this time bringing Anna White and Blayke Batten across home plate. Two batters later, Jorde Chartrand singled to left center field, scoring Brown and Brooklynn Maxwell to make the score 5-3 in favor of UNCG.
 
The Mocs closed the gap to one run in the bottom of the fourth with one swing of the bat. Acelynn Sellers hit a solo homer to center field, making the score 5-4. Chattanooga got two more runners on base in the inning but were not able to score in the frame.
 
UNCG did not get any hits during the final three innings and Chattanooga managed just one for the remainder of the contest. That hit came from Lipari in the seventh inning, but she was stranded at first base.
 
Both squads used three pitchers inside the circle, with Reese Byrd (5-0) picking up the win for the Spartans. Chartrand got the save for the Spartans, along with a hit, a walk and two RBIs at the plate. Brown was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two walks, three RBIs and a run scored.

Lipari and Snell each had two hits for the Mocs.
 
No 3. Samford 4, No. 7 Western Carolina 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. – No. 3 seed Samford ended No. 7 seed Western Carolina’s Cinderella run at the SoCon Softball Championship on Friday with a 4-1 win at UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
With the win, Samford (24-31) advanced to face No. 1 seed Chattanooga in an elimination game Friday at 4 p.m. Western Carolina ends the season at 18-35.
 
For the fourth straight game in the tournament, Western Carolina scored in the opening inning. Mattie Mentel doubled and Savannah Baldwin singled, placing runners on the corners for the Catamounts. Jeralynn Wells laid down a sacrifice bunt on the next at-bat, scoring Mentel to give Western Carolina an early 1-0 lead.
 
Samford took the lead in the third inning. McKayla Cothran scored off an error, tying the score at 1-1. Katie Campbell hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Sarah Squillace on the next at-bat. Grier Bruce hit an RBI double to left center field after that, scoring Logan Champion to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 3-1. Champion added an insurance run via a solo home run in the fifth inning for Samford.
 
After having two tough outings to begin her conference tournament, Jordyn Partain (10-16) threw a complete game for the Bulldogs, recording three strikeouts and giving up just one run on three hits.
 
Cothran finished the game 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Bruce and Campbell each had a double, an RBI and a run scored.
 
No. 1 Chattanooga 7, No 3. Samford 3
GREENSBORO, N.C. – No. 1 seed Chattanooga eliminated No. 3 seed Samford at the SoCon Softball Championship on Friday with a 7-3 win at UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
The Mocs (40-14) will face No. 2 seed UNCG on Saturday at 1 p.m. with the tournament title on the line. Chattanooga must defeat the Spartans, who beat the Mocs 5-4 earlier Friday afternoon, twice on Saturday to claim its 16th SoCon crown, while UNCG needs just one win for its fourth tournament title.
 
Samford finished its season with a 24-32 record.
 
In the top of the first inning, Samford got a trio of runs to grab an early lead. McKayla Cothran got on base via an error and Sarah Squillace drew a walk after that. Two batters later, Katie Campbell hit a moonshot over the left field fence, putting the Bulldogs ahead 3-0.
 
Chattanooga used the long ball to its advantage in the bottom of the second inning. Kendall Forsythe led off the frame with a solo home run. Following two outs, Jayce Purdy singled to right field to keep the inning alive. Acelynn Sellers came to the plate after Purdy and hit a homer that just got over the left field fence, tying the game at 3-3.
 
The Mocs would take the lead in the fourth inning. Kaili Phillips advanced to second on a passed ball and after a throwing error sent the ball into the outfield, she came around to score. Purdy blasted a two-run shot to left field, making the score 6-3 in favor of Chattanooga.
 
Neither team scored in the fifth inning. The game entered a weather delay, which lasted for 75 minutes, before the action resumed.
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Chattanooga added a run. A walk and a pair of bunt singles loaded the bases for the Mocs. Presley Williamson was brought in to pinch hit, promptly drawing a walk to get an RBI and making the score 7-3. Samford forced a fly out on the next at-bat to close the frame.
 
The Bulldogs would not produce a base runner in the final frame, going down in order to end the game.
 
SoCon Pitcher of the Year Peja Goold saved her best performance for the most important time of the season for the Mocs. Goold threw six innings in relief, striking out a season-high 11 batters while surrendering zero runs on two hits.
 

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. 2 UNCG vs. No. 1 Chattanooga, 1 p.m.
Game 13 (if necessary): Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser, 4 p.m.