No. 1 Chattanooga 10, No. 4 Mercer 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. – No. 1 seed Chattanooga cruised to a 10-1 victory over No. 4 seed Mercer in the first game of day two at the SoCon Softball Championship at UNCG Softball Stadium on Thursday.
 
The Mocs (39-13) advanced to play at 10 a.m. on Friday against the winner of the UNCG and Samford game. Mercer (23-29) will face No. 7 seed Western Carolina in an elimination game at 4 p.m. later today.
 
The top-seeded Mocs struck first, scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Kailey Snell hit a leadoff single and was moved over to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Following a walk and a foul out, Kendall Forsythe hit a bloop single to center field, bringing Snell across home plate to make the score 1-0.

Chattanooga would extend its lead in the third inning. Forsythe produced the first three runs on a home run to center field, which also scored Baileigh Pitts and Camryn Cernuto. The homer was followed by a single from Kaili Phillips and a double from Addy Keylon. Both would score on a wild pitch during the next at-bat, putting the Mocs up 6-0.
 
One inning later, Forsythe continued her big day, driving in her fifth run of the game on a single up the middle to score Cernuto. A single and walk in the next two at-bats loaded the bases for pinch hitter Anna Dovey, who delivered a two-run double to left field to make the score 9-0. The Mocs’ final run of the inning would be scored by Acelynn Sellers via a fielding error by Mercer.
 
Mercer loaded the bases with zero outs in the top of the fifth inning. Two batters later, Avery Barton hit an RBI single that scored Alyssa Woods, but Chattanooga would also get an out on the play at third base. The next Bears batter popped out to the pitcher, ending the game at 10-1.
 
SoCon Pitcher of the Year Peja Goold (9-3) tossed five innings for the Mocs, striking out eight batters and surrendering one run. Forsythe and Phillips combined to go 5-for-5 at plate, registering five RBIs, four runs scored and a walk.
 
For Mercer, Janessa Plummer was 2-for-2 with a walk and Tori Hedgecock drew a pair of walks.

No. 2 UNCG 13, No. 3 Samford 5
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 2 seed UNCG Spartans defeated the No. 3 seed Samford Bulldogs, 13-5, on Thursday during the SoCon Softball Championship at UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
UNCG (32-24) will now face No. 1 seed Chattanooga at 10 a.m. on Friday, with the winner of that game advancing to the championship round. Samford (22-31) will face No. 5 seed Wofford in an elimination game later today at 7 p.m.
 
In the first inning, UNCG had 14 batters come to the plate. SoCon Player of the Year Brooklynn Maxwell crushed a two-run homer before an out was recorded to make the score 2-0. The Spartans continued their big opening inning by drawing back-to-back bases loaded walks, allowing Jorde Chartrand and Madelyn McKinnon to score and make the contest 4-0.
 
Maycin Brown came up to bat after that and hit a bases-clearing double in the right center field gap, making the score 7-0. The next three batters all drew walks to bring Brown across home plate, forcing Samford to make its second pitching change of the inning. The Bulldogs got a strikeout on the next at-bat to end the frame.
 
The Bulldogs cut into the lead in the fourth inning. Linsey Hargis hit an RBI infield single, scoring Logan Champion for the team’s first run. Following a walk, Lindsey Nelson singled to left field to bring Hargis and Addison Smith across home plate, cutting the UNCG lead to 8-3.
 
In the bottom of the frame, the Spartans got two runs back. Jessie Shipley hit a leadoff double to start the inning and moved over to third base on a sacrifice bunt. Grace Loftin then hit the squad’s second home run of the day over the left center field fence, giving the Spartans a 10-3 lead.
 
SoCon Freshman of the Year Oliva Shaw would not let Samford go away quietly in the fifth. Shaw hit a solo home run down the left field line to close the deficit to six. Two batters later, fellow freshman Katie Campbell sent a home run over the right center field fence, making the score 10-5 in favor of the Spartans.
 
Brown began the bottom of the inning with a single and Maxwell drew a walk in the next at-bat. Chartrand stepped in the batter’s box after a fly out and crushed a three-run shot to right field on a full count, ending the game at 13-5.
 
Chartrand, Brown and Maxwell all had two hits. Each had at least one extra-base hit, two runs scored and two RBIs. Campbell went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the Bulldogs.

No. 7 Western Carolina 10, No. 4 Mercer 2
GREENSBORO, N.C. – No. 7 seed Western Carolina continued its run at the Southern Conference Softball Championship with a 10-2 upset of No. 4 seed Mercer at UNCG Softball Stadium on Thursday.
 
Western Carolina (18-34) advances to Friday’s 1 p.m. game against either No. 3 seed Samford or No. 5 seed Wofford. Mercer ends its season at 23-30.
 
Western Carolina continued its trend of scoring early as the Catamounts have scored in the opening inning of all their conference tournament games. Against Mercer, the runs came courtesy of a two-run home run by Jeralynn Wells, giving the team a 2-0 advantage.
 
Mercer cut the lead in half during the second inning. Taylor Rogers singled up the middle with one out, scoring Avery Barton who singled to lead off the frame. The Bears trailed 2-1 after two innings had been played.
 
The Catamounts extended their lead in the fifth inning. Lily Bell, the SoCon Freshman of the Year, singled and stole second to begin the frame. Mattie Mendel walked to get two runners on base, setting the stage for a three-run home run by Tessa Juett. Juett’s homer made the score 5-1.
 
The Bears answered with a run in the bottom of the frame. Mercer got runners on second and third following a single, a fielder’s choice and a double. Janessa Plummer scored on an error during the next at-bat, making the score 5-2.
 
In the sixth inning, Western Carolina got six hits, producing four runs to create distance on the scoreboard. The first four batters all got a hit, punctuated by an RBI single from Bell to bring Reagan Janney across home plate.
 
A pair of sacrifice flies on the next two at-bats led to runs from Maya McPherson and Becka Wonsick, putting the Catamounts up 8-2. Wells hit an RBI single to left field after that, scoring Bell and making the lead seven. Mercer loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but were unable to capitalize, keeping the Western Carolina lead at 9-2 going into the final inning.
 
Mentel got an RBI groundout to second base to score Wonsick in the seventh inning, giving the Catamounts an insurance run.
 
Juett, a first-team all-conference performer, pitched a complete game inside the circle, surrendering just one earned run. At the plate, Juett was 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, three RBIs and a run scored. Wells finished with three hits and three RBIs.
 
Bell went 4-for-5 with an RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored. Bell’s performance moved her into first place in program history for hits (72) and stolen bases (34) in a season.
 
Tori Hedgecock and Alyssa Woods each went 2-for-4 for Mercer.
 
No. 3 Samford 4, No. 5 Wofford 3 (10 innings)
GREENSBORO, N.C. – No. 3 seed Samford rallied to take down No. 5 seed Wofford, 4-3, in the final game of day two at the SoCon Softball Championship on Thursday at UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
Samford (23-31) will now play in Friday’s 1 p.m. game versus No. 7 Western Carolina, which will be an elimination game. Wofford ends its inaugural softball season at 23-24.
 
Samford scored the first run of the game in the opening inning. Olivia Shaw delivered an one-out RBI single through the left side, scoring McKayla Cothran to make it a 1-0 contest.
 
Wofford used small ball to take the lead in the fourth inning. The Terriers got their first run on a bunt by Havalynn Abernathy which scored Desirae Devine from second base, tying the game at 1-1. Hannah Maddox laid down a bunt on the next pitch and reached on an error that allowed Lilly Compton to score. Ally Bingham got a bunt single down the first base line on the next at-bat, bringing Abernathy in to score and giving Wofford a 3-1 lead.
 
Samford cut the lead down to one in the bottom of the fifth inning. Lindsey Nelson doubled into the left field corner, allowing Linsey Hargis to score from first base. Wofford led 3-2 after five innings.
 
The Bulldogs would tie the game in the seventh. Hargis and Ansley Yantis hit back-to-back one-out singles to place the winning run on base. Following a fly out to center field, the Terriers were one out away from victory, but Cothran singled on the next pitch, scoring Hargis to tie the game at 3-3. Sarah Squillace crushed a ball up the middle in the next at-bat, however, a diving stop from Wofford second baseman Kalli Petty kept the Bulldogs from scoring and sent the game into extra innings.
 
Both teams got one hit in the eighth and none in the ninth, sending the game into the 10th frame. With a runner placed on second, Wofford put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to third. The Terriers’ next two batters each grounded out, ending the top of the inning.
 
In the bottom of the 10th, Samford also began with a sacrifice bunt to move its runner to third. Logan Champion hit a walk-off single to left field three pitches later, giving Samford a 4-3 victory.
 
Samford’s McKenzie Newcomb and Wofford’s Margaret Axelson both went the distance inside the circle for their respective teams. Newcomb pitched 10 innings, striking out 11 batters and giving up just one earned run. Axelson tossed 9 1/3 innings, logging three strikeouts and surrendering three earned runs.
 
Cothran and Hargis each had two hits for the Bulldogs. Abernathy and Kate Platte recorded two hits apiece for the Terriers.

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. 1 Chattanooga vs. No. 2 UNCG, 10 a.m.
Game 10: No. 7 Western Carolina vs. No. 3 Samford, 1 p.m.
Game 11: Game 10 winner vs. Game 9 loser, 4 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 11
Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 1 p.m.
Game 13 (if necessary): Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser, 4 p.m.