Top two seeds set to face off in the SoCon Softball Championship

No. 1 UNCG 5, No. 2 Samford 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – In the first game of the day at the 2026 SoCon Softball Championship presented by Chattanooga Tourism Company at Frost Stadium on Saturday, top-seeded UNCG picked up a 5-0 shutout victory over No. 2 seed Samford.

Samford (27-30) will now play an elimination game later today at 4 p.m. against the winner of the game between No. 4 seed Wofford and No. 5 seed Chattanooga. UNCG (41-17) will play the winner of the 4 p.m. game from Saturday on Sunday at 10 a.m.

Second-team all-conference selection Nya South hit a solo home run in the first inning, giving UNCG an early lead. The Spartans would increase their lead in the third inning after SoCon Freshman of the Year Avery Bouquin drew a bases loaded walk, making the score 2-0 in favor of the No. 1 seed.

In the fourth inning, first-team all-conference infielder Macy Micheal homered to left field, putting UNCG ahead 3-0. The Spartans got their final two runs off the bat of Hadley Gardner in the fifth. Gardner hit a double to the right center gap, scoring all-freshman pick Jazmin Mejia and Bouquin on the play.

In a game that featured 15 players that were voted onto the SoCon all-conference or all-freshman teams, SoCon Pitcher of the Year Brooklyn Shroyer had the strongest performance. Shroyer got her 20^th win of the season inside the circle, striking out seven batters and allowing just one hit. The native of San Damas, California, has pitched 11 scoreless innings over two games in the tournament so far.

Michael led the UNCG offense, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored.

No. 5 Chattanooga 7, No. 4 Wofford 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – No. 5 seed Chattanooga continued its run at the 2026 SoCon Softball Championship presented by Chattanooga Tourism Company at Frost Stadium with a 7-0 win over No. 4 seed Wofford.

With the win, Chattanooga (25-27-1) advanced to face No. 2 Samford in an elimination game on Saturday at 4 p.m. Wofford ends its season with a 35-19 record.

After a scoreless first inning, Chattanooga put three on the board in the second. Three straight singles loaded the bases before Zoe Wright hit a double to the left center gap, bringing each runner across home plate.

Two innings later, Chloe Lackey crushed a two-run shot over the left field fence, making the score 5-0 in favor of the Mocs. The team’s final two runs came off a home run by Abi Bunt in the fifth.

Emery Bales came out of the bullpen to get her ninth win of the season inside the circle. Bales pitched four innings, striking out three batters and surrendering just two hits.

Lackey was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, finishing a triple away from the cycle for Chattanooga. Ava Cowart and Jade Gainer each had a pair of hits for the Mocs. Brianna Stanley, Gracie Parker and Desirae Devine all had hits for Wofford.

No. 2 Samford 8, No. 5 Chattanooga 6
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – No. 2 seed Samford rallied back and held on for a hard-fought win over No. 5 seed Chattanooga, 8-6, in the final game of day three at the 2026 SoCon Softball Championship presented by Chattanooga Tourism Company at Frost Stadium on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (28-30) will face No. 1 seed UNCG on Sunday at 10 a.m. with the tournament title on the line. Samford is looking for its first conference tournament title in 10 years. The Spartans are going for their fourth tournament crown.

Chattanooga finished its season with a 25-29-1 record.

Samford got on the board on its first at-bat as Brandy Phillips hit a leadoff home run to left field.

Chattanooga built its lead to four runs in the third inning. The Mocs loaded the bases after two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a walk. Baileigh Pitts then singled to left field, scoring Chloe Lackey to make the score 1-1.

Anna Dovey brought two runners across home plate on the next at-bat, doubling to left center field. The next batter was Abi Bunt, who singled and was thrown out trying to advance to second base, but that was not before Pitts and Dovey crossed home plate, making the score 5-1 in favor of the Mocs.

In the bottom of the fourth, SoCon Player of the Year Olivia Shaw doubled down the left field line, bringing Joi Hubbard and Katie Hart in to score and cutting the lead in half. One inning later, the Bulldogs loaded the bases after three walks before a fielding error allowed two runs to score, tying the game at 5-5 heading into the sixth inning.

Samford continued to have quality at-bats and took the lead in the sixth. Shaw and Katie Campbell drew walks before Ella Nelson laid down a sacrifice bunt, placing both runners in scoring position. Addison Smith hit the tournament’s first triple on the next at-bat, making the score 7-5. Brantley Drake scored Smith on an RBI groundout after that, putting the Bulldogs ahead 8-5.

Lackey led off the final frame with a solo home run on the first pitch she saw, closing the gap to 8-6. Raven Jones and Zoe Wright delivered back-to-back singles on the next two at-bats, placing runners on first and second with zero outs.

Samford got outs on the next two plays via runner’s interference and a groundout. Makinley Turner walked the next batter on four pitches to load the bases, but forced an infield pop out on her next pitch, clinching the Bulldogs’ spot in the championship game.

Turner got the win for Samford inside the circle, throwing four innings out of the bullpen.

Hart and Brooke Wildes both went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Bulldogs. Pitts, Lackey and Jones all had two hits for Chattanooga.

2026 SoCon Softball Championship
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Thursday, May 7
Game 1: No. 5 Chattanooga 10, No. 8 Furman 3
Game 2: No. 6 ETSU 7, No. 7 Mercer 0
Game 3: No. 4 Wofford 2, No. 5 Chattanooga 0
Game 4: No. 3 Western Carolina 2, No. 6 ETSU 1

 
Friday, May 8
Game 5: No. 1 UNCG 19, No. 4 Wofford 4
Game 6: No. 2 Samford 14, No. 3 Western Carolina 1
Game 7: No. 4 Wofford 5, No. 6 ETSU 4
Game 8: No. 5 Chattanooga 7, No. 3 Western Carolina 6

Saturday, May 9
Game 9: No. 1 UNCG 5, No. 2 Samford 0
Game 10: No. 5 Chattanooga 7, No. 4 Wofford 0
Game 11: No. 2 Samford 8, No. 5 Chattanooga 6
 
Sunday, May 10

Game 12: No. 1 UNCG vs. No. 2 Samford, 10 a.m.