MACON, Ga. --- Back-to-back homeruns from Halie Williamson and Amanda Beltran capped off a four-run sixth inning and helped the Chattanooga Mocs softball team earn a 4-2 win over the Mercer Bears on Friday evening in Macon, Ga.

Chattanooga (24-11, 3-4 SoCon) snapped a four-game skid while Mercer (19-22, 5-2 SoCon) saw its six-game win streak come to an end. UTC had lost its last five meetings against the Bears before Friday's win.

BOX SCORE » Chattanooga 4, Mercer 2
Freshman pitcher Mariah Ramirez made her 12^th start of the season in the circle and retired the first eight hitters she faced. With one out in the bottom of the third, Mercer laced three-straight singles and took a 1-0 lead.

Mercer's Lynn Gardner countered Ramirez's efforts in the circle early on, allowing just one base runner over the first three innings. UTC stranded a runner at second to end the second after Emma Sturdivant drew a walk and advanced on a Halie Williamson SAC bunt.

The Chattanooga offense was severely limited through the first five innings before a lead-off single from Emily Coltharp sparked an offensive outburst. Amy Lewis advanced Coltharp to second on a SAC bunt before Aly Walker ripped an RBI double off the wall in left to tie things up, 1-1.

Taylor Chadwick entered as a pinch runner for Walker and went to third on a wild pitch with one out and Sturdivant at the plate. Sturdivant knocked Chadwick in with an RBI ground out to second and pushed UTC ahead with a 2-1 lead.

Williamson and Beltran followed with back-to-back, two-out homeruns to cap off the four-run inning and extend the Chattanooga advantage to 4-1.

Celie Hudson entered the game in relief of Ramirez to begin the bottom of the sixth. She surrendered a pair of singles, but escaped the inning unharmed to protect the three-run lead.

The final frame proved to be a nerve-racking one. Mercer plated a run on a one-out RBI single with the bases loaded to pull within two after a pair of walks allowed the inning to develop.

Sophomore pitcher Allison Swinford was called to the circle in search of finding the game's final two outs and completing the save opportunity. Swinford induced a soft fielder's choice to third before getting a foul out on a soft pop up to earn the save and clinch a 4-2 victory for the Mocs.

Ramirez (11-0) earned the pitching victory after tossing 5.0 innings and allowing just three hits and one earned run. She struck out three and walked one while facing 19 batters and throwing 72 pitches.

Chattanooga was out-hit in the game 7-6, but totaled three extra-base hits including a pair of homers. The UTC trio of pitchers limited Mercer to all singles during the victory while combining to strike out four.

Notable Performances: Mariah Ramirez (W, 5IP, 3H, ER, 3K), Halie Williamson (1-for-2, HR, RBI), Amanda Beltran (1-for-3, HR, RBI), Allison Swinford (SV, 0.2IP), Aly Walker (1-for-2, 2B, RBI)

CHATTANOOGA NOTABLES
- Chattanooga improves to 24-11 overall and 3-4 in SoCon play… snapped four-game losing streak… snapped five-game losing streak to Mercer.
- Mariah Ramirez improved to 11-0 this season after building a 5IP, 3H, ER, 3K stat line… fifth time this season she has tossed 5.0+ innings & allowed 1 ER or less… lone freshman in NCAA DI with 10+ victories and 0 losses.
- Amanda Beltran belted her 22^nd career HR in Friday's win… moves into a tie for 8^th all-time in UTC program history.
- Allison Swinford picked up her 4^th career save after escaping a one-out, bases loaded jam… 4 saves is tied for 9^th all-time in UTC program history.

UP NEXT
Chattanooga and Mercer will wrap up its three-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Live stat links are available on the schedule page. There will be no live video.
 
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