MACON, Ga. --- The Chattanooga Mocs softball team dropped its first Southern Conference series of the season after suffering a doubleheader sweep, 4-1 in game one and 8-2 in the rubber game, at Mercer on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Sikes Field in Macon, Ga.
Following the pair of defeats, Chattanooga snaps its four-game win streak and falls to 9-18 overall and 5-3 in SoCon action. Mercer improves its overall mark to 17-15 and league tally to 3-3.
Game recaps, box scores and scoring summaries are below.
GAME #1 RECAP | BOX
Mercer 4, Chattanooga 1
After a scoreless opening frame, Mercer struck for a pair of runs in the bottom of the second behind an RBI single from Adele Braun and an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Annie Potter to jump ahead 2-0.
Chattanooga struggled at the plate during the early going, amassing just three singles over the first four trips. The Mocs stranded runners in each of the first three innings before going down in order in the fourth.
Mercer extended their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth behind another two-run frame. Braun led the inning off with a hit-by-pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch with no outs. Bree Comer laced an RBI single to center which forced starting pitcher
Hannah Wood out of the circle.
Kat Thompson entered in relief and allowed an RBI single that allowed the inherited runner to score.
The Bears loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning which chased Thompson from the circle.
Brooke Sudduth entered in relief and induced a pair of pop-outs to escape the jam unharmed.
Chattanooga finally found a sliver of offense in the top of the sixth when
Adison Keylon,
Kendall Forsythe and
Hayleigh Weissenbach led off the inning with consecutive singles. Weissenbach's base knock to right brought in Keylon from third and cut the deficit to 4-1. The Mocs popped up three times over the next seven pitches to strand a pair of runners in scoring position.
Down to its final three outs, UTC put runners on first and second with two outs after an
Emily Coltharp single and Keylon walk to bring the potential tying run to the plate.
Courtney Ball flied out to right on a 2-1 count to end the ball game.
Wood (5-5) suffered the loss in the circle after going 3.0 innings and allowing five hits and four earned runs. Thompson (1.1IP) and Sudduth (1.2IP) combined to allow just two hits in their relief roles.
Chattanooga finished with seven hits as a team with four coming over the final two innings. Keylon recorded her second-straight multi-hit game after going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Weissenbach went 1-for-3 with the lone RBI for the Mocs.
SCORING PLAYS
B2nd: Adele Braun singled down the rf line, RBI (1-2 KFB); Allie Jones scored. (MER 1-0)
B2nd: Annie Potter reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop, RBI (1-2 SFBF); Adele Braun scored. (MER 2-0)
B4th: Bree Comer singled to right center, advanced to second, RBI (3-2 BBKKB); Adele Braun scored. (MER 3-0)
B4th: Tori Ash singled up the middle, RBI (3-1 BBBK); Bree Comer scored. (MER 4-0)
T6th:
Hayleigh Weissenbach singled to right field, advanced to second, RBI (1-0 B);
Courtney Ball advanced to third;
Adison Keylon scored. (MER 4-1)
GAME #2 RECAP | BOX
Mercer 8, Chattanooga 2
Mercer scored early and often off Chattanooga starting pitcher
Brooke Parrott. The Bears laced three hits and scored two runs in each of the first and second innings to race out to a quick 4-0 lead and chase Parrott from the contest after just 1.2 innings.
The home team continued its scoring ambush in the third in similar fashion, pushing across two runs on four hits while leaving the bases loaded, to build a 6-0 lead. Chattanooga struck for a run in the top of the fourth when
Kendall Forsythe reached on a fielding error that allowed
Courtney Ball to score from third, cutting the deficit to 6-1.
Mercer continued its theme of scoring a pair of runs in a frame during the home half of the fourth. The Bears plated runs on a fielder's choice and RBI single through the right side to extend its lead to a sizable 8-1 margin.
Kylie Coffin picked up two strikeouts in a clean relief inning in the home half of the fifth.
Cameren Swafford added instant offense in the top of the sixth with her third homerun of the season, a solo shot deep over the left center fence, bringing the tally to 8-2. The score would hold up as the eventual final after clean frames from both teams down the stretch.
Parrott (3-6) suffered the loss in the circle after allowing six hits and four earned runs over 1.2 innings of work.
Hannah Wood (1.0IP, 4H, 2ER),
Brooke Sudduth (1.1IP, 3H, 2ER) and Coffin (2.0IP, 3H, 2K) all provided relief efforts.
Liz Rodebaugh (3-for-3) and
Emily Coltharp (2-for-4) notched multi-hit games for the Mocs while Swafford recorded the lone RBI on her long ball, finishing 1-for-2. Chattanooga recorded seven hits in the defeat.
SCORING PLAYS
B1st: Kylie Helm grounded out to 2b, RBI (2-1 BBK); Micayla Rood advanced to third; Elisa Rosado scored. (MER 1-0)
B1st: Allie Jones flied out to rf, SAC, RBI (1-0 B); Micayla Rood scored. (MER 2-0)
B2nd: Elisa Rosado singled to left field, advanced to second, RBI (0-0); Bree Comer scored. (MER 3-0)
B2nd: Micayla Rood singled to left field, advanced to second, RBI (0-0); Elisa Rosado scored. (MER 4-0)
B3rd: Castleberry singled up the middle (2-1 BBF); Allie Jones advanced to third, scored on a fielding error by cf. (MER 5-0)
B3rd: Annie Potter doubled down the lf line, RBI (1-1 BF); Castleberry scored. (MER 6-0)
T4th:
Kendall Forsythe reached on a fielding error by ss (1-0 B);
Hayleigh Weissenbach advanced to third, out at home ss to c;
Courtney Ball scored, unearned. (MER 6-1)
B4th: Adele Braun reached on a fielder's choice, SAC, bunt, advanced to second, RBI (1-0 B); Castleberry advanced to third; Allie Jones scored. (MER 7-1)
B4th: Bree Comer singled through the right side, RBI (2-2 BKFB); Adele Braun advanced to third; Castleberry scored. (MER 8-1)
T6th:
Cameren Swafford homered to left center, RBI (1-1 FB). (MER 8-2)
UP NEXT
Chattanooga (9-18, 5-3
SoCon) heads to Austin Peay this Wednesday, April 14, for a non-conference showdown at 5:00 p.m. ET. Game coverage links will be available on the schedule page leading up to first pitch.
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