AUBURN– The Chattanooga Mocs' softball team split day two of the Jane B. Moore Memorial Tournament at Auburn on Saturday afternoon.
After UTC defeated Toledo 5-4 yesterday, the Rockets flipped the scoreboard and beat UTC 5-4 in the first game of the day. In game two, the Mocs won their third contest by mercy rule with a 10-1 victory over NC A&T.
UTC moves to 9-9 this season, while NC A&T fell to 9-8 and Toledo moved to 4-9.
The Mocs close out the Jane B. Moore Memorial Tournament tomorrow, March 6 against Auburn at 1:30 p.m. EST. Fans can watch the action live on SECN+.
GAME 1 RECAP
Toledo had two players reach on a walk in the bottom of the first with one later scoring on a sacrifice fly to left. In the next half inning,
Gracey Kruse drove in
Acelynn Sellers from second with an RBI double to tie the game at one.
In the third, Toledo got two runs back with a solo shot to center followed by an RBI single to take a 3-1 lead. Sellers continued her success this weekend with a leadoff double in the fourth and after getting moved over to third on a bunt, scored on a sac fly from Kruse to cut the Mocs' deficit in half. With the bases empty and two outs,
Reagan Armour stepped up to the dish and hit her first career home run to tie the game at three.
Toledo took the lead back in the fifth with a sac fly of their own to hold a 4-3 advantage heading into the sixth. In the sixth,
Presley Williamson started off the inning with her first career homer to tie the game at four.
In the bottom of the sixth, Toledo's Dayne Denner plated the game's winning run with a one-out single up the middle.
The Mocs got two aboard in the seventh, but were unable to tie the game in the next half inning as the Rockets held on to the 5-4 victory, flipping their 5-4 setback from yesterday.
Sellers, Coltharp and Kruse all registered two hits in the contest.
Brooke Parrott tossed 2.2 innings and picked up a no decision in the circle, allowing three runs on three hits with five strikeouts and four walks.
Hannah Wood pitched 3.1 innings of relief and allowed two runs on two hits.
GAME 1 – UTC 4, TOL 5 | BOX
SCORING PLAYS
B1st: Aubrey Reed (TOL) lined out to left, sac fly, RBI, Dayna Denner scored. (TOL 1-0)
T2nd: Gracey Kruse (UTC) doubled to center, RBI,
Acelynn Sellers scored. (Tied 1-1)
B3rd: Dayne Denner (TOL) homered to center, RBI. (TOL 2-1).
B3rd: Riley Mohr (TOL) singled to center, RBI, Brenna Bailey scored. (TOL 3-1).
T4th: Gracey Kruse (UTC) doubled to center, RBI,
Acelynn Sellers scored. (TOL 3-2)
T4th: Reagan Armour (UTC) homered to left center, RBI. (Tied 3-3).
B5th: Vander Lugt (TOL) flied out to center, sac fly, RBI, Jenna Kroll scored. (TOL 4-3)
T6th: Presley Williamson (UTC) homered to center, RBI. (Tied 4-4)
B6th: Dayna Denner (TOL) singled to center, RBI. Lily Beyer scored. (TOL 5-4).
WP: Sophia Knight (2-3)
LP: Hannah Wood (1-4)
Notable:
- Coltharp's two stolen bases tied a career high. It's the sixth time in her career she's stolen two in a game.
- The loss is the first of the season for UTC when hitting four or more extra base hits. The Mocs entered the game 7-0 when outhitting their opponent and are now 7-1.
GAME 2 RECAP
Chattanooga's bats came alive early in the contest as the Blue and Gold plated seven runs on five hits and four NC A&T errors in the second. The Mocs began the inning with a solo blast off the bat of
Jayce Purdy. Coltharp singled up the middle with the bases loaded to score Armour from third to put the Mocs up 3-0. After multiple other errors and a wild pitch, Purdy capped off the seven-run second with a single to left, scoring Lipari.
The Aggies got into the hit and the run column in the third to cut its deficit to 7-1. In the next half inning, the Mocs plated two more on a
Liz Rodebaugh double and NC A&T's sixth error of the ballgame.
Sellers doubled for the third time on Saturday afternoon to drive in
Skylar Berkhiser from second to extend the Mocs' lead to 10-1.
Izzy Alley picked up her second complete game victory in as many days as the freshman improved to 2-4 on the season. She allowed one unearned run on three hits and one walk, while striking out a career high seven strikeouts, the most by a Moc this season.
Purdy was dominant at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBI a run and a walk. She's the fourth Moc to record three hits in a game this season.
Sellers went 1-for-4 at the dish with 2 RBI. Coltharp recorded the other mutli-hit game with a 2-for-3 day.
GAME 2 – UTC 10, NC A&T 1 | BOX
SCORING PLAYS
T2nd: Jayce Purdy (UTC) homered to left center, RBI. (UTC 1-0)
T2nd: Reagan Armour (UTC) reached on a fielding error by 3B,
Gracey Kruse scored. (UTC 2-0)
T2nd: Emily Coltharp (UTC) singled up the middle, RBI,
Reagan Armour scored, unearned. (UTC 3-0)
T2nd: Olivia Lipari (UTC) reached on a fielder's choice, RBI,
Liz Rodebaugh scored (UTC 4-0).
T2nd: Kailey Snell (UTC) scored on a wild pitch. (UTC 5-0)
T2nd: Acelynn Sellers (UTC) grounded out to 2B, RBI,
Emily Coltharp scored. (UTC 6-0)
T2nd: Jayce Purdy (UTC) singled to left, RBI,
Olivia Lipari scored. (UTC 7-0)
B3rd: Kendall Macauley (NC A&T) singled to center, RBI, Eternal Fuller scored. (UTC 7-1)
T4th: Liz Rodebaugh (UTC) doubled to center, RBI,
Gracey Kruse scored. (UTC 8-1)
T4th: Kailey Snell (UTC) reached on a fielding error by SS, RBI,
Reagan Armour scored. (UTC 9-1).
T5th: Acelynn Sellers (UTC) doubled to center, RBI,
Skylar Berkhiser scored. (UTC 10-1).
WP: Izzy Alley (2-4)
LP: Mariah Headen (0-2)
Notable:
- UTC plated seven runs in an inning for the third time this season.
- Armour extended her hit team-leading hit streak to seven straight games.
- Chattanooga has recorded 10 or more hits four games this season and at least once in every weekend of action.
- The seven strikeouts by the Mocs' opponent is the most this season. Alley's seven K's are the most by a Chattanooga pitcher since March 8, 2020 when Allison Swinford struck out eight.
Series history:
The Mocs tied the all-time series against NC A&T at one game apiece. Toledo won its first game against Chattanooga in program history and is now 1-6 all-time against UTC.
FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA SOFTBALL
For the most up-to-date information and news regarding Chattanooga Softball, please
follow @GoMocsSB on Twitter & Instagram and Chattanooga Softball on Facebook.
Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here. Check out the Mocs on the Mic podcast here.
