CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Chattanooga put two runs on the board in the first inning and never trailed in an 8-3 win over third-seed Furman Wednesday afternoon at Frost Stadium in the opening round of the Southern Conference Championship.
 
Kaili Phillips led off the game with a single and made it home on a sac fly to center field off the bat of Acelynn Sellers for the Mocs first run. Chattanooga scored twice in the first, three in the third and one run in each the fourth, sixth and seventh innings.
 
Phillips was 2-for-3 with an RBI, a ground rule double, three runs scored and was hit by a pitch. Olivia Lipari went 3-for-3 on the day with three RBIs, a triple and a run scored.
 
Peja Goold went all seven innings and struck out seven, walked two and had two earned runs.
 
Phillips singled to left field to get the game started and Emily Coltharp laid down a bunt single, putting two runners on. Lipari walked the bases loaded and Acelynn Sellers' sac fly to center sent Phillips home for the first run. Addy Keylon followed with another sac fly to right to score Coltharp and the Mocs led 2-0 after just a half inning.
 
Furman got one run back in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly to right field.
 
In the third, Phillips led off again, this time bouncing the hit over the fence in right center for a ground rule double. Lipari tripled to right center, scoring Phillips to make it 3-1. Acelynn Sellers walked and Keylon's pop up into foul territory in right field was long enough to score Lipari for a 4-1 Mocs advantage.
 
With runners on first and second, Presley Williamson singled to center field scoring Sellers from second and Chattanooga's lead grew to 5-1 in the middle of the third.
 
Furman had three hits, including a pair of doubles, in the bottom of the frame and scored two more runs to cut Chattanooga's lead to 5-3.
 
Lipari recorded another RBI in the fourth, sending Phillips home on a single to left field to double up the Paladins 6-3 through four.
 
In the sixth, with runners at first and second, Lipari singled and Riley Kokinda scored the Mocs seventh run of the game.
 
With bases loaded in the top of the seventh, Phillips was hit by the pitch for a team-leading 15^th time this season and forced in the Mocs eighth run of the game.
 
Furman singled in the bottom of the inning with two out, but the Mocs halted the Paladins in their tracks to get the opening round win.
 
Goold improves to 9-8 on the year.
 
Chattanooga will take on No. 2 seed Samford Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at Frost Stadium. The first game of the day, a consolation bracket matchup between #7 ETSU and #3 Furman, will get the day started at 10:00 a.m.
 
Tickets are on sale online at GoMocs.com and at the Frost Stadium ticket booth prior to the game.
 

SCORING SUMMARY		C-F
T1st	Sellers flied out to cf, SF, RBI; Lipari advanced to second; Coltharp advanced to third; Phillips scored	1-0
T1st	Keylon popped up to lf, SF, RBI; Coltharp scored.	2-0
B1st	Ludlam flied out to rf, SF, RBI; Lykins scored, unearned.	2-1
T3rd	Lipari tripled to right center, RBI; Phillips scored.	3-1
T3rd	Keylon fouled out to rf, SF, RBI; Lipari scored.	4-1
T3rd	Williamson singled to center field, advanced to second on the throw, RBI; Purdy advanced to  third; Sellers scored.	5-1
B3rd	Ludlam doubled to right center, RBI; Fleming scored.	5-2
B3rd	Perry doubled down the lf line, RBI; Ludlam scored.	5-3
T4th	Lipari singled to left field, RBI; Coltharp advanced to second; Phillips scored.	6-3
T6th	Lipari singled to right field, RBI, advanced to second on an error by rf; Kokinda scored, unearned.	7-3
T7th	Phillips hit by pitch, RBI; Kokinda advanced to second; Wright advanced to third; Williamson scored, unearned.	8-3