CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga softball team came from behind to claim an extra inning win over Ball State and held off Murray State in the final to win its fourth straight game Saturday on Day Two of the Chattanooga Challenge at Frost Stadium to improve to 5-4 overall.
 
The Mocs beat Ball State 4-3 in eight innings and held off Murray State in the seventh for a 3-2 win. UTC had 15 hits over two games with a home run, three doubles and six RBI. Olivia Lipari was 3-for-5 on the day with a home run, double, two RBI and three runs scored.
 
CHATTANOOGA 4, BALL STATE 3/8 INNINGS
Chattanooga came away with a 4-3 extra inning win over Ball State in its first game Saturday of the Chattanooga Challenge. After tying the game in the bottom of the seventh, UTC scored the game winner on a pinch hit.
 
Jayce Purdy led off the seventh inning with a single. With one out, Bailiegh Pitts came in to pinch hit for Camryn Cernuto and doubled to left field to put runners in scoring position. Cernuto returned to the lineup to run.
 
Purdy scored on a wild pitch to pull the Mocs to within one run at 3-2 and Cernuto moved to third. Acelynn Sellers drew a walk to put runners on the corners for Kaili Phillips. She doubled to left field, plating Cernuto to tie the game and head into extra innings.
 
Ball State placed a runner at second to start the inning, but she was stranded.
 
Olivia Lipari started the inning at second for Chattanooga. Shayna Glass pinch hit a grounder to first to advance Lipari to third. Head coach Frank Reed pulled in Anna Dovey to pinch hit. She dropped a hit into shallow right field sending Lipari home with the game winner.
 
The Mocs had four runs on 11 hits. Purdy was 2-for-3, Lipari was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Phillips was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Dovey and Kendall Forsythe each had an RBI.
 
Izzy Alley got the start in the circle and struck out three and giving up just one earned run on one hit. Taylor Long pitched 4.1 innings with one earned run and no hits with four strikeouts.
 
Ball State scored three runs on one hit. Francys King pitched seven innings allowing 10 hits and four runs while striking out three.
 
 
CHATTANOOGA 3, MURRAY STATE 2
The Mocs claimed their fourth straight win, beating Murray State 3-2 in the final game of Day Two of the Chattanooga Challenge.
 
Camryn Cernuto slid safe into first base to lead off the sixth inning. Abi Pikas sacrificed her over to second and Acelynn Sellers single to center field sent her home from second for the first run of the game.
 
With Sellers sitting on first, Olivia Lipari crushed a two-out, first-pitch ball over the fence in left center to put the Mocs up 3-0.
 
Murray State made a run in the top of the seventh, with a long RBI double to left field and a sac fly to right. The Mocs held off the Racers forcing a ground out to third to end the game.
 
Lipari was 1-for-2 with a home run, walk and two RBI to lead Chattanooga. Riley Lamb got the start for Chattanooga and went four innings. She struck out two, walked three and didn't allow a run on four hits. Alyssa Lavdis came on in relief, pitching three innings. She struck out three and gave up a pair of runs on two hits while picking up her first win of the season.
 
Chattanooga will host North Alabama at 1:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Frost Stadium. Single session tickets are $10 and available online at GoMocs.com or the Frost Stadium ticket booth.
 
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