GREENSBORO, N.C. --- Top-seeded Chattanooga softball team made quick work of No. 4 Mercer Thursday morning in the first game of Day Two of the Southern Conference Championship in Greensboro, N.C., beating the Bears 10-1 in five innings.
 
Chattanooga got on the board in the first inning on a Kendall Forsythe single. Kailey Snell led off the Mocs half of the inning with a single down the left field line. Camryn Cernuto sacrificed her over to second and Olivia Lipari joined her on the bases with a walk.
 
With two outs, Forsythe hit a shallow fly to center scoring Snell from second to put Chattanooga up 1-0.
 
Cernuto led off the third inning with a walk and Lipari sacrificed her over to second. Baileigh Pitts drew a walk setting up the scene for Forsythe who showed her power once again. She had a three-run blast to centerfield to give Chattanooga a 4-0 lead.
 
But the scoring wasn't done yet. Kaili Phillips singled through the left side. She advanced to third on a double from Addy Keylon. With two outs, both runners made it home, with Keylon sliding in under the tag, on a wild pitch that shot off the catcher and towards the Mocs dugout. That put the Mocs up 6-0 through three innings.
 
Chattanooga added four more in the fourth to put the game away. Cernuto led off the inning with a walk and Lipari's sac bunt sent her to second and a ground out put her on third with two outs. Forsythe registered her third hit of the game with a single up the middle to sent Cernuto home. Phillips singled through the left side to put runners at first and second. A walk to Addy Keylon loaded the bases.
 
Anna Dovey stepped up to the plate and drove a pinch hit double over the left fielder's glove and to the fence to score two runs. Keylon scored on a fielding error for the Mocs fourth run of the inning and 10^th of the game.
 
Mercer put nine runners on and stranded eight. The game started with the Bears reaching on a fielding error followed by a walk. Chattanooga got the next three out to end the early threat.
 
Peja Goold, with eight strikeouts in the game, struck out the side in the second, all swinging. With two out in the third, the Bears put two runners on, but another strikeout ended the inning. Goold struck out another two in the fourth while stranding two.
 
In the fifth, Mercer loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a single to start the inning. Goold struck out the next batter and a single to left field plated a run. However, bad base running by the Bears stranded a runner between third and home where she was chased down by Phillips for the second out.
 
A pop up to Goold ended the game with UTC claiming a run-rule victory to advance to the next round of the SoCon Championship.
 
Forsythe was 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBI and two runs scored. Phillips was 2-for-2 and drew a walk. She scored two of the Mocs runs.
 
Goold went all five innings and recorded eight strikeouts and one earned run. She gave up five free passes and four hits.
 
UTC will face No. 2 UNCG at 10:00 a.m. Friday at UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
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