BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. --- There was no shortage of drama for the Chattanooga softball Mocs Saturday on Day Two of the Gardner-Webb Spring in the Springs tournament. In the opening game of the day, UTC put up five runs in the fifth for a come-from-behind 7-5 win over Stony Brook and then closed the day with a thrilling 6-1, nine-inning affair against the host Runnin' Bulldogs.
 
The Mocs went 17-for-61 (.279) for the day with six doubles, two triples and drove in 10 runs. Zoe Wright went 4-for-6 (.667) with a double and triple and scored two runs. Camryn Cernuto was 3-for-7 with three RBIs and 1-for-1 for steals. Lexi Cooley reached base on three walks and was 2-for-2 on steals.
 
Taylor Long pitched 9.2 innings and recorded 14 strikeouts and picked up a win with a 0.72 ERA. Riley Lamb tallied a 1.40 ERA with a win while striking out four through five innings of work.
 
 
CHATTANOOGA 7, STONY BROOK 5
The Mocs put together a five-run fifth to take the lead on Stony Brook and held off the Seawolves in the final inning to secure their ninth straight win.
 
Zoe Wright led off the fifth with a double to right center and took third on a ground out. Camryn Cernuto singled but a mishandled ball put her at second and scored Wright to pull the Mocs within two runs at 4-2. Olivia Lipari hit the first of two doubles down the right field line to score Cernuto and the Mocs were now within one run.
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Stony Brook made a pitching change and Acelynn Sellers reached third on a fielding error in right field sending Lipari home to tie the game. Presley Williamson kept the hit parade going with a double to center field, driving Sellers home to put the Mocs up 5-4.
 
With Abby Orr on to run in place of Williamson and two outs, Raven Jones' hit to right field resulted in a ground rule double, scoring Orr for the Mocs fifth run of the inning to make it a 6-4 lead for Chattanooga.
 
Wright led off the sixth with a triple and scored the Mocs seventh run on a Kailey Snell sac fly to center. Chattanooga's first run of the game came in the first on a triple to right field from Sellers. Cernuto reached on a fielder's choice and then stole her sixth base of the weekend. A fly out to center advanced her to third and then scored on Sellers' hit.
 
Stony Brook took an early lead with three first inning runs and added a fourth in the second, but the Mocs shut them down for the next three innings. The Seawolves added one run in the sixth to cut the UTC advantage to two runs.
 
The seventh started with a line out to center field, however a single, walk and another single loaded the bases. Taylor Long entered the game and struck out the final two batters, stranding all three to get the win.
 
UTC had 10 hits in the game that included seven multi-base hits. The Mocs had four doubles in the fifth, a triple in the first and double and triple in the sixth.
 
Wright was 3-for-3 with a double, a triple and scored two runs. Lipari had two hits in four at bats with a double, RBI and run scored. Cernuto scored two runs and had one stolen base.
 
 
CHATTANOOGA 6, GARDNER-WEBB 1 | 9 innings
In the second game of the day, the Mocs and Runnin' Bulldogs put on a defensive battle through eight innings with each scoring just once. Chattanooga dropped five runs on Gardner-Webb in the ninth to claim a 10^th consecutive win.
 
The Mocs got on the board first with a pinch hit single up the middle by Baileigh Pitts, scoring Lexi Cooley. Cooley opened the inning with a walk and was advanced to second on a bunt by Zoe Wright. Pitts was brought in to pinch hit for Snell and drove a single up the middle, sending Cooley home to break the scoring drought.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Gardner-Webb tied it up to force extra innings. Neither team could get a run across in the eighth, but the Mocs opened it up in the ninth scoring five runs in the inning.
 
The international tie breaker came into play, placing pinch runner Abby Orr at second. Jayce Purdy singled to put runners at the corners. Raven Jones' bunt was well placed putting runners on first and second while smart base running by Orr broke the tie and gave the Mocs the lead for good with the first of five runs in the inning.
 
Cooley walked to load the bases, but Gardner-Webb got the next batter out. Snell reached on the next at bat on a fielder's choice to home plate. However, the throw was off and Purdy scored to give the Mocs a two-run cushion.
 
Cernuto drove a single up the middle to dive home Cooley and Jones and the Mocs lead grew to 5-1. Olivia Lipari reached on a fielder's choice putting runners on the corners and Sellers walked to load the bases for a second time in the inning.
 
Williamson returned to the lineup and took first when the pitch hit her foot, plating Snell for the sixth run of the game.
 
Gardner-Webb was unable to get any runners home in the extra innings.
 
Cernuto was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Pitts and Williamson each drove in a run. Sellers tallied a double and Cooley was 2-for-2 on steals. Taylor Long went the distance to improve to 3-0 on the year. She struck out 12, one shy of her career-high and allowed just two hits. She went 5-1/3 innings without allowing a hit.
 
Chattanooga improves to 12-7 on the year and runs its win streak to 10 games.
 
Up next
Chattanooga closes out Gardner-Webb's "Spring in the Springs" tournament Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Links for live stats and video streaming on ESPN+ are available online at GoMocs.com.
 
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