CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga Mocs softball team is on the road this weekend at Mercer for a three-game Southern Conference series.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Mocs at Mercer
Saturday, March 29
1:00 p.m. / 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 30
1:00 p.m.
Live stats are available for all three games. The link can be found online at GoMocs.com on the softball schedule page.
SUNDAY's game will be aired live on ESPN+. Saturday's games will NOT be streamed.
 
CHATTANOOGA vs. MERCER
The series with the Bears is tied 30-30. In the Southern Conference, Mercer lead 18-9. Last year the Mocs won the first meeting in the series and lost the last two.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
Chattanooga run-ruled the Bears 10-1 in the Southern Conference Tournament in five innings.
 
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (22-9, 2-1 SoCon)
The Mocs are hitting .298 as a team with 77 multi-base hits including 46 doubles, eight triples and 23 home runs. Acelynn Sellers and Presley Willaimson lead the Mocs with seven home runs each. Camryn Cernuto leads UTC with a .381 batting average. She has 10 RBI and scored 24 runs. Olivia Lipari has a team-best 10 doubles, hitting .341 while Zoe Wright, hitting .344, has a team-high three triples. In the circle, Peja Goold leads UTC with a 1.76 ERA. She has a SoCon-best 118 strikeouts in 91.1 innings pitched. She is 12-4 on the year with 14 starts and 11 complete games with five shutouts. Taylor Long has a 2.78 ERA and threw a shutout against Tennessee Tech, allowing just one hit. She is second in the SoCon with 83 strikeouts in 68 innings and is 7-0 with seven starts and four complete games.
 
ABOUT MERCER (18-16, 1-2 SoCon)
The Bears are hitting .280 led by Tori Hedgecock with a .415 batting average. She has nine home runs, seven doubles, a triple and 35 RBI.  Hallie Langford is second on the team with a .393 batting average, a team-high 42 hits with 10 doules and two home runs. She has 16 RBI and scored 37 runs. In the circle, Gabby Ellis leads the team with a 2.66 ERA. Hannah Pitts is throwing 2.95. Each has a 5-3 record and a combined four saves. Ellis has 33 strikeouts while Pitts has 47.
 
 
 
MOCS NEWS AND NOTES
WILLIAMSON BELTS GAME-WINNING GRAND SLAM IN EXTRAS
Presley Williamson was the hero in the Mocs final game of the "Make it Happen Games" at Madeira Beach, Fla. A throwing error in the bottom of the seventh allowed the tying run by LIU forcing extra innings. International tie-break rules placed Cam Cernuto at second to start the eighth. With one out, Olivia Lipari singled to right to put runners on the corners. Baileigh Pitts took first on a hit by pitch to load the bases for Williamson who had already hit three home runs on the weekend. She took a 1-1 count over the fence in left to plate four runs and double the Mocs lead to 8-4. LIU hit a pair of home runs, a two-run and a solo shot, in the bottom to pull to within one, but UTC grabbed the win.
 
SELLERS BELTS OUT THREE HOME RUNS, SETS TOTAL BASES RECORD
Against host Stetson on Feb. 9 in DeLand, Fla., Acelynn Sellers went 4-for-4 with three home runs including a three-run shot in the sixth inning. That tied UTC single-game mark set by two other UTC players. The last to hit three in a game was Regan Armour in the 2022 SoCon Championship game at UNCG against the Spartans. Sellers drove in six runs in the game and set a new Mocs program record for total bases in a single game with 13.
 
WILLIAMSON, GOOLD SWEEP TSWA WEEKLY AWARDS
• [Mar. 12] Junior pitcher Peja Goold appeared in four games with two complete games in both starts. She threw a one-hitter against Siena, then picked up her first save of the season against LIU, striking out all three on swinging strikeouts. She struck out 16 in all over the weekend.
• [Mar. 12] Senior Presley Williamson drove in 14 runs on six hits with a double and four home runs for the week, including a game-winning grand slam against Long Island in an eight-inning 8-7 victory. She had a home run in four of the five games this past weekend at the Make it Happen Games and a two-run double against Georgia State. Williamson drove in two with a bases-loaded single and a two-run round-tripper against Siena, had a first-inning blast against Niagara, then hit a solo homer in the second game against Siena.
 
PEJA GOOLD NAMED SOUTHERN CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
• [Mar. 10] Junior pitcher Peja Goold made two starts with four appearances last week. She went 2-0 with her first save of the season last week and pitched two complete games. The Stockton, Calif., native recorded a 0.93 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 15 innings. Against Siena on Friday, Goold threw a one-hitter and struck out eight. She followed that with her second complete game of the week, getting the win against Central Michigan on Saturday. She struck out five and allowed one earned run in the win while recording five putouts. She threw two innings at Georgia State it the Mocs six-inning 9-1 win last Tuesday in Atlanta. Goold faced the final three batters against LIU, striking out all three, to get her first save in an 8-7 eight-inning game.
 
PEJA GOOLD NAMED TN SPORTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION (TSWA) PITCHER OF THE WEEK
• [Mar. 4] Junior pitcher Peja Goold dominated the field last week going 4-0 in four appearances with three starts. She pitched three complete games, recorded two shutouts and threw a career-high 14 strikeouts against Stony Brook. She struck out 39 batters on the week in 23 innings pitched and tallied a 0.61 ERA. At Jacksonville State, Goold went the distance, striking out eight in a 3-2 win. Goold came on in relief against IU Indy, pitching the final two innings and striking out five of the eight batters she faced. The game was tied when she entered and the Mocs added a run in the top of the seventh for her second win of the week. Goold started the game second game Friday against Stony Brook. She recorded a career-high 14 strikeouts against the Seawolves and picked up the first of two shutouts. She closed out the tournament against the host Runnin' Bulldogs, struck out 12 and allowed just one hit and notched a second shutout.
 
ACELYNN SELLERS NAMED SOUTHERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• [Feb. 10] Senior Acelynn Sellers went 8-for-15 (.533) over the weekend with four home runs, a double and drove in eight runs. In the opener against Fairleigh Dickinson, she went 2-for-3 with a double, home run and one RBI and scored two runs in the run-rule victory. In the nightcap against host Stetson on Saturday, Sellers went 4-for-4 with three home runs including a three-run shot in the sixth inning. That tied UTC single-game mark set by two other UTC players. The last to hit three in a game was Regan Armour in the 2022 SoCon Championship game at UNCG against the Spartans. Sellers drove in six runs in the game and set a new Mocs program record for total bases in a single game with 13.
 
MOCS CLAIM FOUR WINS AT THE MAKE IT HAPPEN GAMES
The Mocs beat Siena in the opening game Friday and made quick work of Niagara in the second in a run rule victory. The Mocs hit .386 with 17 hits in 44 at bats with two home runs, five doubles, 21 RBI and 15 bases on balls. In the circle, UTC allowed two earned runs on two hits with 18 strikeouts, eight walks and threw two complete games to run the win streak to 14 games. On Saturday, UTC split, falling to Siena in the opener with a run in the sixth to take the lead. Against Central Michigan, UTC put up three runs in the first behind a three-run blast from Baileigh Pitts who got the start at first. Sunday's thriller was decided in the top of the eighth on a grand slam from Presley Williamson. LIU scored three runs in the bottom of the inning on a pair of home runs before Peja Goold entered to shut down the threat.
 
WIN STREAK RUNS TO 14 GAMES, TIED FOR FIFTH LONGEST
The Mocs won the first two games of the "Make it Happen Games" in Maderia Beach, Fla. (3/7-10) to run its win streak to 14 games, tied for fifth longest in program history. UTC recorded two 17-game win streaks, the first in 2001 and the second in 2004.
 
MOCS SWEEP GARDNER-WEBB "SPRING IN THE SPRINGS"
Chattanooga went 5-0 to grab its second tournament title of the season beating IU Indy, Stony Brook and host Gardner-Webb. The Mocs came from behind on a pair of doubles from Presley Williamson and two RBI from Jayce Purdy against IU Indy for the late-inning win. Peja Goold struck out a career-high 14 against Stony Brook in the second game for a 7-0 win. She gave up just one hit in the shutout. On Saturday, the Mocs claimed a pair of dramatic wins over Stony Brook and Gardner-Webb. In the opener, the Mocs, trailing 4-1, put up a five-spot in the fifth and claimed a 7-1 win over the Seawolves. Againt the host Runnin' Bulldogs in the second game Saturday, GWU scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game and force extra innings. UTC then put up five runs in the top of the ninth and blanked the Bulldogs in the bottom of the inning for the win. On Sunday, the Mocs scored four runs in the top of the seventh for a 6-0 shutout of the host to sweep the tournament.
 
MOCS SWEEP WEATHER-SHORTENED FROST CLASSIC
The Mocs went 4-0 in a weather-shortened Frost Classic to claim the title. UTC beat Lamar and Illinois State on Saturday behind a 4-for-6 performance from senior Acelynn Sellers who had two home runs, a double and six RBI. On Sunday, the Mocs swept IU Indy and SEMO with four home runs, two from Olivia Lipari who drove in three runs. Acelynn Sellers and Abi Bunt each had a home run and two RBIs.
 
MOCS 4-0 IN EXTRA INNING GAMES
When headed to extra innings, the Mocs are 4-0 on the year. UTC put up five runs in the top of the ninth to beat Gardner-Webb (3/1). The Mocs claimed a dramatic win over LIU in eight innings with a grand slam (3/9). Nine days later at home against Kennesaw State it was a wild finish in the eighth. Abby Orr, running for Presley Williamson, raced home on a wild pitch to win the game. On the SoCon opening day, the Mocs battled UNCG in nine innings in the second game two sweep the Spartans. On a pinch hit single up the middle in the bottom of the seventh, the Mocs tied the game, forcing extras. In the bottom of the ninth, the Mocs scored two runs on a single to left center to claim the win.
 
SOFTBALL HOLDS 5-1 RECORD IN RUN-RULE VICTORIES
• In the opening game of the season, the Mocs claimed an 8-0 win over FDU in six innings. A home run, two doubles and single plated seven runs. However, a wild pitch on an intentional walk drove in the game winner.
• Against Binghamton the Mocs fell 9-1.
• Chattanooga's run-rule win was at Georgia State in six innings. UTC scored five in the second and added four more in the sixth for the win.
• UTC won in five innings each on the opening day at the "Make it Happen Games" in Florida beating Siena and Niagara.
• The Mocs scored 14 runs on eight hits against Niagara and allowed just one hit and one run.
• UTC opened SoCon play with a 9-1 win over UNCG. The Mocs recorded eight hits in the opening game that included a home run, two triples and three doubles.
 
OPEN SOCON PLAY WITH 2-1 SERIES WIN OVER UNCG
The Mocs swept UNC Greensboro on the opening day with a 9-1, five-inning run-rule victory in the opener and a 3-2 extra inning victory in the second. The Mocs got down early, but pulled to within two runs in the fifth. However, UNCG plated six runs in the top of the seventh to get the 14-6 victory in the opening series.