CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Chattanooga put up two insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth and held off Jacksonville State in a 3-2 non-conference win at Frost Stadium Wednesday night.
 
The Mocs improve to 25-9 overall while the Gamecocks move to 23-14 on the year. This was the second meeting between the two programs this season with UTC winning both.
 
The Mocs picked up the first run of the game in the bottom of the second. Kailey Snell, with two outs, drove a 3-2 pitch to left field, scoring Raven Jones from second.
 
Chattanooga added a pair of insurance runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-0 lead on the Gamecocks. Jayce Purdy led off the inning with a single and took second on a sac bunt from Jones. Lexi Cooley singled to center and Purdy rounded third slid in safe to make it 2-0.
 
Cooley, who had taken second on the throw home, advanced to third on a ground out by pinch hitter Abby Bunt. In the next at bat, Snell picked up her second RBI of the game with a double to the fence over the left fielder's outstretched glove, driving in Cooley to give UTC a 3-0 lead.
 
Those runs were needed as Jax State's Makalyn Kyser crushed a two-run blast over the bleachers in left field to make it a one-run game at 3-2.
 
Snell went 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a walk. Cooley drove in a run on 1-of-2 at the plate with a walk.  Purdy was 2-for-4 and scored a run while Jones went 1-for-2 with a double, sac bunt and scored the first run of the game.
 
Taylor Long improved to 9-0 on the year with four strikeouts in the game. She gave up two runs on five hits through five and two-third innings. Peja Goold earned her second save of the year, pitching the final one and one-third innings and not allowing a hit.
 
Chattanooga will host Western Carolina in a three-game Southern Conference series this weekend beginning Friday night at 6:00 p.m. Due to the possibility of inclement weather on Sunday, the game was moved to Friday to avoid cancellation. The series concludes Saturday with a doubleheader that begins at 1:00 p.m.
 
Tickets are on sale online at GoMocs.com or at the Frost Stadium ticket booth one hour prior to first pitch. Links for live stats and video streaming on ESPN+ can be found online at GoMocs.com on the softball schedule page.
 
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