CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga softball team split a pair of games Friday at Jim Frost Stadium on the opening day of the Chattanooga Challenge. The Mocs picked up a 5-3 walk-off win over Bellarmine in the first game before falling 7-1 to Ohio in the nightcap.
 
GAME 1: Chattanooga 5, Bellarmine 3
Mia Leone smashed a two-run walk-off homer to deep left field in the bottom of the seventh, lifting Chattanooga to a 5–3 comeback win over Bellarmine.
 
Leone's blast came with two outs and a runner on second, breaking a 3–3 tie after the Mocs rallied from a run down to start the inning. Pinch‑runner Abi Pikas scored ahead of Leone on the game-winning swing.
 
Chattanooga trailed 3–2 entering the final frame, but freshman Ava Cowart sparked the rally with her third hit of the day, an infield single, before stealing second. Baileigh Pitts tied it with an RBI double to center, scoring Cowart and setting the stage for Leone's heroics.
 
Cowart finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Leone went 1-for-3 with a walk and three RBI. Pitts and Anna Dovey each added RBI doubles for the Mocs, who collected nine hits.
 
Emery Bales (1–0) earned the win in relief, allowing one run over the final 2.2 innings with two strikeouts. Starter Taylor Long struck out eight over 4.1 innings.
 
Bellarmine was led by Peyton Arnold, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI. The Knights took a 3–2 lead in the top of the seventh before Chattanooga answered with its three‑run surge.
 
GAME 2: Ohio 7, Chattanooga 1
The Mocs fell in the nightcap, 7-1 to Ohio.
 
Ohio broke a scoreless game with two runs in the fourth, added three more in the fifth, and tacked on two in the sixth. Shelby Westler powered the Bobcats' offense, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored. Belle Hummel finished 3-for-5 with two runs, and Colleen Bare added a 3-for-4 performance.
 
Chattanooga pushed across its lone run in the sixth when Lexi Cooley singled through the left side to score pinch‑runner Jade Gainer. Cooley went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Abi Bunt and Baileigh Pitts each added hits. Pitts also doubled in the sixth.
 
Sophia Guerra started for the Mocs and threw three innings before giving way to freshman Emery Bales, who worked 4.0 innings in relief. Ohio's Skipp Miller earned the win, tossing five shutout innings with four strikeouts before handing the ball to Keegan Moore for the final two frames.
 
Chattanooga continues its home weekend slate at Frost Stadium on Saturday. The Mocs host Ohio at 3:00 p.m. followed a matchup with Canisius.
 
Tickets are on sale at GoMocs.com or at the Frost Stadium box office.
 
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