HATTIESBURG, Miss. --- Chattanooga was limited to three hits and could not overcome an early deficit in a 4-0 loss to Southern Miss on Sunday afternoon at the Hub City Classic. The Mocs dropped to 10‑10‑1 on the season.
 
Southern Miss opened the scoring with a three‑run first inning, capitalizing on back‑to‑back singles and a fielding error that allowed the first run to come across. A sacrifice fly by Jayla Hays and another tag‑up on a flyout extended the lead to 3-0 before Chattanooga recorded its first out of the frame.
 
The Golden Eagles added an insurance run in the sixth on a single up the middle with two outs to score Abby Troquille from third, making it 4-0.
 
In the second, Chloe Lackey laid out for an out in left center and Abi Bunt caught a runner stealing with a throw down to Zoe Wright at second. The Mocs ended the fifth inning with a 4-6-3 double play.
 
Offensively, Chattanooga produced singles from Ava Cowart, Raven Jones, and Chloe Lackey but never moved a runner past second base. The Mocs' best chance came in the third inning, when Jones and Cowart reached in back‑to‑back at‑bats before a caught stealing ended the threat.
 
Emery Bales (4-4) threw a complete game for Chattanooga, allowing four runs - only two earned - on seven hits with one strikeout across six innings. Bales forced a double play and kept Southern Miss off the board in four of six frames, but the early three‑run inning proved decisive.
 
Chattanooga returns to action Wednesday at Lipscomb. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. Next weekend, the Mocs will be in Central Arkansas for a three-day tournament with the Bears and Louisiana-Monroe.
 
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