Mocs sweep final day of Chattanooga Challenge

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (UTC Athletics) – The Chattanooga Mocs’ softball team concluded the Chattanooga Challenge on Sunday afternoon with two wins, an 8-6 victory over SIUE and a weekend finale 8-2 win against Purdue Fort Wayne.

UTC improved to 5-5 this season, while SIUE dropped to 3-7 and Purdue Fort Wayne is now 1-9.

The Mocs are scheduled to return to Frost Stadium next weekend (Feb. 25-27) for the Frost Classic.

GAME 1 RECAP
Chattanooga’s offense lit up the scoreboard right off the bat with Olivia Lipari starting the bottom half of the first with a leadoff triple down the right field line. Two pitches later, she scored on an Emily Coltharp single up the middle.

After Coltharp went from first to third on a Liz Rodebaugh sacrifice bunt, she scored on a SIUE error to put the Mocs up 2-0 through one. In the second, Lipari’s bat continued to produce as she hit her first career home run with a blast over the left field fence.

In the third frame, the Mocs hit around putting five runs on the scoreboard on seven hits. The inning began with a Kaili Phillips single to drive in Rodebaugh. Three pitches later, Kendall Forsythe hit a rocket over the left field wall to put the Mocs up 6-0. Coltharp capped off the five-run third with a two-run single to left. In the next half inning, the Cougars blasted back-to-back home runs to get on the board and cut their deficit to six.

SIUE’s offense continued to cut into UTC’s lead with three runs in the fifth. The Cougars capitalized on two Mocs throwing errors and two hits of their own.

Hannah Wood got the start for the Blue and Gold, picking up her first victory of the season. She went 4.2 innings and allowed four runs, one earned on five hits with one strikeout.

Brooke Parrott continued her dominant weekend with a six-out save. She entered the game in the sixth and allowed two hits and no runs.

Lipari and Coltharp at the top of the lineup combined to go 4-for-8 at the plate with four RBI and three runs scored. Jayce Purdy came in as a pinch hitter and went 2-for-2. Gracey Kruse and Kailey Snell also recorded two hits apiece.

GAME 1 – UTC 8, SIUE 6 | BOX
SCORING PLAYS
B1st: Emily Coltharp singled up the middle, RBI, Olivia Lipari scored. (UTC 1-0)
B1st: Kaili Phillips reached on an error, Emily Colathrp scored, unearned. (UTC 2-0)
B2nd: Olivia Lipari homered to left, RBI. (UTC 3-0)
B3rd: Kaili Phillips singled to center field, RBI, Liz Rodebaugh scored. (UTC 4-0)
B3rd: Kendall Forsythe homered to left field, 2 RBI, Bailey Myers scored. (UTC 6-0)
B3rd: Emily Coltarp singled to left field, 2 RBI, Reagan Armour and Gracey Kruse scored. (UTC 8-0).
T4th: Grace Lueke homered to left field, RBI. (UTC 8-1)
T4th: Piper Montgomery homered to left, RBI. (UTC 8-2)
T5th: Lexi King reached on a throwing error by 2B. (UTC 8-3)
T5th: Lauren Yslava grounded out to ss, RBI, Concatto scored. King scored on a throwing error by 1B, both runs unearned. (UTC 8-5).

WP: Brooke Parrott (2-1)
LP: Sydney Baalman (1-2)

Notable:
• Lipari’s triple in the first was the second triple in as many weekends for the freshman outfielder.
• All nine Mocs in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit.
• It is the second time this season Chattanooga recorded 15 or more base hits in a game (Arkansas Pine Bluff).
• Snell became the third player this year to record three hits in a game (Lipari and Forsythe vs. UAPB).
• Coltharp’s three RBI is a career high for the fourth-year junior. It is her third multi-hit game of the season and 36th of her career.
• Parrott picked up her second career save in her 10th relief appearance.
GAME 2 RECAP
The Mocs got on the board first with four runs in the second which began with an RBI single from Acelynn Sellers. UTC added another run off of a Purdue Fort Wayne fielding error and then two more from a two-out two-run single courtesy of Lipari.

In the third, UTC tacked on another run with a Kaili Phillips homer to left. In the fourth Ashley Haas produced two runs for the Mastodons with an RBI double and a steal of home on a double steal. The Mocs got those runs back quickly with two sacrifice flies in the bottom of the fifth.

The final run of the contest was on the Mocs’ third sacrifice fly of the game, this time off the bat of Coltharp, scoring Kruse.

In her first start of the season, Kat Thompson picked up the win, tossing four innings, allowing just two runs on four hits and striking out three. Parrott wrapped up her historic weekend with three shutout innings. She struck out two, allowed three hits and walked one, picking up her second straight save.
Offensively, the first five hitters in the Mocs’ lineup all recorded at least one RBI. Phillips and Lipari both registered a multi-hit game.

GAME 2 – UTC 8, PFW 2 | BOX
SCORING PLAYS
B2: Acelynn Sellers singled up the middle, RBI; Kaili Phillips scored. (UTC 1-0)
B2: Kruse reached on a fielding error by 1B, RBI; Kendall Forsythe scored. (UTC 2-0)
B2: Olivia Lipari singled to center field, 2 RBI; Kruse and Sellers scored, unearned. (UTC 4-0)
B3: Kaili Phillips homered to left field, RBI. (UTC 5-0)
T4: Ashley Haas doubled to right field, RBI. (UTC 5-1)
T4: Ashley Haas stole home. (UTC 5-2)
B5: Liz Rodebaugh flied out to center field, SAC, RBI, Lipari scored. (UTC 6-2)
B5: Jayce Purdy flied out to center field, SAC, RBI, Coltharp scored. (UTC 7-2)
B6: Emily Coltharp flied out to center field, SAC, RBI; Kruse scored, unearned. (UTC 8-2)
WP: Kat Thompson (1-0)
LP: Gracie Brinkerhoff (1-3)
Save: Brooke Parrott (2)

Notable:
• Thompson recorded her second career win in the circle.
• Phillip’s home run was the first as Moc for the third-year sophomore. She previously hit 13 as a member of the Tennessee Vols. It was her 14th career multi-RBI game and 10th career multi-hit game.
• Sellers registered her first career RBI
• The team’s three sacrifice flies are the most since Feb. 7, 2005 against UAB.
• After closing out the weekend finale, Parrott tossed 19 innings and allowed just two runs and struck out 11.
• Coltharp has now reached base in five straight games and holds an active four-game hit streak.
Series history:
Chattanooga now leads the series vs. SIUE 3-1 tied the series against Purdue Fort Wayne at one game apiece.