Box Score Chattanooga, Tenn. – No. 6 seed Chattanooga scored five runs over the first three innings en route to an 8-3 victory over No. 3 seed Furman in opening round play Wednesday afternoon in the Southern Conference Softball Championship at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn.
 
With the loss, Furman (20-31) faces an elimination matchup on Thursday at 10 a.m. versus No. 7 seed ETSU at while the Mocs (25-25) advance to take on No. 2 seed Samford in the winner's bracket at 3 p.m.
 
The Mocs loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a walk to open the game and took a 2-0 lead on sacrifice flies from Acelynn Sellers and Addy Keylon. Furman answered with a run in the bottom of the first as leadoff hitter Ashee Lykins worked a four-pitch walk, advanced to third base on an error and scored on Riley Ludlam's sacrifice fly to right field.
 
Chattanooga added to its lead in the top of the third. Kaili Phillips opened the frame with a ground-rule double and scored two batters later when Olivia Lipari lined a triple past a diving Lykins in the right-center field gap. Lipari raced home on Keylon's sacrifice fly down the right field line to up the Mocs' lead to 4-1. After the second four-pitch walk of the inning, Presley Williamson lined an RBI single to left field to chase Furman starter Sierra Tufts.
 
Down 5-1, Furman responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Chrissy Fleming reached on an infield single to start the frame and scored on Ludlam's two-out double. Kiley Perry followed with a double off the glove of the third baseman to plate Ludlam and trim the deficit to 5-3.
 
The first two Chattanooga batters reached safely on an infield single and base on balls against Furman reliever Emme Buzhardt in the top of the fourth. The Paladins erased the lead runner on a fielder's choice, but Lipari followed with an RBI single before Chloe Fabio started a double play with a diving stop to end the inning.
 
Lipari continued her stellar performance in the top of the sixth. After Riley Kokinda reached on an error to start the inning, Lipari increased the Chattanooga lead to 7-3 with a two-out single to right-center field to drive in her third run of the game.
 
Chattanooga starter Peja Goold (9-8) earned the victory for the Mocs. She limited the Paladins to a pair of earned runs on five hits in a complete-game effort while striking out seven batters. Tufts (10-14) took the loss for Furman after allowing five runs on five hits in just 2.2 innings in the circle. She issued three walks without recording a strikeout.
 
Phillips went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs for the Mocs. Lipari finished 3-for-3 at the plate with a triple, base on balls and three runs batted in.
 
Ludlam, the SoCon Player of the Year, led the Paladins with a double and two RBIs and Lykins reached base safely twice.