The Basics

Score: Chattanooga 6, Western Carolina 5; Chattanooga 3, Western Carolina 0

Records: Western Carolina 17-25, 4-9 SoCon, Chattanooga 28-12, 6-5 SoCon

Location: Frost Stadium, Chattanooga, Tenn.   

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Western Carolina softball dropped a pair of close games at Chattanooga, 6-5, 3-0, Thursday at Frost Stadium.

Chattanooga 6, Western Carolina 5

Turning Point

With the game tied 1-1, Chattanooga scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth and held on to that lead for the win.

How it Happened

• Chattanooga struck first with a solo home run in the bottom of the second.
• Shaina Reed tied the game for the Catamounts with a solo home run in the top of the fourth.
• The Mocs exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fourth and was aided by two Western Carolina errors.
• Western Carolina attempted a rally scoring four unanswered runs over the course of the sixth and seventh innings.
• The Catamounts clawed back into the game scoring three runs in the top of the sixth inning all off homeruns. Freshman Bailey Huneycutt hit a solo home run and junior Erica Hayes hit a two-run home run in the inning.
• Western Carolina made things very interesting cutting the Mocs' lead to one run in the top of the seventh. Pinch hitter Cheyenne Mathews led off with a single and was replaced by Danielle Chapman as a pinch runner. Chapman would go around to score courtesy of an RBI single by Hunter Gibbons. Western Carolina had the go-ahead run on second base with one out but couldn't push another run across.

Inside the Box Score

• Reed got the start in the circle and tossed 3.1 innings and takes the loss falling to 6-13 on the year. She gave up six runs, three earned, on seven hits and struck out two.
• Kinsey Liscio replaced Reed with one out in the fourth. She threw 1.2 scoreless innings facing seven batters.
• Liscio was lifted in the sixth inning replaced by Kayla Brewer who allowed one hit and faced three batters.
• Four of Western Carolina's five runs in the game were scored off homeruns.
• The Catamounts out-hit the Mocs nine to eight.
• Gibbons and Reed each had a pair of hits in the game.

Chattanooga 3, Western Carolina 0

Turning Point

Chattanooga held Western Carolina scoreless and scattered three runs over the course of the seven innings.

How it Happened

• Chattanooga scored a run in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI single.
• The Mocs added two runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Inside the Box Score

• After coming into game one in relief, Liscio got the start in game two. She tossed a complete game giving up three runs on eight hits and struck out four. She falls to 9-7 on the year.
• Western Carolina had three hits in the game.
• The Catamounts had base runners in three innings.

News & Notes

• Reed's eight homeruns not only leads the team for the season but is a season-best for the senior.
• Gibbons is riding a seven-game hit streak tying her hit-streak from earlier in the season. She also pushes her consecutive on-base streak to nine straight.
• Western Carolina had its consecutive games hitting a homerun halted at seven games after failing to hit one in the second game of the doubleheader against Chattanooga.
• The Catamounts were shut out for the ninth time this season with the 3-0 loss in game two against Chattanooga.

Up Next

Western Carolina closes out the three-game series at Chattanooga on Friday with a noon first pitch at Frost Stadium.

For the latest information on Catamount softball, follow @catamounts and @wcusoftball on Twitter or go to www.catamountsports.com.