Softball Mocs top Mercer in Hudson’s belated debut
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga began Southern Conference softball play Saturday with a 4-3 win at Mercer as pitcher Celie Hudson made her long-awaited successful college debut after recovering from an injury. But Mercer won 7-1 in game two of the series, which concludes today in Macon, Ga.
The Mocs (10-21) scored all four of their first-game runs in their first at-bat. Hayleigh Weissenbach, J.J. Hamill and Aly Walker singled to load the bases, Ashley Conner drew an RBI walk, Jesslyn Stockard singled home Hamill and two runs scored on a throwing error.
Walker went 3-for-4 and Stockard 2-for-4 in the game, and Hudson allowed seven hits and one earned run. Conner and Halie Williamson each was 2-for-3 in the UTC loss, and Katy Richardson was 1-for-2 with the RBI. That tied the score in the fourth, but the Bears (15-20) scored six runs in their half.
Conner is batting .393 for the season, Richardson .364.
Lee 13, Valdosta State 6: At Cleveland, Tenn., Abby McKinney homered, singled and drove in six runs as the Lady Flames won their Gulf South Conference series against the fifth-ranked team in NCAA Division II.
Taylor Moran had three RBIs and was the winning pitcher in relief for Lee (22-10, 11-7), while Stevie Baird was 3-for-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch, four runs and an RBI, Courtney Crawford was 2-for3 with two RBIs and three runs and Annabeth Pruett was 2-for-4 and scored twice. Chelsea Canara was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer for VSU (25-8, 14-4).
› Chattanooga State 2-4, Jackson State 0-3: At Chattanooga State, the NJCAA’s’ 17th-ranked Lady Tigers repeated their Friday sweep of a TCCAA doubleheader but by much closer scores. Abbey White pitched a two-hitter with six strikeouts in the first game, when Alaeni Ray and Devan Brown had RBI hits and Jennah McElheney and Colbie Thomas each was 1-for-2 and hit by a pitch.
Thomas was 3-for-4 with a run in the finale for the Lady Tigers (25-5, 15-1), while Ray had another RBI. Starting pitcher Courtney Condon had a double and an RBI and allowed one earned run in her three innings. Kaleigh Wynne got the win with two hits, no runs and five strikeouts in four innings.
Columbia State 7-5, Cleveland State 3-4: At Columbia, Tenn., the visiting Lady Cougars got a two-run double from A.J. Chancey in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader and a two-run single from Macy Bryant in game two, when Rachel Pierce was 3-for-4 with a triple, a double, an RBI and a run and Carly Frost scored twice. Columbia completed the Friday sweep with a four-run seventh inning.
Ferrum 7-8, Covenant 6-1: At Ferrum, Va., the hosts in the USA South doubleheader stretched their winning streak to 10 games but needed 11 innings to prevail in game one. Erika Mast was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Shannon Schmitt and Jordan Brett were 3-for-5 and 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run apiece in the longest game in Lady Scots history.
They dropped to 18-12, 11-7 in the league, with the second loss, but Mast was 2-for-3.
Rhodes 17, Sewanee 3: At Sewanee, the Tigers fell to 1-20, 0-11 in the Southern Athletic Association, against the Lynx (19-12, 7-2). Caroline Sweetin was 2-for-2 with a three-run homer in defeat.
› Tennessee Tech 3-3, Southeast Missouri 2-2: At Cookeville, Tenn., a first-inning three-run home run by Northwest Whitfield graduate Bayli Cruse, who was 2-for-3, held up as the difference for the Golden Eagles (9-17) in their Ohio Valley Conference opener, and Hallie Davis from Walker Valley and Lee University was 2-for-3 and scored a run in the second game.
› Brenau 3-6, Bethel 2-4: At McKenzie, Tenn., Kelsey Payne from East Hamilton was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs in the second game as the Golden Tigers improved to 31-5, 10-0 in SSAC play.