UTC falls twice despite Womack’s two homers
Samford University won 4-3 and 5-0 in Southern Conference softball Saturday against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga at Jim Frost Stadium.
The Bulldogs won the first game despite two solo home runs by UTC’s Brook Womack. She put the Mocs (11-24, 1-4) ahead in the second inning, but Samford (13-24, 3-2) got two unearned runs in the third and a two-run homer by Kelsey Royalty in the fourth, and Womack cut the gap to 4-2 in the fifth.
UTC shortstop J.J. Hamill singled in Hayleigh Weissenbach with no outs in the bottom of the sixth and took second on the throw home, but two flyouts and a groundout failed to produce a tie. Amanda Beltran came close to a winning homer in the seventh but flew out to the warning track with a runner on base.
Recently activated Celie Hudson pitched well for the Mocs, giving up only five hits and two earned runs while striking out seven batters. Taylor Connell ran into trouble in the second inning of game two, when Abbie Miranda lined a double over Weissenbach in center field and Hannah Trombley and Kathryn Jackson belted back-to-back homers for a 3-0 lead.
Jackson was 2-for-2 and scored twice in the game, and Jessica Stone pitched a four-hitter after getting the save in relief of Grey Adams in the opener. Weissenbach was 2-for-3 in defeat.
The teams meet again today at 2.
› Lee 3-1, West Alabama
0-3: At Livingston, Ala., the visiting Lady Flames won the first game of the Gulf South Conference doubleheader with a three-run ninth inning. Abby McKinney singled home Stevie Baird and scored on a Brooklynn Frazier double, with a wild pitch plating Courtney Crawford in between.
Leigh Beatenbough and Taylor Moran (8-3) combined to pitch a six-hitter with nine strikeouts in the win for Lee (25-11, 10-7), and Moran had the team’s only two hits, including a homer, in the loss. Andrea Edmonds pitched all 16 innings for UWA (18-19, 9-11).
› Chattanooga State 9-9, Southwest Tennessee 3-0: At Memphis, the 12th-ranked Lady Tigers completed a weekend TCCAA sweep as Abby Hicks pitched a six-hitter and Courtney Condon threw a six-inning one-hitter.
Colbie Thomas was 5-for-9 with three stolen bases and three runs scored in the two games for Chattanooga State (29-5, 19-1), and Devan Brown homered and scored two runs in game one and then went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run. In the finale Jennah McElheney doubled, singled, scored two and drove in one and Aimie Davidson was 1-for-2 with two walks and an RBI.
› Walters State 11-7, Cleveland State 0-0: At Cleveland, the Lady Senators remained unbeaten in TCCAA play after sweeping Friday’s doubleheader 5-0 and 6-0. In the first game of the series, Macy Bryant had three hits and Carly Frost had two for Cleveland State (10-21, 3-17).
› Georgia Gwinnett 7-4, Bryan 3-1: At Lawrenceville, Ga., the NAIA’s fifth-ranked Grizzlies rose to 33-5-1 with the nonconference sweep. Brashante Dareus hit a grand slam in the first game, when Kim Borowski was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Kaleigh Riley homered for Bryan (15-15).
› Covenant 1-1, Piedmont 0-4: At Demorest, Ga., the visiting Lady Scots (21-15, 12-10) split the USA South games with Carsyn Stone pitching a three-hitter with six strikeouts and Erika Mast going 1-for-2 with an RBI in the opener. Casey Grover was 2-for-3. Mast was 2-for-3 with the RBI in game two.
› Centre 11-16, Sewanee 2-0: At Danville, Ky., the Tigers dropped to 1-24 and 0-13 in the Southern Athletic Association with the two losses. Caroline Sweetin was 1-for-2 with the two-run hit in the opener.