Softball Mocs win series finale at Samford
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga won its Southern Conference softball series at Samford with a 9-6 victory Saturday.
UTC (16-21, 2-4) totaled 11 hits and led 7-0 after a four-run first inning featuring Emma Sturdivant’s three-run home run and a three-run fourth highlighted by Ashley Conner’s two-RBI single. The Mocs pulled off double plays in the field in the first and second innings, but the Bulldogs (11-26, 2-3) kept nipping and got within 8-6 with two one-out bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the sixth.
Relief pitcher Paige Patterson gave up the second of those RBI walks but then induced a popout and a groundout to end that threat and retired the Bulldogs in order in the seventh.
J.J. Hamill was 2-for-5 and scored four runs for UTC, and Alyssa Coppinger was 2-for-4 with one run. Brook Womack, Morgan Kazerooni and Devan Brown each had one RBI.
Chattanooga State 6-16, Southwest Tennessee 2-1: At Chattanooga State, Shelby Penning went 5-for-7 with two home runs and eight RBIs as the 18th-ranked Lady Tigers extended their win streak to 18 games with the TCCAA sweep.
Abby Hicks pitched a two-hitter with six strikeouts in the first game, when Penning hit a grand slam and drove in five runs and Madison Crabtree was 2-for-3 with the other RBI and two runs scored. Then Kaleigh Wynne threw a five-inning two-hitter with eight strikeouts and homered and doubled with three RBIs, while Katie Cheeseman was 4-for-4 and scored twice for Chattanooga State (30-8, 19-1).
Walters State 3-9, Cleveland State 2-7: At Cleveland, after winning 2-0 in the first game of the TCCAA series Friday, the Lady Cougars (1417, 6-14) lost the next three by a total of five runs against the third-place Lady Senators (22-8, 14-4). Saturday’s first game went eight innings.
Valdosta State 8-3, Lee 4-1: At Valdosta, Ga., the Blazers completed a three-game Gulf South sweep with Saturday’s wins, despite being outhit 8-3 in the 3-1 finale. Leigh Beatenbough, the losing pitcher in Friday’s 1-0 game, threw a three-hitter and gave up only one earned run Saturday while Kayla Gooch was 2-for-3 and Bailey Church and Abby McKinney each was 2-for-4, Church with the RBI, for Lee (17-21, 7-14).
Stevie Baird was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Claudia Jones was 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run in Saturday’s first game. Each had a double.
Covenant 5-3, Guilford On Lookout Mountain, Cris Gant pitched five scoreless innings with four hits allowed and seven strikeouts as Covenant jumped to a 5-0 lead and hung on for the first-game win.
Shelby Ralston was 2-for-3 and scored twice and Madyson Gibbins had two RBIs in that game for the Lady Scots (20-18), and Gibbins was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run in game two. Makayla Carver was 6-for-8 with a home run, two doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored in the two games for Guilford (13-9).
Milligan 3-6, Bryan 2-5: At Milligan College, Tenn., the Lady Lions dropped to 9-25, 6-8 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference, with the two one-run losses. Bryan’s Hannah O’Shields was 2-for-3 and scored a run in game one and 2-for-3 with an RBI in game two, when Courtney Bonaiuto had two RBIs. Kimberly McKernie had an RBI in each game.
Hendrix 12, Sewanee 3: At Sewanee, the visitors scored eight runs in their first at-bat in dropping Sewanee to 4-24, 1-11 in the Southern Athletic Association. Katie Roth was 2-for-2 and scored a run for the Tigers, and Charlsey Shirey had an RBI single.