Georgia Tech, USF top Mocs

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team lost 3-2 to Georgia Tech and 9-0 to host South Florida in the USF Under Armour Invitational tournament Friday in Clearwater, Fla. UTC ace Cori Jennings, who has had bruised ribs, pitched for the first time since Feb. 27 in the first game and went four innings, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks with five strikeouts. The Mocs tied the score with two outs in the fifth inning, when Sam Taylor doubled and Alyssa Taylor and Jordan Fortel singled, but Georgia Tech went ahead again on a Fortel wild pitch in the sixth. Anyssa Robles was 2-for-3 in that game for UTC (15-14), which got only three hits in the next game while the Bulls were registering three three-run innings off Fortel (5-7) and Kailey Palazzola.

Chattanooga State won 3-2 and lost 6-3 in nine innings in TCCAA softball Friday against visiting Volunteer State. Labrisha Washington pitched a three-hitter with two unearned runs in the opener, while Shannon Plese was 2- for-3 with a run scored and a go-ahead two-run double. Madison Kurtz had an RBI double for the nationally 16th- ranked Lady Tigers ( 18- 8, 9-1). They had multiple chances to score from the sixth inning on in game two, when Plese’s RBI in the seventh made the score 1-1, but Vol State (14-6, 7-3) scored five runs in the ninth and Chattanooga State responded with a Devan Brown home run and a Brie Levy pinch-hit RBI single but left the bases loaded.

Katie Pritchett from Heritage High School was 2-for-3 with a two-out,two-run double in Carson-Newman’s 8-1 softball win Friday against Queens. She walked twice and scored a run in a 5-4 win beginning the doubleheader. CNU is 16-8.

BASEBALL

Covenant College scored two runs in the eighth inning and defeated nationally fourth-ranked Emory 4-3 in NCAA Division III baseball Friday on Lookout Mountain. Taylor Bloye’s sacrifice fly tied the game, and pinch- hitter Ryan Gosney’s two-out single put the Scots ahead. Garrett Kriston struck out nine Emory batters in eight innings and got the pitching win with Alex Kerr working a 1-2- 3 ninth for the save. Devin Cerrato had two hits and Perry Rigby homered for Covenant (11-11). Wilson Morgan was 2-for-3 with a home run and Chris Slivka had a two-run double for the Eagles (15-6).

First-place Tennessee Wesleyan College won 6-0 and 5-2 at home against Reinhardt and second-place Bryan won 6-4 and 12-7 at St. Andrews in Appalachian Athletic Conference baseball Friday. TWC, ranked 12th in the NAIA, is 17-7 overall, 7-1 in the AAC; No. 23 Bryan is 20-7, 6-2.

Billy Brand was 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs and Sean McDermott was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs as Cleveland State won 11-3 in TCCAA baseball Friday at Southwest Tennessee. Austin Phillips doubled twice and batted in a run and Hagen Wilkey also had two hits for the Cougars (14-9), while Drew Korzybyski was the winning pitcher. For Southwest (2-25), Rusber Estrada was 3-for-3 and scored twice and Hank McKay had two RBIs.

FISHING

Former Ooltewah resident Jay Kendrick of Grant, Ala., finished 25th with 28 pounds, 3 ounces of bass after two days of the Walmart FLW Tour’s tournament on Lake Hartwell, and Rhea County pros Wesley Strader and Andy Morgan were 40th and 42nd with 26-7 and 26-4. Each of those three earned $10,000. John Cox from DeBary, Fla., leads the top 20 back on the lake today with 37-1. UTC golf coach Mark Guhne finished 34th among the co-anglers with 15-1 and won $1,000.

LACROSSE

The Tennessee Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team won 15-6 over visiting Asbury on Thursday as Dalton O’Connell scored five second-half goals and Roderick Williams, Kaidon Newberry and Parker Thomas each totaled two in the game. O’Connell also had two assists, and Thomas had four, while Caleb Smith made 12 saves for the Bulldogs (3-5). The Lady Bulldogs (5-3) lost 21-7 at Young Harris.