Chattanooga State softball coach Beth Keylon-Randolph encourages her team during the state/region tournament championship.The top-seeded Chattanooga State softball team opened the NJCAA Division I softball tournament in St. George, Utah with a 7-0 win over Aiken (S.C.) Tech this afternoon, and Lee University began pool play in the NAIA national tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala., with a 2-0 defeat of Reinhardt and pitcher Maddie Monroe from Calhoun, Ga.
Both area teams started well offensively. Lee's Jennifer Ringle led off the bottom of the first inning with a double and scored after a walk on Ana Coscorossa's fielder's choice. Jessa Watts pitched a six-hit shutout while Monroe had a four-hitter in defeat. The Lady Flames (47-10) continue pool play Friday and Saturday.
The junior college event is double-elimination, and the Lady Tigers (57-4) play again tonight. Marina Wilkerson led off their first at-bat with a home run, and Beth Breeden added a two-run single in the inning. Lacye Walker's three-run homer and Andrea Dalton's RBI single completed the scoring in the second inning, and Ashley Czechner and Janna Scheff combined to pitch a two-hitter.