Bryan College senior Sarah Hundley from Chattanooga Christian School is the 2016 Appalachian Athletic Conference softball pitcher of the year, and Tennessee Wesleyan's Toby Brooks is a co-coach of the year. Their teams are seeded second and third and play today at 3 and 5 p.m. in the AAC tournament in Kingsport, Tenn. Olivia Gore, Kaitie Sims, Lacye Walker, Mariam Wood and Becca Zimmerman joined Hundley on the all-conference team from Bryan, and the Lady Lions' Katelyn Bowen, Leslie Nunnelly and Kaleigh Riley made the second team along with Wesleyan's Stephanie Bridges, Rachel Mathews and Rachel Percy and Point's Shea Headrick from Heritage High School. Headrick also made the all-freshmen team along with Bryan's Brooke Ford and TWC's Baylee Sutton. Hundley, Walker, Bridges and Percy were all-defensive selections, and Bridges and Nunnelly were Champions of Character picks.
* UTC senior second baseman Criket Blanco was the Southern Conference softball player of the week after going 7-for-14 with three home runs, three doubles, five walks, no strikeouts, eight runs batted in and eight scored in five games, four of them wins. She had two of the homers and three RBIs against Tennessee Tech and two doubles and four RBIs against Tennessee State. The Mocs, who play this evening at UAB, are tied for second behind Samford in the SoCon with the two teams they will face the next two weekends, UNC Greensboro and East Tennessee State.
* Brenau sophomore outfielder Kelsey Payne from East Hamilton was the Southern States Athletic Conference softball player of the week after batting .435 (10-for-23) with three homers, two doubles, nine RBIs and six runs scored in a 4-1 week for the team. In Saturday's regular-season-ending wins over Middle Georgia State, she had one hit in the first game and went 4-for-5 with a homer, a double and three runs scored in the second. Savannah Moore from Soddy-Daisy had an RBI in each. Her RBI groundout in the eighth inning got Payne home for the 7-6 victory. Payne is second in the SSAC in total bases (103), third in hits (63), fourth in average (.391) and sixth in RBIs (34).
* After losing two TCCAA home games Saturday to Dyersburg State, the Cleveland State softball team ended an 18-game losing streak and beat the Lady Eagles twice Sunday, 5-4 in nine innings and 8-5. Kaitlyn Heath was 4-for-8 Sunday, scoring two runs in the first win for the Lady Cougars (17-27, 9-23). Tori Townson and Mallory Souther each had two RBIs in the finale, Souther going 3-for-4, and Courtni Hammers was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. Carly Frost was 2-for-4 and also scored twice.
Auto Racing
* Steven Smith of Bryant, Ala., was the Super Pro winner Saturday at the Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip with a 6.24-second run on a 6.23 dial in his 1968 Dodge Dart. Bobby Loyd of Rome, Ga., was second with a 6.52 on a 6.50 in a 1993 Chevrolet S-10. Ray Zumstein won the Foot Brake class with a 7.69 on a 7.68 in his 1965 Dodge, with Bradley Smith second. Macey Ludolph of Snellville, Ga., won the 12-car Junior Dragster class with Morgan Allen of Ringgold second and Chloe Wilson of Flintstone third. Jeremiah Powell of Trenton had the low elapsed time (5.02 seconds) and top speed (128.25 mph) of the meet in his Chevy dragster. His twin, Joshua, went four rounds in the eliminations; their father, Rocky Powell, is a former strip champion.
Baseball
* Justin Morhardt, Langston Calhoun and Cody Rhinehart each homered among three hits and drove in a total of 10 runs as Bryan College won 11-2 in its AAC baseball series finale Monday at Montreat. Morhardt, who also doubled, had six RBIs and Calhoun scored four runs for the second-place Lions (34-15, 16-8), while Evan Speicher had two hits and scored twice. Hunter Tipton pitched the first seven innings, allowing six hits and no runs and striking out six batters. Bryan led 1-0 until a five-run sixth, followed by a three-run seventh.