Alex ConnellAlex Connell pitched a six-inning two-hitter with six strikeouts and fellow freshman Maddy Adams hit a three-run triple as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team beat Morgan State 8-0 Saturday afternoon in the NTC Tournament in Clermont, Fla.
It was the first win of the season for UTC (1-3), which earlier lost 11-2 to Liberty and plays Fairleigh Dickinson this morning. Jesslyn Stockard's two-run home run was the Mocs' highlight in their loss.
Amanda Beltran and Emma Sturdivant each was 2-for-3 against Morgan State (2-1), and Ashley Conner doubled in one run and added another RBI with a sacrifice fly. Leadoff batter Hayleigh Weissenbach was 1-for-2 and scored twice. UTC batters totaled nine hits and eight walks.
UTC has an all-freshman pitching staff, and one of the expected leaders, Celie Hudson, is out indefinitely with an injury. Infielder Adams pitched an inning in Friday's doubleheader.
- At Montevallo, Ala., Lee University beat Tuskegee 11-3 with an eight-run fifth inning and defeated Mobile 2-0 in the Falcon Frenzy and is 6-2.
Against Tuskegee, Abby McKinney got the pitching win with six strikeouts in three innings and matched Courtney Crawford in going 3-for-4 with two RBIs against Tuskegee, when Brooklynn Frazier had a two-run double, Annabeth Pruett went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Crawford, Stevie Baird and Rachel Polacek each scored two runs.
- At Cartersville, Ga., Cleveland State (2-3) lost 5-0 to the host team in Georgia Highlands' Border Battle. The Lady Cougars lost 3-1 against Southern Union State and won 8-3 over Andrew College.
- At Macon, Ga., Covenant rose to 4-0 with 7-0 and 8-0 wins over Wesleyan College, as Kaitlyn Sirmons went 4-for-6 with five RBIs and two runs and Shannon Schmitt was 6-for-7 in the two games. Madalyn Ames and Casey Grover each was 2-for-4 with a run scored in the opener for Covenant, Ames also with an RBI, and Jordan Brett was 2-for-3 with an RBI and matched Schmitt with a double and two runs.
Pitchers Carsyn Stone, Tyler Eppes and Joni Johnson combined on a three-hitter and then Cris Gant and Sarah Huskey combined on a five-inning one-hitter.
- At Dayton, Tenn., host Bryan lost 9-3 and won 9-8 in eight innings in its season-opening doubleheader against Martin Methodist.
- At Gainesville, Ga., Tennessee Wesleyan beat Brenau (6-1) 4-2 and then lost 8-0 when the hosts' Savannah Moore from Soddy-Daisy went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs and Kelsey Payne from East Hamilton was 1-for-2 and scored a run. Each of those two had a hit in the loss to TWU.
Moore had three RBIs and Payne one in the first win Friday against Talladega, and Payne had two hits and three RBIs in the second game.