A grand shot by someone named Chitwood in an Indianapolis connection put the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team in an early hole Saturday in the rain-marred Chattanooga Challenge presented by Ruby Falls.
Taylor Chitwood's grand slam in the top of the first inning propelled Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis to a five-inning 14-3 victory over the young Mocs. That game was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. but delayed until 4 by Saturday's weather, and UTC's game against Kennesaw State was wiped off the slate.
The Mocs (3-5) are set to play Connecticut at 11:30 this morning.
UTC got two runs back in the bottom of the first, when Amanda Beltran was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Brook Womack followed with a sacrifice fly, but IUPUI (1-7) responded witih four again in the second and sixth in the third.
Chitwood doubled in a run for five RBIs while going 2-for-3, and Maggie Good was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, an RBI double and three runs scored for the Jaguars. Maggie Armstrong also homered, scoring twice, and leadoff batter Alyssa Maton was 2-for-4 with a three-run double and two runs scored.
UTC got only two hits but eight bases on balls off Nickole Finch. Ashley Conner was 1-for-1 for the Mocs with a double and an RBI walk.
- At Gulf Shores, Ala., Chattanooga State improved to 9-1 for the season by winning 7-5 over Central Alabama and 14-0 in five innings over Marion Military Institute.
Colbie Thomas was 4-for-4 in the first game and 3-for-4 in the second, when she had an RBI and scored twice. Kaleigh Wynne pitched the five-inning one-hitter with nine strikeouts and was 4-for-4 with two homers and four RBIS. Lillie McCrary homered twice and drove in four runs after going 2-for-4 against Central Alabama, and Devan Brown was 2-for-3 with two homers and three RBIs in that game and 2-for-3 again with two RBIs against Marion.
Madison Kurtz was 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs in the first game, and Emily Burns was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in game two. Abbey White was the winning pitcher in the first game, allowing only one run in six innings.
- At Bluffton, S.C., in the NAIA Southeastern Challenge, Bryan edged Thomas University 7-6 and lost 7-5 to South Carolina-Beaufort.
Against Thomas, the Lady Lions survived two homers and five RBIs by Kelsey Connolly with an 11-hit attack. Heidi Smith was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, Ashley Brown was 3-for-3 and scored twice, Kim Borowski was 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI, Hannah O'Shields had two RBIs and Becca Zimmerman hit a solo homer. Borowski had three RBIs and Marissa Murray was 3-for-4 against USCB.
- At Cleveland, Tenn., Lee lost its Gulf South Conference opener 3-1 to visiting Alabama-Huntsville, ranked 21st in NCAA Division II. Haley Thompson homered and Kaitlyn Bannister was 3-for-4 with a double for the Lady Chargers (10-3), while Courtney Crawford and Kayla Louie each had two hits and pitcher Leigh Beatenbough was 1-for-2 with the RBI for Lee (9-4).
The teams shifted their schedule to one game Saturday and two today, beginning at 1 p.m. Covenant's and Cleveland State's scheduled home doubleheaders Saturday were rained out altogether.
- At Macon, Ga., Sewanee lost 8-0 and 9-0, both in five innings, to Wesleyan. Taylor Wagner was 2-for-3 in the second game for the Tigers (0-2).