Chattanooga State opened its 2018 softball schedule by going 4-1 in Panama City Beach, Fla.
The Lady Tigers' opener was a 3-2 loss Friday to Gulf Coast State, but they outscored their opponents 31-11 the rest of the way and got victories against two teams in the NJCAA preseason rankings - No. 9 Lake Land from Matoon, Ill., and No. 19 Northwest Florida State.
"I thought we improved game to game and were playing pretty good softball by the end of the tournament," Chattanooga State coach Blythe Golden said.
Against Gulf Coast, Kaleigh Wynne took the pitching loss but struck out 11, and Kiley Longmire went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Also Friday, Jenna Edwards was the winning pitcher in an 8-5 victory against Coastal Alabama-Bay Minette, while Madison Tidmore was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs and five stolen bases.
Chattanooga State's three other wins in Panama City came Saturday - 9-1 in six innings against Gordon State, 3-1 against Lake Land and 11-4 against Northwest Florida.
Against Gordon, Morgan Marshall allowed an earned run on four hits, Wynne and Alyssia Bowen were 3-for-4 - Wynne with four RBIs, two runs and a home run - and Tidmore was 1-for-1 with three walks, four runs and two stolen bases.
Against Lake Land, Abby Hicks allowed two hits in four innings pitched, Edwards struck out three to earn the save, Wynne had a three-run homer and Shelby Penning was 2-for-3.
Against Northwest Florida, Edwards started and allowed a hit while striking out five in three innings pitched, but Wynne struck out seven while finishing in the circle to pick up the win. She was also 4-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, three RBIs and two runs.
Madison Crabtree was 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, and Kayla Woody was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
The Lady Tigers' scheduled doubleheader Sunday at Tallahassee Community College was rained out. They'll return to competition with their home opener on Feb. 13, a 2 p.m. doubleheader against Wallace State CC-Hanceville.
» Lee 8, Barry 0: At Gulf Shores, Ala., the Lady Flames closed with a win in the Gulf Coast Invitational as Shonna Penney pitched a five-inning four-hitter and Brooklynn Frazier went 2-for-3 and batted in three runs.
Bailey Church and Zoe Miller each had two hits and scored twice, and Kayla Louie and Stevie Baird each had two RBIs. Louie, who tripled, also scored two runs for Lee (2-3), which hosts Lincoln Memorial at 2 p.m. Wednesday.