Ooltewah's Sara Kelley breaks CNU home run record - and more Chattanooga region sports news

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

On senior day for the Carson-Newman University softball team, senior third baseman Sara Kelley from Ooltewah went 4-for-6 with seven RBIs and set the program record for career home runs with her 33nd and 34th. Both came in the Lady Eagles' 10-1 game-two win over visiting Queens of Charlotte, when she drove in five runs. She was 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the 5-2 opener, when fellow senior Caitlyn Lance from Ridgeland had an RBI and another Ooltewah graduate, Jessica Morgan, was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Former Chattanooga State pitcher Cassie Lyons threw a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and then a five-inning three-hitter for CNU (32-16, 11-11), and catcher Hayley Burnette from Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe was 1-for-2 with an RBI in game two.

• Chattanooga State's winning streak ended at 18 games with a 4-3 TCCAA loss Friday at Columbia State, but the nationally fifth-ranked Lady Tigers (46-6, 31-5) scored six runs in the seventh inning of the second game and won 8-4. Izzy McCurry hit a two-run home run and Khadija Neely had a solo shot in the first game for Chattanooga State; Columbia's fourth run came on a homer in the sixth. Courtney Crawford was 3-for-4 in game two, and her first collegiate homer began the six-run outburst that included a two-run single by McCurry and a three-run homer by Baylee Williams. Lindsey Stickrod was 4-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs, and McCurry had two hits.

• Cleveland State won 6-1 on Ida Watson's six-hitter and lost 2-0 against visiting Southwest Tennessee in TCCAA softball Friday. Sara O'Rear doubled and scored the first run and singled in two for Cleveland State (21-27, 16-20) in the first game, when Perry Hindi had two RBI doubles and Emily Huston contributed a sacrifice fly and an RBI triple. Dallas Chipman's sixth-inning home run broke the scoreless tie in game two for the Lady Saluqis (12-42, 6-30), whose Kayla Wright pitched a three-hitter.

• Bryan College lost 7-3 and 3-2 in Appalachian Athletic Conference softball Friday at Milligan. Heather Daniel was 2-for-3 with a homer and Taylor Yates and Katie Vaughn also had two hits apiece in game two for Bryan (25-20, 12-6). Olivia Gore was 2-for-4 and Becca Zimmerman had a two-run double in game one.

• Lee University's Gulf South softball doubleheader Friday at Valdosta State was rained out.

• Kate Heil batted in all three of Sewanee's runs Friday in two Southern Athletic Association losses to visiting Millsaps, 11-1 and 27-2. She was 2-for-2 in game two. Sarah Fleming was 2-for-3 in the first game for the Tigers (3-25, 0-20). Katie Birdwell pitched a five-ining five-hitter with six strikeouts and was 4-for-5 with a home run, five RBIs and three runs in game two for Millsaps (21-11, 11-9).

• Sam Lenahan's seventh-inning home run broke a scoreless tie and gave Mississippi State a 2-0 Southeastern Conference softball victory Friday night at fourth-ranked Tennessee. It was the fourth consecutive win for the Bulldogs (34-14, 6-10). For the Lady Vols (36-6, 11-5), Ellen Renfroe (23-4) struck out eight batters and had a no-hitter through six innings but gave up four hits. UT got three off Alexis Silkwood (11-5).

Lacrosse

• The Sewanee women's lacrosse team will begin defense of its SAA tournament title by hosting Hendrix at noon CDT today. Sewanee went 10-6 with a 6-1 SAA record in the regular season, including a 22-9 defeat of the Arkansas school. The Sewanee men (10-3, 7-0) will move on to host the semifinals next weekend after their game scheduled for today against Oglethorpe was canceled.

Soccer

• Fans can get a sneak peak at the newly formed Chattanooga Football Club women's soccer team today in a doubleheader scrimmage against Carson-Newman at Finley Stadium. The men will get play started at 1 p.m. with the women set to begin at 3. Gates will open at 11:30 a.m. The CFC men will open their season on May 10 on the road against the Georgia Revolution and host Nashville on May 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Finley. The women begin their season a day later at home against Mississippi Fuego FC at 1.

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