The Chattanooga Football Club men's soccer team advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup by getting past the professional Wilmington Hammerheads on penalty kicks Wednesday in Wilmington, N.C. Jose "Zecca" Ferraz, Luke Winter, Kenneth Kauker, Leo De Smedt and Jon Finlay made their PKs for CFC, and Chris Baker blocked one of the Hammerheads' attempts after a 1-1 score through regulation and overtime. Baker made a crucial save right at the end of extra time as well. Next for Chattanooga FC (3-0) in the tournament is a May 27 match against the Atlanta Silverbacks. CFC hosts the New Orleans Jesters at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Finley Stadium in National Premier Soccer League play.
Golf
* Gibby Gilbert III of Ooltewah earned his first Sunbelt Senior Tour victory Wednesday at Timberlake Golf Club in Clinton, N.C. Gilbert won the 45-54 age division by shooting a 201 for 54 holes, with a 7-under 64 in the final round. Gilbert won by four strokes. He made 19 birdies and won $2,200 out of the $4,500 purse.
* Two-time champion Garrett Willis of Loudon, a touring pro, shot a 62 Wednesday and took a three-shot lead at 132 in the 67th annual SunTrust State Open golf tournament at Hendersonville's Club at Fairvue Plantation. Honors Course member Tim Jackson of Germantown is second at 135 after a 67, and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga player Wes Gosselin of Knoxville is tied for third at 136. Mikey Feher of Signal Mountain is tied for 14th at 141, and UTC's Brooks Thomas from Chattanooga is another two shots back, one better than Lee University's Taylor Davis from Franklin and two ahead of Crossville pro Greg Wyatt.
* Dalton State's Sean Elliott is tied for first place individually in relation to par with the second round incomplete because of a lightning suspension Tuesday at the NAIA men's golf national tournament at LPGA International at Daytona Beach, Fla. Elliott is 6 under par halfway through the second round, while Clayton French of Marian (Ind.) is 6 under through 15 holes. Evan Ball of Tennessee Wesleyan is tied for fifth at 4 under but completed his round with his second consecutive 70, and teammates Keoni Vidrine and Travis Rodgers are at 146 and 147. Defending champion Coastal Georgia is the team leader with Hunter Cornelius from Heritage High School the Mariners' No. 4 scorer as of now. Wesleyan is tied for eighth with its 586, while Dalton State is 13th at 13 over par.
Baseball
* Second-seeded Lee University beat Trinity Christian of Illinois 14-1 in seven innings in the opening round Wednesday of the National Christian College Athletic Association baseball tournament at Mason, Ohio. Lee then beat Bethesda from California in a night game, 12-7. Nathan Wierzgac was 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs and Siosi Poti with a homer and Ben Holland with a double each was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a combined five runs scored for the Flames (36-18-1) against Trinity. Chris Adams was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs, Andres Nelo also was 2-for-4 and Dustin Lawson (8-1) and Ryan Zimmer combined to pitch a six-hitter. Nelo drove in four runs with two hits against Bethesda, when Holland and Poti each was 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI and Wierzgac was 2-for-4 with a triple and three runs.
Volleyball
* UTC volleyball coach Travis Filar announced the team's 2015 schedule Tuesday, and it begins Aug. 28-29 with the Chattanooga Classic and visiting teams Valparaiso, Troy and Eastern Kentucky. Filar's Mocs will host another tournament Sept. 11-12, the Scenic City Showdown, with Austin Peay, Gardner-Webb and UAB taking part. Both events are sponsored by Hampton Inn & Suites of Downtown Chattanooga. "With the talent and depth of our team next year, and the fact that I think we will play an exciting style of volleyball, I want our great fans to have as many opportunities as possible to watch this outstanding four of student-athletes compete," Filar said in a UTC release. The Mocs will pay Sept. 4-5 in Mississippi State's tournament, with Stetson and Mississippi Valley State also included."