UTC Mocs logoThe University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team split two games at the Dot Richardson Invitational on Saturday in Clermont, Fla., beating Cleveland State 3-0 before falling 7-0 to Missouri-Kansas City.
Senior pitcher Taylor Deason picked up the shutout victory in the opener, striking out eight while allowing three hits.
The Mocs (5-4) got on the board in the third inning when Sam Taylor scored on a passed ball, and Criket Blanco made it 2-0 in the fourth with a home run. Marina Wilkerson scored the final run of the game on a fielder’s choice hit by Alyssa Taylor.
Two errors in the second inning against the Mocs gave UMKC a 1-0 lead, followed by a four-run fourth inning and two runs in the fifth. Freshman Cori Jennings took the pitching loss.
UTC will wrap up play in the tournament this morning against Arkansas.
* At Lee University, the Lady Flames lost 5-3 and won 9-8 in a Gulf South Conference doubleheader against Union University. Alex Williams was 2-for-4 in each game with three RBIs in the second for Union (7-2, 2-1), and Dominique Hannah and Kayline Drew each homered and drove in four runs for Lee (9-4, 1-2) in its win.
Hannah and Emily Dagnan each was 2-for-3 and scored twice in that game, and Hannah, Amanda Lynn and Sarah Merced had two hits apiece and NiaRaye Ceasar homered in the Lady Flames’ loss.
* At Chattanooga State, the Lady Tigers lost 11-8 Friday to Georgia Highlands, giving up six runs with two outs in the first inning, but then edged 14th-ranked Southern Union 2-1 and added Saturday victories of 8-6 against Lakeland and 10-5 against Spartanburg Methodist.
Sharlene Godoy got all three pitching victories for Chattanooga State (9-1), one in relief of Hanna Manley. Godoy pitched a three-hitter against Southern Union and struck out 12 Spartanburg batters. Dana Horgan tripled, batted in three runs and scored two against Highlands, when Courtney Crawford tripled and singled, and Shannon Plese had a triple and an RBI against Southern Union. Izzy McCurry was 2-for-3 with a homer, a triple and four RBIs and Lindsey Stickrod was 2-for-3 with a homer against Lakeland, and Courtney Styles and Plese each homered and drove in two runs and scored three and two against Spartanburg, when McCurry also had two RBIs.
* At Warner Park, Tennessee Temple edged Berea 8-7 and lost 8-6. The Lady Crusaders (1-3) gave up a five-run sixth inning in the first game but scored two in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead. Jillian McGill and Raven Pope each batted in two runs and Fred Smith, Breanna Altizer and Marissa Murray each was 2-for-3 in game one, Smith and Altizer with RBIs.
Kaleigh Riley was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs in Temple’s loss, while Cayley Shoemaker also was 2-for-3 and Taylor Tsai and Pope scored two runs each. Mercedes Stanfield was 6-for-8 with five RBIs in the two games for Berea (1-1).
* At Pulaski, Tenn., Bryan lost 10-0 to Grace College and 3-0 to Campbellsville in the Martin Methodist Meltdown. That dropped the Lady Lions to 2-2.
* At Athens, Tenn., Tennessee Wesleyan 9-0 and 10-0 over Talladega College and is 2-2.