After winning 12-2 and losing 21-3 in a doubleheader Tuesday against Bellarmine, the host Lee University baseball team pulled out a 5-4 victory Wednesday to win the series.
Ryan Beamish hit a tying single in the seventh inning and Parker Stahlman’s bunt in the eighth plated Keyshaun Smith with the go-ahead run for the Flames (10-9). Justin Fragale had a two-run double in the first, and Thomas Zazzaro was 2-for-5 and scored twice.
Lee relievers Michael Hendricks, Logan Workman and Brandon Thompson pitched six innings and allowed three hits and no runs.
Zazzaro was the winning pitcher in Tuesday’s first game, when Dalton Ney was 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs, Stahlman batted in three runs, Miguel Pimentel homered and had a sacrifice fly, Fragale was 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI and Fernando Ortiz, Justen Freeman and Tyler Payne each had two hits and scored twice.
In Lee’s loss Payne was 3-for-3 and Pimentel 2-for-3, each with an RBI, and Smith was 1-for-1 with two runs.
» Cleveland State 11-5, Tusculum JV 1-1: At Cleveland, Lance Dockery was 2-for-3 in each game for the Cougars (8-6), with three runs in the first and a homer and all five RBIs in the rematch, and starting pitchers Tanner Doran and Seth Wicker allowed one run between them in four innings each. Wicker struck out six batters.
Andrew Carpenter had three RBIs in game one, when Rhett Baldwin homered and matched Marcial Hernandez with two RBIs. Ryan Wilson was 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI.
» Chattanooga State 14-12, Lake Michigan 4-3: Tuesday at Chattanooga State, the Tigers improved to 8-6 with the two big-margin wins.
» Bryan 14, Toccoa Falls 3: Tuesday at Dayton, Tyler Scott was 4-for-4 with a homer, a double and five RBIs for the NAIA’s 14th-ranked Lions (15-4), while Marcus Catalano homered and scored twice and Wade Weinburger was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Gabe Howell, the reigning Appalachian Athletic Conference player of the week, was 1-for-2 with three walks, three runs and two RBIs.
Last week Howell went 8-for-17 (.471) with two homers, a triple, three doubles, seven RBIs and six runs.
» Wittenberg 13, Covenant 10: Tuesday on Lookout Mountain, the Scots fell to 7-4, but Tanner Moore doubled twice and drove in three runs and Alex Gonzalez homered and batted in two. They and CJ Edmond, who walked four times, each scored two runs, and Jonah Carignan was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Lady Lions sweep
Bryan opened AAC softball play Wednesday with 7-3 and 4-3 wins over visiting Milligan, game two going 10 innings.
Sydney West allowed only four hits and one earned run in the first game, when Sydney Olander was 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs and three RBIs for the Lady Lions (5-9). Kimberly McKernie was 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Olander’s double in the 10th set up the second game’s winning hit by Austyn Durham, who was 2-for-4 along with Lindsey Dunn. Hannah O’Shields had a two-run single and Heidi Smith scored two runs, including the game-ender.
» Lee 10-3, Bellarmine 5-4: Tuesday at Cleveland, Abby McKinney was 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBIs and Kayla Louie was 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI in the first-game win for Lee (10-11). Zoe Miller hit a three-run homer and Louie and Lily Hatcher each was 2-for-4 in the loss.
» Chattanooga State 9-4, Georgia Military 8-7: Tuesday at Milledgeville, the Lady Tigers (15-3) – up to seventh in the NJCAA Division I rankings – won the first game in nine innings as Haley Smith went 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Breanna Vinson was 2-4. Smith and Madison Tidmore each was 2-for-4 in the loss, Smith with another RBI.