The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team lost 5-4 and 8-0 with an 8-2 win in between in Sunday’s Southern Conference tripleheader at Mercer.
The host Bears (33-17, 9-4) won the first game with two unearned runs on Natalie Shiver’s two-out home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. That followed the Mocs’ fifth error behind pitcher Cori Jennings (12-5). Nicole Osterman had a two-run double and Sam Taylor a two-run single for UTC (30-11, 11-3) in that game, while Sarah Beth Roberts was 3-for-4 and scored a run and Criket Blanco was 2-for-4.
Roberts and J.J. Hamill homered in game two, and Taylor, Blanco, Jesslyn Stockard and Kailey Palazzolo each had two hits. Mocs senior Taylor Deason (12-4) pitched a six-hitter with no earned runs allowed. From a 2-2 tie, UTC took the lead on Palazzolo’s RBI double in the fourth and made it 6-2 in the fifth when Taylor doubled ahead of the two homers.
Palazzola and Anyssa Robles had UTC’s only hits off Kirsten Stevens (22-7) in game three, each going 1-for-2. Shiver was 2-for-2 with two homers.
* Lee 5-11, Christian Brothers 1-8: At Memphis, Kaylie Drew hit a three-run homer in Sunday’s first game and went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs in the Gulf South series finale, when NiaRaye Ceasar was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, Lexie Dean was 4-for-5 with two doubles and scored three runs, Amanda Lynn also scored three and Dominique Hannah had two hits and two RBIs for the Lady Flames (31-17, 18-11).
Hannah, Lynn and Qiley Lewis each was 2-for-3 in the first game, when Leigh Beatenbough pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts. Angie Hughes allowed nine hits in the rematch, but only one Christian Brothers run was earned.
* Chattanooga State 10-5, Columbia State 2-1: Saturday in Chattanooga, the Lady Tigers finished a four-game TCCAA weekend sweep and now are 41-11 overall. They wound up 28-4 in league play going into the TCCAA/region tournament they will host starting Wednesday.