The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team began 2018 Southern Conference play with two home losses Saturday to Mercer, 6-3 in nine innings and 2-1. The teams play again today at Frost Stadium at 2 p.m.
UTC (14-19) led in both games, going up 3-0 in the opener with an Emma Sturdivant RBI single in the first inning, a J.J. Hamill RBI single in the second and Brook Womack’s fourth home run of the season in the third, but Mercer (21-10) got even with runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh. The Bears got two of their three runs in the ninth on a single by Meghan Rud.
Devan Brown was 2-for-4 in that game for the Mocs, and Cameren Swafford gave them a 1-0 lead in game two on a fourth-inning home run. Mercer tied the game with an RBI double in the sixth inning and took the lead on a squeeze bunt in the seventh.
Hayleigh Weissenbach was 2-for-3 and Celie Hudson pitched a six-hitter in defeat.
‘ Auburn-Montgomery 8, Lee 7: At Cleveland, Tenn., the visitors won the Gulf South Conference series by taking the finale in the eighth inning, when they scored three runs and held Lee’s rally to a two-run home run by Taylor Moran.
The host Lady Flames led 4-1 after homers by Bailey Church in the third inning and Kayla Gooch in the fourth but needed Gooch’s bases-loaded walk in the seventh to force extra play. Brooklynn Frazier had two of the eight hits for Lee (17-18, 7-11).
Jaycie Walker was 3-for-3 with a homer and a double and Morgan Duschell and Gracie Harris also had three hits apiece for AUM (16-10, 9-9). Harris scored three runs.
‘ Chattanooga State 9-16, Jackson State 0-2: At Jackson, Tenn., the visiting Lady Tigers improved to 26-8, 15-1 in the TCCAA, with a four-game sweep Friday and Saturday. Friday’s scores were 4-0 and 16-0.
Kaleigh Wynne pitched a three-hitter with seven strikeouts in Friday’s first game and finished a five-inning two-hitter with Jenna Edwards in the finale, striking out five in her six outs. In between, Edwards and Abby Hicks threw five-inning one-hitters.
Chattanooga State, ranked 20th in NJCAA Division I, had eight, 11, 10 and 13 hits in the four wins.
‘ Covenant 9-4, Agnes Scott 0-2: On Lookout Mountain, the host Lady Scots rose to 17-17, 6-6 in the USA South, as Cris Gant, Carsyn Stone and Joni Johnson combined on a four-hit, five-inning shutout and Tyler Epes and Stone combined on an eight-hitter.
Shannon Schmitt was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Epes and Erika Mast had three and two RBIs in the first game for Covenant. Kat Andrews and Jada Allmon each scored two runs. Allmon was 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the rematch, when Madyson Gibbbins was 2-for-3 and scored twice and Schmitt was 1-for-2 with a double, two runs and an RBI.