The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga lost 4-3 to UNC Greensboro in Southern Conference softball Sunday at Jim Frost Stadium, with the visitors completing a series sweep.
The Spartans (20-12, 4-2), who won 2-0 and 3-2 on Saturday, scored three unearned runs in the sixth inning and added the game-winner on Katie Stettler’s two-out RBI single in the seventh.
The Mocs (23-11, 2-4) took a 2-0 lead on Halie Williamson’s two-run homer in the fourth.
UNCG rallied in the sixth against UTC starter Celie Hudson with a leadoff walk, a single by Gabi Howard and a hit batter. Hudson got consecutive fielder’s-choice outs at home before Hannah Kincer reached on an outfield error, with two runs scoring. A throwing error led to another Spartans run before the third out.
The Mocs tied it in the bottom half on Ally Walker’s leadoff homer off UNCG ace Stephanie Bryden, but the Spartans used a one-out hit batter, a Marisa Sholtes double and Stettler’s single to plate the game-winner.
Bryden (14-6) allowed five hits and a walk while striking out 11. Hudson (7-8) allowed one earned run on five hits and four walks while striking out four.
The Mocs return to competition April 13, when they start a three-game series at Mercer.
Thomson breaks mark
UTC runner Kennedy Thomson broke a program record for the third time this track and field season, doing so while competing at the Raleigh Relays hosted by North Carolina State.
Thomson had a time of 2 minutes, 8.33 seconds in the 800-meter run Saturday to finish third, breaking the record set in 2016 by Maddison Melchionna by 0.55 seconds. Thomson broke the Mocs’ 800 and 1500 records during the indoor season.
Split for tennis teams
The UTC women’s tennis team prevailed 4-3 at Mercer on Sunday for its first SoCon win in four tries this season.
The Mocs (8-8) earned one point with a sweep at doubles as No. 1 Delaney Edwards and Emma Van Hee won 6-2 and No. 2 Polina Goloputova and Bogdana Zaporozhets plus No. 3 Caroline Hall and Annie Tarwater both won 6-3.
In singles, UTC took the second through fourth courts, with Goloputova winning 6-3, 6-4, Hall winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 and Zaporozhets winning 6-3, 6-0.
Mercer is 10-10, 2-3.
The UTC men lost 6-1 at home to East Tennessee State, with the point coming from doubles as No. 1 Simon Bustamante and Kerim Hyatt won 6-2 and No. 2 Niklas Gerdes and Tomas Rodriguez won 7-6 (7-3).
The Mocs are 11-10, 2-3, with the Buccaneers 14-4, 5-0.
Golfers place seventh
UTC’s women’s golf team finished seventh at the 10-team LSU Tiger Classic on Sunday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after a final-round 315, giving the Mocs a 54-hole total of 927.
Monica San Juan’s 75 was UTC’s low score for the day and her 227 total was good for 13th overall. Maddy McDanel closed with a 79, followed by Esme Hamilton with an 80 and 81s from Kirsty Beckwith and Rheagan Hall. Beckwith and McDanel were among those tied for 18th at 231.
No. 25 Campbell won at 896, followed by LSU (902) and Old Dominion (908). The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Ana Gonzalez was medalist at 4-over 220.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.