University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football fans got their first look at the 2019 Mocs on Saturday during Fan Fest at Finley Stadium.
Coach Rusty Wright’s team ended the day’s festivities with a fast-paced scrimmage that, in his words, wasn’t up to the standard of what he hopes his team will put on the field this fall.
“We made way too many mistakes on both sides,” he said. “But we got 50 plays in in about 20 minutes. That’s the type of tempo we want to get in. That’s how we are going to do things. We have to continue to get in shape, so we are going to continue to practice fast. The urgency at times just isn’t there, and some of that is due to numbers, but we’ll get there.
“I wanted them to play, to see how they would react to folks being here, so that was the big thing. It went pretty much how I expected it, honestly. Nothing great, but nothing awful.”
Several starters, including leading receiver Bryce Nunnelly and linebacker Khayyan Edwards, did not participate in the scrimmage.
Wright said junior running back Tyrell Price stood out in making several physical runs, including running over a defender on a 25-yard run.
“That dude runs like someone is supposed to run,” Wright said with a smile. “We’re going to be fine with him. The thing is, we’ve got some guys in spots, but we don’t have enough. We don’t have enough guys behind the guys who are good players. That’s what’s glaring right now.”
With Nunnelly and Lameric Tucker out due to injury, the passing game struggled, though starting quarterback Nick Tiano and transfer Drayton Arnold had nice moments. The defense had more big plays, including an interception by Brandon Dowdell and layout pass breakups by Jerrell Lawson and Cam Turner.
“It was a good day,” Tiano said. “We’re still learning and growing through the new scheme. It’s great to get out here and play football. We’re short in a lot of spots, so we have to be careful with injuries, but it’s just good to be out here.”
Mocs fall in doubleheader
The softball Mocs lost two games to 2018 Southern Conference champion UNC Greensboro on Saturday at Jim Frost Stadium. UTC (23-10, 2-3) was shut out in game one, 2-0, and then UNCG (19-12, 3-2) scored a late-inning run for a 3-2 victory.
UTC’s Celie Hudson and UNCG’s Stephanie Bryden were locked in a pitchers’ duel before the Spartans put together a two-out rally in the fifth inning. Back-to-back two-out walks from Hudson loaded the bases and forced Mariah Ramirez to enter the game in relief.
UNCG’s Kayleigh Willis followed with an RBI single, and the Spartans added a solo home run off the bat of Hannah Stiltner in the sixth. Bryden (13-6) retired the final 13 Mocs hitters.
In game two, UTC’s Emma Sturdivant delivered an RBI single through the right side, but UNCG pulled ahead on a Kayleigh Willis two-out, two-run home run on a 2-0 count. The Mocs tied the game when Hayleigh Weissenbach scored on a wild pitch.
The Spartans took the lead for good in the sixth when a leadoff walk led to a Willis RBI single to left field. Allison Swinford (6-3) was handed the loss despite a strong performance.
Men’s tennis tops Wofford
The UTC men’s tennis team improved to 11-9, 2-2 in the SoCon with a 4-3 home win over Wofford.
Senior Pablo Llebeili defeated Javi Casasolas 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to pull the Mocs to within 2-1. They tied it at No. 6 when sophomore Jacob Marshall defeated Diego Losada, 6-3, 6-3, and went up 3-2 behind junior Niklas Gerdes’ 7-6, 7-5 win over Julian Chousa. Gerdes moved to a team-leading 14-6 overall in the spring, all at the No. 1 position.
Wofford tied the match 3-3 as Lucas Cerbelli held off junior Simon Bustamante in an epic three-setter – 7-6 (7-2), 6-7, 6-2 – but UTC freshman Kerim Hyatt pulled out a three-set win over Edu Villar, winning the third set 7-6 with a 7-5 tiebreak.
Women’s golfers sixth
The UTC women’s golf team jumped past South Alabama and Mercer into sixth place at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Mocs matched Friday’s total of 306, which was the fourth-lowest tally at University Club on day two.
Kirsty Beckwith paced the Mocs with a 2-over-par 74. Maddy McDanel was next at 75, followed by Monica San Juan’s 76. Rheagan Hall completed the counters with an 81, while Esme Hamilton’s 83 was the dropped score.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.