Chattanooga State began its softball season Thursday with two come-from-behind wins at Pensacola State, 5-3 and 8-4. Madison Crabtree homered and doubled and drove in four runs and Breanna Vinson tripled and doubled behind Brooke Parrott's first-game pitching. She gave up two home runs and three runs in the first inning but virtually nothing afterward. Shelby Penning was 3-for-3 with the clinching three-run homer in game two, when Haley Smith was 2-for-3 with the go-ahead sacrifice fly. Lindsay Modar and winning reliever Rilee King allowed just one earned run between them.
» Tennessee Wesleyan opened its softball season Wednesday with a 7-6 loss and a 6-5 win at the University of the Cumberlands. TWU's Baylee Sutton was 3-for-4 and 2-for-4 with three RBIs in each game.
Baseball
» Tennessee Wesleyan's 12th-ranked NAIA baseball team is 11-0 after winning 8-3 Wednesday at No. 3 Georgia Gwinnett. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 93-28. They scored the first seven runs Wednesday, when Adrian Marquez was 2-for-3 with a second-inning two-run home run, two walks and two runs, and starting pitcher Philip Sieli allowed only two hits and one run in six innings.
» Bryan College, ranked 15th, survived a four-run ninth inning for Cumberland's batters and edged the visitors from Lebanon 7-6 on Thursday. Bryan starting pitcher Ernesto Romero allowed five hits, no walks and two runs and struck out 10 in eight innings, and Tyler Scott, Gabe Howell and Lake Burris homered at the top of the 7-2 Lions' lineup. Scott also doubled and scored twice, and Burris was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
» Cleveland State beat the visiting Union College junior varsity 11-0 in five innings and 10-0 in six. Tanner Doran pitched a perfect game in the Cougars' home opener, when Caleb Hopkins was 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Rhett Baldwin was 3-for-4 with four RBIs in game two, which Alex Coulter ended early with a two-run homer.
» Chattanooga State routed the Shorter junior varsity 16-0 and 21-1 Wednesday in Rome. The Tigers are 3-3.
Basketball
» The balanced Bryan women's basketball team had no one score more than 13 points but beat visiting Truett McConnell 90-54 Thursday for its 26th win in a row. Karli Combs and Tesa Johnson each scored 13 and To'Nesha Allison, Keneisha Love and Shayla Ludy added 10 apiece for the Lady Lions (27-1, 25-0 AAC), while Tristan McClellan had 11 assists. The Bryan men also won handily, 89-68, behind 24 and 21 points from EJ Bush and Keaton Dotson. Dotson was 5-for-6 on 3s. Clay Hertel had seven assists and three steals for the Lions (15-13, 12-10).
» Covenant senior Joanna Smith from Chattanooga Christian closed out her college career as an All-USA South West Division second-team selection for 2018-19, giving her all-conference status for the the third time. She averaged 13 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals a game and shot 53.1 percent from the field. Sophomore Rachel Thomas was the Lady Scots' representative on the league's all-sportsmanship team.
Tennis
» The Lee tennis teams topped the visiting Carson-Newman men 5-2 and the Lady Eagles 7-0 in NCAA Division II matches Thursday. Francesca Tondi, Carley Sickinger, Asia Grzegrzolka, Micaela Belen Maiz, Lisa Kirr and Lauren Trammell won in both doubles and singles for the Lady Flames (2-0). Daniel Prata, Antonio Pons, Cristian Pons and Bruno Medeiros did likewise for the Lee men (2-0).
Fishing
» Gary Clouse of Winchester finished the first day of the Bassmaster Elite tournament on Lake Lanier in 21st place out of 75 anglers with a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 2 ounces. Canadian Jeff Gustafson led with 19-2.
General
» Family visitation and a celebration of life for retired Chattanooga Times sports writer Wirt Gammon Jr. will be held today at 10 and 11 a.m. at St. Peter's Episcopal Church on Ashland Terrace. He died last Friday at the age of 84. A member of the varsity tennis team while attending the University of Chattanooga, he worked two decades at the Times, served many seasons as an official scorer for the Lookouts and was in the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame and on its board as treasurer.