The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team barely managed to stay above .500 for the season with a 3-2 win over Hartford after a five-inning 8-0 loss to Rutgers in the USF Under Armour Invitational tournament Saturday in Clearwater, Fla.
The Mocs (16-15) end three consecutive weekends of road tournaments with a game this morning against Massachusetts-Lowell.
Alyssa Taylor, Jordan Fortel and Criket Blanco each was 1-for-2 for UTC's only hits against Rutgers (13-16), which scored a run in the first inning and took control with a six-run third.
Kailey Palazzola (6-5) pitched a five-hitter against Hartford but fell behind 2-0 in the fourth inning. The Mocs tied the score in the fifth on Anyssa Robles' single bringing in Taylor and Fortel, and Taylor singled in Alyssa Coppinger in the sixth after Coppinger and Sam Taylor singled.
UTC had 10 hits in the win, with Blanco and Alyssa Taylor each going 2-for-3.
- Shorter 2-2, Lee 0-1: At Rome, Ga., former Ringgold High School star Ericka Bynum had a first-inning two-run double and Kalei Kimbrell from Gordon Lee got her fourth save of the season as the Lady Hawks completed the low-scoring Gulf South Conference sweep. Niki Cook was 2-for-3 in each game for Shorter (17-10, 11-6), and Kameron Carter matched that line and her RBI in the first game, when Peyton Lippert pitched a five-hit shutout.
Leigh Beatenbough and Angie Hughes took the losses despite throwing seven-hitters for Lee (12-19, 2-15). Emily Dagnan was 2-for-3 with a double in each game for the Lady Flames, matched in the second by Hallie Davis. Annabeth Pruett had two singles and drove in Davis for the run. Davis had gone 4-for-6 with a grand slam and nine total RBIs in Wednesday's doubleheader split at Trevecca Nazarene.
- Volunteer State 7-7, Chattanooga State 5-8: At Chattanooga State, Colbie Thomas hit a grand slam and later drove in the deciding run as the Lady Tigers won the second game of the TCCAA doubleheader behind the strong relief pitching of Morgan Boggess, whose only run allowed was unearned. Also in game two, Madison Kurtz was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI for Chattanooga State (19-9, 10-2).
Alaeni Ray was 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs in the first game for Chattanooga State, when Thomas and Shannon Plese each had two hits, an RBI and a run.
- Cleveland State 8-12, Southwest Tennessee 6-2: At Memphis, the Lady Cougars followed 10-4 and 4-2 wins over Southwest on Friday with another TCCAA sweep. Courtni Hammers hit two homers in the series finale and matched Mallory Souther, Rachael Goodson and Carly Frost with six RBIs for the weekend for Cleveland State (15-9, 7-5). Goodson totaled eight hits.
Mekala White homered and drove in two runs in Saturday's first game.
- Sewanee 34, Sweet Briar 22: At Sweet Briar, Va., the Tigers won their fifth consecutive game after an 0-11 season start. After five-inning 11-0 and 11-1 victories Wednesday at Trinity in Washington, D.C., when Charlsey Shirey and Miranda Townsend pitched one-hitters and Shirey went 4-for-4 and scored three runs in game two, they prevailed 14-5 and 7-4 Thursday at Christendom and won Saturday's high-scoring contest by the equivalent of two touchdowns.
- Averett 11-5, Covenant 0-3: On Lookout Mountain, Taylor Dix and Mary Beth Smith were a combined 5-for-7 with seven RBIs in the first game, each with a homer, and the Virginia school improved to 14-9 overall and 6-0 in the USA South as Jessica Long and Rhyan Scearce had two RBIs apiece in game two.
Jami Johnson was 2-for-3 in the first loss for the Lady Scots (10-9-1, 3-7). Madalyn Ames was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and Shannon Schmitt was 2-for-3 with a double in the rematch.
Florida tops Vols
Nationally top-ranked Florida beat No. 16 Tennessee 5-0 on Friday and 4-2 on Saturday in Gainesville and is 29-1, 4-1 in the SEC, going into the series finale today. The Vols (21-7, 3-2) had only two hits Friday and four Saturday, when Megan Geer was 1-for-2 with two RBIs.