The NAIA's third-ranked baseball team, Lee University, improved to 45-8-1 overall and 25-4 in the Southern States Athletic Conference with 5-4 and 4-2 wins Friday at Belhaven. Jose Samayoa pitched a hitless final inning in each for his fifth and sixth saves of the season.
Lee's Jorge Saez was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs in the first game, when Kris Hall improved his pitching record to 9-0. Blake Barber had an RBI in each win, and Mike Moore was 1-for-2 with two RBIs in game two, when Corey Davis was 2-for-4 and scored the first run.
• Covenant 10, Tennessee Temple 0: On Lookout Mountain, Tyler Smith pitched a seven-inning five-hitter and Scott Gillespie batted in four runs for the host Scots (17-17). James Rollins was 3-for-4 and scored three runs, Jonathan Carter was 3-for-4 with a triple and Chris Rollins was 2-for-4 for Covenant.
Gunter Barton was 2-for-2 for Temple (12-30-1).
• Bryan 6-11, Point 2-5: At Dayton, the Appalachian Athletic Conference teams went ahead and played their weekend doubleheader Friday night, leaving one game for today, and the host Lions won both.
DeWayne Boyd was 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs, Doug Stroup was 3-for-3 and Tyler Latham and Zach Vick each was 2-for-3 also for Bryan (34-16, 13-7) in game one. Latham was 2-for-3 with a homer, a triple, three RBIs and three runs in game two, when Shane Clawson had a three-run homer and another RBI, Kevin Layne was 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs and Stroup, Vick and Steven Brown each had two hits. Sean Finn hit a three-run homer for Point in the seventh inning.
No. 1 Lady Tigers split
Volunteer State upset nationally No. 1-ranked Chattanooga State 2-1 in TCCAA softball Friday evening at Gallatin, Tenn., but the visiting Lady Tigers scored three runs in the first inning of game two and won 6-2 for a 17-1 league record.
Chelsea Burgess homered in the first game for Chatt State (52-4). MeQuilla Franklin was 2-for-3 and Andrea Dalton and Andie Johnson each was 2-for-4 in game two, when Johnson matched Marina Wilkerson's two RBIs and Ashley Czechner saved the pitching win for Janna Scheff (21-1) after falling to 27-3 despite eight strikeouts in the opener.
• Lee 1-1, Brenau 0-0: At Gainesville, Ga., Kelsey Barnes and Ana Coscorrosa took turns with solo homers as the Lady Flames, ranked 11th in the NAIA, improved to 44-8, 21-4 in the SSAC. Senior Brittany Balough (23-2) pitched a four-hitter and freshman Jessa Watts (16-5) followed with a three-hitter. No. 14 Brenau is 36-12, 19-8.