Lee University's Patrick Merkling pitched a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts as Lee University followed up Friday's victory with an 8-1 baseball win Saturday at Shorter University, but the host Hawks then gave the Flames their first Southern States Athletic Conference loss of the season, 7-2, on a five-hitter by Stuart Charleston.
Merkling, a junior left-hander from Chattanooga State, is 6-0 for the Cleveland school.
Corey Davis had a grand slam and Roberto Reyes was 1-for-1 with two runs and an RBI in the win for Lee (28-4-1, 14-1), when Blake Barber and Brady Renner each also scored two runs. Barber was 2-for-2 with an RBI in the loss, while Mike Miranda was 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs for Shorter (21-8, 10-5).
• Bryan 6-15, Reinhardt 5-4: At Dayton, the Lions improved to 22-9, 5-4 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference, as Josh Harris went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs in the first game and Shane Clawson was 3-for-5 with five RBIs in game two, when DeWayne Boyd was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Kevin Layne and Steven Brown each had two hits and scored three runs.
The Lions totaled 25 hits in the doubleheader, and Reinhardt had 21. Doug Stroup had two first-game RBIs for Bryan, and Tyler Latham, Layne and Clawson had two hits apiece.
• Cleveland State 6-3, Dyersburg State 5-5: At Cleveland, the visiting Eagles bounced back from Saturday's first-game loss to take the TCCAA series behind Connor Moore's six-hit pitching in the finale. Dylan Haycraft and Chase Jones each went 3-for-4 and combined for five doubles, three RBIs and two runs in Dyersburg's win. Chase Edwards was 2-for-3 for the Cougars (15-10, 3-6) in that game and had the winning RBI hit with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one.
Also in the first game for Cleveland State, Michael Hargrove was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, Colin Sullivan was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Derek Shugart was 2-for-2 and scored twice and Cody Commons was 2-for-3 with a triple and the winning score after singling, stealing second base and taking third on a wild pitch. Reliever Thomas Huddleston got the pitching victory.
• Chattanooga State 12, Roane State 5: Friday, Taylor Patterson paced the offense and Dylan Massengill got the pitching win in relief as the Tigers (23-6, 5-2) won the opener of their weekend TCCAA series, but Saturday's doubleheader was moved to today because the Raiders had a bus problem from Harriman. The first pitch is set for 1 p.m.
• Huntingdon 17-9, Covenant 5-10: At Montgomery, Ala., the visiting Scots salvaged one win in the opening Great South Athletic Conference series for both teams as Scott Gillespie went 3-for-5 with two doubles and five RBIs, Sterling Witt was 3-for-3 with three runs and David Lockwood was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in the finale. James Rollins had two hits, Witt scored twice and Paul Phillips hit a two-run homer in Saturday's first game.
Huntingdon won 7-2 on Friday, when Rollins was 2-for-3 and Gillespie went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Covenant (8-8, 1-2).
• New Jersey City 6, Sewanee 4: At Auburndale, Fla., the Tigers lost their first game in the annual Russ-Matt Invitational by giving up four unearned runs in the third inning. Lee Schurlknight allowed only five hits in his six innings on the mound for Sewanee (5-9), which got a double, single and RBI from Allen Thigpen and two hits also from Jack Rogers.
Lady Scots sweep
Chelsea Krafft pitched two five-hitters with 12 total strikeouts as Covenant swept visiting Agnes Scott in a GSAC softball doubleheader Saturday, 9-2 and 2-1.
Courtney Waggoner was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Morgan Booker had a two-run double in the first game for the Lady Scots (7-6, 2-3), and Beth Harris scored twice in that game and was 2-for-3 with two RBIs in game two. Christine Core had three hits, four stolen bases and three runs in the doubleheader.
• Lee 7-16, Emmanuel 6-2: At Franklin Springs, Ga., Ana Coscorrosa was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, Jenevieve Cena was 2-for-2 with two runs and Kelsey Barnes was 1-for-2 with a homer and two runs in the first game of the SSAC matchup for Lee.
Jennifer Ringle was 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Savanna Bell and Cena each had three RBIs in game two, when Tabitha Farrow matched Bell with three runs scored and Coscorrosa was 2-for-2 and scored twice along with Barnes, Jessa Watts and Laurel Allen.
• Cleveland State 5-10, Pikeville 1-0: At Cleveland, Meghan Smith pitched a no-hitter after Kenly Lambert threw a two-hitter for the Lady Cougars (8-6). Ashlen Mitchell had a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly in the first game and added an RBI single in game two, when Halen Weeks hit a three-run homer and Kelly Sullins had a two-run double.