Johnson County traveled to Greeneville and left with a 5-1 victory Tuesday night. The Longhorns, with a 17-11 record, will play Unicoi County today for the region hampionship.

The winner gets a home sectional game while the loser has to travel. The Region 2-AA championship will be between Pigeon Forge and Christian Academy of Knoxville.

“We’ve played Unicoi County tough all season. We’re going to go there and give it our best,” Johnson County head coach Pete Pavusek said. “We have a lot of games left, Wednesday and Friday.”

Today’s game will mark the seventh meeting this season between Johnson County and Unicoi County – three regular-season contests and three last week at the district tournament.

The Longhorns entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the district and now are one of the last 16 teams left in the classification statewide.

“Hitting when we needed to. We had that one big inning and broke it open to let (Ryan) Mahala do his thing,” Pavusek said. “Really kind of broke it open there and gave Ryan some breathing room.”

That one big inning was the fifth.

Daniel Helm had a RBI single that snuck through the left side of the infield. After that Harley Reece hit a two-run double to left to cap the game’s scoring.

Those were the only hits that Helm and Reece had in the game as the Longhorns did not have a multiple-hit effort from anyone in the lineup.

Mahala would toss all seven innings and scatter six hits. The Longhorn struck out six with just one walk issued.

“He scuffled a little bit in the last outing, but he refocused,” Pavusek said. “We just give him the ball. It was a game-time decision. He said he felt good and done what he’d done all season long.”

The home side and District 2 champion Greene Devils scored first. Brennan Hollowell singled to start the game. He then stole second, swiped third and on that play the ball was thrown away for the only run posted by Greeneville.

Johnson County answered in the top of the second when Mahala helped himself with a single and then scored on an error. Ryan Smith added an RBI single and Andy Stout touched home for what turned out to be the game-winning run.

Greeneville threatened in the bottom of the third, but the tying run at the time was out at the plate. D.J. Ball was going to tag up on a fly ball to left off Hollowell’s bat, but Dusty Stout’s throw was cut off by Judd Hammons at short then fired home for the 7-6-2 double-play.

Seymour did.

The Lady Eagles got a superb performance from Carly Lewis, who pitched a three-hitter and also drove in four runs to spark her team to a 6-0 win in a Region 1-AAA softball semifinal game Tuesday at Seymour’s field.

“We just didn’t hit,” said Science Hill head coach Jerry Higgins. “We were tight from the start.”

It was a season-ending loss for Science Hill, which finished 40-14. The 40 wins set a school record.

Seymour improved to 36-6 and will travel to play Daniel Boone (43-4) in today’s Region 1-AAA championship at 6 p.m. Boone earned its spot with a 2-0 win over Jefferson County on Monday.

Things started almost as bad as they possibly could for the Lady Hilltoppers. Lewis struck out the side in the top of the first inning.

“We didn’t have three people strike out in an inning in 53 games,” said Higgins. “And I wouldn’t put (Lewis) above (Unicoi County’s) Kacy Silvers or (Daniel Boone’s) Kellie Waycaster.

“You could just see the look on our kids’ faces. We played scared. And when you don’t have that air of confidence, it probably isn’t going to happen.”

The hitting may have affected the fielding somewhat as the Hilltoppers made a couple of errors and missed some plays that probably should have been made.

Lady Eagles’ leadoff hitter Kerigan Newport got things started in the bottom of the first inning, reaching on an infield single that probably should have been an out.

The extra opportunity proved costly when Lewis stepped to the plate. With two outs, she squared up a fastball and drove it over the left field fence for a 2-0 lead.

That was a huge lead with the way Lewis was performing in the circle.

“We were just mixing it up, pitching in and out, and up and down,” said Lewis. “The early runs helped keep things calmed down, and allowed me to pitch the way I know how.”

However, Seymour didn’t stop with just two runs. In the bottom of the second inning, the Lady Eagles got a bloop hit over the first baseman’s head that landed just inside of the outfield grass. That was followed by a wild pitch, and a Science Hill error on a bunt.

With one out, another bloop hit by Newport made it 3-0. And with two outs, Lewis struck again. This time it was a two-run single to blow the game open.

Kailyn Grady added the to mix in the bottom of the third with a solo home run over the left field fence.

Newport had two hits for Seymour as did Sam Baldwin, Celeste Whaley and Lewis, who said her team is ready for Daniel Boone.

“We’ve got a good chance to beat them,” said Lewis. “We really want to get back to state, and we’re going to do everything to get there.”

Boone defeated Seymour 3-0 in their regular season meeting.

Science Hill managed only one real threat in the game, loading the bases on two walks and an infield single in the top of the seventh inning. However, Lewis got Lindsey Keys on a sharp groundout to second to end the game.

Megan Devotie was the lone hitting standout for the Lady Hilltoppers. She went 2 for 2.

“The senior class has won 96 games in three years,” said Higgins. “That’s pretty good. And the 40 wins this year, a lot of those were against teams we hadn’t beaten before like Hendersonville. And we beat Unicoi County twice. It’s a testament to the girls’ hard work.”

The University High soccer team advanced to the Region 1-A/AA championship game Tuesday night with a 3-0 victory over Grainger at Civitan Park as all the scoring came from freshmen.

Lowell Williams scored twice and Noah Jones scored once as the Junior Bucs improved to 12-1.

“Overall we did pretty good,” UH coach Victor Chirica said. “For a little bit, we didn’t know what the outcome of the game was gonna be. It was pretty intense and pretty tight. It could go either way. We were just fortunate enough to score.”

UH will play Greeneville for the regional title Thursday at 6 p.m. at Burley Stadium. The top-seeded Greene Devils beat the second-seeded Junior Bucs 3-2 during the regular season.

Greeneville beat Elizabethton 4-0 in the semifinals on Tuesday night.

“That’s a very, very important game for us because we’ve been in that situation for a few years in a row,” Chirica said. “Hopefully this time we’re going to do better. Hopefully we’re gonna win.”

The Junior Bucs have qualified for a sub-state game The winner of the regional championship will stay at home for Saturday’s sub-state game. The loser goes on the road.

Jones opened the scoring in the 25th minute when he blasted the ball into the upper right corner after several of his teammates kept the ball alive in the Grainger penalty area. In the 48th minute, Westley Ongtengco passed the ball behind the Grainger defense and Williams did the rest, dribbling around the goalkeeper and putting the ball into the open goal for a 2-0 lead. Williams later scored again on a pass from Ramiro Rodriguez.

Grainger, which finished its best season ever at 10-4-2, appeared to get on the board first when a long shot got over the head of UH goalie Benjamin Page. But the Grizzlies were called for being offsides on the play, even though none of the offending players figured into the play.

“The guy was not even in the play so that ref needs to know his offsides, that’s all I have to say about that,” Grainger coach Tonya Wear said. “Then we had another... we lost two.

“We had an excellent season. You can’t take nothing away form University High. I wish them the best of luck. It’s just tough when the refs ... you can’t win them all.”

Page made four saves to earn is seventh shutout of the season.

Fortel tossed a complete-game shutout and was 2-for-3 with the bat to help lift the Lady Greene Devils to the victory. She scattered four hits and struck out nine Lady Cyclones.

With the outcome, Greeneville (26-1) will now go to Unicoi County for today’s region championship contest.

“We’ve been working hard in hitting in situations. That’s something that we’ve been preaching to them in practice,” Greeneville head coach Bob Fortel said. “Have a plan when you come to the plate, not just wail away.”

Elizabethton saw its season come to a close at 23-13 with a second straight loss in the region semifinals. A year ago the Lady Cyclones lost 7-4 to Chuckey-Doak.

The host Lady Greene Devils were able to score in the second inning when Lorena Leon produced an RBI double to left. An inning later, two more runs scored before Greeneville tacked on single runs in their last three at bats.

The final score came when leadoff batter Madison Rambo blasted a home run to left in the sixth. That closed out her 3-for-4 day with two runs scored.

Sarah Lutrell was also 2-for-3 for the home team.

“They hit the ball and we didn’t,” Elizabethton head coach Leanna Click said. “It’s like what happened against Unicoi County. They are a good team and played really well today.”

Lindsey Cunningham pitched 5 2/3 innings for the Lady Cyclones, surrendering 10 hits that led to six runs. She was also 1-for-3 with the bat.

Teammates Ashleigh Dykes, Emily Carr and Emily Dugger each had a hit.

“I don’t know if it was the speed of the pitcher,” Click said. “We’ve faced pitchers that fast. Sometimes we don’t adjust. It’s just the highs and lows ... they had a good season.”

Elizabethton put together a small threat in the fifth with two hits, but could not push across a run.

Mallory Jackson rolled through the girls’ singles competition, while her older brother, Reed, teamed with Paschal Koch to take the boys’ doubles crown.

Mallory Jackson won 6-1, 6-2 over Summer Robinson of West Greene in the semifinals, and then used a strong forehand to romp past Claiborne’s Lindsey Jones 6-0, 6-0.

Despite the lopsided wins, the left-handed sophomore still saw room for improvement.

“My forehand was working for me today,” she said. “My backhand is OK, but it’s a little shaky. I also feel my serve is shaky from where I haven’t been hitting in a long time. Otherwise, I was playing well and I’m really excited to go to state.”

Her brother, a senior, teamed with Koch to rally past Jordan Hite and Malcolm Blair of Greeneville 6-3, 6-2.

Coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the first set, Reed Jackson earned a fourth state tournament berth, twice in singles and now twice in doubles.

“It’s really exciting (to go to state) because I feel it’s a good opportunity to win,” Jackson said. “Pascal is a really good player. We’re a pretty tough team to beat so I hope we can beat everybody there.”

Koch, a foreign exchange student from Germany, looks at next week’s competition in Murfreesboro as a big unknown.

“I’m really excited to go,” Koch said. “I don’t know how the state is at all. I don’t know what the level (of competition) is going to be at. I hope we can win as much as we can.”

The Blue Devils made the finals of all four categories with Greeneville’s Jaspal Mahal beating Matt Holka 6-3, 6-2, in boys’ singles, and the Chuckey-Doak girls’ doubles team of Jordan Murphy and Makela Bowman rallying to beat Jackie Cordes and Lexus Morley 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-4.

Besides losing the tiebreaker in the first set, the C-D team fought back from a 5-3, 40-love deficit in the second set. Cordes and Morley had their own rally in the final set, down 5-2 before winning two games to close the margin.

“We’ve definitely had a good day with three advancing to the state,” Unicoi County head coach Michael Smith said. “Matt, with a knee problem, I felt like he couldn’t move enough to play with Jaspal who is a really good player. Lexus and Jackie, they exceeded my expectations based on how the season went. They were runner-up to a very good team from Chuckey-Doak.”

For a pair of Elizabethton doubles teams, elimination came in the semifinals.

Hite and Blair defeated the Cyclones boys’ tandem of Landon Jones and Andy Bowers 6-2, 6-3. On the girls’ side, Murphy and Bowman dispatched of Thacker and Christine Hardin 6-2, 6-2.

Making it to the regional round was a goal in itself for Elizabethton.

“It’s big, especially with the girls since we had very few experienced players,” Cyclones head coach Kenny Hardin said. “It was big for the guys also, a good experience overall. When you get to the region, everybody can play, there are several good teams like Greeneville, Unicoi, and Chuckey-Doak proved how good their girls were.”

Only Christine Hardin will be back for the Cyclones next season as the other three are scheduled to graduate.

It also was the end of the line for Johnson County’s Carlton Tugman. The Longhorns’ celebrated senior lost 6-3, 6-1 to Mahal in the semifinals.

Next season will be the first time in seven years one of the Tugman brothers, Wade or Carlton, won’t be stepping on the court for the Longhorns.

“The most fun time was my first two years when we played doubles together,” Tugman said. “The last two was a little different being by myself, but I feel I’ve had a pretty good career.

“After I leave, I feel we still have some great players like Timmy Bellamy and others. They’re getting better every year. I hope the team at Johnson County keeps rising up.”

For the regional champions, the state quarterfinals begin next Thursday at noon.

The Patriots improved to 29-7 on the season and will host Dobyns-Bennett in a regional championship game today at 6 p.m. The Hilltoppers finished their season 28-11.

Science Hill coach Ryan Edwards said the loss on Tuesday didn’t define the season.

“I’m very proud of our team, our eight seniors, and the hard-fought effort they’ve given,” Edwards said. “They have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be disappointed about.

“Obviously, this game didn’t go the way we wanted. Credit their pitcher. He stopped our offense, but this one game doesn’t define these kids.”

The Hilltoppers had another championship season, tying Dobyns-Bennett for the Big Eight Conference crown and getting the No. 1 seed for the District 1-AAA tournament.

Against Jefferson County, they had Malik Stephens as a runner for Will Craig on third base in the first inning, and J.T. Torbett on third base in the third inning, but two strikeouts and a pop-up to the shortstop ended the scoring opportunities.

Much of the credit went to Hutchinson, who gave up one walk and struck out five to improve to 9-0. He led throughout the contest after Blake Paschal hit an RBI ground out to score leadoff hitter Jake Farr in the bottom of the first.

“That one run in the first was huge for us,” Jefferson County head coach Josh Warner said. “But what do you say about Hutch? He’s pitched like that all year, and he shut down a great team over there.”

Craig (7-3) suffered the loss despite giving up just three hits and aiding his cause by getting on base twice.

Both coaches commented that Craig pitched well enough to win, although Warner felt confident about his team facing the Hilltoppers’ ace.

“We had three or four days to prepare for Craig, and this was the most prepared I’ve had a team in a long time,” he said. “We took a lot of batting practice, and my coaches were really throwing it to them.

“I told the guys to just get on base and something would happen. Sure enough, Colton had the big hit. That’s one thing we’ve done well this year. We’ve had a lot of timely hits.”

The Hilltoppers’ head coach added, “Credit Bales for getting hold of that one. They put the runners on for their best hitter and he got the big hit. That’s baseball.”

Science Hill wasn’t able to get any of those timely hits, limited to a pair of singles by Scott Hoilman and Justin Snyder with no runners on.

The loss was a tough pill for Science Hill to swallow after the teams split during the regular season.

After an emotional meeting with his team, Edwards was able to look at the overall season and feel a sense of accomplishment. The ‘Toppers started the year 5-5 before winning 22 of their next 25 games.

“We expected to win, so we are disappointed right now,” he said. “But, I’m proud of what these kids were able to accomplish this year, winning another conference and getting out of a tough district. I’m really proud of them.”

Enter Wilfred Williams.

The Hilltoppers’ junior tied the game with a goal in the 60th minute and then untied it just seven minutes later, leading Science Hill to a 3-1 win over Sevier County in a Region 1-AAA regional semifinal contest at the Sevier County Soccer Complex on Tuesday night.

The Hilltoppers improved to 16-5-1 and will play Dobyns-Bennett (17-1-3) for the region title on Thursday in Kingsport. The Indians won the first two meetings between the teams.

D-B earned its spot with a 5-1 win over Jefferson County on Tuesday.

Just five minutes into its game, Science Hill was in trouble. Sevier County (15-3-4) got a goal from Brayan Lemus, and it appeared it might be all the Smoky Bears needed.

“They caught us on our heels,” said Hilltoppers’ head coach Brandon Kind.

Science Hill, last year’s Class AAA state runner-up, still trailed by that 1-0 score midway through the second half. A loss would have been a season-ender.

“I was concerned,” said Kind. “When your season is on the line and you’re down one, you’re concerned. But I wasn’t worried. One thing about my group is their resiliency. I’m truly thankful for the battles and lessons this season. Without them, we don’t push through tonight.”

In the 60th minute, Williams had control of the ball and saw an open chance for a shot as he entered the box. Then he struck it inside the far post.

“I saw the goalie come out and I knew the back side was open,” said Williams.

His shot boosted the team, but the confidence was already there, said Williams.

“We’ve been in that situation before, and we knew we had time on the clock,” said Williams. “It came down to the last game for the seniors and everyone, and we didn’t drive here for nothing.”

The next opportunity was created by a header from Jordan Rogers. The goalie misplayed the ball, and Williams was spot on – knocking the ball into the net for the eventual game-winner.

“I was right there at the right moment,” said Williams.

Just three minutes later, Conner Franklin left no doubt.

“He just took a touch and let it rip,” said Kind. “It was a brilliant shot.”

Now the Hilltoppers can set their sights on holding on to a region crown they took from D-B last year.

“We wanted to play D-B and show them what we really are,” said Williams. “Every time we’ve played them, we’ve had somebody hurt or sick. But now we are healthy and ready to go.”

The Daniel Boone shortstop was frequently teased by her teammates how she had come just short of hitting home runs this season.

It is a joke no more.

Wheelock blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to lift the Lady ’Blazers to a 2-0 victory over Jefferson County in Monday’s Region 1-AAA softball semifinals. Once Wheelock made contact, there was no doubt the ball was going to clear the 200-feet distance in left field.

“They aggravate me all the time,” Wheelock said. “I will hit the fence or hit the top of the fence and it never goes over. They call me 199.9 and it aggravates me to death.

“I was just happy to come out and produce those two runs and win the ballgame.”

There was plenty of motivation for a Lady ’Blazers squad filled with players from last year’s team which was upset in the regional semifinals. With the victory, Daniel Boone (43-4) advanced to Wednesday’s Region 1-AAA championship against the winner of today’s Science Hill at Seymour game, and also to Friday’s sectional round.

There wasn’t much offense needed as starting pitcher Kellie Waycaster allowed just three hits to improve to 31-2. She wasn’t overpowering by any means, striking out four batters, but relied heavily on her teammates to do their jobs in the field.

“What I was going for today was throw it in there and let my teammates make the routine plays,” Waycaster said. “They did it, executed very well. You can’t ask for a better defense than what I have.

“I know I don’t have to overpower many teams. I have a great team behind me and they very seldom make many errors. They’re just good.”

They were good enough at the plate as well.

Wheelock ended 2-for-3 with the two RBIs, while lead-off Jennine Duncan was 3-for-4 and scored Boone’s other run.

Nine hits for the Lady ’Blazers also included doubles by Hannah Montoya and Waycaster.

Still, Boone head coach Rick Wagner saw his team down early in the contest as the Lady ’Blazers left runners stranded at second and third in both the first and third innings.

“Early in the game, we left a lot of base runners on,” Wagner said. “But, we were hitting and getting a lot of people on. Every time we came up short, our girls looked a little dejected coming out of the dugout. I had to tell them we were putting pressure on them.

“Kellie made big pitches when she had to, we made the plays when we had to, and I knew if we kept getting runners on, good things would happen.”

Randi Hill went the distance for Jefferson County (25-11) to keep the Lady Patriots within strking distance. They had tying runners on base in both of the final two innings.

“Coming in, we knew it was going to be a dogfight,” Lady Patriots head coach Bekkah Massaro said. “Boone was able to push two runs across, while we left runners on base. Our defense played good, but defense can’t score runs. We had opportunities to score. We just didn’t capatilize on them. Any opportunity you have against a good team like Boone, you have to put those runners across.”

Besides his players, Wagner gave credit to Boone’s ground crew for making Monday’s game happen. Daniel Boone and Unicoi County were the only teams who hosted Region 1 games after rain fell a good portion of the day.

Most of all, he was pleasantly surprised by Wheelock’s game-winning shot.

“I never dreamed Jessie would hit one out of here,” Wagner said. “She has been known to have 198 power on this 200 fence. I’m just glad she found that three extra feet to get it over today.”

However, Unicoi County silenced Grainger’s bark immediately.

The Lady Blue Devils broke loose for four first-inning runs, including a punishing two-run homer by Kaylee Nicholson in an 8-0 win in the Region 1-AA softball semifinals Monday night at Lady Devils Diamond.

Unicoi County improved to 42-7, earning a berth in Friday’s sectional round and securing home-field advantage for Wednesday’s region championship game. The Blue Devils will play either Greeneville or Elizabethton, whose game was rained out Monday and was rescheduled for today at 5:30 p.m.

In the bottom of the first inning, Chelsey Gardner ripped a single to right field before Tiffany Laughren crushed a double off the left field fence. After Shea Pearson’s RBI groundout, Cheyenne Delffs drove in a run with an RBI fielder’s choice.

That brought Nicholson to the plate, and she hit a ball equally as hard as Laughren’s hit – but this one had a little more lift to it and easily cleared the left field fence.

“She’s got strong legs and a good swing,” said Unicoi head coach Grady Lingerfelt. “Kaylee is a good hitter.”

Leading 4-0, Blue Devils’ pitcher Kacy Silvers got an added dose of confidence.

“I felt pretty confident coming in,” said Silvers. “I know my teammates have my back.

“But the four runs helped very much. It relaxed me so I could go out and do what I do, and I don’t have to worry.”

Silvers stayed in command throughout the game. She finished with a three-hitter, walking two and striking out seven.

“She does quite well,” said Lingerfelt. “I’m real pleased with her.”

And the Blue Devils kept their bats lively throughout the game. Twice they hit the ball so hard, Grainger turned them into double plays.

Still leading 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth, created more space. She faked a bunt and then swung away, smashing the ball over the left field fence for a two-run four-bagger.

Laughren started a two-run rally in the sixth inning with a double to left field. Pearson followed with a single and Delffs walked to load the bases. Nicholson hit into a 6-4-3 double play to score one run and another run scored when the Grainger first baseman rolled the ball back toward the pitcher’s circle, apparently thinking the inning was over.

By game’s end, the Lady Blue Devils had 10 hits. Leading the way was Laughren, who was 3 for 4. She hit the ball hard every time up, and her lone out was a ripped line drive that the shortstop turned into a double play.

“Tiffany is a hitter, no doubt,” said Lingerfelt. “And she plays hard all the time.”

Gardner finished with two hits for Unicoi, which has reached the Class AA state tournament in each of the last four seasons.

Winning on Wednesday to earn a home sectional game is the next task at hand. Silvers said it will just take more of the same.

“We just need to stay focused like always,” she said. “We need to hit the ball. And if I keep pitching my game, we should be fine.”

Grainger, which nearly upset the Blue Devils at this stage last season, ended its year at 17-26.

Stetson used two late runs to interrupt a pitchers’ duel and emerge with a 2-0 decision.

With the outcome the Bucs are 22-28 before today’s series finale at 1:05 p.m. that also wraps up the home portion of the schedule. ETSU fell to 7-16 in the league, three games behind three teams with 10 conference wins with four conference games to go.

Stetson remained in the discussion for the league’s regular season crown with a 13-9 mark. The Hatters are two games behind leader USC Upstate.

“It just depends on what happened, but we’re close to being mathematically eliminated,” ETSU head coach Tony Skole said. “I think it’s going to need 12 conference wins to get in. We just have to come out and play. Hopefully we can send the seniors out on a high note in their last game here.”

Bucs starter John Long rolled through the first 31⁄3 innings perfect and face 16 Hatter batters through five innings. However, Stetson executed in the seventh and eighth innings for scores.

Ben Carhart reached safely in the seventh on a throwing error by Chris Riopedre at third base. Mark Jones moved his teammate up with a sacrifice bunt before Mitchel Brennan lined an RBI double near the top of the wall in left center to break the scoreless tie.

Brennan finished the day 2-for-4 with both hits being doubles.

In the eighth Stetson added an insurance run with a RBI groundout by Robert Crews. Robert Bruce raced in from third after reaching on a single to right. That was followed by a hit-and-run play that saw Sam Kimmel lace a single through a wide open hole on the right side of the infield. Going in motion allowed Bruce to get to third with ease on the play.

Kimmel, the lead-off hitter, was 2-for-4 and stole a base.

“We executed, when you get in games like this you have to get bunts down and get base hits to score the first one. Then executed the hit and run to set up the second run,” Stetson head coach Pete Dunn said.

The two runs turned out to be all that starter Josh Powers would need. Powers finished 81⁄3 innings with four hits allowed, a walk and strikeout. Long completed his fourth game of the season in his final Thomas Stadium start with six hits scattered and four strikeouts.

ETSU kept swinging until the end, getting a single in the ninth from Andrew Green. That hit not only closed out a 2-for-4 game, but it gave the junior his 200th collegiate hit. Robbie Powell then recorded the final out for the save, the 17th of the season for him.

“He’s had a great career, and when he gets on he can make things happen. He makes our offense go,” Skole said about Green. “It’s a great milestone, you’re in the one percent of Division I players that can get 200 hits. Hopefully he can get to 300.”

In addition the victory gave Dunn 1,200 for his career, all at Stetson in his 34th season.

The Indians defeated Science Hill 2-1 in overtime Thursday night at the Stone Castle, in a match which all three goals were scored on headers off set plays.

Jorge DeGyves slipped a header in the right side of the goal in the 86th minute for the winning score.

“They just finished one more than we did,” Science Hill head coach Brandon Kind said as his team fell to 14-5-1. “They’re a good group, but we’ve got to finish our chances. That’s the bottom line.”

Dobyns-Bennett head coach Chris Woods said a set play creates difficult situations for the opposing defense.

“That’s such a tough ball to defend,” said Woods after his team improved to 16-1-3. “You’re careful in the box because you don’t want anything stupid to happen. Also for goalkeepers, that’s ridiculously hard to defend. The thing changes direction so quickly.

“(Science Hill goalkeeper Andrew) Kenneson is tough to beat. He’s a beast, there’s no doubt, but I would remiss if I didn’t talk about my goalkeeper (Preston Mercer) who got a touch on that last one.”

D-B dodged a bullet in the 99th minute, thanks to Mercer’s save of Oscar Mora’s high arching kick from the left side, which Mercer tipped into the crossbar.

“That’s the life of a goalkeeper,” Woods said. “When you’re playing a program like Science Hill or Dobyns-Bennett, you might sit there and do nothing for 70-80-90 minutes, then all of the sudden you have to make the save.

“That ball was going in, and he pushed it on to the crossbar. It was a great take, I thought it was a goal, but a wonderful save by our goalkeeper.”

Wilfred Williams gave Science Hill a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute, taking a direct kick from Miller Franklin and flicking the ball on a header past Dobyns-Bennett goalkeeper Preston Mercer.

In the 60th minute, Science Hill missed on a close call and a chance to go up by two goals when Nick Boegeman’s shot sailed over the crossbar.

Eight minutes later, D-B responded when Austin Pate turned a header off fullback Brad Elpers’ kick from midfield for the 1-1 tie.

Elpers was named the tournament MVP for his efforts, and his assist was a thing of beauty to his head coach.

“It was awesome for him to understand that ball has to be a little shorter because of Kenneson who is a black hole back there,” Woods said. “For Elpers to take a little off that, it allowed Pate to have a go at it.”

Tightly contested throughout, the Indians held a 19-13 shot advantage.

The Hilltoppers were without two key seniors, forward Conner Franklin and defender Perry Murdaugh, due to illness. Defenders Tanner Leach and Ben Cooper picked up play in their abscence to help offset the losses.

“They did a tremendous job for us,” Kind said. “Ben hadn’t played in the back all year. Playing back there, he did a great job. I couldn’t asked anything more from Tanner either.

“Really, all the guys on the field left all out there. We just didn’t finish our chances.”

Science Hill will go on the road next week against the winner of tonight’s District 2 championship between Jefferson County and Sevier County. Dobyns-Bennett will host the loser of the match.

Kind remembered his team lost 3-0 to D-B in last year’s District 1-AAA final, but went on to advance to the state championship game.

“We lost this game last year, but we came back and it worked out well for us,” Kind said. “It gives us motivation.”

But the Lady Vikings still didn’t carry quite enough weight to derail Science Hill.

The Lady Hilltoppers exploded for nine runs in the fifth inning en route to a 14-7 victory that clinched the second consecutive regional tournament appearance of the Jerry Higgins era.

The Lady Hilltoppers (40-12) will face Daniel Boone in a 5 p.m. district championship showdown tonight.

Higgins said the Lady Trailblazers are unquestionably “the best team in the area.” But his own squad has been highly competitive in the last three meetings with Boone.

“I feel good about that. We’re going to hit. We’ve hit against everybody we’ve played all year to some extent,” said Higgins, who’ll have to beat Boone twice to claim the district title. “I told our girls, come to play tomorrow and if you win, win both.”

Thursday Science Hill brought more lumber than Georgia Pacific. Megan Devotie had three of the team’s 16 total hits, driving in four runs. Abbey Younger went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a two-RBI double.

Hannah Devotie had two hits and a sacrifice bunt. Vanessa Elliott, Ashley DeGroat and Lindsey Keys had two hits apiece. Alyssa Loveday doubled and Emma Martindale had a two-RBI double.

Plucky Tennessee High (19-22-1) jumped on the ’Toppers immediately but the game was tied up 2-2 after the first complete inning.

“You don’t win 40 games when you worry about being down by two runs,” Higgins explained.

Science Hill jumped out 5-2 on three hits and an error in the third inning. Johnson City left the bases loaded in the scoreless fourth, giving the Lady Vikings an opening.

One out into the fifth, leadoff spot batter Lori Payne rapped into an error at short. A Kaitlin Bledsoe single and a walk to Kaely Easterling set the table.

Mackie Carr, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles and five RBIs, tied the game up at 5 with her base-clearing double.

“You’ve got to pitch to Mackie and she’s a great hitter. She hits it, boom, there, after we kick it there,” said Higgins, who pulled Martindale out of the circle and installed Ida Watson (18-8).

Tennessee High’s moment of Zen was short-lived. A seven-hit, nine-run shelling ensued in the bottom half, affixing the last decision of 2012 to starter Mackenzie Hutton (19-10).

The Lady Vikings added a defiant two runs in the seventh, both scored on a Carr single.

Bledsoe went 3-for-4 for THS and Megan Blevins added a double.

“We just kind of ran out of gas towards the end,” said Lady Vikings coach Chris Estep. “I thought our kids did a good job. It would have been real easy for our kids to say, that’s it and to not even try. But at least they gave it a great shot that last inning.”

Chelsea Gardner went 3-for-4 and drove in the eventual game-winning run in the Lady Blue Devils’ 4-0 victory over Elizabethton. They will host Grainger County on Monday in the region semifinals; it’s a rematch of last year’s playoffs, won by Unicoi County 6-5 on its way to the state tournament.

“That’s our number one goal, to win the district,” said Unicoi County head coach Grady Lingerfelt, whose team improved to 41-7. “I had to make sure that just winning the regular season isn’t what wins it.”

Elizabethton (21-13) will travel to Greeneville for the other Region 1-AA semifinal.

Gardner, the Three Rivers Conference regular-season MVP, finished the district tournament going 7-for-10 for the most hits and highest average of the event. She had at least two hits in all three tournament games, scored three times and swiped three bases as well. That earned her tournament MVP honors.

“It’s big,” Gardner said. “It takes my team to do everything to achieve and keep me going.”

Gardner’s RBI single in the bottom of the fifth broke a scoreless tie. Jessica Presser trotted in from third after a bunt single started the frame.

Tiffany Laughren, a member of the all-tournament team, then went deep with an opposite field three-run homer to right center. Laughren was 5-for-9 in the three games, with three runs scored.

“For her to hit that one, it took a lot of pressure off us,” Lingerfelt said of the home run.

Those four runs were more than enough for Kacy Silvers.

The all-conference pitcher allowed just two hits and struck out nine in her second shutout of the tournament. Silvers had a perfect game going until the fifth when Ashleigh Dykes was hit by a pitch.

“I was pleased with her effort,” Lingerfelt said. “She’s been more focused.”

Silvers pitched 21 innings and struck out 31 with just one walk in the tournament. Opponents hit just .127 against her.

Emily Carr and Caley Hodge had the two hits against her for Elizabethton.

Cheyenne Delffs also made the all-tournament team for Unicoi County. She was 3-for-3 in the championship game, which raised her average to .444 for the tournament.

Elizabethton’s Danielle Loving, Lindsey Cunningham and Reazyn DeMoss were also named to the all-tournament squad.

Loving was 6-for-13 in four Lady Cyclone games while Cunningham was 6-for-15 with the bat. In the circle, Cunningham posted a 2.24 ERA over 25 innings. DeMoss hit the first home run of the event Tuesday and finished with two shots over the fence; her six RBIs led all players.

“We played fantastic defense. Just that one inning, got a couple on and hit a home run,” Elizabethton head coach Leanna Click said. “We played good, we just didn’t hit the ball.”

Jonathan Davis’ bases-loaded triple highlighted a five-run third inning, and the Blue Devils went on to record a 7-4 win over the Longhorns in the championship round of the District 1-AA baseball tournament Thursday night at Anglin Field.

The Blue Devils (17-15) forced the if-necessary game tonight at 6 o’clock. It will be their sixth meeting this season with the Longhorns (16-10) – with Unicoi holding a 3-2 series edge – and there will be plenty at stake.

Tonight’s winner not only claims a district championship, but also a bye in Monday’s regional semifinals and home-field advantage for Wednesday’s region championship. The extra bonus comes because District 2-AA advanced only one team to the region after Chuckey-Doak was forced to vacate its losers’ bracket final win over South Greene.

Johnson County had a chance to end the suspense with a victory, and the Longhorns went for the kill shot by sending ace Ryan Mahala to the mound. However, the Blue Devils scratched across a run in the bottom of the second before the big third inning.

After Ethan Rice’s RBI single made it 2-0, Unicoi loaded the bases with nobody out. Mahala regrouped to strike out two batters before Davis came to the plate.

“(Mahala) is a good pitcher, and he places the ball pretty good,” said Davis. “I just wanted to hit the ball and pick up my team.”

Davis got a fastball on the outer half of the plate, and gave it a concussion – a smoking line drive that easily cleared the center fielder’s head.

“Once I saw him turn his back, I thought I had hit it over his head,” said Davis.

Hunter Goddard followed Davis’ triple with an RBI hit to make it 6-0. Mahala was relieved by Andy Woods in the fourth inning, it appeared the Blue Devils might have relaxed a little at that point.

“When we got up 6-0, I felt we lost our focus,” said Unicoi head coach Charlie Baxter.

Austin Green was pitching well for the Blue Devils, but Unicoi’s defense got a bit loose in the fifth and sixth innings. Three errors led to three runs, two unearned, and Johnson County had runners on second and third with one out.

However, Green induced a pair of popups and the Blue Devils tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the inning on Austin Garrabrant’s RBI single.

Green worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and four runs, two earned, with one walk and five strikeouts.

“He really battled,” said Baxter. “He didn’t have all of his pitches, so he threw more fastballs than normal. He was a little tired, so he didn’t have the good location like he normally does.”

Relief pitcher William McInturff gave up an RBI double to Harley Reece, but finished things off with a strikeout.

Garrabrant, Rice and Goddard each had two hits for the Blue Devils.

Johnson County got two hits from Daniel Helm and Reece.

Mahala worked three innings, allowing six hits and six runs – the most he has allowed all season – with three walks and four strikeouts.

“He just didn’t have his usual stuff,” said Johnson County head coach Pete Pavusek. “He didn’t have his ‘A’ game.”

There was an important play in the fifth inning that upset Pavusek. With nobody out, River Cazire tried to score from second base on a single. He was cut down on a nice relay by the Blue Devils, but Pavusek said he believed Unicoi catcher Timmy Graham blocked the plate before he had the ball.

“He didn’t give the runner an opportunity to get there,” said Pavusek. “It was just a bad call, and we were on the unfortunate end of it.”

Johnson County’s next batter grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Pavusek said his starting pitcher for tonight is undecided.

“I don’t know yet,” he said. “We will wake up in the morning and see how everybody feels.”

Baxter also said he will decide today who will get the starting nod for his team.

D-B delivered five straight singles after Hilltoppers pitcher Andrew Sweeney had retired 12 straight batters, and the Indians denied the Hilltoppers a sixth straight District 1-AAA tournament title with a 6-2 victory at Todd Houston Field.

Science Hill (28-10) will visit the District 2 champion — Morristown West or Jefferson County — on Monday. The Indians (31-6) will host the runner-up.

Science Hill led 2-1 with one out in the bottom of the fifth when Sweeney’s streak stopped. Garrett Clark hit an opposite-field single on a 1-2 pitch, and it was followed by singles from Sam Taylor, Will Allen, Elijah Sutherland and tournament MVP Chris Cook.

Allen’s RBI single down the third-base line tied the score at 2, and Cook’s two-run chopper over Craig at third base made the score 4-2.

Sweeney was relieved by 6-foot-6 senior Matt Pope. He struck out Peyton Taylor, one of four strikeouts the dominant Pope had in 1 2/3 innings, but Austin Dayton’s two-out, two-run single through the middle capped the five-run frame.

One scout’s radar gun registered the pitch Dayton hit at 94 mph and another read 95. Pope has signed with Kentucky, but entered the game with 9 2/3 innings pitched.

“I thought Andrew pitched a great game against a quality lineup,” Science Hill coach Ryan Edwards said. “If we could’ve got one of those ground balls right at somebody, then maybe we’d had a chance there at the end, because we knew we were bringing Pope. I wanted to bring Pope after Cook batted.”

D-B’s Aaron Quillen, a senior right-hander who will sign with East Tennessee State next week, pitched a complete game for the victory. He saved the Indians’ win against Science Hill in the winners’ bracket final on Monday, and also got the victory in D-B’s district opener.

Consistently throwing in the mid-80s and keeping batters from finding a rhythm with a three-quarter delivery slider, Quillen (8-2) struck out seven en route to a three hitter. He did walk six batters, including an intentional pass to Will Craig.

Three of Quillen’s walks came in the first inning, when Science Hill scored its runs. His bases-loaded walk to Bennett Blanton gave Science Hill a 2-0 lead.

“I was trying to be too fine in an intense game,” said Quillen, who is 3-1 against Science Hill this season. “I just came out and emotions were running high. I didn’t trust my mechanics early and trust my defense. But I settled in.”

Indeed, he escaped further harm in the first by striking out Justin Snyder with a slider to retire the side with the bases loaded. It was one of four strikeouts he got via the offspeed pitch. He ended the game by getting Craig swinging at a 2-2 fastball up and in.

“It’s always great to end on a strikeout, especially against Craig,” Quillen said. “He’s probably the best hitter in the conference. He’s a beast up there, and I dread facing him every time.”

Sutherland finished 2-for-3 with two runs for D-B. He led off the bottom of the first with a single through the left side, advanced to third on consecutive bunt singles from Cook and Taylor, and scored Dayton’s 5-3 double-play ball.

Cook was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run. He hit three home runs in the tournament. He also robbed Heath Loyd of a hit by laying out to catch a line-drive to his left for the second out of the seventh and leaped to catch a Kyle Wilson line-drive on the game’s first at-bat.

Third baseman Dayton also made a good play diving to his left and throwing to first to retire J.T. Torbett leading off the second.

“We played good solid defense. We made one error, and it was a tough play,” said D-B coach Ryan Wagner, whose Indians won the district for the first time since 2006. “It feels great. These guys came through. Sweeney gave us a hard time by changing speeds. You’ve gotta tip your hat to him. He kept us down, you know, and we’re a pretty good-hitting ballclub. We finally got some breaks there in the fifth.”

Craig was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Reed Hayes was also 1-for-3.

Rain delayed the start of the game an hour. A Science Hill victory would’ve forced another game today.

Turns out, there was room for things to get worse.

The Lady Bucs just finished an 11-38 campaign last weekend that saw them lose 22 of their last 23 games. They were 1-17 in the Atlantic Sun Conference, four games behind the ninth-place team.

For Irwin, who came from Southern Conference power Chattanooga, where he once worked for Ralph and Karen Weekly, the current Tennessee coaches, it has been something of a nightmare start.

“I’ve always heard coaches talk about laying in bed awake at night, and I never really understood it until this year,” he said Wednesday. “Last year bothered me, but it wasn’t the same. I thought we were going to be a lot better this year.

“Where I have failed is I have not changed the culture yet of knowing how to win. We don’t go out and try not to lose, but some days it just seems like losing is OK. That’s not what I’m about.”

The program has had only one winning season in its 12 years, and Irwin hopes to turn things around by bringing in up to nine new players for next season. The team graduated four seniors.

“We told the returning players they better be ready for next year,” said Irwin. “There’s going to be competition for every spot, and don’t be surprised when you get here and there’s a lot of additional kids trying to get on the field.”

The new recruiting class starts with Katy Jordan, a junior-college pitcher from Darton College in Albany, Ga. Irwin believes she can become dominant in the circle.

“She had somewhere in the neighborhood of 239 strikeouts in 180 innings this season,” he said. “You gotta have a front-line pitcher that can carry you, and we just haven’t had one. That’s where it all starts.

“Believe it or not, we were better offensively for most of this season. But our team ERA was between 4 and 5, and a front-line pitcher should be around 1. You can’t try to manufacture a run when you need six.”

The Lady Bucs have work to do just to become competitive in their conference. They are 4-34 over the last two seasons and gave up hope of making the A-Sun tournament weeks ahead of time.

There were a few bright spots this season, starting with freshman first baseman Casey Horner. She led the team in batting average (.316), homers (7) and runs batted in (24).

“She’s a competitor and can help change the culture I talked about,” said Irwin. “When we got into conference play, she kind of leveled out a little bit and hit the wall like freshmen do. We need to get some power to go around her, too. We didn’t protect her very well.”

Junior Tara Hartnett was the team’s best hitter over the last six weeks and finished with a .315 average. Alex Everett hit .299 and Annie Martin at .297.

The Lady Bucs had no players named to the first or second all-conference teams. Martin, a senior outfielder, was named to the all-academic team.

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The ETSU baseball team hopes that next weekend’s series at Kennesaw State will mean something.

The Bucs (21-26, 7-14) are in ninth place in the A-Sun and three games out of sixth with six league games remaining. They host Stetson this weekend.

A couple of losses, combined with wins by Mercer and Belmont, could close them out of the tournament, which includes only the top six teams.

The Bucs were scheduled to play a non-conference game Wednesday night at Radford.

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Former ETSU star Paul Hoilman set a team record with 17 home runs in his first season of professional baseball at Boise last year.

This spring the Johnson City native is back at it in Peoria, Ill. On Tuesday night he tied a record for the Class A Chiefs, a 30-year-old club affiliated with the Cubs, by extending his hitting streak to 21 games in a 7-2 victory over Quad Cities.

That is reportedly the longest active streak in professional baseball.

When bat meets ball, good things tend to happen for Hoilman. The big first baseman is hitting .303 for the season, with three homers, 12 doubles and 25 RBI. He also has 36 strikeouts in 109 at-bats.

Hoilman hit his second grand slam of the young season on Monday night, which tied a team record.

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Another former Buc is finding success on the diamond a little more challenging these days.

Caleb Moore, who was a star catcher and closer at ETSU, just finished his first season of coaching at Happy Valley High School. The Warriors went 3-24, on the heels of a 2-27 season.

“It’s been an adventure for me, and an adjustment for me and the players,” said Moore, a Knoxville native who played minor-league ball in the Twins organization before running into arm trouble. “I’m holding them a lot more accountable than they’re used to. We started five freshmen, and the experience a lot of guys have gained is invaluable. They’re starting to grasp the whole concept.”

The new coach says he’s trying to play “National League baseball,” with a lot of offensive strategy. The long ball isn’t part of that strategy; the Warriors hit just one home run all season.

“Coming in we knew we didn’t have a lot of power hitters,” said Moore. “We’ve done a good job of working the count and taking pitches, but we’ve struck out way too much. You can’t steal first.”

Moore says he hasn’t been discouraged by all the losing.

“Trust me, there are a lot of sleepless nights,” he said, “but I’ve loved every minute of it. I like it here and don’t see myself leaving anytime soon.”

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There was at least one familiar face among the six men arrested after an altercation described in a police report as “total chaos” in the early hours of April 29 at Buccaneer Ridge Apartments.

Duronal Monal was a star sprinter for the Bucs just a few years ago, sweeping the 100 and 200 at the Atlantic Sun Conference outdoor meet in 2009 and again in ‘10. He was named the meet’s most outstanding track performer as a senior.

Monal had an interesting backstory. He grew up as a promising wide receiver in Belle Glade, Fla., but saw his football career cut short by injury and turned to track. He was good enough to earn a scholarship to Middle Tennessee State, and then transferred to ETSU.

His mother was buried for days in the rubble of the massive Haiti earthquake in January 2010, but was pulled out alive and went back to Florida. She died four months later, and her son dedicated his last track victories to her.

Monal, 24, was arrested with five other men for reportedly forcing their way into an apartment and assaulting four women who lived there. Police found a loaded handgun in the trunk of a car used by the men.

Monal, cited as a resident of Orlando, Fla., was charged with aggravated burglary and assault.

Growing up in the small town of Ferndale, Wash., the way he acts off the field, staying humble, means as much to him as what he does on field.

“I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of good people around me,” Locker said Wednesday during an appearance with the 14th annual Titans Caravan at Hampton Elementary School. “They’ve helped me get to this point. It would be disrespectful to them if I took credit for something if it’s not due. I’m thankful to have this opportunity and to be in the situation I’m in.”

The 23-year-old is currently battling veteran Matt Hasslebeck to be the Titans’ starting quarterback. Locker, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, is looked at as the future face of the franchise, while Hasslebeck is a proven commodity, throwing for over 3,500 yards last season. However the quarterback competition works out, Locker promises to make the best of it and still compete.

He has the same response to fans, media, coaches or the team’s executives when asked why he deserves to be the starter.

“I just work as hard as I can, and day in and day out, you’re going to get the best out of me,” he said. “That’s what I tell anybody when they ask me why they should choose me, or why I might be a better option than somebody else.

“I can’t talk about anybody else. I don’t know what drives them, but I know what makes me go and what I can bring to the table. At the end of the day, I hope that’s enough for them.”

It was an awkward situation for both Locker and Hasslebeck earlier in the year when Titans owner Bud Adams openly courted free-agent quarterback Peyton Manning. Now, that Manning has moved on to the Denver Broncos, Locker said the Titans’ signal callers are ready to put the episode behind them.

“I think Peyton’s happy where he is, and we’re happy that our quarterback room involves who it does,” Locker said. “We’re excited going forward.”

Looking ahead has come easy for Locker, who was a Parade All-American in high school after leading Ferndale to a 14-0 record and a state championship in 2005. That season, which Locker still calls his best football memory, included a ratio of 25 touchdowns against just three interceptions. His performance brought college offers from all over the country before Locker committed to the University of Washington.

The Washington program was downtrodden at the time and it only got worse his first couple of years on campus. The Huskies finished with an 0-12 record his sophomore year, only to see Locker lead them to back-to-back wins over Southern California his junior and senior seasons. The Huskies also posted back-to-back victories in the Apple Cup rivalry over Washington State.

The biggest upset was saved for last, when Locker led Washington to a 19-7 victory over heavily favored Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

It was little surprise when the Titans made him their first-round draft pick. As a rookie, he made appearances in five games where he completed 34 of 66 passes for 542 yards, and threw four touchdowns with no interceptions.

While the competitor in him wanted to play more, Locker saw last season as a chance to gain valuable experience.

“It’s exciting any time you have the opportunity to get on the field,” Locker said. “But, I looked at it as an opportunity to learn from Matt, to try to take in as much as I could. He hasn’t been in the league 13 years by chance. He has figured out how to be successful at this level. To learn from a guy like that, not a lot of guys get that opportunity, so I was thankful for it.”

Beyond his own role, Locker believes this could be a banner year for the Titans. In the AFC South, Indianapolis begins the post-Manning era with No. 1 draft pick, Andrew Luck. The Jacksonville Jaguars changed coaches in the middle of last season, and Locker feels the Titans match up well with defending champion Houston.

“Winning the division is the goal every year because if you win the division, you know you’re in the playoffs,” he said. “Especially when it’s a division like ours with a lot of young talent in it, it’s one we could start to control now. Our goal is to be good for years to come.”

With All-Pro running back Chris Johnson scheduled to go through training camp, and key receiver Kenny Britt healthy, it could be a banner year for the Titans’ offense. As a team, Locker looks back to games like a season-opening 16-14 loss to Jacksonville and other losses to Atlanta and New Orleans, and sees where Tennessee needs to improve most under second-year head coach Mike Munchak.

“We lost a few really close games last year,” he said. “To be successful, we have to find ways to close those games out. That’s the difference between going 11-5 or 9-7 like we did. If we can find ways to win those games, your season is completely different.”

When it doesn’t happen, a team has to be ready to adjust. It’s no different than what Locker used to see every Sunday with Brett Favre, his favorite player growing up. Watching Favre scramble out of the pocket and make plays was only part of the appeal. Most of all, Locker tries to bring the same passion to the game as the Packers legend.

“I grew up a fan of Brett Favre, and you could always tell his love of the game,” Locker said. “You could see that every Sunday, and that’s something I have respect for. We’re very fortunate to play this game for a living, and you should have fun and enjoy doing it.”

South Greene and Chuckey-Doak’s baseball teams were both booted out of the postseason, leaving only one region qualifier from that district and adding to the stakes for the District 1-AA tournament – which resumes today after Wednesday’s rainout.

In 1985, Sullivan North won the Class AAA state baseball championship when Nashville McGavock was forced to forfeit for using a pitcher for too many innings on back-to-back days. Such an occurrence hadn’t happened in postseason play in Northeast Tennessee since then – until Tuesday.

The stakes weren’t as high this time, and neither the winning or losing team benefitted. Chuckey-Doak used pitcher Kris Hinkle for four innings on Monday, and then seven innings in Tuesday’s 7-3 win over South Greene in the District 2-AA losers’ bracket final at Pioneer Park in Greeneville.

Pitchers are only allowed to throw 10 innings on consecutive days.

If the Rebels had taken a page from Sullivan North’s book – where head coach Mike Ritz called the violation to the umpires’ attention after two outs in the excess inning – they could have gotten a forfeit and moved on to the championship round.

However, the Rebels did not protest the rule violation until after the game was completed. Because of that, the TSSAA ruled Chuckey-Doak had to vacate the win. In vacating wins, the team that got beaten on the field is not rewarded with a win. South Greene was out because it lost on the field, and Chuckey-Doak was out for use of an ineligible player.

That made Greeneville the District 2-AA champion, and no second-place spot will be awarded. Making the full circle, the District 1-AA champion will get a bye for Monday’s Region 1-AA semifinals.

Therefore, Johnson County and Unicoi County will be playing not only for a district title, but also for a sectional berth and home-field advantage in next week’s regional final.

Believing South Greene would be awarded the victory by the TSSAA, Greeneville was preparing for Wednesday night’s game.

“We were actually in the cage,” said Greene Devils’ head coach Jeremy Shepherd. “We were taking batting practice when we got the call. The TSSAA called my athletic director, and the AD called me.”

Suddenly Greeneville was the District 2-AA champion.

“It is very strange,” said Shepherd. “We were all just in shock when I got the call. I told the assistant coaches and the kids what happened.

“The kids were shocked. We wanted to celebrate winning a district championship, but we really didn’t understand it.”

Of course, the shock waves didn’t end at the Greene County line. Johnson County head coach Pete Pavusek, whose team had stunned the field by reaching the championship round in District 1-AA, found out the Longhorns are just one win away from a sectional berth – and they will have two chances to close out Unicoi County when the tournament resumes today after Wednesday’s rainout.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this,” said Pavusek. “We do so much with the bullpens and pitch count and innings. It’s just amazing that something like that could go unnoticed.”

Pavusek tested the TSSAA limits in Sunday’s win over Unicoi, extending pitcher Ryan Mahala to three innings after seven innings of work the previous day.

“We knew how many innings Ryan had thrown,” said Pavusek. “You keep track – not just your pitchers, but pitchers from other teams.”

Pavusek said he didn’t know what he would tell his players, but said it probably wouldn’t matter.

“I don’t know if they would understand,” he said with a laugh. “They are so far out there, it’s like nothing even bothers them. I was having the biggest conversation about baseball with them, and Ryan Mahala looks at me and says, ‘I’ve got a hole in my sock.’

“And those are the guys who carry you. They just don’t have anything to fear.”

Greeneville will be at home Monday against either Unicoi or Johnson County in an elimination game.

“It’s good for the team that wins their district because they will automatically be in the sectional,” said Shepherd. “It gives those teams more to play for in the next couple of days.

“But I think just because we are playing Monday it will be good. If you can win Monday while the other team has to sit, they may be rusty. We will take it as a positive, and hope we can knock some rust off come Monday.”

Greeneville is either 21-7 or 22-7 on the season. Shepherd said he didn’t know whether being awarded the district title counted as a forfeit.

Unicoi County will play Johnson County tonight at 6 p.m. If the Blue Devils win, the if-necessary game will be slated for Friday.

Unicoi head coach Charlie Baxter said he didn’t know if Wednesday’s rainout would have any big impact on his pitching.

“It depends on who we end up using,” said Baxter. “I don’t foresee us using (Jonathan) Davis again in the district no matter what.

“Austin Green is ready to go, and William McInturff has beaten Johnson County twice. He will probably throw today.”

The Blue Devils are 16-15, but have been involved in a truckload of close games this season.

“Every game with the exception of two or three games, we’ve been in position to win,” said Baxter. “But sometimes we just couldn’t close it out. You learn from those things, and it helps you grow and build character.”

Defense has been the steady strong factor for Unicoi, which played nearly flawless in the field in beating Elizabethton on Tuesday.

“We’ve played really good defense all year,” said Baxter. “And even though we hit it well (Tuesday), defense and pitching kept us in it.”

Meanwhile, Johnson County will have to try to regroup the momentum it built with three straight district wins.

All of the wins were tightly contested with two going into extra innings.

“You play a couple of eight-inning games and one-run games, and not just physically but emotionally it wears you out,” said Pavusek. “But we’ve had a couple of days to relax and pick it back up.”

Rain dominated the prep scene Wednesday with washouts in District 1-A baseball along with 1-AA softball and 1-A softball.

Each of those events will move Wednesday’s scheduled times to today. See the scoreboard page times and pairings.

Traveling with the 14th annual Titans Caravan, Mike Keith, the ‘Voice of the Titans’ knows those are the expectations of Tennessee fans. He also knows it’s a goal second-year head coach Mike Munchak doesn’t shy away from.

“Hearing his insight talking to fans was fascinating,” Keith said Wednesday at Hampton Elementary School. “People will ask you questions straight out, and what stood out to me was how fans expect to go to the playoffs this year. They told him that he did better than anybody thought and his response was, ‘Good. I expect to go to the playoffs.’ I see his comfort with the job now that he knows what the job is. The comfort he has, gives him the ability to take the next step. He expects us to be a playoff team and that’s exciting.”

Munchak went 9-7 in his first year at the Tennessee helm, in contention for the playoffs until the final week of the regular season. Keith has seen improvements in the team since then, the most important ones internal.

“We’ve added talent through free agency and through the draft,” Keith said. “But, we have several guys who are ready to blossom into bigger roles like (outside linebacker) Akeem Ayers, (defensive end) Derrick Morgan and (quarterback) Jake Locker. Hopefully, (wide receiver) Kenny Britt can stay healthy for a whole year. There are several players who are ready to take on bigger roles as they take on leadership roles. Your improvement comes from the development within your own team, and I think we have the guys capable of making those moves of helping us with that development.”

The easiest way to make the NFL playoffs is to win your division. Keith sees a real opportunity this season with a major departure in the AFC South, while the defending champion Houston Texans also suffered key losses.

“Peyton Manning is out of the division,” Keith said. “Let’s face it, the Colts had a stranglehold on the division and that’s over. The Texans are champions so they’re the team to beat. But, we feel like we have an opportunity to get after them. We feel like we’ve gotten better, while they’ve had to let some guys go with the salary-cap situation. They’ve lost some guys like Mario Williams, Dimeco Ryans and Jacolby Jones. I won’t say the division is wide-open, but it’s more than it has been, largely because Peyton Manning isn’t in the division anymore.”

For a while, it looked like Manning might become a Titan. The rumor mill was a major part of the offseason with Titans owner Bud Adams openly pursuing the four-time MVP quarterback, and Titans coach Mike Munchak rumored to be interested in coaching at Penn State, his alma mater.

Keith allows the rumor mill is part of every offseason, and how you deal with it is the key.

“The two situations we dealt with head-on,” Keith said. “Coach Munchak came out immediately and discussed the situation at Penn State. The Manning thing was the most unusual circumstance I’ve seen in 15 years with the ballclub. They pursued him for eight straight days and then moved on because we knew we were happy with the two quarterbacks we had. It was just an unusual opportunity and we took a shot. You deal with those things head-on and then they’re over with.”

Tennessee deals with its fans every season with its annual caravan, which included stops on Wednesday at schools in Blountville, Hampton and Mosheim. Keith believes the caravan is crucial to the Titans’ following, especialy in this Northeast corner of the state. Besides Keith, other team representatives including quarterback Jake Locker and the team’s mascot, T-Rac, greeted fans.

“When we say we’re a regional team, that’s the proof that we come here with our star of the future and give these kids a chance to meet him,” Keith said. “We do the (NFL’s) Play-60 program, and bring T-Rac. We hope the kids at Hampton, Holston and in Mosheim will all remember this the rest of their lives.

“We can’t go everywhere, but we have 50 stops to try to create moments for fans and that bond with the team. We didn’t invent the caravan, but nobody does what we do in terms of the players we have and coach Munchak. It’s really a commitment from the organization, but it’s vital.”

Keith, a native Tennesseean who grew up in Franklin, compared the caravan to a political campaign where votes are exchanged for shaking hands and kissing babies. He called the method old-fashioned, but added the fans’ response to it is a deep appreciation for making themselves available to the communities.

On a larger scale, Keith added the caravan is about understanding this part of the country and embracing what it’s about. He has a longtime connection with the state, serving with the Vol Network from 1986-98, working with the legendary University of Tennessee announcer John Ward. Keith said it’s no accident he sounds more like a college broadcaster than a NFL announcer.

“I’m a college guy,” Keith said. “In this part of the country, it’s helped me because you grow up, listening to John Ward and working with John for 11 years. Listening to the various teams, the great announcers like Jim Fyffe at Auburn and Larry Munson at Georgia, there’s a different feel about the announcers in this part of the country. I’m much more of that style than the pro style.”

The Lady Cyclones withstood a two-hour rain delay in the second inning to defeat Happy Valley by an 11-1 score in a five-inning contest to get the bid.

Elizabethton will take on Unicoi County today at 5 for the District 1-AA championship starting. The if-necessary game would be played immediately afterward if Elizabethton picks up a victory.

The Lady Cyclones are going to the regional for a seventh straight season and will look for a second district crown in three years. On the other side will be the perennial favorite Unicoi County. The Lady Blue Devils are playing for their 12th district title in the last 13 seasons.

“It was awesome. We knew that we needed to win both of them to stay in it,” Elizabethton head coach Leanne Click said. “The girls, I couldn’t ask for two better games and after waiting for two hours for the rain delay, they came back ready to play.”

Elizabethton had moved into the losers’ bracket final earlier Tuesday with a 9-0 win over Sullivan East.

The Lady Cyclones did not let a little rain hinder them. Elizabethton was at the plate when the game was halted in the bottom of the second, down 1-0. When the game picked back up Elizabethton scored six times in that frame to take the lead and momentum.

Part of that scoring included a Reazyn DeMoss three-run homer to center. It was her second home run of the day including a home run against the Lady Patriots. She was 3-for-4 in the game against Happy Valley with four RBIs and two runs scored.

“I’ve hit the best tonight that I have all year,” DeMoss said. “After getting beat by Happy Valley last week, it was a motivation to come out and win these two games tonight.”

Elizabethton tacked on four more runs in the fourth inning and ended the game in the fifth with a score.

Danielle Loving was 3-for-4 from the top of the Lady Cyclones’ line up. Sophie Bremer was 2-for-4, but scored three times.

Lindsey Cunningham added two hits and threw the complete game. She only needed 48 pitches through the five innings. Cunningham allowed three hits that led to a lone run. She struck out a pair of Lady Warriors.

In the opening contest Cunningham was also 2-for-4 and tossed all seven shut-out innings. She scattered six hits with four strikeouts.

The Lady Warriors were up 1-0 over their nearby rival before the game was stopped. Happy Valley scored when Allison Williams scored on an error. Kiara Coffey reached on the error by firstbaseman Abby Stephenson on a throw from Cunningham. Williams raced in from second after her lead-off double to right started the second inning.

The Lady Cyclones were forcing the issue shortly before play was halted. Casey Jones drew a walk with one out before Emily Dugger singled through the left side. Emily Carr was up with a 1-0 count when the umpires took the players off the field.

The Sullivan East staff worked on the field to prepare it for the conclusion of the contest.

The Hilltoppers had six players advance to the finals of the tournament and qualify for next Monday’s Region 1-AAA championships in Sevierville.

Their bounty included Michael Chen rolling to his second district title in boys’ singles, plus Katie Deal and Hope Forbush not losing a single game in the girls’ doubles final.

Also qualifying were: Alison Storie, whose three-year reign as district champion was ended by Dobyns-Bennett’s Josie Rogers in girls’ singles, and the boys’ double team of Ryland Byrd and Ryan Becker, who lost 6-3, 6-0 to Tennessee High’s Seth Buckmaster and Matt Henson

Chen, who won the 2010 district title as a sophomore, wasted no time defeating Jimmy Nuckolls of Sullivan South 6-2, 6-1 in the boys’ final. The Science Hill senior was in top form, ripping powerful forehand shots and scoring with an equally deadly backhand.

According to Chen, the district title was the culmination of months of practice.

“I just keep working on my game,” Chen said. “If something works for you, you just keep doing it. What you do in practice, it reflects in a match.”

Still, he faced a different kind of challenge against Nuckolls, whose game is more about placing shots than being overpowering.

“Jimmy isn’t an easy guy to play against,” Chen said. “He’s a guy who can make some difficult shots and catch you off guard sometimes.”

Deal, a junior, has proven to be the ultimate doubles player, making it to the district final for a third straight year, each time with a different partner.

She teamed with Keely Hawkins in 2010, and Mary Grace Burchfield a year ago. Teaming with Forbush, they made quick work of Tennessee High’s Jenny Dollinger and Meg Leonard in a 6-0, 6-0 victory.

“This year has been really tough for me,” said Deal, who has suffered torn ligaments and a stress fracture this season. “But Hope has really stepped it up for her sophomore year, and it’s been really impressive. I’m so happy to be playing with her.”

Forbush has become the No. 2 player on Science Hill’s squad, behind Storie. As a doubles player, she talked about having instant chemistry with Deal.

“Katie is a great partner,” Forbush said. “I knew I could count on her to set me up for a lot of points. She is really good mentally, too. Katie and I communicate really well, so I think that is a reason we’ve had the success.”

Teaming with Forbush so late in the season, and still battling injuries, Deal admitted there was some apprehension coming into the district tournament.

“I was a little worried about how well I would come back physically this season,” Deal said. “But, I’ve come back much better than I expected, and Hope and I have been playing really well as a team.”

There was the changing of the guard in girls’ singles.

Rogers, a freshman, beat Science Hill’s Leah Eddy 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals before defeating the senior Storie, 6-2, 6-3 in the final.

It was Rogers’ third win in four matches against Storie this year.

“I just try to get aggressive and to get her running,” Rogers said. “She’s really steady, so I have to win the points by hitting winners instead of outlasting her.”

Their rivalry isn’t over as Storie remains confident heading into next week’s regional round.

“As long as I’m in regionals, it’s a new tournament,” Storie said. “She’s a hard hitter and has a different type of style than most girls play. It’s just adjusting to that and really playing my game. If I play like I can, I don’t feel like anything can stop me.”

The Junior Bucs jumped out to a big early lead and cruised past the Rebels, 8-0, in the first round Tuesday at Civitan Park.

“I think we are a better team than we were last week,” UH coach Victor Chirica said. “My guys were keeping their heads up, looking. They find each other better. They did what they had to do tonight.”

The Junior Bucs, seeded second in the region, improved to 11-1 and will play host to Grainger in the semifinals on Tuesday. Grainger posted a 2-1 overtime victory against Cosby in the first round.

During the regular-season game against South Greene, UH led just 1-0 at halftime in a contest it eventually won 7-0. This time, it was close only for the first 15 minutes. Once Kevin Mast dribbled through the Rebels’ defense and scored an unassisted goal in the 16th minute, the flood gates had broken open. The Junior Bucs wound up outshooting South Greene 30-1.

Connor Williams then scored twice in two minutes, Skyler Lane added a goal and Silas Venturella got two to make it 6-0. Ramiro Rodriguez scored before halftime to give the Junior Bucs a 7-0 lead at the break.

South Greene kept trying to run an offside trap, hoping to catch the Junior Bucs a little too anxious on offense. But one defender continued to hang back, making most of UH’s forays into opposition territory onside, leading to several of the goals.

“It hurts because they’re afraid somebody’s gonna get beat,” South Greene assistant coach Billy Dyer said. “But if one cheats back then everybody is onside. They have to learn that the hard way.”

Chirica put in a lineup consisting mostly of reserves for the entire second half.

“That was great for us,” Chirica said. “It was great for them and it’s also great for the parents. They are big supporters for us. They are at every game and finally some of the guys got a chance to play, some of them who don’t get enough playing time. And to see them score ... I was very proud of them.”

The Junior Bucs’ final goal came when Benjamin Page, usually the team’s goalkeeper, put a perfect cross to the back post. Defender Jonathan Burke volleyed the ball into the back of the net.

Looking ahead to the regional semifinals, the Junior Bucs will be facing a Grainger team they beat only 3-2 in the first regional game of the season back in March.

“We need to be prepared for them,” Chirica said. “They play a different style than us. But also let’s not forget, it will be on our field. We are very used to this field. I’m pretty sure the team will do a great job. We have improved a lot since then.”

Meanwhile, Elizabethton beat Chuckey-Doak 5-1 in another first-round game as Raphael Teixeira scored three goals. Joey Stahl and Ashton Stevens also scored for the Cyclones, who will take an 8-8-1 record into the regional semifinals against top-seeded Greeneville.

Frustration mounted for Science Hill as shot after shot missed during Tuesday’s District 1-AAA soccer semifinals versus Sullivan South at the Stone Castle.

With less than two minutes left in the second 10-minute overtime of a scoreless tie, the Hilltoppers finally broke through on a 40-foot arching shot by Ben Cooper. Coming off a free kick, it was their 43rd shot attempt.

South’s first shot attempt came only 30 seconds before Cooper’s game-winner.

“We believed we could win the game,” Cooper said. “We obviously thought we would score more than we did, but we didn’t quit. We stuck to the game plan and did what coach always tells us to do, to keep shooting.”

Head coach Brandon Kind stuck with that advice, although he began to wonder what in the world Science Hill needed to do to catch a break.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been there where you have days like that,” Kind said. “Other days, you have them where everything goes in. At the end of it, you just have to keep pushing, stay with the game plan and keep the goal in front of you.”

The Hilltoppers (14-4-1) will now face Dobyns-Bennett (15-1-3) in a rematch of last year’s District 1-AAA final, won by the Indians.

Dobyns-Bennett advanced to the championship round with a 6-1 victory over Daniel Boone in the first semifinal.

Science Hill feels it has something to prove following a 1-0 loss to the Indians earlier this season.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Kind said. “We feel like we’ve prepared since we’ve last seen them. We’ve got everybody healthy, which is huge, but they’re a good team so we’re going to have to make shots better than tonight.”

As the clock ran throughout the match, the tension mounted for the state runner-up last season. This came despite keeping play on the Hilltoppers’ side of the field most of the match and not allowing any shots by the Rebels (9-10).

Despite South’s defensive strategy of keeping nine men in the box, Science Hill came close on numerous attempts, including a header by Conner Franklin that hit the left goal post in the 75th minute, and Oscar Arreguin hitting the inside of the left goal post in the fourth minute of overtime.

All total, Science Hill had 20 shots on goal, and a combined 19 shot attempts by star forwards Franklin and Wilfred Williams.

It came on a night when the Hilltoppers went 0-for-14 in the first half including a straight-on kick by Cooper denied by South goalkeeper Brad Burdine in the 30th minute.

Burdine, who had 19 saves, and the rest of the Rebels put forth a Herculean effort. They went to three overtimes the night before, beating Tennessee High 1-0 in the opening round.

“I was so proud of this group of kids, especially the seniors, how they laid it on the line,” Rebels head coach Keith Parker said. “I hate we got the result over a free kick, a questionable call at that. It’s frustrating, he stopped it for an injury and the ball should have been spotted at midfield. I’ve got to take up for my seniors because we laid it on the line.

“But, Science Hill is a good team. They had us on our heels all night.”

Dobyns-Bennett 6

Daniel Boone 1

Warren Austin scored two goals in the first half, while Adam Fenyves and Jorge DeGyves one apiece as the Indians took a 4-0 lead.

Boone answered with a Ryan Elswick goal to trail 4-1 at halftime.

Cory Combs added the first goal of the second half off an assist from DeGyves, and Evan Fenyves scored off an assist from Zack Feathers in the 71st minute.

“Those Fenyves kids have brought some moxie in here which I thought was needed,” Dobyns-Bennett head coach Chris Woods said. “It’s filtered through the whole team.

“They’re pure finishers. They lead our team in scoring, but there is a lot of stuff going on behind them to give them opportunities. There is no doubt they’re brought an attitude in here that’s feeding off beautifully. Adam is leading by example, and Evan is going to be one heck of a soccer player.”

The loss ended a history-making season for the Trailblazers, who finished with a 9-6-1 mark and advanced to the District 1-AAA semifinals for the first time in school history.

“We’re very proud of the boys,” Daniel Boone coach Steve Sessis said. “They made it to the second round of the tournament and had a winning season, all firsts for us. I couldn’t be happier, and we played a very good Dobyns-Bennett team and we gave them as good a game as we could give them.”

Craig pitched a one-hitter and ended Daniel Boone’s season prematurely when his two-out, three-run home run capped a nine-run fifth inning and a 12-0 victory at Todd Houston Field.

The victory clinched a regional berth for the Hilltoppers (28-9), who play Dobyns-Bennett (30-6) tonight at 6 in the championship. A Science Hill win would force another game on Thursday.

Boone pushed the Hilltoppers to the limit before losing 4-3 on Sunday, which helped produce some butterflies in Science Hill coach Ryan Edwards’ gut.

“I think our kids came out pretty loose and I tried to hide that I was nervous,” Edwards said. “We can breathe because we’re into next week.”

Edwards, a junior right-hander, struck out six and walked one. Zack Hancock led off the fourth with a single to end the no-hitter.

“Will Craig, I think, took them out of the game,” Edwards said. “I’m telling you, he was on. And I mean that’s the bottom line.

“I don’t think our sticks or anything took them out of the game. It was Will Craig. When a guy’s on like that and you look up at the board and you’ve got one hit going into the fifth … three runs feels like a lot.”

Heath Loyd stayed hot for the Hilltoppers. His one-out solo home run in the first completed a cycle when combined with his final three at-bats in Monday’s loss to Dobyns-Bennett. Loyd (3-for-3, RBI) also doubled, walked and singled before Craig’s towering game-ending blast, his ninth of the season.

“As soon as it hit the bat I started jogging,” Loyd said. “I mean, I had a feeling if it wasn’t gone it was off the wall, and we were gonna win either way. I mean, the kid’s got a little pop – what do you think?”

Craig finished 2-for-3. He doubled off the center-field fence and was intentionally walked.

Trailblazers coach Rob Hoover wasn’t surprised to see Craig and Loyd deliver.

“All four games they’ve really hurt us,” Hoover said, “but they’ve hurt a lot of teams, too.”

Craig threw 53 pitches (unofficially) on Saturday, and said he felt great on two days rest after the light workload.

“To be on two days rest he was outstanding,” Hoover said. “He just dominated us, just to be honest with you. He was really good, really good.”

Boone finished the season 21-13.

“I was really proud of our guys and I’m proud of the season we had,” Hoover said. “Our younger guys got a taste of what it’s like to get here and, you know, it’s gonna be a driving force for us in the offseason as we go into next year. It’s been a long time since we’d been in this position to maybe go on, and now that we’ve been here maybe we can learn from it and see what it takes to get there.

“We’ve got a lot of guys coming back and I’m excited about what we have coming back.”

Scott Hoilman was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Bennett Blanton was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk.

Dobyns-Bennett hasn’t won a district tournament since 2006. The Indians are expected to pitch right-hander Aaron Quillen, who D-B coach Ryan Wagner said will sign with East Tennessee State next week.

Edwards, who has won the district title in each of his four seasons at Science Hill, wouldn’t say who he plans to pitch.

“Obviously, it’s gonna be a tough task for us,” Edwards said.

Some might have mixed emotions about forcing an extra game and potentially taxing pitching after a regional berth has been secured, but the Hilltoppers are eager to play two more games this week.

“We’re happy to be there,” Craig said, “but we’re gonna go all out against Dobyns-Bennett, because they got us yesterday.”

The Blue Devils hit the baseball all over the yard and rolled to a 7-2 win over Elizabethton in the losers’ bracket final of the District 1-AA tournament Tuesday night at Anglin Field.

Unicoi improved to 16-15 and will take aim at Johnson County (16-9) in today’s championship round at 6 p.m. A second game, if necessary, would be played Thursday.

It was a season-ender for Elizabethton, which won its first league title in over three decades, but couldn’t repeat the success and lost two of three tournament games.

The Cyclones (23-10) jumped ahead on Taylor Edwards’ looping single to right field in the bottom of the second inning. However, Unicoi had a quick and emphatic answer.

Austin Garrabrant drew a leadoff walk to start the third inning, and Ethan Rice drove him home with a crushed triple to right-center field. Timmy Graham then slashed a single to left, and suddenly the Blue Devils had a 2-1 lead.

Jonathan Davis plated a run with a single, and another run scored on an Elizabethton error to make it 4-1.

The errors and defensive misplays were a common theme for the Cyclones in the tournament. They finished with five errors against Unicoi and misplayed at least two other chances for outs.

“It’s hard to put a finger on it,” said Cyclones head coach Joe Nix. “We leaned on our defense and pitching all year, but we got a little loose in the field today. A lot of it is a credit to Unicoi for pushing things.”

Meanwhile, Davis was dealing on the mound for Unicoi. The left-hander tossed a five-hitter with two walks and seven strikeouts after having pitched a complete game Saturday.

“I felt really good, and I felt ready to pitch,” said Davis. “I hit my spots and my fastball was working pretty good. And I threw a couple of curveballs they couldn’t touch.”

Unicoi head coach Charlie Baxter said he uses pitchers on short rest occasionally.

“We do it here and there,” said Baxter. “Mark Banner did it in the state tournament. Davis said he was fine. He’s a great kid.”

Davis also excelled at the plate, getting a pair of hits.

“We were trying our best to make contact and hit it where it was pitched,” said Davis.

Ryan Lingerfelt’s double in the fifth inning started a two-run rally that made it 6-1. Elizabethton answered with Wes Montgomery’s RBI double in the bottom half of the inning, but Unicoi got an RBI hit from Lingerfelt in the sixth.

The Blue Devils’ third baseman said there was a little bit of pressure in this game.

“But you’ve got to be ready and go out and play, leave it on the field, and leave nothing behind,” said Lingerfelt, who was 3 for 4 at the plate.

Graham also answered the bell for the Blue Devils. He totaled two hits and an RBI.

Elizabethton got itself in a jam early in the tournament by losing to Johnson County. Then the Cyclones had to use both of their top two pitchers to get past Sullivan East on Monday.

Cory Richardson started against Unicoi and took the loss, giving up six hits and four runs, three earned, in 2 2/3 innings. McKenly Berry pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief, allowing five hits and three runs, but only one was earned.

“The players have to be proud of winning the conference for the first time in 30-plus years,” said Nix. “But it did end sooner than we expected.”