The Rebels, who have won nine state titles in football under George Quarles, secured their first state tournament berth in soccer with 1-0 victory against Science Hill on Saturday at Kermit Tipton Stadium.

Maryville (14-5-3) advances to next week’s state tournament in Murfreesboro. Science Hill, which had to overcome the transfers of Javier Alberto and Wilfred Williams and a season-ending injury to senior captain fullback Tanner Leach in the second game, finished the season at 17-5-2.

The Hilltoppers dictated a majority of the action, but it was clear that fact added up to nothing when Maryville’s Devin Finch cashed in what appeared to be a clean look amid congestion in the box after a long throw-in with some 16 minutes remaining.

“First time in school history we’re going to the state,” Finch said. “It feels really good being able to put that goal in to get our team there. A lot of years of soccer that’s been waiting for this day, and it’s finally here.”

Ryan Reilly’s throw-in from around 35 yards out and Austin Waddell’s ensuing header set the stage for Finch.

“We’d been working on that long throw all year, and we try to win that first ball,” Finch said. “And it was Austin Waddell that won that first one. And that’s all we needed. It was easy for me after that. … I poked it right by the keeper.”

Science Hill freshman Steven McKinney nearly answered less than a minute after Finch’s score. McKinney made a good move near the left edge of the box to create an opportunity, but a sliding deflection by Finch made an otherwise difficult task easy for keeper Ryan Jorgensen. McKinney, who, like Science Hill, has a bright future, was also just high on a couple of other opportunities, including one with eight minutes remaining. Another freshman, Lucas Altman also kept Jorgensen on his toes.

“We outshot them something like 15-4, and it just wasn’t our day,” Science Hill coach Brandon Kind said. “It didn’t fall our way, simple as that. It just wasn’t our night tonight.

“We should’ve put away our opportunities, and we didn’t. The play was there, everything was there. We just couldn’t put the ball in the net. Maryville’s a quality team … and they scrapped one in.”

Maryville coach Steve Feather credited Kind’s coaching, as he said Knox West and Dobyns-Bennett had described completely different attacks in their meetings with the Hilltoppers. But Feather knew one thing was a constant with Science Hill — quality goal-keeping from Daniel Adelman.

“We knew they had some tricky players up top, that they were creative in the offensive third,” Feather said. “And all we heard about with Science Hill was how great their keeper was. And we knew that it was gonna be hard to get a good look on him. We obviously got a good look … and we’ve obviously got a good keeper, too.”

Science Hill’s Nick Boegemann said Science Hill “exceeded expectations” in a season highlighted by defeating D-B 1-0 for the regional title (Boegemann scored the goal). Not that it was much solace shortly after watching Maryville celebrate what seemed like a mild upset victory.

“I felt like we controlled the tempo of the game,” Boegemann said. “We had them chasing a lot. But in soccer, you know, anything can happen. And they got and opportunity and they put it away. … It bounces around in the box, you know, and it was devastating, for sure.”

Kind said Boegemann, Adelman and fellow seniors Johnny Bracewell, Louis Fagleson, Oscar Arreguin and Riley Parr leave big shoes to fill — right down to their exit after a heart-breaking hard-fought end to their careers.

“It’s been a great year, maintaining that regional title when everybody told us we couldn’t,” Kind said. “Nonetheless, it hurts. We know what we’re capable of. We should’ve walked away today the winner … but we can lay our head down tonight knowing we left it all out there.

“Leaving the field with such agony, but such class — that’s gonna take you places the soccer ball can never take you. As bad as we want to win, I wanted them to walk out of their as men. And we did that.”

The big first baseman was a perennial all-star, from Science Hill to East Tennessee State and right on through his first two seasons of minor-league ball. Suddenly, the games are behind him.

After spending a month at the Chicago Cubs training facility in Arizona, getting ready for his next assignment in the organization, Hoilman was told in late March that there was no longer a roster spot for him. He’s now back home in Johnson City laying the groundwork for a career in financial planning.

“As hard as it is to say, I think I’m finished,” Hoilman said this week. “At the end of the day, I had a ton of success in baseball and enjoyed every minute of it. I worked hard and certainly tried hard, and I still feel capable. It’s just out of my hands.”

Hoilman played two seasons in the Cubs organization after a record-setting career at ETSU, where he was the Atlantic Sun Conference player of the year as a junior. He was drafted in the 19th round in 2011 and spent two years in the minors, most recently playing Class A ball in Peoria, Ill.

A nasty hand injury suffered in a game last August had healed, and he was ready for the next step up the ladder when he reported for spring training. He spent almost all of March working out in Mesa with the Tennessee Smokies, the Class AA team of the Cubs.

“I wasn’t expecting to make the double-A team,” he said. “I was expecting to be sent to Daytona, which would have been a step up from last year. Daytona would have been a fun summer.”

Instead, Hoilman was called in and told there were too many first basemen to evaluate in the Cubs’ farm system. He was one of the odd men out.

“I didn’t see it coming,” he said. “I played two years with them and made the all-star team both years. I don’t know if I’m old at 24, or what. I was hitting the ball pretty well this spring and thought they thought highly of me. It was kind of a shock.”

Hoilman briefly explored his options, but he was hearing similar things from other organizations – too many first basemen.

“I talked to some of the 30 clubs, the ones that like me and had seen me a lot, like Tampa Bay, which had drafted me after my junior year,” he said. “They still say they like me but don’t have room. They have first basemen at every level, and it’s just the time of year where they have too many guys they’re looking at.”

Hoilman got on a plane the first of April and came home.

In his minor-league career, he hit .242 in 180 games, with 25 home runs and 105 RBI. He struck out 260 times in 659 at-bats.

Hoilman burst on the pro scene with the Boise Hawks in 2011 by setting a franchise record with 17 homers. He made the Northwest League all-star team.

Last summer in Peoria, he set another franchise mark with a 24-game hitting streak and was a Midwest League all-star. When he was injured with a month left in the season, Hoilman led the Chiefs in RBIs and doubles.

Still, like most minor-leaguers who aren’t drafted in the early rounds, the 6-4, 230-pounder never could be sure where he stood in the big picture with the Cubs.

“You have to be so lucky and in the right organization, along with performing at a high level,” said Tony Skole, Hoilman’s coach at ETSU. “The percentages of making it are so low. What I try to tell our guys is that if you’re not an early pick, a high prospect, you’re basically just filling out a roster for those guys.

“Paul didn’t really play himself out of baseball. The business side got him, and I think that’s what is so frustrating about it.”

Hoilman is just the latest player from this area to discover the harsh realities of trying to make a living on the diamond.

Jeremy Hall, another ETSU standout, made it to AAA in a five-year journey before calling it quits in 2011. The pitcher decided family mattered more than baseball.

Matt Rice, a childhood friend of Hoilman’s who was a catcher the last two years in the Tampa Bay organization, has also moved on to real life. Like Hoilman, he was an all-star both years as a pro.

“He had a heckuva career going,” said Hoilman, “but he got a great opportunity to go to law school at Cal Berkeley. He’s headed toward a career in patent law.”

Chas Byrne and Daniel Norris, two other good friends, are still out there on the mound. Byrne is coming back from Tommy John surgery and has pitched well in relief this spring for the Lexington Legends of the South Atlantic League.

Norris, meanwhile, has a little more job security, considering the Toronto Blue Jays paid him $2 million to sign right out of high school in 2011. But it hasn’t been an easy road so far. The left-hander is currently 0-3 with an 8.54 ERA for the Lansing (Mich.) Lugnuts.

Hoilman talks to Norris regularly.

“I just tell him to have fun, to think like a hitter and get out there and pitch,” said Hoilman. “Daniel is such a good athlete and has such a good head on his shoulders, any adjustments he needs to make, he can do it quickly. It’s just a matter of time before he’s right where he needs to be.”

Hoilman leaves the game with plenty of memories.

He owns the A-Sun career records in homers, doubles and total bases, and at least a dozen ETSU marks. There was the summer night in 2010 at old Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., when he blasted the competition in the inaugural College Home Run Derby. Three guys launched13 homers in the finals, and the big redhead had 12 of them.

A math major at ETSU, Hoilman knows financial planning won’t offer the same kind of rush as standing at the plate and trying to crush pitches. Nothing would.

“I’ve talked to all the guys, and it’s just hard,” he said. “I’ve never known anything different. Baseball is what I always wanted to do … I just loved the game – still do and always will. Who knows, I may coach at some level, but I’ll definitely stay around it.

“I know there’s a plan in place for me, and I’m enjoying being here with family and friends and kind of having a normal life. But I know I’m always going to miss standing in there and hitting a baseball.”

A day after winning a game with a 12th-inning double, Hershey had two more run-scoring doubles as the East Tennessee State baseball team closed the regular season Saturday by completing a three-game sweep with an 11-4 victory over Jacksonville.

On Friday night, after a two-hour rain delay, Hershey capped a 3-2 ETSU victory with a walk-off double. It came after midnight.

“Had to push through,” said Hershey, the Bucs’ senior catcher. “Coach always talks about toughness. Playing last night until 12:15 or whatever and going into extras and having to wake up this morning at 8 and get ready to play ... we’ve done it before. Especially being in my shoes, it was easier to get up this morning and get ready to play again and hopefully continue the momentum from what I did the night before.”

The result left the Bucs (32-22 overall, 17-10 in the Atlantic Sun Conference) as the fourth seed in next week’s A-Sun tournament at DeLand, Fla. They will face host school Stetson on Wednesday in the opening round.

Jacksonville, meanwhile, lost out on a berth in the A-Sun tourney when USC-Upstate rallied in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 victory over North Florida. That left the Dolphins (17-38, 8-19) in ninth place.

Hershey’s first double tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth. His second one came in the sixth inning and gave ETSU the lead for good at 4-3. It also began an eight-run barrage that broke open a close game.

“It was fun,” Hershey said. “Whenever I’m on my hitting game, I’m more of a doubles hitter, so it’s fun to go out with my last game at home hitting two doubles. It makes me feel good.”

Chris Riopedre’s three-run triple was the big blow in the big inning.

The Bucs finished with 11 hits and used five pitchers. Logan Rice (6-3) was the winner in relief.

ETSU coach Tony Skole wasn’t sure how his team would respond after being at the park so late on Friday and having to come back for a day game.

“I was worried about it,” Skole said. “ It was such a quick turnaround. Playing until the wee hours of the morning and having to get back here. And it was sort of a rainy morning. Guys weren’t sure if we were gonna play or not. I’m proud of our guys.

“They played with a lot of energy. They played very relaxed and with a lot of confidence. They were able to really do some nice things.”

Riopedre led the way, going 3 for 3. Kevin Phillips had two hits, including a sole home run, his second homer of the season. It was a no-doubter that almost reached the parking lot of the nearby apartments. Jeremy Taylor also had a pair of hits.

Ethan Loosen led the Dolphins with three hits and a pair of RBIs.

In Friday’s late-night victory, Clinton Freeman pitched five scoreless innings of relief to improve to 5-1. He’s 4-0 with a .50 ERA and eight saves in 20 relief appearances.

The Bucs kept some personal streaks alive. Andrew Green has reached base in 19 consecutive games, while Derek Niesman has a 12-game hitting streak and Alex Reynolds has reached in his last 17 A-Sun games.

“We wanted to gain some momentum and play well going into next week,” Skole said. “Hopefully that will be the case.”

Good pitching, timely hitting and solid defense propelled Elizabethton to its first state tournament berth since 1958 with a 6-1 win over Christian Academy of Knoxville on Friday night at O’Brien Field.

“We talked all year about how these kids play for each other,” said Cyclones’ head coach Joe Nix. “It was another testament tonight.”

Elizabethton got a brilliantly pitched game from sophomore left-hander Dylan Richardson, and the Cyclones got four RBIs on two of their four hits.

Winning for the 22nd time in 24 games, Elizabethton improved to 28-10 and will play Tuesday in the Class AA state tournament in Murfreesboro.

Richardson was simply unflappable on the mound, displaying a bulldog attitude.

“He doesn’t get rattled and that’s a huge plus, especially in big games,” said Nix. “To be honest, I was thinking today about how he would respond in the biggest game he’s pitched this year. Obviously he did fine.”

Richardson went the distance, allowing six hits with four walks and six strikeouts. He stranded 11 CAK runners on base.

“I was pretty confident throughout the game,” said Richardson, who improved to 9-1 on the season. “The defense was making plays behind me, and I was throwing pretty good.”

It took nearly 3˝ hours for the complete game because Richardson had to wait out a one-hour and 20-minute rain delay after pitching three innings.

“I just came out like it was a new game,” he said.

Oddly enough, the rain delay may have helped Elizabethton. The Cyclones’ players pulled the tarp over the infield, and then had to remove it. Nix said it was a good thing with the Cyclones leading 1-0.

“It allowed the players to focus on something other than the tight game,” said Nix. “(CAK) probably thought our guys were getting tired, but it allowed them to relax, and it loosened them up.”

The Cyclones’ first run was a gift as Austin Smith raced home from third base after a strikeout-wild pitch with two outs in the second inning. CAK then knotted the game on Josh Johnson’s RBI double in the fourth inning.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Quincy Jackson delivered arguably the game’s biggest play. With runners on second and third and two outs, Jackson hit a hard high-bouncing ball up the middle. Smith and Markus Olds scored for a 3-1 advantage.

“At that point I knew I had to get my bat on something,” said Jackson. “If you put the ball in play, good things happen. When it got up the middle, I was thrilled.”

In the fifth inning, a walk and an error set the stage for Eric Carter. After taking a tough strike call on a pitch literally batting-helmet high, Carter crushed a deep line drive into left-center field for a two-run triple and a 5-1 lead.

“Eric did what he’s done all year,” said Nix of his top RBI guy. “And he didn’t take that called strike to the next pitch. He didn’t let it faze him.”

Carter eventually scored on what appeared to be an RBI single to right field by Hunter Hodges. However, Hodges was thrown out at first base but Carter still scored on the odd 9-3 putout to make it 6-1.

CAK tried to rally in the seventh inning, drawing a walk and then getting a sharp single from John Sharpe. However, Richardson got Peirce Merry to pop out on a 2-0 pitch for the first out.

Richardson then struck out Trey Hinton, setting the stage for Zac Osborne’s lazy fly ball to left field. It was grabbed by Smith, touching off a wild celebration in the middle of the diamond.

Jackson said the trip to Murfreesboro was earned with hard work.

“This team is a little goofy, and we don’t always play what people consider good baseball,” said Jackson. “But we work our tails off, and just play the game with joy.”

CAK’s John Sharpe was the only player in the game with two hits. Joe Johnson took the loss, allowing three runs, one earned, in 3 1/3 innings. Four of Elizabethton’s runs were unearned.

Behind an 11-strikeout performance by Tanner Horton and a game-winning double by Mollee Cohee, the Lady Bucs outlasted a lengthy weather delay and overcame the Yellow Jackets rallying from four runs down to take a 5-4 victory.

“That rain delay, that’s hard,” University High head coach Keith Jeffers said. “It was like starting over, even though we were up. I give Coalfield credit with the way they stormed back.”

University High held a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when the game was stopped, first for lightning and then for heavy rain.

Near three hours later, play resumed and the Lady Bucs (27-13) clinched their third state tournament appearance in four years and their fifth in the last nine years.

The weather wasn’t the only twist.

Jeffers opted to use Horton as starting pitcher instead of senior ace Haley Faulkner. The strategy worked with the sophomore striking out six and giving up just one hit through three innings before the delay.

She lost a 4-0 lead in a fifth-inning when the Junior Bucs committed three errors, but she stayed in the game, giving up four hits and four walks overall.

She finished the seventh inning by striking out two of the three batters she faced.

“I had a little bit of an adrenaline rush going on and stayed pumped up,” Horton said. “I never got too worried when they came back because I have faith in my team. My pitching coach tells me to never give up, not matter what the circumstances. I try to follow by that and not lose any hope.”

With the game tied, Taylor Treadway doubled in the bottom of the fifth and Cohee followed with her own RBI double, which proved to be the game-winner.

“That pitch was right down the middle and I was thinking we needed a good hit to at least get her to third,” said Cohee, who ended 2-for-3 with two RBIs. “The plan was just to put it in play and hope that something good happens. It was really important for us to come back out and be strong.”

In the first couple of innings, it looked like UH was going to run away.

Lead-off batter Barrett Wherry was 2-for-2 in the early going, which included a RBI double and two runs scored.

Wherry singled and later scored off a fielding error for the first run. Cohee added a RBI single to score Belle Bright for a 2-0 lead at the end of one.

Madi Freeman got on base with an error in the second inning, and Wherry plated her with a RBI double. Horton followed with another RBI double for a 4-0 advantage.

Once back in action, Coalfield’s Megan Meredith led off the fifth with a single and the Yellow Jackets and also had an RBI triple from Kera Keathley to rally from four down.

Despite that and pitcher Hannah Melhorn scattering seven hits, they weren’t able to hold off the Lady Bucs, who beat them in a sectional game for the second time in four years.

It was, however, an example of the never-give-up attitude displayed by Coalfield throughout the year. The Jackets rallied from a 6-0 deficit to beat Grace Christian in the regional semifinals.

“We have a special group of kids,” Coalfield coach Jennifer Laurendine said. “When their backs are against the wall, they always come out person-by-person and come back. We came back that way against Grace Christian and we’ve battled that way all season. Tonight, we just fell one short.”

As for University High, Jeffers said there is business to attend to next week at the state tournament in Murfreesboro.

“We’re going to do something this year that UH hasn’t done,” Jeffers said. “We’re going to go down there and win some ball games if it’s at all possible. I know it’s going to be tough competition, but the way we’re hitting the ball, we have a shot to make some noise down there.”

For the fourth straight season, Science Hill defeated the District 1-AAA champion Indians on Thursday to win the regional title.

Nick Boegemann nudged a loose ball just across the line into goal from close range in the 12th minute and Daniel Adelman made a couple of difficult saves in the second half to lift the Hilltoppers to a 1-0 victory after losing twice to D-B by scores of 5-1 in the teams’ previous two meetings this season.

Science Hill (16-5-2) will host Maryville (13-5-3) in a sectional matchup Saturday at 6 p.m. D-B (19-3-1) will visit Farragut (19-3), which beat Maryville 2-0 on Thursday.

Not that coach Brandon Kind’s Hilltoppers felt like underdogs in need of a fluke, but their early score and recent history seemed to help tighten up the favored Indians.

“I think it was in their mind, just from past years and how things have gone,” said Science Hill sophomore John Luccesi, who helped anchor a stingy defense. “But I think both teams came out there knowing we could win it. It’s just we had the better day and we played better.”

It took several seconds, at least, for officials to signal the game’s lone score. Boegemann said Jhordan Rogers intentionally let John Huffman’s cross go between his legs because he had no angle for a shot, and Boegemann was the beneficiary of the impromptu opportunity.

“And it was sloppy, you know, but I got a touch on it and it slipped through his hands and got in the goal,” Boegemann said. “It was definitely in. The whole ball was across the line. It was obvious.”

D-B’s Jeremy Horton had an opportunity to tie the score some eight minutes after intermission, but Adelman’s leaping, right-handed save knocked the blast with overspin over the crossbar. Adelman also denied a Jorge De Gyve blast with an exceptional save to his right with some 17 minutes remaining.

“Daniel is unbelievable,” Science Hill coach Brandon Kind said. “Those are pure instincts. It just comes from years of experience. He showed up and played very well tonight.”

Quality opportunities were scarce for the Indians. Adelman mentioned Luccesi, Max Vaughn, Noah Schaflin and Lucas Altman while crediting his defense on frustrating the talented Indians.

Luccesi, generally dictating action aggressively while helping secure Science Hill’s goal, had several impressive headers on long balls.

“We've been struggling a little bit this year with that defense, but we got it together in the last game (a regional semifinal win at Morristown West) and brought it in this game,” Adelman said. “It was perfect.”

Science Hill had a chance to go up 2-0 with 12 seconds remaining. But D-B keeper Preston Mercer dove to his right to deny Rogers’ penalty kick, and he quickly booted the ball beyond midfield. But Science Hill’s first touch sent the ball back in Mercer’s direction to thwart any Hail Mary hope and trigger celebratory smiles on the Science Hill bench.

Winning in this rivalry is always gratifying, but especially so after losing twice by convincing margins. It wasn’t apparent if D-B played with too much confidence, but it’s a difficult thing to ascertain.

“Just naturally, as a human, it’s hard not to when you win 5-1 twice,” Science Hill’s Kind said. “And we knew that. But we also we were doing good things in the match that were creating opportunities. We were getting as many shot attempts as they were in the previous games.

“The credit’s due to what they learned through the regular season. And every day is a building block and a lesson. And there’s so much more to teach from a losing standpoint, and once you’re not scared of than anymore, it’s a really free place to play from.”

Kind described his team and D-B as “the top two teams in the state,” and he wouldn’t be surprised if they met next week in Murfreesboro.

“All credit goes to Science Hill,” Dobyns-Bennett coach Chris Woods said. “They were the better team tonight. They came in here, they outworked us. They had a better work rate than we did.

“I thought we finished the match well. We had some chances. A great goal keeper made some great saves.”

Adelman was all smiles after helping save the ‘Toppers.

“It feels great,” he said, “and came in the last game we might possibly play them this season and came at the right time when we needed to win. It couldn't have been better timing.”

Reynolds went 3 for 4 and drove in a pair of runs, and Kerry Doane pitched his 11th complete game of the season, as the East Tennessee State baseball team beat the Dolphins 3-2 Thursday night at Thomas Stadium.

“Alex Reynolds had a great day,” ETSU coach Tony Skole said. “We talked about our seniors stepping up this weekend.”

Doane improved to 12-1. His 11 complete games tie the ETSU single-season record. He’s the first A-Sun pitcher with 12 wins since 2007. He gave up six hits and struck out five while lowering his ERA to 2.07.

“Just one of those nights,” Doane said. “Can’t always have your best stuff.

I can’t complain the way it ended. I’ll take it any day.”

ETSU improved to30-22 overall, 15-10 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Jacksonville, still battling to qualify for the A-Sun tournament, fell to 17-36, 8-17.

Andrew Green’s sacrifice fly in the first inning gave the Bucs an early lead.

Ethan Loosen tied the game for Jacksonville in the fourth with an RBI double after a throwing error by Reynolds put a runner on second. It broke a streak of 19 scoreless innings for Doane.

“That throwing error, that hurt us,” Reynolds said. “Kerry just looked at me and pounded his chest like ‘Hey, you’ll be alright. You’re gonna get it back.’ ”

In the fifth inning, Dylan Dillard hammered a shot to left-center for his fifth home run of the season and a 2-1 Jacksonville lead. It was the second home run allowed by Doane all year.

Reynolds didn’t have to wait long to get his chance at redemption. After Derek Niesman reached second base on an error in the fifth, Reynolds drove him in with a solid single to center field to make it 2-2.

Reynolds did it again in the sixth, taking a 1-2 pitch hard up the middle for a run-scoring single. That turned out to be the winning run.

“He knows we’re just gonna battle together,” Doane said. “He made the plays after that. He got it back.”

Reynolds used a little defense in the eighth inning to protect the Bucs’ lead. With runners on first and second with one out, he fielded a hot smash and turned it into an inning-ending double play.

Doane got some more help from his defense. With two outs in the ninth, Jacksonville had a runner on second when Jake Huxtable hit a liner to center. Green, ETSU’s center fielder, got a good jump and made a diving catch to end the game as the tying run was rounding third.

“He’s something else,” Doane said. “He really tracks that ball down. He’s great at making diving catches. It makes you nervous seeing the tying run, but you know Andrew Green’s gonna catch it.”

As spectacular as Green‘s catch was, it has become almost routine for the speedy senior.

“It’s amazing,” Skole said. “That’s probably his 15th diving catch this year. He’s saved us so many runs out there this year.”

Green had an infield single in the eighth, stretching his streak of reaching safely to 17 games. He stole third later in the inning, giving him 20 stolen bases this year and moving him within three of the ETSU career record of 75.

Doane has won nine starts in a row. He wound up going 7-0 at home in eight starts.

The teams continue the series today at 7:05 p.m. The regular season ends Saturday with a 1:05 p.m. start.

Brooke Strother launched a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving Unicoi County a hard-fought 6-5 win over Union County in a Class AA sectional contest Thursday at Lady Devils Diamond.

Strother's home run increased Unicoi's state-record team total to 57. Tiffany Laughren also homered, giving her the individual state mark with her 20th of the season.

It was the second time in three years Unicoi advanced to the state tournament with a walk-off homer.

“My stomach has been in knots for two days,” said Unicoi head coach Grady Lingerfelt. “I don't think we've won one that dramatic.”

The Blue Devils improved to 35-5 and will play Tuesday during the BlueCross Spring Fling. Union's season ended with a record of 28-19.

Trailing 5-4 entering the top of the seventh inning, Union got a run thanks to three errors by the Lady Blue Devils. However, further damage was thwarted when Laughren robbed Jodi Brooks of a three-run homer. Then Cheyenne Delffs robbed Casey Bryan of an RBI single with a sliding catch in right field.

That set the stage for Strother, who came to the plate after an attempted sacrifice bunt turned into a double play. With a 3-1 count, Strother hit a blistering high line drive that easily cleared the center field fence.

“I definitely wanted to hit one out,” said Strother, who collected home run No. 3 on the season. “The pitch was just right there. It was a meat pitch. I was just praying it was going out.”

Strother said the high home run total for the Blue Devils comes from hard work.

“I think we work harder than any team,” said Strother. “We always keep pushing each other to keep winning.”

Lingerfelt said he liked Strother's contact on the homer.

“It sounded good,” he said. “It was a solid hit.”

Unicoi got off to a very good start, scoring three times in the first inning and adding another run in the second. Chelsey Gardner was a big part of those rallies, leading off with a double in the first and hitting her first home run of the season in the second inning.

Taylor Wright added an RBI groundout, and Ashley Starnes drove in a run with a fielder's choice.

Laughren's rip came in the fifth inning and broke a 4-4 tie. It ended a semi-long drought for the sophomore, who had been tied at 19 homers with former Daniel Boone standout Natalie Sheffey.

“It took a lot of pressure off of me,” said Laughren. “I've been trying to hit one for a while. I had been forcing it a little, so I'm glad to finally get it.”

Lingerfelt said Laughren's homer was a relief for the team.

“I'm so glad we got the records behind us,” said Lingerfelt.

The seventh inning was nearly a disaster for the Blue Devils. Andi Smith blooped a single just in front of a diving Gardner in center field to start the inning. Katie George then bunted, but Strother threw the ball over the head of the first baseman. Delffs collected the ball in foul territory and threw off target toward home plate.

As Unicoi catcher Ashley Starnes chased the ball down, Smith tried to score from third. However, Starnes picked it up and fired a strike to pitcher Kaylee Nicholson at the plate to nail Smith.

After a wild pitch, Bailey Mize hit a bouncing ball toward Unicoi second baseman Grayson Goddard, who couldn't keep it in front of her and Mize reached on an error with the tying run scoring from third. Kelly Cooper then singled, bringing Brooks to the plate. Brooks had already hit a two-run homer, and she hit a high fly ball to left field. Laughren went to the fence, reached up, and pulled it back in.

“As soon as she caught it, I said, 'Thank goodness,' ” said Nicholson. “And then I thanked her when she came in.”

Bryan followed with a ripped liner to right, but Delffs went down to both knees and slid into the catch.

“I don't think we ever got down, even after we made those mistakes,” said Lingerfelt. “I think God had a plan.”

The top three hitters in Unicoi's lineup – Gardner, Delffs and Laughren – combined to go 9 for 11 with five runs and three RBIs. Each player had three hits.

Nicholson got the win in relief of Laughren. She allowed four hits and two runs, one earned, in four innings of work. She walked one and struck out three.

“Kaylee got some outs when we needed them,” said Lingerfelt.

Cooper and Smith each had three hits for Union. Brooks drove in two runs with her fourth-inning homer, and finished with two hits.

The problem was the Hilltoppers never made it to doubles at Thursday’s Class AAA team tennis sectionals. Catholic took a 5-0 win in the boys’ competition and a 4-1 decision in girls’ play.

Science Hill finished the season with an 11-1 record for the boys and a 10-2 mark for the girls.

“I’ve been proud of this group,” Science Hill head coach D.C. Smith said. “The ending is always tough, but they played so well all year and battled today. They have nothing to be ashamed of. They should keep their heads up. It’s just tough because they fought so hard.”

Knox Catholic, which won the 2009 state championship in Class A/AA, improved to 17-0 in boys’ action and 15-2 for its girls.

“It was a tremendous effort by our players,” Fighting Irish head coach Rusty Morris said. “Sam Greeley came through for Catholic, winning a three-setter. Then the girls, Ella Monarch and Katie Covino battled through some really long points. I’m proud of how our players came through, but I have a lot of respect for Science Hill’s players. They never gave up and had a lot of fight in them.”

Case in point was the boys’ No. 5 singles match. Science Hill freshman Parth Goenka pushed Greeley to the wire in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 loss.

“Parth is a talented kid with a lot of potential,” Smith said. “He’s a very enthusiastic kid who wants to learn and get better. He is a great example of how the whole team was this year. All of the kids worked hard, listened and tried to do their best.”

Although the match was decided, the teams allowed a No. 2 singles match between Thomas Young and Catholic’s Michael Aleman to finish. Aleman took a 6-3, 7-6 (1) decision.

“Thomas is a fighter,” Smith said. “He played hard and came back, but he just ran out of gas.”

In the other matches, No. 1 Stephen Lorino downed Colin Ice 6-1, 6-0, No. 3 Jonathan Chavez topped Landon Martin 6-1, 6-2, and No. 4 Mitchell Jostes romped 6-0, 6-0 against Cameron Martin.

Likewise, Science Hill couldn’t get over the hump on the girls’ side.

Hope Forbush had the Hilltoppers’ lone win at No. 2 over Alexa Jostes 6-1, 6-0. But, Catholic’s Emily Holloway defeated Katie Deal 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1 and No. 3 Abby Leake topped Leah Eddy 6-2, 6-2 for an Irish advantage.

Then at No. 5, Katie Covino won 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 over Jamison Reid before Ella Monarch clinched at No. 4 with a 6-3, 6-4 decision over Avery Linton.

“If we could have just got that one more point,” Smith said. “Avery and Jamison fought real hard down at the bottom of that ladder. Avery lost a two-set match that looked like a three-set match. They were fighting. We just couldn’t pull it out today.”

Despite the loss, Smith looked to next season with optimism.

The team loses just one senior – Landon Martin on the boys’ team, and two seniors – Deal and Eddy on the girls’ squad.

The Lady Warriors (11-5) defeated the Lady Blue Devils 4-2 in the Class A/AA sectional match to earn a seventh straight berth in next week’s state tournament at Murfreesboro. With its first loss, Unicoi County ended the season at 12-1.

“I’m proud of the team, especially the fact it’s against CAK, who all the girls are familiar with,” Unicoi head coach Elizabeth Pruitt said. “Mallory (Jackson) and Nela (Holkova) have both played against their top two multiple times. CAK’s last match was 4-0, so for us to get two points on them is an accomplishment as a team.”

Holkova and Jackson got the first point in doubles play with an 8-5 win over Leighton Porter and Holly Chastain at No. 1 doubles. It evened the score after CAK’s No. 2 doubles team of Lauren Valeriano and Caroline Murchison had taken an 8-1 decision over Lexis Morley and Emily Lynch.

CAK, which lost 4-3 to Chattanooga Notre Dame in last season’s state championship match, had the advantage in singles. Valeriano made quick work of Morley 6-0, 6-0 and then Murchison gave the Lady Warriors a 3-1 advantage with a 6-2, 6-0 decision over Lynch.

The No. 2 singles barely finished with Holkova taking a 6-0, 6-2 win over Chastain when Delaney Dean won 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 5 singles match over Camille Harris to end the overall match. The No. 1 singles between Porter and Jackson wasn’t completed, although Unicoi’s season was.

Still, the Lady Devils’ head coach was able to look back at the season with a sense of accomplishment. In particular, she pointed out last week’s grind-it-out 4-3 regional championship win when Lynch, at No. 4 singles, scored the winning point.

“I still think last week when they played Cumberland Gap, that was a big one,” Pruitt said. “It came down to Emily’s match and we were 3-3. That was the highlight of the season, especially for Emily being a sophomore. It makes her excited for next year with what she can do.”

It is a young team which Unicoi should return next season with Jackson, who will be a senior, expected to lead the way. Their head coach already has high expectations in place.

“I would obviously love for them to go to state as a team next year,” Pruitt said. “But, I expect no less than this point next year.”

The Cyclones have never been to the Class AA state tournament while the Lady Trailblazers finished runner-up in last year’s Class AAA event.

These teams highlight today’s schedule for TSSAA Sectional contests. Winners earn a trip to Murfreesboro for next week’s BlueCross Spring Fling.

Elizabethton will play host to Christian Academy of Knoxville in a Class AA contest at 7 p.m. As for Daniel Boone, it will be on the road to face Maryville in a Class AAA game at 6 p.m. at Everett Park.

In other baseball games, Dobyns-Bennett plays host to Knox Catholic in Class AAA and Greeneville visits Pigeon Forge in Class AA. In Class A, North Greene has a home game against Knoxville Grace Christian while Unaka hits the road to battle Rockwood in Class A.

In softball, Unicoi County played its Class AA sectional contest Thursday while Greeneville travels to take on Corryton Gibbs today. Also, in Class A, University High plays host to Coalfield.

Baseball

Christian Academy of Knoxville (25-11) at Elizabethton (27-10) – While the Warriors are seeking their third straight state tournament berth, the Cyclones will counter with the hunger for history and a density against pressure – especially at the plate.

“They haven’t let pressure get to them,” said Cyclones’ head coach Joe Nix. “They’ve competed against the game instead of getting caught up in the opponent or the moment.”

Elizabethton has been able to pull off some dramatic comebacks this season, each one seemingly more impressive than the previous. The most recent was a four-run 10th inning to earn a 14-13 win against Greeneville in Wednesday’s Region 2-AA title game.

CAK should be talented and well-coached, said Nix.

“We know they will be extremely disciplined,” he said. “We will have to play our best baseball game to win this game, but we are capable if we play our best baseball.

“This will be a game where we would like to play 21 outs, without giving any extras. Whatever happens, we need to make sure we stay relaxed. Baseball is a game, and it’s finite. It’s a short part of an eternal life in the grand scheme of things.”

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Knox Catholic (28-11) at Dobyns-Bennett (31-6) – It has been an unwanted familiar theme for the Indians, who simply haven’t been able to win at the sectional level.

D-B has lost eight straight sectional contests – dating back to 1997 – and seven of those have been at home. However, four of those losses were to Farragut and three were to Knox Halls. The other was to South-Doyle, so at least the Indians have a new opponent this time around.

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Unaka (15-12) at Rockwood (24-7) – It’s a major challenge for the Rangers despite their strong postseason tradition.

Unaka reached the state tournament from 2003-07 and also in 2009 and 20011. However, Rockwood made it in 2003-04, 2007 and 2008 and fell just one run short last year.

Also, the Tigers have won 12 straight games this season and 17 of their last 18.

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Grace Christian at North Greene (21-3) – The Huskies’ baseball resurgence continues under the coaching of Tim Lady and the pitching of sophomore standout Tyler Bailey.

North Greene fought through a tough 10-9 decision in last year’s sectional against Rockwood, and may face a similar tough challenge this time around.

Softball

Daniel Boone (36-7) at Maryville (33-12) – These teams met in the Eastman tournament earlier this season with the Lady Trailblazers taking a 5-3 victory in the third-place game.

“They swing the bats well,” said Boone head coach Rick Wagner. “They are well-coached, and it will be tough.

“However, saying that, I think we’re ready. We’ve been on the road all year long, and we’ve played in some tough places.”

After seeing Seymour’s Carly Lewis in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss in the Region 1-AAA final, Boone will see another good pitcher in Madison Ogle, who hasn’t allowed an earned run in five postseason games. The hard-throwing junior struck out seven in the 5-1 Region 2-AAA final win over Knox Farragut.

“Obviously we’ve got to put the bat on the ball better than we did against Lewis,” said Wagner, whose team struck out 13 times. “At times we swing the bats better against faster girls. The thing we’ve got to do is look down in the strike zone, and lay off that high pitch that looks like a strike but it isn’t.”

Wagner said he hopes his players seize the moment as Boone plays in the sectional round for the fourth time since 2005. They are 2-1 in those games.

“In reality these opportunities don’t come around a whole lot,” said Wagner. “We’ve been blessed and fortunate to be in this position. We’ve got to take advantage of the opportunity.”

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Greeneville (25-6) at Gibbs (33-12) – It’s a daunting task for the Lady Greene Devils as they meet the defending state champions.

However, sophomore pitcher Jordan Fortel could give the Greene Devils a chance at the upset.

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Coalfield (25-11) at University High (26-13) – The Lady Junior Bucs are in a familiar spot against a familiar opponent.

UH seeks its fifth state tournament appearance in the last nine years, and this is third time in the last four seasons they have faced Coalfield at this stage. UH won 1-0 in 2010 at

home, and lost 1-0 in 2011 at Coalfield.

Coalfield no longer has strikeout queen Lindsey Fadnek, who graduated last season with a state-record 1,925 Ks for her career.

“I thought it was two good teams,” said Lady Trailblazers' head softball coach Rick Wagner. “Seymour is a tough place to go play.”

The Lady Eagles got a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh inning and earned a 2-1 victory over Boone in the Region 1-AAA championship Wednesday night.

Boone fell to 36-7 on the season, and will travel to play Maryville in Friday's sectional round. Seymour will play host to Farragut, which lost to Maryville 5-1 in the Region 2-AAA title game.

Seymour got a two-out double in third inning, and it was followed by a walk, a hit batter, and another walk for a 1-0 lead.

Boone tied the game in the fifth inning. Kaylin Conkin led off with a single, but was erased on a force play. Meredith Good then stole second base, and eventually scored on a throwing error.

The game stayed tied until the bottom of the seventh inning. After a single, sacrifice bunt and a walk, a passed ball put runners on second and third.

“Then we had to pick and choose who we wanted to pitch to,” said Wagner.

Boone pitcher McKenzi Ferguson, who entered the game in the sixth inning in relief of starter Jaclyn Jenkins, delivered an intentional walk to load the bases – but also walked the next batter to force in the winning run.

“We walked a few too many batters and that came back to get us,” said Wagner. “And we struck out 13 times at the plate. That was way too much.”

Carly Lewis got the win for Seymour. Along with the 13 strikeouts, she allowed just five hits.

Jenkins and Ferguson limited Seymour to six hits. Jenkins totaled eight strikeouts.

The Greene Devils kept killing their nemesis only to watch the Cyclones rise from the ashes time and time again. The final blow was a thrilling four-run rally in the bottom of the 10th inning – capped off by Hunter Hodges' walk-off RBI single – giving Elizabethton a 14-13 victory in the Region 1-AA baseball championship Wednesday night at O'Brien Field.

The two teams combined for 36 hits to set an all-time state record. Elizabethton's total of 20 was the fourth-best in state history, according to the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association record book.

Not only did Elizabethton (27-10) earn home-field advantage for Friday's sectional game, the Cyclones avoided the 94-mph fastball of Pigeon Forge's Wil Crowe. Elizabethton will play Christian Academy of Knoxville, a 7-5 loser to Pigeon Forge in the Region 2-AA title game.

Greeneville (23-10) will travel to play Pigeon Forge.

The Cyclones earned their first region title since 2007 – and they did it in the most unconventional way possible.

“We play ugly baseball,” said Elizabethton head coach Joe Nix. “We tried to beat it into their heads about the mental stuff and too much aggression.

“But when the tournaments came, we told them they play ugly baseball and we need to embrace it. If we make a mistake, we said just score three or four runs to make up for it.”

With a region championship up for grabs, Elizabethton disintegrated in a sea of mental and physical errors. The Cyclones committed seven errors, allowed four stolen bases with Cyclones' pitchers paying little or no attention to the runner, and also had a runner thrown out trying to steal third with two outs and down by one run in the sixth inning.

It seemed to come a crushing conclusion in the 10th inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Greeneville's Zach Finchum broke for third base as Elizabethton pitcher Thomas Miller stepped off the rubber. However, Miller was looking at the runner on first. Miller then wheeled around and fired to third base ahead of the runner – but the ball sailed well over the head of the third baseman and out of play. That allowed Finchum to score, and put Mike Lane all the way around to third.

Drew Patterson followed with an RBI double. Then Hunter Henrickson greeted relief pitcher Quincy Jackson with another RBI double to make it 13-10.

But this was old hat for the Cyclones, who had trailed 5-0, 7-4, 10-6 and trailed by one run entering the bottom of the seventh. Jackson started the 10th inning with a solid single to center, and Lanthorn followed with a looping single to right field.

Miller flew out to right, and Anthony Ward blooped a Texas League single into the Bermuda Triangle behind second base to load the bases.

That brought Eric Carter to the plate.

“I told Hunter Hodges and Coach Nix's oldest son to pray for me to get a hit,” said a smiling Carter. “Coach Nix preaches to get it to the next batter and they will come through.”

Carter drove the ball into the right field gap, for what looked like a bases-clearing double. However, Lane cut the ball off and held Carter to a two-run single, protecting Greeneville's lead at 13-12.

Austin Smith then came to the plate, and launched a fly ball to center field that easily scored Ward from third.

Hodges, whose double ignited the seventh-inning rally, then stepped up.

“It really did relax me a whole bunch that the score was tied,” said Hodges. “I knew my team was behind me no matter what.”

Hodges said the hit was thrilling.

“It was crazy,” he said. “This was definitely one of the best baseball games I've been a part of.”

It was at least the fourth time this season Elizabethton had scored multiple runs in its final at-bat to win a game.

“Every time we get down and we come in the dugout, the coaches are on the players to get up,” said Carter. “We never give up.”

Jackson, who was not part of the pitching game plan, wound up getting the win with two-thirds of an inning of relief. The Cyclones survived despite allowing six unearned runs.

Carter was the hero at the plate, going 4 for 5 with five RBIs. Jackson, Lanthorn and Ward each totaled three hits for the Cyclones.

Henrickson had three hits for Greeneville.

The Greene Devils broke loose early, scoring three unearned runs in the first inning. Jake Treadway reached on a dropped fly ball by Austin Smith, and with two outs Carter booted a grounder at shortstop and then threw the ball away for a second error on the play. Later, Henrickson had an RBI single to give Greeneville a 3-0 lead.

The Greene Devils pushed their advantage to 5-0 on Patterson's RBI double and D.J. Ball's RBI single in the third inning.

Elizabethton came to life in the bottom of the third inning. Jackson legged out an infield hit, and Lanthorn followed with an RBI triple. After a walk, Ward singled in a run to make it 5-2.

Carter then looped a ball to right field, and Lane's diving-catch attempt came up short. It turned into a two-run triple.

Another Cyclones' error set up a fourth-inning run for Greeneville. Matt Barham got the RBI with a sacrifice fly.

In the fifth inning, the Cyclones closed the gap. Carter drove in the first run with an RBI single, and then Smith made it 7-6 with a ground ball single to left field.

However, Greeneville regrouped with three runs off Elizabethton ace Dylan Richardson in the sixth inning. Finchum ripped an RBI double to make it 8-6. One out later, Patterson singled in a run and another scored on an error.

Elizabethton kept battling, rallying for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Markus Olds, Caleb Jones and Jackson singled to load the bases, and a run scored when Greeneville mishandled Lanthorn's grounder.

“That was a key,” said Greeneville head coach Jeremy Shepherd. “If we get an out right there, those other runs don't score.

“This was the craziest game I've been a part of. Baseball is a funny game with so many ups and downs. Tonight was a perfect example.”

Miller hit into a double play with a run scoring to make it 10-8. Ward then made it 10-9 with a single, and Carter drew a walk.

However, the Cyclones attempted a two-out double steal and Ward was thrown out by at least 10 feet at third base for the final out.

Elizabethton clawed its way to a tie in the bottom of the seventh inning. Hodges' one-out double was followed by Cameron Miller's infield hit. Then Caleb Armstrong's RBI groundout tied the game. However, Jackson flied out to left to end the threat.

Unicoi County (34-5) locked horns against the Lady Greene Devils and scored a 5-1 victory in the Region 1-AA softball championship game at Hardin Park on Wednesday.

The win allows the Lady Blue Devils to host Union County on Thursday for a state tournament bid. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Greeneville (25-6) will travel to play Gibbs on Friday.

“It was a big win,” Unicoi County coach Grady Lingerfelt said. “ We hit the ball better than I thought we would and our defense did well.”

Greeneville would get on the board in the bottom of the first inning with Jordan Fortel advancing home on a passed ball to give the Lady Greene Devils an early 1-0 advantage.

Unicoi wasted no time to respond.

Back-to-back home runs from Ashley Starnes and Kaylee Nicholson gave the Blue Devils a 2-1 lead in the top of the second.

“I just came in with confidence and saw the ball well,” Starnes said, who hit her seventh home run of the year. “Our defense played great and I thought Kaylee and Tiffany (Laughren) did well pitching.”

Nicholson (19-3) picked up the win in the circle allowing one unearned run in 51⁄2 innings. The junior’s home run was the first of the regular season.

Laughren came in in the final innings to round out the pitching activities.

“I thought they both pitched great,” Lingerfelt said. “We brought Tiff in late to let them see a change and she responded well.”

Cheyenne Delffs had a two-run double in the fourth while Taylor Wright added an insurance run in the seventh inning.

Greeneville will be ready, come Friday, according to head coach Bob Fortel.

“We didn’t hit the ball as well as we wanted to,” he said. “We started getting hits in late, couple here and there, and maybe it’s a different outcome.

“You can’t take off against a team like Unicoi. They have such a storied program so we’ll look to bounce back.”

Fortel and Sarah Lutrell paced the Greene Devils with two hits each.

That’s where Jacksonville finds itself.

The Dolphins visit Thomas Stadium for a three-game series with the Bucs beginning tonight. They come in tied for eighth place in the standings with USC Upstate, and only eight teams qualify for the A-Sun tournament next week in DeLand, Fla.

“There still may be a lot of shakeup this weekend,” ETSU coach Tony Skole said Wednesday, “but the one comforting thing is that we’re in the tournament. We just don’t know where we’re going to fall.

“Jacksonville is playing for their life, and they’re going to come in here ready.”

The six teams at the top of the standings have secured postseason berths, and it’s a tightly bunched group. Mercer leads the way with a 17-7 record after taking two of three from ETSU last weekend in Macon, Ga.

That left the Bucs in the fifth place at 14-10. They are 29-22 overall.

“I’m disappointed because last weekend we had a chance to play for the league lead and weren’t able to get it done,” said Skole. “Mercer is just an older team that plays with a lot of confidence. They always make things tough on you.”

The Bucs took the opener in Macon thanks to a brilliant performance by pitcher Kerry Doane. The senior right-hander allowed the 21st-ranked Bears just five hits in a 1-0 victory.

The complete game was his 10th of the season, which leads the nation, and boosted his record to 11-1. He has four shutouts and an earned-run average of 2.15.

Doane was named A-Sun pitcher of the week for the second time this season on Monday.

“Considering the circumstances in a big-time situation, that was as good a performance as I’ve ever seen a young man have,” said Skole, whose team won a 1-0 game for the first time since 2005. “Kerry is such a warrior on the mound. He just keeps his poise and goes after hitters.

“Looking ahead to the tournament, we have the one guy nobody in our league wants to face. And, if we survive, we may have the opportunity to use him more than once.”

Doane will be on the mound again tonight, shooting for his eighth consecutive victory to open a series, and he faces a much less daunting lineup than he saw a week ago.

Jacksonville has lost 12 of its last 15 games, and its struggles have been across the board this season. The Dolphins rank at or near the bottom of the conference in hitting, pitching and fielding.

The Bucs feature three of the top hitters in the league in first baseman Clinton Freeman (.351), centerfielder Andrew Green (.338) and leftfielder Dylan Tritsch (.332). Freeman is among the top three in RBI (54), home runs (10), doubles (18) and triples (4).

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David Geno has been a goal-scoring machine for three seasons at ETSU. Now he’s taking his act nationally.

The junior striker from Kingsport scored four goals Tuesday night for the Seattle Sounders U-23 team in a 5-1 victory over Doxa Italia. The match was part of the U.S. Open Cup in Sumner, Wash.

Geno’s four goals came in a span of just 19 minutes in the first half.

“I was just on the end of some perfect balls,” he told the Seattle News Tribune after the match. “I had the easy part, really.”

Sounders coach Darren Sawatzky was certainly impressed with the outburst, which lifted his team into the second round of the tournament next week in Charlotte.

“Soccer’s a players game,” he said. “A young guy from Tennessee came out and said, ‘This is why I want to be in Seattle.’ If that’s any indication of where he’s headed, it’s a good pickup.”

Geno already holds most of the ETSU school records. As a junior, he collected 11 goals and eight assists to rank among the national leaders.

The Dobyns-Bennett product now has 23 goals and 16 assists in his college career. That surpasses the previous marks set by Aaron Schoenfeld, now with the Columbus Crew of the MLS.

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ETSU has wrapped up the Jesse C. Fletcher Trophy, symbolic of the men’s all-sports race in the Atlantic Sun, for the eighth straight year.

The Bucs lead Florida Gulf Coast by 33 points in the eight-sport competition, with only baseball yet to be decided. They didn’t win any regular-season championships but were second in tennis, golf and cross country. (Championships are worth 30 points, with descending finishes each three points less.)

The ETSU women, meanwhile, are third in the race for the Sherman Day Trophy, behind Florida Gulf Coast and North Florida.

Gulf Coast leads ETSU in the combined standings despite not competing in track and field.

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A special graduation ceremony was conducted Tuesday morning in the Culp Center ballroom for athletes who were unable to attend the normal commencement last Saturday.

The baseball team was on the road at Mercer, while the track and field teams were at the A-Sun outdoor championships in Jacksonville. Also, the softball team had to previously commit to the ceremony since the conference tournament was held last weekend; it didn’t qualify for the field.

Fifteen graduates were honored in a ceremony that drew about 250 people.

“I was really impressed with the number of people, university personnel and fellow student-athletes who were on hand to support their teammates,” said interim athletic director Richard Sander. “I think it is really special that president Noland, the vice presidents and the deans make the effort to be there for 15 student-athletes. It is a strong statement about how important graduating our student-athletes is to the university.”

In his first match back from that injury on Tuesday night, the University High senior forward took a big step forward. His goal in the fourth minute spurred the Junior Bucs to a 6-0 victory over Chuckey-Doak in the Region 1-A/AA semifinals at Civitan Park.

“I was quite out of shape where I hadn’t played in three weeks, but it was good to come back and get that first goal,” said Williams after heading in a cross by Kevin Mast. “I’m probably only about 50 percent right now and to be able to finish that, it seemed like it set the momentum for us.

“It was probably one of my better goals of the season. I was just happy to be back on the field again.”

With the victory, University High (13-2) advanced to Thursday’s Region 1-A/AA championship against Greeneville. The Junior Bucs also advanced to Saturday’s sectional round with a state tournament berth on the line.

Both head coach Victor Chirica and assistant coach Tony Snapp praised their team’s effort.

“The midfield controlled the ball and we had a lot of shots,” Snapp said. “We didn’t finish a lot early, but Connor coming back today and getting that goal less than five minutes in was a big asset to the guys and his confidence. We had some good looks at the goal and had a good effort.”

Overall, the Junior Bucs outshot Chuckey-Doak 26-4, with a 15-2 advantage in the first half. Westley Ongtengco scored UH’s second goal in the 22nd minute off a penalty kick.

Five minutes into the second half, Mast made it 3-0 with a strike from around 12 yards out off an assist from Federico Aghito. In the 50th minute, Mast added his second assist of the match, this time to freshman Tani Houston for a 4-0 lead.

Mast, a senior midfielder, said his passing skills are no accident, and that he gets more joy from seeing his teammates score goals than his goals.

“The quick touches on the ball, I’ve always wanted to do that and I practice it at home,” Mast said. “It helps me get it quicker to the center for the best shots.

“One of my favorite parts of playing with these guys, I feel as gratified if I score or if they score, even if I’m not the one passing the ball.”

It was an all-around effort, which led to University High’s victory. The defense gave up just four shots, three of them on free kicks by the Black Knights’ Birkier Viddison. Otherwise, the Junior Bucs did a bang-up job marking Viddisson, who had set a Chuckey-Doak school record with 26 goals this season.

“Coming into the game, No. 7 (Viddison) was their offensive threat and we wanted to stop him,” Snapp said. “The defense stood pretty tall back there and he didn’t have a shot on goal all game.

“He got frustrated halfway through the second half because he couldn’t do anything and that’s what we wanted. It worked out to our favor.”

Back on the offensive end, Aghito had a near-miss in the 61st minute when his left-footed attempt bounced off the crossbar. Nick Fabus, who spent a large portion of the match marking Viddison, then scored off a tap from Collin Newberry in the 70th minute.

There was another reward for an outstanding defensive effort as Logan Webb scored the last UH goal off a cross by Aghito.

Chuckey-Doak finished its season 7-9-1, meaning the final contest for a pair of fourth-year seniors Giovanni Jimenez and Wes Carroll, as well as fellow senior Steven Berry.

“We’ve had sickness on the team, tons of injuries. We went from 23 players down to 14,” C-D head coach Anna Ricker said. “So for us to advance to this point is amazing, because we’ve gone through so much adversity this season. Today, we just never found that breakthrough moment.”

University High will be looking for that moment against Greeneville, anxious to avenge a 9-0 loss from nearly three weeks ago.

“We’re ready and the guys are ready,” Snapp said. “We’ve got Connor back and we’ve got our keeper (Ben Page) back. That’s a big asset to have our starting keeper back as far as confidence. We’re going to mix it up and try some different things. I think it will be a little different situation than last time.”

Tuesday night against Morristown West, the Hilltoppers looked like they could be closing the gap with a 3-0 victory over the Trojans in the Region 1-AAA soccer semifinals at Burke-Toney Stadium.

“I was well pleased,” said Science Hill head coach Brandon Kind. “We've had good starts before, but tonight was a good start and good play all the way through the game.”

Science Hill improved to 15-5-1 on the season and will travel to face the Indians (19-2-1) for the region title Thursday at Indian-Highland Park at 6 p.m. D-B earned its spot with a 4-1 win over Seymour.

The Hilltoppers, who have made back-to-back appearances in the state tournament, also earned a berth in Saturday's sectional contest for the fourth straight year.

Kind said he believes his team will give D-B a full-game battle this time around. The Indians won each of the previous contests by scores of 5-1.

“Absolutely,” said Kind. “Thursday night you will see a team that hasn't been seen all year. We've learned some valuable lessons, and applied them in the later part of the year.”

The Hilltoppers took command early against West as John Huffman caught up with a loose ball after a Science Hill shot bounced off the post. Huffman struck the ball and somehow slipped it past the West goalkeeper.

“Ninety percent of the goals in soccer are ugly, trash, scrap goals,” said Kind. “That's what a forward does. He keeps scrapping around the goal and finds one. He did what a striker is supposed to do.”

Kind said Huffman's goal was a significant momentum boost.

“It's always important to catch the momentum early when you are playing on the road,” said Kind.

Huffman's goal came in the ninth minute, and the Hilltoppers carried the 1-0 advantage into halftime.

In the 58th minute, Connor Reagen delivered a nicely placed shot into the left corner of the net for a 2-0 Hilltoppers' lead.

Five minutes later, Steven McKinney ended any potential suspense by collecting a header goal.

“Steven was in the right place at the right time,” said Kind.

Perhaps the only down note for the Hilltoppers were some missed opportunities. They clipped the post on at least two occasions, had a goal called back, and couldn't win some balls delivered into the middle of the box.

Those types of chances likely need to find net Thursday if the Hilltoppers are going to find a way to scale Mt. Indian.

“We've got to put those away,” said Kind.

The Science Hill senior has pushed herself to the limit as a distance runner and a student, and Tuesday she signed a letter-of-intent with South Carolina.

McCoy was a four-time all-conference and all-region performer in cross country, and finished fifth in the state as a junior. A 4.0 student who also considered Wake Forest and Davidson, she plans to major in biology.

McCoy appeared headed for another top-five finish at the state cross country meet last year, but collapsed from heat exhaustion perhaps 300 yards from the finish.

She’s bounced back, however, and qualified for next week’s state track & field championships in the 800 meters and 4x800 relay.

“It was heartbreaking, definitely, to watch her not finish that state cross country race … after all the hard work she had put in,” Science Hill coach Jennifer Brockett said. “She pushed herself absolutely to the brink, to where her body just said no. But she’s definitely rebounded and we’re excited to see what she can do next week. …

“Martha’s just a born leader. They know her potential is great and that they’ll get the academic aspect. So she’s kind of that one-two punch when it comes to college, where she’s got the drive and the talent, and then she’s also very book-smart as well.”

McCoy’s favorite memories at Science Hill include the cross country team finishing runner-up at the state. She said it’s been mutually beneficial having a teammate like fellow distance runner Molly Foster, a Belmont signee.

“Just being able to run with Molly has been great,” McCoy said. “We’ve been back and forth the last couple of years. A lot of the races we’ve had together have been the highlights of my cross country season.”

McCoy said Brockett has also been instrumental in her maturation.

“Coach Brockett’s kind of no-nonsense coach, which can be hard at times but kind of a blessing at others,” McCoy said with a smile. “I really do appreciate that. … We’ll be whining, like, ‘I don’t want to do this workout Coach Brockett,’ and she’s like, ‘Well, you’re gonna do this workout.’ And then two weeks later, you’re glad you did it, because it helped in a race or something like that. …

“I love the cross country team and I love the girls on the team. It’s gonna be hard to be away from them next year, definitely. … But I’m excited about it (going to South Carolina).”

Three Hilltoppers will play next season for Science Hill graduate Ken Campbell at Walters State.

Reed Hayes and Kyle Wilson each announced their decision on Tuesday, and Walters State recruiting coordinator Dave Shelton said that former Science Hill player Matt Pope is transferring from Kentucky to play for the Senators.

Hayes initially committed to play baseball at Tennessee. Also an all-conference player in football and basketball, Hayes passed up a football offer from Furman last fall. He said the Paladins were going to let him try to play baseball, too.

“In football season, that’s all I had my mind on,” said Hayes, who had arguably Science Hill’s most dynamic season ever as a first-year starter at quarterback last season. “But then once I got into baseball season I just wanted to go play baseball at the next level. … And the (Furman) quarterback … started this year as a freshman. I didn’t want to go to one of those deals and just sit behind him.”

Hayes, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-hander, pitched and played center field. He hit .379 and led the team with 45 RBIs. He had 13 doubles, three triples and four home runs. He was 5-1 on the mound with a 2.31 ERA. He had 50 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings.

“Reed being a three-sport athlete — he’s such a good athlete — there’s some rawness in him on the baseball field,” Shelton said. “But I think once he starts concentrating on baseball, who knows how good he’s gonna be. We’re not even for sure what he’s gonna develop into — Is he gonna develop more as a pitcher or more as a position player? — because he’s got a chance to be pretty good at both.”

All of the clichés about gritty gamers apply to Wilson, a shortstop who batted leadoff. He hit .362 and was second on the team with 45 runs. As a sophomore, he hit a clutch home run in a win against Dobyns-Bennett.

After a scary crash into a fence at Daniel Boone last season, Wilson stayed in the game and got a hit in his next at-bat. He got a hit in the last at-bat of his career, which helped Science Hill force extra innings in its regional loss to Sevier County on Monday.

“Kyle’s a scrapper,” Shelton said. “He’s either driving in a big run or he’s getting on base when they need it and scoring a big run, or he’s making a great defensive play. … It’s one of those deals where we weren’t in desperate need of middle infield help, but the more I watched Kyle, the more I liked him. And you can never have too many good infielders.”

Wilson said Science Hill graduate Will Carter, Reid Matthews (Dobyns-Bennett) and Josh Peterson (Unaka) helped sell Walters State. Carter, a Tennessee signee, is a red-shirt sophomore for the Senators recovering from elbow surgery.

“Will said how much he liked it and that the coaches were great,” Wilson said. “He said it was relaxed baseball but it was intense at the same time, and that it’s gonna get you seen if you’re down there playing. He loves it down there.”

Wilson is excited about reuniting with Pope and continuing his career with Hayes. He recently found an old picture of a 6-year-old All-Star team that he and Hayes played on when Hayes’ father, Richard, was the coach.

“We won the championship when were six years old,” Wilson said with a smile. “It hit me that me and Reed were going to play together from when we were six until, like, 20 years old. That’s cool. I’ve known Pope for a long time, too — since Little League ages.”

The 6-foot-7 Pope red-shirted as a freshman at Kentucky after getting drafted in the 38th round last June by Pittsburgh. He has thrown as hard as 94-95 mph, but is still harnessing his velocity.

“I feel like he had the best arm in the state of Tennessee last year in high school,” Shelton said. “The few times we saw him — me and some other scouts — he was 90 to 94 (mph) and that arm really works. He just needs to pitch, and you know, the SEC is not really the place to iron out mechanics. There’s just not enough margin for error there. Hopefully, we can provide that and give him the innings he needs to really develop and have a shot and getting into professional baseball.”

Campbell’s Senators won their conference and host the East Central district tournament. They open Thursday at 3 p.m. against Georgia Perimeter. The winner of the four-team tourney advances to the NJCCA World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., beginning May 28.

The Senators reached the World Series four times in six years (2003-08) under Campbell and won the national championship in 2006.

Still, it’s safe to say all three of the top finishers in last Saturday night’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway came out as winners.

Obviously, the official race winner was Matt Kenseth, who passed Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch with 13 laps to go and then pulled away in his No. 20 Toyota for his 27th career Sprint Cup Series victory.

Although he’s won two Daytona 500’s, Kenseth called the victory in the historic Southern 500, the biggest win of his career.

With his series-best third win of the season, the win more than validates a move from car owner Jack Roush with whom Kenseth spent the first 13 years of his career to the Gibbs team.

The win came justt days after a reduction in NASCAR penalties was announced. Kenseth is now a solid third in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, and with his three wins, he’s a virtual lock at making this season’s “Chase for the Championship.”

Another of his Gibbs’ teammates, Denny Hamlin, had a victory of his own. In his first full race back from a back injury suffered at California, Hamlin finished second at the egg-shaped oval nicknamed, “The Track Too Tough to Tame.”

Hamlin didn’t completely tame Darlington, as a camera shot after the race showed him sitting in the car exhausted. But, he showed all concerned that he’s a force to be reckoned with in the Sprint Cup Series.

It’s way too early to count out Hamlin from making the Chase. He’s 27th in the standings, just 61 points out of the top 20 where he will need to finish for a wild-card spot. Hamlin will likely need to win a couple of races to get the wild-card, but as strong as the Gibbs teams have been with five wins overall this season, it appears to be a goal well within reach.

Crossing the line third was Jeff Gordon, who scored a 300th career top-five finish in a 700th career start. That’s finishing in the top-five in nearly 43 percent of the races he’s entered, a truly astounding number.

It compares favorably with most of the all-time greats with a notable exception of Richard Petty, who finished in the top-five in nearly 47 percent of his career starts.

Dale Earnhardt was in the top-five in 281 of 676 races (41.5 percent). Among Gordon’s contemporaries, Tony Stewart has finished in the top five 34 percent of the time, while Jimmie Johnson has a 41.9 average.

The 300 top-fives rank Gordon fourth on NASCAR’s all-time list behind Petty with 555, Bobby Allison with 336 and David Pearson with 301.

Beyond the all-time numbers, the performance on Saturday was another example of how after 20 years in the series Gordon is still a top contender to win races.

This week, the NASCAR tour moves to Charlotte for The Sprint All-Star Race, truly one of the most exciting races of the year.

With no points on the line, the drivers typically got all out, leading to some of the most memorable finishes in the sport’s history.

They include Dale Earnhardt’s “Pass in the Grass” to beat Bill Elliott in 1987, Rusty Wallace’s last-lap spin of Darrell Waltrip in 1989 and the race considered the best all-star race ever in 1992 when Davey Allison crashed across the finish line in a classic win over Kyle Petty.

Outside of Bristol’s two races, it’s the one event I would encourage every NASCAR fan to attend at least once.

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If fans aren’t inclined to drive to Charlotte, there are a pair of big races scheduled for local tracks this weekend.

Kingsport Speedway has the Mahle 250 for the CARS X1-R Pro Series (formerly Hooters Cup Series) scheduled for Friday night.

Called the biggest night of racing of the year at the 3/8-mile concrete oval, the Pure 4, Rookie Pure 4 and Legends divisions will also be in action.

The fourth annual K&N Spring Fling 20’s is scheduled this weekend at Bristol Dragway.

Teams from 26 states and Canada are expected to compete in the bracket-racing event.

There is a $12,500-to-win featured race on Thursday with $20,000-to-win races scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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Adam Long held off Kres Van Dyke in a battle of Virginia drivers this past Friday night in Kingsport Speedway’s Late Model Stock feature.

Johnson City driver Zeke Shell battled Long for the race lead every on, before debris from Mike Potter’s car cut the tire on Shell’s No. 97 Ford on lap 36.

Shell ended up eighth in the final rundown, followed by Daniel Boone High School student Tyler Goodwin, Gray resident Joey Trent and the veteran Potter.

In the support classes, John Harrell of Surgoinsville scored a division-leading fourth win of the season in Street Stock. Other winners included: Kingsport drivers John Ketron and Billy Byington in Pure 4 and Rookie Pure 4, and Brad Ball of Abingdon, Va., in Mod 4.

Once an independent driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Johnson City racer had dreams of catching the right break and becoming stock car racing’s next superstar.

“I thought I was as good as Richard Petty or anyone at that time,” said Potter, now 63. “I never had the equipment to prove what I thought. Maybe, I was wrong in my thoughts, but I believed if I had the equipment, I could run with any of them.”

Potter no longer races in NASCAR’s top series, now the owner of Surplus Brokers, an office furniture store in Johnson City.

Still, the appeal of the race track keeps tugging at him. So, Potter’s back racing at the local level where he first learned the trade. He has run the last two races at Kingsport Speedway with a pair of 11th-place finishes.

“Once you get it in your blood, you can’t get it out,” Potter said. “I was raised up in it and have been wanting to do it for a couple of years now, although all my helpers have gotten old and I’ve gotten old. I can’t stay up and work on the car half the night like I used to.”

There are other challenges with fielding his own efforts. He’s racing a 10-year-old car with an equally outdated engine against a group of younger drivers in newer equipment.

Stock car racing has always been a part of Potter’s life. His father Jess was a noted engine builder and car owner for Cup Series drivers Paul Lewis, Brownie King and George Green, all from Johnson City. Jess Potter, a native of the Limestone Cove area of Unicoi County, also fielded cars at Johnson City’s Sportsman Speedway dirt track.

Among his drivers was a young Brad Teague, who won a Sportsman Speedway track championship.

It was only natural that a pair of Potter’s sons, Mike and Gary, would later race in NASCAR. Both ran in the old Late Model Sportsman Series before it became the current Nationwide Series.

Mike won the first race at Lonesome Pine (Va.) Speedway when the track reopened in 1981, and competed in 20 official Nationwide Series races from 1982-2008.

“When they first changed it to the Busch Series, I ran the first Daytona race,” he said. “Then, I started running a lot of Cup races during that period. I didn’t run many Busch Series races until 2003. I did some start-and-park races for Jimmy Means and Johnny Davis, but was able to run a couple of complete races for them. It wasn’t the best equipment, but I got to keep my feet wet, and I enjoyed it.”

Mike Potter, who served in the Marine Corps from 1967-71 including 13 months in Vietnam, is understanably proud of his NASCAR career. It was highlighted by 60 races in the Cup Series from 1979-93.

His best finish was 15th in the 1981 Melling Tools 420 at Nashville. It was a race which the late Benny Parsons won in a Melling-sponsored Ford and hometown favorite Darrell Waltrip finished second.

Potter also posted top-20 finishes at Bristol, Richmond and the 2-mile superspeedway at Michigan in what could be described as a severely underfunded program.

“We didn’t have any money at all,” he said. “We had nothing to eat on until we got paid after the race. It was the pure love, the pure desire that drove us to do it.”

To show the ingenuity of the time, Potter’s first Cup car was a 1974 Chevelle, later modified to look like a 1979 model so it would be legal to compete in the Cup Series. He drove that car, which had an engine block and crankshaft out of a Pepsi truck and a seat out of a school bus, to a 16th-place finish at Bristol.

A little over a dozen years later, Potter reached another milestone by racing a No. 77 Chevrolet in the Daytona 500. Racing at Daytona was a major goal since his father fielded a No. 32 convertible, driven by King, in the first Daytona 500 in 1959.

Fast forward to the present and Potter’s plain white No. 8 Chevrolet machine finished 11th, right behind Gray driver Joey Trent, this past Friday night at Kingsport Speedway..

While Potter would like to still run up front and win more races on the local level, he realizes it will be hard unless he’s able to come up with sponsorship to make a larger financial commitment.

If he doesn’t, he can look at a list of accomplishments many other drivers dream of. He’s competed in the biggest events like the Daytona 500, the Southern 500 and Bristol night race and even raced a couple of times overseas.

“I’ve got to do things which a lot of people would give their right arm to do,” he said. “I got to race in Australia twice, got to race at Daytona, got to run six or seven Cup races at Bristol and six or seven races at Darlington.

“I still love it and think I could run with these young guys if I had the equipment. I’m just doing the best I can with what I’ve got to do with.”

Sevier County got out of a bases-loaded one-out jam in the seventh inning to force extra innings and scored a run in the eighth thanks to a hit-batsman, an error and a sacrifice fly to defeat Science Hill 5-4 in a Region 1-AAA semifinal.

The Hilltoppers ended the season at 30-8. Sevier County (32-8) plays Dobyns-Bennett on Wednesday. The Indians defeated Morristown West on Monday.

Sevier County’s Dalton Ford led off the eighth getting hit by a pitch and advanced to third with one out when Dillon Cate reached on a two-base error. Dallas Gossett then scored Ford with a fly-out to left field.

Science Hill, which didn’t threaten in the eighth, trailed 4-3 entering the bottom of the seventh, but Tucker McPherson led off by reaching on a two-base error. Ensuing batter Kyle Wilson singled him to third, and starting pitcher Dillon Cate was replaced by freshman right-hander Devante Matthews (2-0).

McPherson tied the score on a head-first slide just ahead of a throw home on Jacob Pardue’s fielder’s choice, and the Hilltoppers loaded the bases with one out. But second baseman Ford caught David Bryant’s line-drive and dashed to second base to double off the runner for an inning-ending double play that forced an extra inning.

It was one of handful of Hilltoppers mistakes that eventually proved fatal. A hit-batsman, a walk and an error led to Sevier County’s three-run first, and a missed pop-up in foul territory allowed the Smokey Bears to take a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Science Hill also committed three errors and stranded five runners in scoring position.

“We had some opportunities,” Science Hill coach Ryan Edwards said, “but credit Sevier. ... They made some plays and had some timely hits.”

Matthews pitched two innings of scoreless relief for the victory.

“Devante Matthews came in ... and closed the door,” said Cate, an East Tennessee State signee. “Before he went out there I said, ‘Be a senior. ... You’re not a freshman any more, man.’”

Will Craig pitched seven innings for Science Hill. He allowed seven hits, walked three and struck out 12 in the 123-pitch outing. Reed Hayes allowed one unearned run in an inning of relief.

“We got two great arms in the kids that we saw,” Sevier coach Casey Taylor said, and they saw two great arms in the ones we threw out there at them, too. ... I mean, five (runs) seems like nine against those two arms.”

Craig was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Bryant tied the score at 3 with an RBI double in the third.

“I’m really proud of our kids,” Edwards said, “the way they fought and the way the stayed together as a team all year long. ... They’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, we won 30 games, and when you get to this point in the season, no matter who you play you’re gonna face somebody good.”

Chris Lanthorn went 4 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs scored, and the Cyclones pounded out 14 hits in a five-inning mercy-rule 12-2 whipping of South Greene in the Region 1-AA baseball semifinals Monday night at O'Brien Field.

Improving to 26-10, the Cyclones earned the right to play host for Wednesday's championship game against Greeneville. The Greene Devils eliminated Unicoi County 4-3 in eight innings.

Also, Elizabethton earned a berth in Friday's sectional round.

Lanthorn had bunt singles in each of his first two at-bats.

“I trust my legs to carry me,” said Lanthorn. “I just use the techniques I've been working with since my first day of baseball.”

His fifth-inning triple was crushed into the left-center field gap of the spacious ballpark.

“I got a nice piece of it,” said Lanthorn. “But I'm not trying to be a power hitter in the two hole.”

Nix said he liked what he saw from his players. He said they didn't display a high level of nervousness.

“They were energetic but relaxed,” said Nix.

Elizabethton jumped ahead 1-0 on Anthony Ward's first-inning RBI double. Then the Cyclones broke the game open with a seven-run third inning.

The big frame started with an infield hit by Quincy Jackson and a bunt single from Lanthorn. Thomas Miller singled sharply to left field to make it 2-0, and Ward followed with an RBI single. Then Austin Smith sent two runners home with a single.

Hunter Hodges followed with a line-drive sacrifice fly to center field to make it 6-0.

Before the inning was over, Lanthorn batted for a second time and drove in two runs with a single.

South Greene scored a pair of runs in the fourth inning, one of them on Jon Zavaleta's RBI double, but the Cyclones put the game to rest with a four-run fifth inning. Caleb Armstrong had an RBI single and Lanthorn added an RBI triple, and the game ended on a delayed balk call – which sent Lanthorn home with the winning run.

Ward, Smith and Jackson each had two hits for the Cyclones.

With the victory, the homestanding Lady ‘Blazers (36-6) advanced to Wednesday’s Region 1 championship game at Seymour, winners over Dobyns-Bennett on Monday night. More importantly, Boone earned a berth in Friday’s sectional round.

“I didn’t know what to expect to start the year out. We have a lot of younger kids and I’m excited for them,” Daniel Boone head coach Rick Wagner said. “They’ve worked hard all year. We hit the ball and when we hit it like that, we’re going to score some runs.”

Leading the way was Carmody, who finished 2-for-3, including a two-run double in the first inning to go along with her sixth home run of the season.

“I just got in there and she was throwing everything outside,” said the senior left fielder. “It was pretty much what I needed to see, just to drive the ball opposite. Then, the home run was right over the plate, right down the middle. You have to take that when you get it.”

McKenzi Ferguson added another stellar effort in the circle. She struck out 10 batters, while giving up just four hits and two walks. Pitching with the lead most of the night made her night easier.

“My rise was working well tonight and that helped me a lot,” Ferugson said. “But, we got an early lead and that takes a lot of pressure off the pitcher. You don’t feel like work as hard as you do if you don’t have any score.”

Haley Wagner’s RBI single and a two-run double by Carmody gave the Lady ‘Blazers a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

The Lady Patriots (23-16) closed the margin to 3-2 in the top of the third. Shelly Winstead scored off an error and Rachel Wright follow with a single to drive in Summer Hayes.

However, the Lady ‘Blazers answered in the bottom of the third. Ferguson hit a shot that hit the top of the fence in left center field before bouncing back in play for a double to score Hannah Montoya. Carmody added a sacrifice fly and Boone held a 5-2 advantage before her two-run shot in the fifth provided the final score.

“It’s never easy to dig out of a hole, especially against a team like Boone, one through nine a solid hitting team,” Jefferson County coach Rebecca Massaro said. “Falling behind 3-0 is never easy, but we got back in it 3-2. When we let them go back up, that was just too much to overcome.”

Overall, the Lady ‘Blazers outhit Jefferson County 11-4 as Ferguson and Allie Littleton each finished 2-for-3 at the plate. Through the postseason, the second half of the lineup has been particularly productive for the Lady ‘Blazers as noted by their head coach.

“When you have people like Kayla (Conkin), Meredith (Good), Littleton and Jenna .... Jenna’s just been unbelievable all year,” Wagner said. “She takes what they give her. She’s not been hitting the ball opposite field a lot this year, but lately they been throwing away and she’s been taking advantage of it.”

Mallory Jackson and Czech Republic's Nela Holkova rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Chuckey-Doak's Jordan Murphy and Makayla Bowman to win the Region 1-A/AA girls doubles championship Monday at the Elizabethton tennis courts.

The win punched a ticket to next week's state tournament in Murfreesboro for Jackson and Holkova. All region winners earned berths in the Spring Fling, where the individual tournament begins May 23.

In the other girls championship match, South Greene's Javan Wilhoit won the singles title with a 6-1, 7-6 decision over Greeneville's Sydney Davis.

On the boys' side, Greeneville dominated with Jaspal Mahal winning the singles title, and Greeneville's duo of Malcom Blair and Jordan Hite beating their teammates in the finals.

Holkova and Jackson really weren't pushed throughout the day. They won their semifinal match over Greeneville's Madison Hite and Caroline Quarles, losing just one game.

Jackson said the duo was confident heading into both matches.

“There's always nervousness because you never know how you will play on the court, regardless of whether you were hitting it good coming into the match,” said Jackson. “But we were pretty confident.”

Holkova said the strength of the doubles team is with her at the net and Jackson in the back.

“That's probably the best game we play,” said Holkova. “I try to be aggressive. We just had to keep the ball in the court.”

Jackson made it to the state singles finals last year as a sophomore, losing to Fayetteville's Skylar McDonald, who was an eighth-grader. This year, she teamed with Holkova, and has designs on getting a state title.

“I know a lot of the girls who will be at the state, and we will have to be at the top of our game,” said Jackson. “It will be difficult, but I don't think it will be super difficult. I think it will be a little more intense.”

Holkova said she is excited to have a chance to earn a title – like her cousin, Matt Holka, did last year as part of Unicoi County's boys' championship team.

“I am pretty excited,” said Holkova, who is an exchange student. “He told me everything, and how excited he was to win a championship.”

As for Mahal, he won his second straight region singles title. He defeated teammate Griffin Leonard, 6-0, 6-3.

“I feel like I played pretty good,” said Mahal. “My footwork was not good at times, but other than that everything was great.”

Mahal said he believes he has a shot at the state title after losing in last year's state semifinals.

“Last year I had a tough match in the first round, and it took everything out of me,” said Mahal. “This year I'm more fit. I feel like I can last longer, and I think that will give me a chance to win.”

Wilhoit was strong in the first set against Davis, but things got much more hotly contested in the second set. Still, Wilhoit was able to battle through and earn the state berth.

In the boys' doubles final, Blair and Hite powered past Logan Dickenson and Elliott Snelson. They won the first set 6-3, and then ran away for a 6-0 victory in the second set.