Baseball
Johnson County 7, Unaka 5
Johnson County 12, Unaka 5
The Rangers dropped a pair of games on Thursday evening.
In the first game, the Rangers entered the final frame trailing 7-0 but battled back to get the tying run on base and the winning run at the plate. However, Unaka was unable to keep the inning going.
Rylan Crabtree went 2-for-3 with one RBI, while Micah Gray added two hits. Austin Lambert added a hit and two RBI. Brandon Buckles added a hit and an RBI.
In the second game, Unaka was unable to rally from an early deficit.
Robert Humphrey had one hit and two RBI, while Bailey and Laken Barnett had a hit and an RBI apiece.
Gatlinburg-Pittman 3, Happy Valley 0
The Warriors dropped a battle on Thursday.
GP used single runs in the second, third, and sixth innings to take the win despite a hard-fought battle from HV.
Carlos Lopez had two hits to lead the Warriors, while Lane Parker, Grady Goulds, Mason Belt, and Ty Johnson each added a hit.
On the mound, Drew Blevins struck out 10 batters and allowed just one earned run on seven hits.
University High 11, Cloudland 3
Cloudland came up short in district play on Thursday.
UH jumped out to an early lead and was able to keep Cloudland at bay. The ‘Landers, however, didn’t go quietly as they plated two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh.
Colin Davis had a hit and a run scored, while Jacob Stinnett and Jacob Withee each recorded a hit for the ‘Landers. Bryson Peppers, and Walker Gouge each had a run scored, while Thomas Job had an RBI.
Softball
Hampton 13, Happy Valley 3
The Lady Bulldogs rolled to a district win over a county foe on Thursday.
Hampton jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second and pushed the advantage to 9-0 after the top of the fourth. HV battled back with single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth, but was unable to rally.
Hadley Vines led the way as she went 4-for-5 with five RBI for Hampton. Briley Davis and Hannah Smith were both 4-for-5 with an RBI. Maleah Scalf and Dru Nickles each added two hits and two RBI.
In the pitching circle, Davis struck out nine batters and allowed just three earned runs on 11 hits.
Deslance Irick, Ashton Bates, and Natalie Cline each had two hits. Kiera Reece and Bates each added an RBI.
Elizabethton 8, Tri-Cities IAM 2
The Lady Cyclones used a big fourth inning to roll to a Senior Day win.
After IAM Tri-Cities took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, the Lady Cyclones plated eight runs in the home side of the frame to take control.
Adrian Heading went 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Sadie Williams and Lilly McDuffie added two hits and an RBI apiece. Jozey Reece finished with two hits.
McDuffie picked up the win in the pitching circle as she struck out five batters and allowed no earned runs on two hits in 4.1 innings of work.
Lacey Gobble added 2.2 innings of work and allowed no unearned run on one hit with four strikeouts.
Sullivan East 11, Unaka 7
The Lady Rangers were unable to overcome a big inning from Sullivan East on Thursday.
UHS jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first and increased the advantage to 5-0 entering the bottom of the second. The Lady Patriots, however, battled back with three runs in the home side of the second and added another in the third to pull within one.
East took control with five runs in the fifth inning. Unaka kept battling but was unable to rally late.
Mollie Buckles went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Katlyn Dugger added three hits. Kacie Bare had a home run with two RBI. Devalynn Harter had two hits for Unaka.
Kimberly Profitt struck out nine batters in the pitching circle.
For coverage of Cloudland vs. North Greene softball, click here.