Alcoa Champs

Alcoa defeats two-time defending champs Forrest 6-1 to win first state title

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Alcoa faced Forrest twice on Saturday, as rainstorms cancelled all games on Thursday, stretching most of the softball series into Saturday. The Lady Tornadoes (29-13) lost to Forrest (30-12) in the 2:30 game 11-5, handing Alcoa its first and only setback of the state tournament, forcing a winner take all game at 6 p.m. The Lady Tornadoes would take an early lead in the championship game and came away with a 6-1 win and the school’s first state softball championship. It was the third consecutive time that Alcoa and Forrest had faced one another, with …

Pigeon Forge baseball

Tigers see promising season come to an end with 10-3 loss to Watertown in state championship

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – It was obvious that the Tigers were going to win the Class 2A championship, but a large contingent of folks felt that it would be the Pigeon Forge Tigers, rather than the Watertown Purple Tigers, as Pigeon Forge was seeking its second championship in school history with the first coming in 2013. Pigeon Forge (39-4) had gone wire-to-wire in the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association rankings since the preseason rankings were released in February. The only poll they would not be voted number one in 2022, however, would be the final rankings, as the Tigers lost …

Alcoa Emmert

Alcoa shuts out Community 4-0 to advance to semis

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Alcoa had never won a game in the state championships coming into this year’s tournament, but blink and the Lady Tornadoes have won two. Alcoa fought tooth and nail on Tuesday night to defeat Riverside in nine innings and then blanked Community after a two-hour rain delay for a 4-0 victory. “I’m super proud of our kids,” Alcoa coach Sarah Fekete Bailey said after the game. “We started about an hour-and-a-half late and it was raining a lot and the field was not in the best playing conditions. I told the kids that both teams …

Loy

Pigeon Forge fends off late rally by White House Heritage for 8-6 win

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SMYRNA – It looked like business as usual for Pigeon Forge on Tuesday evening, as the Tigers built an early 5-0 lead in the second inning and pulled starting pitcher Riley Franklin, who was awarded Tennessee Mr. Baseball on Monday night. The lead ballooned to 8-1 in the 6th inning, but a five-run frenzy in the bottom of the 7th forced Pigeon Forge to survive by any means possible, as White House Heritage put up five runs in the bottom of the 7th to make things interesting and a little uncomfortable for Pigeon Forge. The Tigers managed …

Alcoa Softball

Hodge’s Walk-off gives Alcoa 4-3 win over Riverside

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – For all the games that were played on Tuesday’s opening day of Murfreesboro’s Spring Fling, Alcoa and Riverside may have saved the best game for last. The Lady Tornadoes and the Lady Panthers battled into extra innings until nearly 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time before Trinity Hodge hit a single to first base and an error allowed Kara Pitts to come home for the game winning run. Alcoa just narrowly escaped its first matchup of the week with a 4-3 win in nine innings. “Trinity had a great at bat earlier in the day when …