Blue Devils gain split with Blackman

MURFREESBORO — A night after dropping its District 7-AAA opener at home, Lebanon paid a return trip to Blackman and gained a split of the home-and-home series with a 7-5 victory Wednesday night.
Senior Christian Jennings evened his record at 1-1 by pitching 6 1/3 innings, allowing five runs [all unearned] on six hits and six walks while striking out seven. Coach Tracy Slone waved in Garrett Fanchier with the bases loaded in the seventh and the right-hander struck out one and allowed Jennings' final two scores on errors before the third out was recorded at third base to complete the save as Lebanon improved to 3-4 for the season.
"We played well up until the last inning," Slone said. "Luckily we were ahead 7-2.
"We finally swung the bats well tonight, which we hadn't done all year. Blackman was one game away from State last year and returned everybody."
Lebanon jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on Daniel Harrison's two-run double and Jennings' squeeze bunt. Cody Ferrell, who had two of the Blue Devils' nine hits, singled home a run to lift LHS to a 4-0 lead in the top of the third.
Chase Hudson hit an RBI double and Fanchier, who singled to ignite the first inning, a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Dexter Cross, who also collected a pair of hits, doubled home Lebanon's final score in the seventh.
Drew Brockette and Brent Morris also managed a hit apiece for the Blue Devils, who will travel to the Gallatin Tournament this weekend. Lebanon will go to White House on Friday for a 4 p.m. game with the host Blue Devils [coached by former Cumberland third baseman Mark Mills] and a team from St. Louis at 6. LHS will take on Grundy County and Cumberland County on Saturday at Gallatin.

Commanders struggle in Panhandle
FT. WALTON BEACH, Fla. — Friendship Christian usually plays well on its regular spring-break trips to the Florida Panhandle.
Not this time.
The Commanders dropped their third straight this week, all in bizarre fashion, losing 5-1 to Ft. Walton Beach on Wednesday in a game in which Friendship pitchers struck out 16 and allowed two hits.
"They only hit the ball between the lines five times," a frustrated Commander coach John McNeal said after Friendship fell to 3-5 for the season. "If there's a way to lose, we've done it."
Friendship pitchers have issued 26 walks in the three games and Commander fielders have committed around 12 errors.
The Commanders opened the trip Monday with a 13-8 loss at Niceville, Florida's top-ranked team, in which Friendship led 8-3 against an Alabama signee before surrendering 10 runs in the sixth. They fell at Crestview 11-6 on Tuesday.
"We're trying to find our way, see if we can before we get back," said McNeal, whose Commanders will try to right their ship tonight at Choctaw.