FCS bats come alive vs. Watertown

A day after being held to a single run in a narrow victory over Trousdale County, Friendship Christian's hitters came alive Tuesday in the District 8-A winner's bracket final.
The Lady Commanders cracked eight hits and took advantage of five Watertown errors to run-rule the Tigerettes 10-0 in five innings.
Friendship advanced to Thursday's 4 p.m. final with a 32-9 record and to next Monday's Region 4-A tournament.
Watertown dropped into today's 4 p.m. loser's bracket final with a 16-16 record and will face the survivor of today's elimination game between Trousdale County and Westmoreland. The Lady Jackets ousted Mt. Juliet Christian 11-0 and the Lady Eagles doubled up Gordonsville 4-2 earlier Tuesday. The winner of the 4 p.m. game will advance to Thursday's finals and get the other spot in the regional.
Hailey Rutledge held Watertown to two hits – a first-inning single by Olivia Hall and a fourth-inning double by Katie Drown. She struck out seven and hit two.
Watertown's Sarah Reeder walked no one, struck out none and hit one.
Friendship put a four-spot on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Following an opening error and a hit batter, Rutledge reached on an infield single and Jessi Couch pulled a two-run single down the left-field line. Kenzie Dye's sacrifice bunt made it 3-0 and a throwing error tacked on the final run.
A two-out error opened the Friendship floodgates in the third as Lindsey Farmer and Carrie Fry hit back-to-back singles with Fry picking up an RBI. Two more errors followed as the Lady Commanders opened an 8-0 lead.
Friendship completed the run rule in the fifth when Dye and Fry singled and scored [McKenzie McNeal was running for Fry] on Brooke Klinefelter's two-run single off the glove of diving second baseman Drown.

Stewart drives in winner as Central escapes LaVergne 4-3 in nine innings
GLADEVILLE — In a game filled with emotion swings with each last-inning and extra-inning score, host Wilson Central escaped LaVergne 4-3 in nine innings Tuesday night to stay alive in the District 9-AAA tournament.
Central led 2-0 until LaVergne scored three times in the top of the seventh, tying the score on Sunni Jackson's two-run double.
But with the Lady Wildcats three outs from elimination in the bottom of the seventh, Savana Bell singled and was forced out by Caitlyn Bailey. Courtney Billington tripled to left to tie the score.
Winning pitcher Leevie Greenwood tripled with two out in the Central ninth and, after Billington was walked intentionally, scored on Shelley Stewart's single to right field.
The Lady Wildcats will carry a 26-11 record into tonight's 7 p.m. game against top-seed Hendersonville, which eliminated Smyrna 17-7 earlier Tuesday. Beech and Mt. Juliet will precede them with a 5 p.m. winner's bracket final.
Greenwood allowed eight hits and three walks while striking out five in the full nine innings.
Central scored twice in the second inning as Stewart, Jessica Faircloth and Taylor Bond singled. Stewart scored on a passed ball and Bond singled home Faircloth.
Tonight's Central-Hendersonville game is the rubber match of the season between the teams featuring Lady Wildcat head coach Ashley Putman-Serbin and Lady Commando assistant Jeff Serbin, her husband. The teams split the regular-season meetings.
So what's at stake for the winner tonight, besides getting to continue the season?
"One of us is going to come home not very happy," Ashley said.
On a more serious note, the Lady Wildcats, already without senior catcher Sara Williams due to back surgery, lost third baseman Sydney Ketcher to what is feared to be a broken hand when she was hit by a pitch from Mt. Juliet's Kenzie Roark on Monday night. Ketcher underwent X-rays Tuesday and her prognosis was not immediately known. Ashley Simms replaced her last night.

Maynard, Devilettes drop 2-0 pitcher's duel to top-seed Riverdale
MURFREESBORO — The top two seeds met in the District 7-AAA winner's bracket final Tuesday night and No. 1 Riverdale edged No. 2 Lebanon 2-0 in a matchup of two of the league's best pitchers at Oakland.
A first-inning home run by Kelsey Woodruff was all Cat Hosfield needed as the Riverdale ace allowed only a fourth-inning double to left-center field to Missy Roberts, a walk and a hit batter while striking out 14 to advance the Lady Warriors [45-3-1] to Thursday's 5 p.m. district final and next week's Region 4-AAA tournament.
Lebanon's Meghan surrendered two hits and two walks while striking out six as the Devilettes dropped to 28-14.
Siegel will take on Blackman at 5 p.m. today with the winner catching Lebanon in the loser's bracket final at 7 with that winner advancing to play Riverdale on Thursday and also qualifying for the regional.
Kelsey Choate singled in the Riverdale fourth and scored on a double steal.

Trousdale ousts Lady Saints
Trousdale County stayed alive in the District 8-A tournament Tuesday by ousting Mt. Juliet Christian 11-0 in five innings at Friendship Christian.
The Lady Jackets' Beth Rolin held Mt. Juliet Christian to one hit, a second-inning single by Leanna Sanders, struck out seven and walked none as the Lady Saints' season under first-year coach Emily Echols ended at 7-18.
Trousdale County will play at 2 p.m. today against the survivor of the Westmoreland-Gordonsville game.
Paige Hudson, who finished the year as the Lady Saints' pitcher after ace Courtney Harris went down with a back injury at midseason, allowed six hits and seven walks while striking out three and hitting one in four innings. Mt. Juliet Christian committed three errors.
Trousdale batters hit a home run and two triples.
Sports Editor Andy Reed can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 17 or by e-mail at andy.reed@lebanondemocrat.com.