FCS' Fry fires shutout vs. Midway

MURFREESBORO — Fifteen hours after a disappointing loss, Friendship Christian was back at it at Starplex and the Lady Commanders began their run through the Class A loser's bracket with an 8-0 win over Midway.
"We came out hitting the ball hard today," Friendship coach Erica Powell said after her Lady Commanders cracked 12 hits in improving to 36-10. "We came out ready to play today because we want to make it to the championship game."
That road through the loser's bracket continues at noon today when Friendship faces Whitwell with the winner playing again at 5 p.m. today. The remaining Class A games will be played at Starplex No. 4.
After playing first base and pitching in relief the previous three games, Carrie Fry was firing away from the circle, holding the Green Wave to three hits and three walks while notching nine strikeouts.
"She did really well today," Powell said of Fry, the school's valedictorian who graduated Sunday. "Her curve ball wasn't working, but she threw very hard. She was well rested.
"She threw a lot of fastballs and they couldn't catch up with it. Her movement was really good."
Fry helped her cause with two RBI, including a run-scoring triple in the second inning for Friendship's first run. She scored on Shelby McDonald's single.
Jessi Couch cracked a two-run double in the fifth. Hailey Rutledge added an RBI single and Kenzie Dye a run-scoring groundout.

Riverdale bumps Lady Bears into loser's bracket; MJ faces Brentwood at noon today
MURFREESBORO — Entering the Class AAA State Softball Tournament, four teams – Mt. Juliet, Soddy-Daisy, Brentwood and Riverdale – appeared to be the top contenders for a championship.
The Lady Bears tangled with Riverdale on Wednesday and lost 4-1 at McKnight.
Facing a Lady Warrior team Mt. Juliet had gone 2-1 against during the regular season, the Lady Bears had three hits and struck out 15 times against Cat Hosfield.
"We didn't put the ball in play like we had the last few times we played them," Mt. Juliet coach Kacey Pedigo said after her Lady Bears fell into the loser's bracket with a 44-10 record. "Cat threw well today and we weren't at our best today for whatever reason."
Now, the Lady Bears face Brentwood, which lost its first-round game to defending champion Soddy-Daisy 4-2 Wednesday morning and stayed alive with a 7-2 elimination of Collierville, at noon today with the winner advancing to play again at 5 p.m.
"Hopefully, we'll come out ready to hit [today] against Brentwood," Pedigo said. "Unfortunately, one of us will have to go home and I hope it's not us."
Riverdale, which faces last night's Soddy Daisy-Powell winner in tonight's 7 p.m. winner's bracket final with a 49-4-1 record, scored two runs in the fourth and matched it in the fifth against Kenzie Roark, who allowed seven hits while striking out nine.
Jessica Ayers hit a two-run double down the left-field line in the fourth inning. Jessica Whitens whacked an RBI double and Hosfield a run-scoring single in the fifth.
Caroline Mason, who hit two home runs off Hosfield in the Lady Bears' 3-2 win nearly a month ago, had two hits this time, including her 18th homer of the season in the sixth inning. Britney Young singled for Mt. Juliet's third hit.