Williams Baptist tops Lady Flames

Sixth-seeded Williams Baptist upset third-seeded Lee University 3-1 behind senior ptcher Karisa Hendrix in the NAIA Softball National Championship tournament Friday night in Columbus, Ga. Lee's Lady Flames (47-10), who got two singles from Dezirae Parsons and a fifth-inning RBI double from Dominique Hannah among their five hits, will face seventh-seeded Auburn-Montgomery in a losers-bracket game at 1 p.m. today. Williams got all three runs off Caroline MacAusland in the top of the fifth inning, but only one was earned. Felicia Woodard, who was 2-for-3, singled in the first run. Earlier Friday, Maddie Monroe from Calhoun (Ga.) High School, pitched eighth-seeded Reinhardt past No. 9 Saint Xavier, 3-0. The Lady Eagles are 44-7 and play top-seeded Concordia (Calif.) at 7 tonight.

• Hixson High School third baseman Breonna Elliott recently signed scholarship papers to attend and play softball for Miles College, an NCAA Division II school in Fairfield, Ala. "She's a disciplined hitter and a solid defensive player. Not many balls get by her," Hixson coach Jayme Putman said. "And I think MIles will be a good fit for her, both as an athlete and a student."

TRACK & FIELD

• Heritage High School sprinter Ketwun Burns signed scholarship papers Friday to join the track and field program at Tennessee Temple University. He won the Region 7-AAAA 100- and 200-meter championships and was part of two second-place relays in that meet. Active in Young Life, he was praised by Heritage officials for his character and leadership, and track coach Matt Burgess said that was a big reason he felt Burns was a great fit for Temple's fledgling program. Burns, also a running back in football, said he had planned to enroll at Dalton State but was quick to respond after Burgess had a conversation with Crusaders coach Emmanuel Awotula. "I found out it was a Christian school and a good school, and he gave me a scholarship," Burns said. "I'm excited." Said Awotula: "He's a winner, and he's going to help me build our program."

Soccer

• Awotula also is the women's soccer coach at Temple and began his visit Friday to Heritage High by signing sweeper Kansas Carpenter to a scholarship in that sport. Carpenter follows both parents and brother Grant to Temple, where Grant is on the men's scholarship team and "loves it," she said. "Before I kind of wrote off Temple," she said, noting that she had planned to attend Georgia Southern and maybe walk on for soccer. "But the day I was supposed to pay my housing allowance, I decided I didn't want to go there. About two or three weeks later I decided to go to Temple, where I could be close to home and still play soccer." Awotula said he had watched Carpenter for years, even having officiated some of her club games, and marveled that he was able to get her for his program. "She's a fantastic defender," he said. Heritage reached the state semifinals for the first time this year, and coach Stacy Dunfee said Carpenter was a major part of that success. "I've had her at sweeper since sixth grade, and her importance on defense and keeping us together, keeping us organized and cleaning up mistakes was huge. She had other options, but family is very big to her and I think she thinks this is God's path for her." Dunfee coached Carpenter for three years in middle school and the last two years at the high school.

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