Grace Academy

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- It was fitting in a high school softball state final in which defense carried the day that a diving catch clinched Grace Academy's 3-2 Class A win over Decatur County Riverside.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Grace Academy, the Class A runner-up each of the last two high school softball seasons, in the last two days paid back both teams that defeated them in those finals. But the Lady Golden Eagles need one more victory to claim the first championship in the program's history.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- It took 17 innings Thursday, almost in succession, but Grace Academy worked its way into the losers-bracket final in the TSSAA Class A state softball tournament at Starplex No. 4.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — If East Hamilton in Class AA or Grace Academy or Silverdale Baptist in Class A is going to win a TSSAA state softball championship, it will have to come all the way through their losers bracket.

Many high school softball teams are fortunate if they have enough power hitters to fill the Nos. 3 through 5 spots in the batting order. In Baylor's case, the heart of its order extends through No. 7.

Whitwell didn't mean for Kathleen Sledge's tiebreaking, two-run triple in the sixth inning of Tuesday's Region 3-A high school softball semifinal to serve as a wake-up call for host Grace Academy, but that's what happened.

Grace Academy has won the last six District 5-A regular-season high school softball championships and had five district-tournament titles to go with them coming into Thursday's game against Silverdale Baptist Academy.

CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The mood was very relaxed in the District 5-A/AA tennis singles final between Stephen Record and Blake Savard.

Arts & Sciences overcame several errors in its District 5-A high school softball game Thursday at Grace Academy -- just not enough of them.

While his college athletic future likely is in basketball, Corey Nelson knew he had to get back on the football field.

Virtually as soon as Lacye Walker could sign scholarship papers with Chattanooga State, she did.

The Associated Press' Top 10 teams in each of Tennessee's six Division I non-financial aid classifications and in the combined Division II financial aid classification as selected by Tennessee AP-member sportswriters and broadcasters.