MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Tipton-Rosemark's seven-run third inning proved to be costly for Silverdale Baptist Academy as the Lady Rebels went on to defeat the Lady Seahawks 9-2 in a Division II-A softball state semifinal Tuesday on Starplex No. 3.
Earlier on the same field, Knoxville's Grace Christian Academy downed Chattanooga Christian School 9-1.
The Chattanooga-based district rivals will meet in an elimination game at 11 a.m. EDT today on the same field.
The Lady Seahawks played even with the Lady Rebels, minus the third inning.
"We made a couple of errors, they had a couple of hits," SBA coach Tim Couch said. "We hadn't been in that situation this year, and we didn't handle it well. We didn't hit the ball like we typically do. All that compiled and it gets to 5-, 6-0.
"We'll come back tomorrow and see what we're made of."
Savannah Turner went 2-for-2 for the Lady Seahawks, and Skylar Sheridan drove in the runs.
» Grace 9, CCS 1: Down 1-0, the Lady Chargers had a good scoring chance in the bottom of the fourth. Coach Lisa Gray, with runners on third and second and one out, signaled for a squeeze bunt with Rachel Kay at bat.
It looked as though CCS might benefit from a passed ball, but the ball barely nicked Kay's bat. As it played out, not only did the Lady Chargers not score that inning, Grace responded with five runs in the top of the fifth, capped by Sydney Feistner's grand slam.
"I think we had what we wanted," Gray said of the setup in the fourth. "I think everybody executed the way they were supposed to. Things just didn't go our way."
Gray said her team had a difficult time with Grace pitcher Hannah Cooper. CCS's run came on Kay's hit in the sixth.
"She mixed her speeds all night," Gray said of Cooper. "She never allowed us to know what was coming. When we don't hit, we're a different team. We just couldn't make the adjustment."
Madison Vandergriff was 2-for-4 and scored the Lady Chargers' run.
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.