Sequatchie County's baseball team started its season with a blast.
In front of a large home crowd which weathered heavy rains at times, the Indians slugged four home runs in a 19-6 victory over Whitwell. Anthony Wright launched a pair of homers and drove in four runs, while Ethan Seals went 4-for-4 with two stolen bases.
Boddie Terry picked up the win on the mound and also homered along with Logan Potts. Tyler Lynn had a three-hit performance for the Indians, who finished as the Class AA state runner-up in 2019.
Cy Young had two hits for Whitwell.
Hixson 10, Central 0: Nico Castro threw a 2-hit shutout over five innings, while Kane Johnson went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs. Manny Velazquez, Anthony Wild and Bradley Dossett each had two hits and accounted for five runs scored.
Silverdale Baptist 5, Boyd Buchanan 1: Turner Junkins threw six shutout innings without a walk, striking out six, and also hit a solo home run. Brett Rogers had a pair of hits and RBIs for the Seahawks.
East Hamilton 4, Rhea County 3: The Hurricanes scored three runs in the top of the sixth for the win. Austin Wolcott had two hits and an RBI for East Hamilton whose Jase Phillips got the win with Brayden Jasper earning a save. Rhea County's Keaton Ray went 2-for-2 with a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh, but was stranded at third. Rex Pendegrass had two hits for the Golden Eagles.
Walker Valley 5, McMinn County 2: The Mustangs jumped on the Cherokees for four runs in the bottom of the first. Logan Wallace drove in two runs while Ben Smith was sharp on the mound. Smith allowed two earned runs over 6 1/3 innings in which he struck out eight.
South Pittsburg 5, Grundy County 3: A four-run sixth inning helped the host Pirates rally. Ryan Cagle allowed just one hit and struck out eight for the win, Jackson Lewis drove in two runs and Reece Genter added a solo homer.
Cartersville 7, Calhoun 0: The Hurricanes (9-4, 4-1 in Region 7-AAAAA) won the series opener over the Yellow Jackets (6-5, 1-3) as Micah Earwood pitched a two-hit, 13-strikeout shutout and Curt Bonner went 3-for-5. Calhoun starter Hagan Banks did not allow an earned run and gave up two hits while striking out nine in four innings. The Jackets committed five errors, leading to six unearned runs.
Heritage 9, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 5: The Generals (10-2) won the nonregion game against their Catoosa County rivals as Brady Chandler was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Caden Snyder 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and Landon Skeen drove in a pair of runs. Zach Barrett earned the pitching win after going six innings and allowing two runs on four hits, with Garrison May getting the save with a perfect two-thirds of an inning. Will Carroll hit two home runs and drove in four runs for the Warriors, with Nyko Simpson adding two hits, an RBI and run scored.
Staff Photo by Matt Hamilton / Teammates (5) Nick Kurtz and (8) Cooper Kinney greet (32) Vito Valincius as he crosses the plate after hitting his second home run at Baylor on Monday, March 15, 2021. Dade County 7, Coosa 2: The Wolverines (3-7, 1-0) won their Region 7-AA opener while handing Coosa (6-7, 3-1) its first league loss. Brett Kay scattered five hits and allowed two earned runs while striking out seven in five innings to get the pitching win while also knocking in two runs. Brayden Nethery was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Landon Williams drove in a pair for Dade.
SOFTBALL
Walker Valley 7, Red Bank 3: The Lady Mustangs plated five runs in the top of the sixth to spark Monday's road victory. Michele Benson and Kiarra Nicholes hit home runs while Hailey Leslie picked up the win and struck out 15. Red Bank was led by Bailey Phillips who had two hits and struck out 12, while Lexie Wright went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
Bledsoe County 12, Whitwell 7: Kamry Holland had three hits and a home run while Caylin Swafford reached base all five times and tripled in the victory. Bledsoe County's Madelynn Dodson also homered.
SOCCER
Soddy-Daisy 3, Grace Academy 0: The Trojans were led by Chandler Hartman who scored twice. Soddy-Daisy fired 10 shots and played stellar defense.
TENNIS
McCallie shutout Greater Atlanta Christian, 7-0, to begin the season. The Blue Tornado doubles duos of Andreas Silaste-Charlie Park and Gabe Getz-Henry Imorde were dominant, while No. 1 singles player Will Leathers had an impressive comeback victory.
Notre Dame beat Red Bank, 5-2, in both boys and girls action. CJ Petrin won an 8-2 singles matchup, while Red Bank's Vraj Patel won 8-4 in singles and also won 8-3 in doubles with partner Chandler McDowell. The Lady Irish were led by Savina Jones, Hannah Widerkehr, Hannah Cassell and Beth Voges.
Staff Photo by Matt Hamilton / Baylor (6) Gaston Carmichael comes in to pitch at Baylor on Monday, March 15, 2021.