Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Baylor senior Jay Dill delivers a pitch against McCallie. Dill is signed to play college baseball for Missouri.One day into this year's Spring Fling and the Chattanooga area already claimed state championships. Expect more today.
Signal Mountain's girls' track team won its third state title on Tuesday, led by the example of grit and determination by senior Briley Lowry, who helped the 4x400 and 4x200 relay teams finish second and third respectively and also competed in the 400 meters, was on the track just five months after suffering a torn ACL in the Lady Eagles soccer team's state championship victory.
It was the second torn ACL of her prep career and she competed while wearing a large brace on her knee.
"I had missed the state soccer tournament my junior year when I tore my other ACL and I was determined to not miss another state championship," said Lowry, who was the leading goal scorer as the soccer team won its third consecutive state title. "They told me it would be six to eight months before I could run again. I started competing four months after my surgery. I had to be back for this."
Junior Kara Wilson medaled in five state championship events for Signal Mountain. After finishing second in her first state pentathlon last week, Wilson finished second in the triple jump, third in the 200-meters, third in the 4x200 and seventh in the long jump. Senior Gracen Glover also won the 3200-meter run, while Brainerd's Montez Deloney, who earlier won the decathlon state title, set a personal-best in claimining first in the 300-meter hurdles.
McCallie's tennis team will look to defend its 2019 state title today and Baylor's girls are going for their 10th consecutive tennis crown. Signal Mountain's boys and Arts & Sciences girls will also play for team tennis titles today and the McCallie track team is the favorite to win the program's first state title since 1928 as the D-II meet gets going.
Takeaways from Tuesday
Rivalry showdowns looming
The Baylor and McCallie baseball teams will face off today at 1:30 in the Division II-AA winners bracket and that could be the first of several state tournament showdowns this week. The Raiders, who are going for their third consecutive state title, already own three wins over the Blue Tornado and the winner of today's game is guaranteed a spot in the championship series.
McCallie advanced Tuesday with a 5-2 win over Briarcrest, getting all its runs in the second inning. Austin Breedlove, Frank Zahrobsky and Kyle Berry all had RBI hits - with Zahrobsky's and Berry's being doubles - and Nicholas Mirabella scattered six hits over six innings, striking out five for the win.
Baylor cruised past Brentwood Academy 8-0 as Jay Dill allowed just three hits and struck out 14. Cooper Kinney, who earlier in the day was named Mr. Baseball, went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Henry Godbout was 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored and Vito Valincias was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
The Baylor and GPS softball teams begin their portion of the state tourney today, with Baylor playing Chattanooga Christian and GPS taking on St. Benedict. If both teams win, as expected, they would play in this evening's winners bracket at 6:30. The Lady Red Raiders - who are going for their sixth straight state title - and Bruisers have met in the championship game six consecutive seasons and nine of the last 10.
Two of the four soccer matches set for today involve Baylor and McCallie and wins by both teams would advance them into a championship matchup. The Red Raiders play Father Ryan at 5 and defending state champ McCallie, who has won two of the last three titles, opens against Christian Brothers, also at 5. The state championship match is Thursday at 5.
Phillips continues to dominate
After leading Red Bank back into the state tournament for the first time since 2005, senior ace Bailee Phillips was a big reason the team advanced into the Class AA winners bracket with a 6-2 win over Union County Tuesday. Phillips tossed a shutout until the sixth inning, scattering seven hits and striking out 13 before giving up one run in each of the last two innings. She also singled and scored in a three-run first inning that set the tone.
Zoe Helms was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, Hailey Hanks was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Hannah Brown had two RBIs and Whitley Gann was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Red Bank will face Lexington - a 12-2 winner Tuesday over Sequatchie County - in today's winners bracket at 6:30.
Small town, big dream
Although Sale Creek's softball team has become a state tournament regular, the Lady Panthers are still looking for their first championship. They're one step closer to making that happen after Tuesday's 5-2 win to open the Class A tournament.
With the game tied going into the fourth inning, the Lady Panthers pushed across four runs in the inning - doing most of the damage with two outs. After Alexis Rianes and Shelby Sullivan each singled with two outs, Alyssa Raines followed with a three-run home run over the centerfield fence.
Sullivan and Allison Smith each had an RBI for Sale Creek. Olivia Day made the lead hold up, allowing six hits and striking out four as the Lady Panthers - who finished runners-up in 2018 - advanced to today's winners bracket, where they will face Huntland at 6:30.
Burns helping Eagles soar
Having already helped Signal Mountain's golf team win a state title last fall, senior Benjamin Burns is now trying to do the same in soccer.
Burns, who scored a goal in Signal Mountain's sectional win, had not played soccer since middle school but was coaxed to come out by a couple of classmates on the team and was a big part of the backline that helped the Eagles shut out Madison Magnet Tuesday 5-0. Madison Magnet came into Tuesday ona 14-game winning streak and had been shut out only once all season.
Burns and the Eagles will face Gatlinburg-Pittman in today's semifinals at 2:30.
Tuesday's Spring Fling scoreboard
BASEBALL
Class A
Moore County 8, South Pittsburg 2
Class AA
Nolensville 4, Signal Mountain 1
Class AAA
Farragut 8, McMinn County 0
Division II-AA
McCallie 5, Briarcrest 2
Baylor 8, Brentwood Academy 0
SOCCER
Class A
Signal Mountain 2, Madison Magnet 0
Class AA
Dyersburg 1, Red Bank 0
Page 1, Howard 0
SOFTBALL
Class A
Sale Creek 5, Halls 2
Class AA
Red Bank 6, Union County 2
Lexington 12, Sequatchie County 2
Division II-A
Tipton-Rosemark 6, Silverdale Baptist 4
Wednesday's Spring Fling schedule
BASEBALL
Class A
South Pittsburg vs. South Fulton at Stewarts Creek, 11
Class AA
Signal Mountin vs. Ripley at Smyrna, 11
Class AAA
McMinn County vs. Clarksville at Oakland, 11
Division II-AA
Baylor vs. McCallie at Wilson Central, 1:30
SOCCER
Class A
Signal Mountain vs. Gatlinburg-Pittman on Field #10, 2:30
Division II-A
Boyd Buchanan vs. Franklin Grace on Field #7, 5:30
Division II-AA
Baylor vs. Father Ryan on Field #5, 5
McCallie vs. Christian Brothers on Field #6, 5
SOFTBALL
Class A
Sale Creek vs. Huntland at Starplex Field #4, 6:30
Class AA
Sequatchie County vs. Union County at Starplex Field #2, 12:30
Red Bank vs. Lexington at Starplex Field #2, 6:30
Division II-A
Silverdale Baptist vs. Jackson Christian at McKnight Field #3, 11
Division II-AA
GPS vs. St. Bendict at Starplex Field #3, 11
Baylor vs. Chattanooga Christian at Starplex Field #3, 12:30
BOYS' TENNIS
Small School
Signal Mountain vs. Merrol Hyde, 2:30
Division II-AA team
McCallie vs. MBA, 12:30
GIRLS' TENNIS
Small School team
Arts & Sciences vs. Summertown, 10
Division II-AA team
Baylor vs. Knox Catholic 10
TRACK & FIELD
Division II field events, 9:15
Division II running events, 5