Marion County received a powerful punch at the plate from junior Emma Crisp and never trailed in Friday's 13-9 softball victory at Chattanooga Christian School.
After failing to score more than three runs in three of their first four games this season, the Lady Warriors topped that margin in the third inning when Crisp hit a line-drive home run over the fence in center field for an early 4-0 lead.
Crisp drove in six runs for Marion County (3-2), and sophomore Jana Peacock began the game with a leadoff triple and later doubled to help jump start a four-run fifth. Desi Mance drove in three runs and was one of four Lady Warriors with multiple hits.
"We have been waiting for our bats to click and for our hits to fall," Marion County coach Sarah Ziegler said. "This was a solid win for us, and our girls really drove the ball through the gaps and worked at the plate.
"Emma is a leader on this team. She is a junior and plays like she is a senior. She is loud and vocal, and her teammates look to her when they are on the field. She is a very consistent hitter and is a threat to really punish the ball any time she is up to bat."
Nyla Halfacre stood out for CCS with a pair of hits. She also turned a sharp 5-1-3 double play in the field and stretched out to make a grab on a hard hit down the third-base line. Hannah Blevins and Hannah Smith each had a pair of RBIs, and Autumn Hughes homered.
The Lady Chargers fought back several times, but the Lady Warriors held firm as Grace Slatton battled to pitch a complete game.
McMinn County 6, Sweetwater 5 (8 innings): The Lady Cherokees had 11 hits and Reagan Wade drove in the winning run in the extra inning to complete her three-hit performance.
BASEBALL
Silverdale Baptist 10, CCS 3: Brett Rogers went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles, and Turner Junkins drove in three runs for the Seahawks (8-0). Brody Lamb picked up the win, striking out nine batters in five innings of two-hit, one-run ball. The Chargers smacked two home runs in the defeat.
McCallie 17, South Pittsburg 0: Sebastian Leinberger had two hits and drove in three runs for the Blue Tornado, whose patience at the plate resulted in 10 free bases. Grayson Smith allowed two hits in five innings and struck out nine batters.
McCallie 9, Shelbyville Central 0: Olin Johnson was brilliant as the Blue Tornado starter struck out eight batters and forced six groundouts while working five innings, and Nate Jackson finished the no-hitter. Hogan Jones had two hits and drove in a pair of runs, and Nolan Sergeant stole two bases and had a pair of RBIs.
Trion 14-17, Drew Charter 0-0: Brandon Dover and Jase Mason pitched dual no-hitters for Trion. Mason fanned 10 in five innings in game one, with Brantley Willbanks and Cayden Watson each driving in three runs. Dover went four innings with eight strikeouts in game two, with Kade Smith and Jackson Morrison each getting two hits and combining to drive in seven runs for the Bulldogs (10-5, 5-1 GHSA Region 6-A public).
Calhoun 18-13, Hiram 1-3: Andon Lewis went 6-for-7 and drove in eight runs to lead Calhoun (13-3, 3-1 Region 6-AAAAA) to the doubleheader sweep. The Yellow Jackets got two hits each from Cooper Evans and Isaac Green.
Ringgold 15, LaFayette 2: An 11-run first inning was more than enough as the Tigers (8-9, 5-1 Region 6-AAA) won their fifth consecutive region game. Ross Norman had two hits, one a triple, and drove in five runs, with Ty Gilbert adding two hits and two RBIs and Brady Herman collecting two RBIs.
Cedartown 7-9, Northwest Whitfield 1-0: The Bulldogs (11-6, 7-2 Region 7-AAAA), after losing game one of the series, swept Friday's doubleheader as Xavier Holiday and M.J. Holiday combined to limit the Bruins to six hits while striking out 13 batters.
Dade County 1-3, Fannin County 0-13: Brodie Swader pitched a one-hitter with 13 strikeouts in game one for the Wolverines, with Eli Kimball going 2-for-3 and Mason Gatlin driving in the winning run with a two-out single in the seventh inning. Swader had two hits and Landon Williams drove in two runs in the game two loss for Dade County (8-9, 1-5 Region 7-AA).
Rockmart 2, Coahulla Creek 0: Rockmart completed a Region 6-AAA sweep as Trevor Caldwell pitched a two-hitter with 13 strikeouts.
SOCCER
Baylor 1, Vestavia Hills 0: In the final minute of regulation, Gui Gragnano scored off a find from Phelipe Spielman to lift the Red Raiders to victory. Zach Ubamadu was brilliant with eight saves, and Jake Kellerhals, Mac Hickman, Eric Fossen, Aleksi Peltonen and David Mitchell helped Baylor improve to 7-0. The Red Raiders beat East Hamilton 3-0 on Thursday night, with Gragnano fielding a hat trick in the first 30 minutes.
Roundup reports compiled by Patrick MacCoon and Lindsey Young. Contact them at sports@timesfreepress.com.