Sports and Outdoors

Davin Miles tossed a three-hit complete game to pick up a 4-2 win on the mound for Marshall Medical Center over Nichirin in the Babe Ruth League finale Monday night at the Jonathan D. Hollingsworth Memorial Field in Lewisburg. Miles did not surrender an earned run while striking out five and walking three Nichirin batters.

A-Plus and Nichirin squared off in Friday night’s rainout makeup game and a close contest turned in to a late inning rout with A-Plus coming away with a 14-5 win. The highlight of the night was the first over the fence home run this season at the Jonathan D. Hollingsworth Memorial Babe Ruth Field in Lewisburg by 15-year old MVP Carson Cheek as the Elks’ regular was playing in a pickup role, along with his Elks’ teammate Kyrklinn Wunderlin.

Columbia State Community College hosted the 23rd Annual J.R. Moon Golf Classic, sponsored by Rogers Group, Inc., June 6 at the Saddle Creek Golf Club in Lewisburg. “Thanks to the players and volunteers, we enjoyed another successful J.R. Moon Tournament - even the rain did not dampen the overall enthusiasm,” said Bethany Lay, Columbia State vice president for advancement and executive director of the Columbia State Foundation. “Marshall County students benefit from the generosity of all involved.”

The Elks and A-Plus kicked off a Babe Ruth League doubleheader Monday night at the Jonathan D. Hollingsworth Memorial Babe Ruth Field in Lewisburg and they only got in five innings before heavy storms cancelled the rest of the action for the night.

NASHVILLE, TN – June 15, 2019 – Kippy Brown, David Cutcliffe, Charles Davis, Kara Lawson, Peyton Manning, George Taliaferro, Bob Tillman, Kimberly Anne Valek and Patrick Willis are now members of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Nearly 1,000 guests were in attendance for the 2019 Induction Ceremony June 15 at the Omni Hotel in Nashville.

The Marshall County Babe Ruth senior league Dusters entertained Giles County American Legion Post #60 Friday night for a doubleheader at Joe George Field in Lewisburg and they played to a split in a pair of five-inning, one-run ballgames. Giles County escaped with a 5-4 win in game one before the Dusters came back with a tough 2-1 win in the nightcap.

Just like during his career on the baseball diamond as a Rocket, 2007 Forrest alum Andy Burkett is ready to take the ball with the intention to face any challenge in front of him when he was recently hired as head baseball coach, taking over for his friend and mentor Bart Joyce, who resigned his post to spend more time with his family.

The Marshall County Babe Ruth League is hosting the 13-15 year-old Southeast Region Tournament for the first time in the league’s history. The tournament starts on July 24 and runs through July 29 at the Jonathan D. Hollingsworth Memorial Babe Ruth League Field in Lewisburg.

It was a cool, breezy day at the ballpark Monday afternoon as Marshall Medical Center (MMC) took on A-Plus Collision Center and Riley Durbin added to the chill, tossing a two-hit complete game on the hill as MMC took an 8-1 five inning, run-rule win. Durbin gave up zero earned runs while striking nine and walking two A-Plus batters.

Nichirin, coming off back-to-back wins over A-Plus took on the first place Elks in Monday’s second game of the Marshall County Babe Ruth League twin bill and took early lead before Elks’ ace Carson Cheek slammed the door shut in an 10-2 win. Cheek gave up a pair of first inning runs on doubles by Trey Warner and John Morgan Thomas plus an Elks error before allowing just two more hits the rest of the game.

Marshall Medical Center (MMC) got its revenge Tuesday night with a big 7-3 win over archrival Elks in the first game of Marshall County Babe Ruth League doubleheader at the Jonathan D. Hollingsworth Memorial Babe Ruth League Field in Lewisburg. It was the first loss of the season for the Elks (3-1) who had just five hits off two MMC pitchers and held a 3-0 second inning lead, but never scored again in the contest.

For the second night in a row, Nichirin and A-Plus squared off in the second game of the Babe Ruth League twin bill Tuesday and a big, six-run third inning propelled Nichirin to the sweep. Nichirin banged out 10 hits in the game to move to 2-2 on the season while A-Plus had five hits and fell to 1-3 for the campaign.

Nichirin and A-Plus Collision Center met in the nightcap of Monday night’s Marshall County Babe Ruth League twin bill and the two teams went the distance with Nichirin coming up with a 9-7 victory. A-Plus took an early 5-3 lead, but a big five-run, fifth inning pushed Nichirin over the top and they held on for their first win of the season. Nichirin only had four hits in the game with James Hery coming up huge with a 3-for-4 effort at the dish.

In another chapter from a long series, the Lewisburg Elks Lodge #1758 took on longtime rival Marshall Medical Center Monday at the Jonathan D. Hollingsworth Memorial Babe Ruth Field and like many of the battles that preceded, it was neck and neck with the Elks eking out a 4-3 win to remain unbeaten on the season at 3-0. Elks’ ace Carson Cheek picked up the win on the mound, going four innings to start the game and then returning to close it out for a save in the seventh inning.

A-Plus Collision Center avoided a bad wreck in the opening game Thursday night at the Jonathan D. Hollingsworth Memorial Babe Ruth Field in Lewisburg, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before hanging on for a an 6-5 win over Marshall Medical Center (MMC). Both teams had nine hits in the contest with Caleb McElhaney coming up with a 3-for-4 night for A-Plus and Riley Durbin matching that performance for MMC.

The second game of Thursday night’s Marshall County Babe Ruth League twin bill was a high scoring affair with the Elks coming away with a 10-9 win over Nichirin on an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Elks banged out 12 hits in the contest as Carson Cheek led the way with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate.

The Forrest Lady Rockets finished off a clean sweep of the Class 2A field at the Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championships with a gut wrenching 3-1 win over Lexington in the title game on Friday at Murfreesboro. “This feels amazing, I give the girls all the credit for this,” Forrest coach Shelby Stinnett said. “I’ve been coaching them I guess it feels like since they were in diapers.”

The Forrest Rockets (19-16-1) and the Covington Chargers (34-7) squared off in the TSSAA Class 2A Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championship title game at Reese Smith Jr. Field on the campus of MTSU with the Chargers winning the title via an 11-1 five-inning, run-rule win. It was the third state title for the Charger (1999, 2006) while the Rockets finished runnerup for the second time (2006-Class A).

With their backs to the wall, the Forrest Rockets met the Sequatchie Indians in the final loser’s bracket contest of the Class 2A Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championships at Smyrna High School on Thursday night. It was a win or go home proposition and the Rockets rode the arm of Ethan Mealer, some timely hitting, and were helped by sloppy fielding from the Indians in a big sixth inning that propelled the boys from Chapel Hill to a 4-2 win and a spot in the Class 2A title game on Friday at Middle Tennessee State University versus Covington.

Forrest faced the Sequatchie County Indians in the winner’s bracket finals during the Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championships 2A baseball Tournament at Smyrna on Thursday with a win sending the Rockets to the championship and loss meaning the two teams face off again for a chance to face Covington for the title at MTSU on Friday.

For the second night in a row, the Forrest Lady Rockets found themselves in a full blown tussle with a West Tennessee squad and for the second night in a row, Chapel Hill prevailed in dramatic fashion. Laura Mealer’s stunning leadoff home run in the top of the eighth inning of Thursday’s winner’s bracket final broke a 2-2 deadlock that led to a 3-2 win over Lexington and secured a spot in the driver’s seat of the Class 2A bracket at the Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championships in Murfreesboro.

The Forrest Rockets (18-14-1) squared off against the Loudon Redskins (24-10) in the second round of the Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championships on a warm and breezy afternoon in Smyrna. The Rockets, making their fifth appearance in the tournament and Loudon making their third, gave the crowd their money’s worth with great pitching and solid defense, but the boys from Chapel Hill came away with a 5-1 win.

The mark of any championship squad is its ability to stand in and go toe-to-toe for seven rounds and the Forrest Lady Rockets did that Wednesday night as they eked out a 2-1 win over Jackson South Side to stand as one of two unbeaten teams in Class 2A at the Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championships in Murfreesboro. “Man that was hard, it made my heart beat a little bit,” Forrest coach Shelby Stinnett said. “We knew coming in that this would be a hard game.”

The Forrest Lady Rockets continued their postseason hot streak Tuesday night versus Gibbs in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championships, run-ruling the 10-time state champion Lady Eagles 11-0. Kaitlin Leverette had a career night for the two-time state champs, driving in seven runs as the lefty hitting left fielder crushed a pair of home runs, including a walk off grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Forrest Rockets (17-14-1), veterans of the big dance faced first-timers Haywood High School on Tuesday in the first round of the Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championships. The Rockets were as hot as the afternoon temperature as they cruised to a 12-2 victory to move on to the second round versus Loudon (24-9), who shutout Sequatchie County 8-0.

The Forrest Rockets travelled to Sycamore Friday night for a Class 2A state sectional game with a berth in the Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championships at stake. The Rockets (16-14-1) took advantage of sloppy fielding by the War Eagles and their own timely hitting, plus some “Blue Moon” magic to come away with an 8-4 victory to claim their spot in a first round state tournament game on Tuesday versus Haywood (19-13-1) at Smyrna High School.

Forrest hosted Westmoreland Friday night in a Class 2A state sectional contest at the Field of Dreams in Chapel Hill and they dominated the Lady Eagles in the circle and at the plate, posting a 10-0 six inning, run-rule win to qualify for the Spring Fling XXVI Spring Sports Championships, beginning on Tuesday at Murfreesboro. “It feels good, I have said it all year we have a great group of girls and have a great coaching staff,” Forrest coach Shelby Stinnett said. “It feels good because I have coached a lot of these girls since that first time, coach-pitch, especially that starting bunch, so it feels good to have them all on the field.”

Revenge was sweet Wednesday night at the Field of Dreams in Chapel Hill as Forrest got payback on a Creek Wood Lady Red Hawks’ squad that knocked the Lady Rockets out of the postseason last year in a disappointing 6-5 home loss in the region tournament semifinals. “I just know last year, not going home with a good feeling was something they remembered,” Forrest coach Shelby Stinnett said. “We played them a lot in tournaments this year, so we knew a little bit of what they have and we felt pretty prepared coming in to this and what we were looking for.”

The Forrest Rockets (15-14-1) travelled to Nolensville (20-14) for the Region 6-AA Tournament title tilt Wednesday night with Forrest hoping to break a four-game losing streak to the Knights, but they were undone by strong pitching by the home team and costly errors to the tune of 8-2. The loss sends the Rockets on the road to face the Sycamore War Eagles in Cheatham County for Friday night’s state sectional round, needing a win to advance to the TSSAA Spring Fling XXVI Class AA Baseball Tournament in Murfreesboro next week.

The Region 6-AA Tournament semifinal lasted just three innings as the host Forrest Lady Rockets trounced Waverly 15-0 Monday night at the Field of Dreams in Chapel Hill to advance to the region final at home versus Creekwood tonight. “Coming off district we didn’t feel too good about it, so we really, really worked Sunday and today focusing on getting our sticks back going,” Forrest coach Shelby Stinnett said. “We know what we have and if they’ll just bring that every game, we are unstoppable.”

For the second season in a row, the Forrest Rockets made the long trek to Creek Wood and beat the Red Hawks in the Region 6-AA semifinals to advance to the title game Wednesday night at Nolensville with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. “Creek Wood is a very nice ballpark and it’s always fun to be playing in that elimination baseball,” Forrest coach Bart Joyce said. “It was a great atmosphere last night and our team came out firing on all cylinders.”

The Forrest Lady Rockets had won 23 straight games versus District 12-AA opponents coming in to Friday night’s district tournament title game at the Field of Dreams in Chapel Hill until the Giles County Lady Bobcats shocked Forrest 6-3. Unfortunately for Giles County, two wins was necessary to take the title back to Pulaski and the second game wasn’t even close as the Lady Rockets run-ruled the Lady Bobcats 17-2 in four innings of softball in the rain.

The District 8-A Tournament runner-up Cornersville Bulldogs (24-6-1) made the trip to the Music City to take on District 7-A Tournament champion Grace Christian School-Franklin at Trevecca-Nazarene University’s Jackson Field on Monday night. The Bulldogs played hard, but the solid pitching by GCA’s Austin Kasick and a fit of wildness by Bulldog pitcher Graham Duke was the difference as GCA came away with a 6-2 victory that ended the Bulldogs’ season. On a cool and windy evening the first pitch was delivered for a strike to Bulldog leadoff hitter Cameron Whitaker.

The Forrest Rockets were on the brink of elimination when they took on Giles County Tuesday night in the District 12-AA loser’s bracket final at Nolensville, but Chapel Hill ace Ethan Mealer took the mound and shutdown the Bobcats in a complete game, three-hit, 5-1 win. “They came out rolling and fought hard, it was a tight ballgame for several innings,” Forrest coach Bart Joyce said. “Mealer did a great job and kept us in a position to win the ballgame.”

After gutting out a 5-1 win over Giles County in the loser’s bracket final, the Forrest Rockets ran out of gas in the District 12-AA title game, falling to host Nolensville 9-2. “The second game didn’t quite turn out like we wanted it to, but the coaching staff is proud of how they fought and how they played,” Forrest coach Bart Joyce said.

The Cornersville Bulldogs, with a trip to the TSSAA Region 4-A baseball Tournament on the line, hosted the Moore County Raiders Tuesday in the District 8-A Tournament loser’s bracket final. The weather did its part with brilliant sunshine as the Bulldogs faced a must-win condition to continue their season. In the same scenario last season, the Raiders beat the Bulldogs 3-0, but things would be different this afternoon in Cornersville.

The finals of the District 8-A Tournament found the Cornersville Bulldogs facing the Eagles of Eagleville High School. After suffering an 11-2 loss to the Eagles on Friday, the Bulldogs needed to beat the Eagles twice to claim the district title.

The National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) is proud to announce the 2019 High School Academic All-Americans for the 2018-2019 school year. This marks the 26th year in which the NHSCA has honored those who triumph in and out of the classroom.

The Forrest Lady Rockets took care of business Monday night at the Field of Dreams in Chapel Hill as they came away with a 9-2 win over Giles County to advance to the District 12-AA title game on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Forrest. Giles County hosts Nolensville tonight in the loser's bracket final.

The Forrest Rockets took it to the limit Monday night at Nolensville in the District 12-AA winner’s bracket, falling late in a 4-3 loss to the host Knights. The Rockets scored one run in each of the first three innings, but could not push anymore runners across home plate in the final four innings. The Rockets left nine runners on base in the contest while the Knights stranded five.

The Forrest Lady Rockets (28-4) outscored their district opponents 120-17 during an undefeated 10-0 regular season and they continued the domination with a five-inning, 10-0 run-rule win over Murfreesboro Central Magnet School (MCM) in Friday night’s second round District 12-AA Tournament win at the Field of Dreams in Chapel Hill. “We definitely needed some momentum coming in, we played at the Coffee County Tournament last week against some high caliber teams in Baylor (5-1L) and Blackmon (6-3L), so coming in and getting our confidence back was a big step for us,” Forrest coach Shelby Stinnett said.

Thursday, May 2 At Murfreesboro Central Magnet School Marshall County 000 000 X-0 6 4 MCM 440 011 0-10 8 0

The fourth-ranked Cornersville Bulldogs (22-4-1) lived up to the billing in a 2-0 win over Cascade in District 8-A Tournament second-round action Thursday night at Cornersville. The top-seeded Bulldogs rode a two-hit gem on the mound by senior ace righty Graham Duke, who gave up two hits, struck out 12, and walked two Cascade batters in the shutout win by the hosts.