Tim Hayes
BASEBALL
Region 1D
Rye Cove (11-10) at Council (0-7)
Today, 5 p.m.
The Skinny: Rye Cove clinched its regional bid with a dramatic 8-7, nine-inning win over archrival Twin Springs on Tuesday in the third-place game of the Cumberland District tournament. ... Rye Cove couldn't hold a 6-3 lead in the seventh inning, trailed 7-6 in the top of the ninth and scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to prevail as Will Rollins delivered the walk-off hit. ... Rye Cove recorded a 13-0 victory over Council on April 28 as Hagan Rhoton, Gabe Ramsey and Jake Osborne combined to strike out 10 in a no-hitter. Ramsey also went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in that game. ... The Cove advanced to the Region 1D semifinals last season, losing to Chilhowie in the semifinals. ... Council fielded a varsity baseball team for the first time since 2015. This marks the Cobras' first regional tourney appearance since 2012. ... The Cobras suffered a 38-18 loss to Twin Valley on Tuesday as they coughed up a 14-3 lead as three pitchers combined to issue 33 walks. Council has a team ERA of 44.37.
People are also reading... SWVA hoops legend Randy Poole passes away HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL: Less than three weeks after officially being appointed, Aaron Williams has stepped down as Rye Cove's coach HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: John Battle beats Abingdon for Mountain 7 tourney title, ends Falcons' lengthy win streak vs. league foes 2025 "PAPPY" THOMPSON AWARD WINNER: Tyler Barrett, Patrick Henry HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: Holston earns landmark win over Chilhowie in Hogo finals behind the pitching of Cobler; Honaker wins third-place game COLLEGE BASEBALL: Marion Hungry Mothers play first home game today at 6:30 p.m. HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: It'll be Richlands vs. Lebanon in SWD Finals HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: Eli Breeding provides relief as Lebanon gets walk-off win over Richlands in SWD tourney title game BRIEFS: Wise Central's Emmah McAmis earns another honor; Makenzie Wright (Ridgeview) to play volleyball at Concord; WEDNESDAY'S HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Tennessee High girls track team finishes third at state; Virginia High, Abingdon win district track titles; Twin Springs (baseball), Rye Cove (baseball), Fort Chiswell (softball) get district tourney wins THURSDAY'S HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Wise Central (girls soccer), George Wythe (girls soccer), Gate City (boys soccer), Lee High (softball) win district tourney titles; Plus much, much more HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD: Eastside and Patrick Henry takes Region 1D titles SUMMER LEAGUE BASEBALL: Marion Hungry Mothers drop home opener before large crowd SATURDAY'S HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Lebanon (softball), Graham (soccer) win SWD tourney titles; Greeneville gets TSSAA baseball crown HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: Bond, Hall help Eastside beat Burton in Cumberland tourney finals; Defending state champ Rye Cove falls to Twin Springs in third-place game
Up Next: The winner plays at Hogoheegee District champion Chilhowie on Friday in a quarterfinal clash.
SOFTBALL
Region 1C
George Wythe (7-12) at Eastern Montgomery (10-6)
Today, 5 p.m.
The Skinny: George Wythe makes the trip to Pioneer District champion Eastern Montgomery for a first-round clash. The Maroons lost to EM 3-2 in the first round of last year's Region 1C tournament. . ... Caroline Harris (.422, three home runs), Emma Faulkner (.385), Jadelyn Faulkner (.308) and freshman Morgan Layne (.308) are the top hitters for GW. Harris and Emma Faulkner played on GW's state title-winning girls basketball team. "Our team is playing really well right now," said George Wythe coach Amber Faulkner. "Our defense has been the reason why we've been successful in our games and we have had timely hitting." Two sets of sisters - Emma Faulkner and Jadelyn Faulkner, Morgan Layne and Ashley Layne - hold down spots 2-5 in George Wythe's batting order. ... Macie Akers (.608), Sammy Brein (.468) and Rena Chandler (.490) are the top hitters for Eastern Montgomery, while Mary Miller is the ace pitcher of the Mustangs.
Up Next: The winner plays Grayson County or Craig County in Monday's semifinals.
Region 1D
Twin Springs (15-7) at Council (9-9)
Today, 5 p.m.
The Skinny: Twin Springs has one of the area's top guns in junior pitcher Makenzie Gillenwater, who has amassed 209 strikeouts this season to go along with a 1.360 ERA. She is also among Region 1D's best sluggers as proven by her .439 batting average and .562 on-base percentage. ... Senior catcher Aubrey Meade (.413, five home runs), freshman Jayde Tomlinson (.388), junior Sarah Davidson (.371, 17 RBIs) and freshman Emma Ross (.343, 14 stolen bases) are also having productive seasons for Twin Springs. ... Council is in the Region 1D tournament for a second straight year after not fielding a varsity softball team from 2020-2023. "My experienced girls have continued to grow and the newcomers are learning each day," said Council coach Samantha Tiller Ferguson. "There were hiccups and slumps but that's to be expected. I think pushing forward with a total school enrollment as low as ours has forced us to be resourceful and flexible and I'm proud of that. I saw a lot of growth and good things this year and as always we are hopeful to continue to expand on that." ... Bailey Keen (.596 20 RBIs) and Ava Rose (.476, 19 RBIs, 12 stolen bases) are the top hitters with Candace Runyon as the team's ace pitcher. ... Council finished third in the Black Diamond District tournament after dropping a back-and-forth decision to Hurley in the semifinals. "In the district tournament we struggled defensively," Ferguson said. "We hit the ball well but it wasn't enough to make up for a few mistakes in the field. Overall, there was a lot of good, and we'll continue to build on that."
Up Next: The winner plays at Hogoheegee District regular-season champion Chilhowie in Friday's quarterfinals.
BOYS SOCCER
Region 1C
George Wythe (11-6-1) at Narrows
Today, 5:30 p.m.
The Skinny: Mason Tate is having a magnificent season for George Wythe and has scored a single-season program record 36 goals. He found the back of the net eight times in a win over Grayson County earlier this month. ... Goalkeeper Malachi Braxton is a King University signee and has made 71 saves, while Rylan Anderson-Jernigan has amassed 12 goals and 10 assists this season. The Maroons have outscored the opposition 74-34 this season. "Our season started off slow, but we have finished the year strong," said George Wythe coach Kyle Alley. "I believe we are finding our form at the right time, and I believe this team has everything needed to make a deep playoff run." ... GW finished third in the Mountain Empire District tournament after losing to Galax in the semifinals. "In the district tournament, I saw from my team what I have noticed all year," Alley said. "When we play as a unit, we can beat anyone that we play, but we are capable of losing to teams when we do not execute our game plan." ... This is the first time the Maroons have won more than 10 games in a season since 2021. ... Alley is not taking the Narrows Green Wave for granted. "This is the best Narrows side that I have seen in a long time," Alley said. "They made this district championship game and finished as runners-up in the Pioneer District. They also have a great forward, Nicholas Thompson, that could be dangerous in the match. However, I think we match up well with them, and hopefully, we can pick up a good result on Wednesday."
Up Next: The winner plays either Auburn or Giles in Monday's regional semifinals.
Region 1D
Rural Retreat (0-16) at Honaker (9-6)
Today, 7 p.m.
The Skinny: This marks the third time in 10 days these teams have met. Honaker beat the Indians 4-0 on May 19 and 3-2 on May 21. ... Honaker reached the state semifinals last season. "Our season has been challenging, with multiple players missing several games due to injury," said Honaker coach Wilburn Johnson. "We lost several veteran starters from last year's state semifinals team, including our goalkeeper, the entire back line, and one forward. At the beginning of the season, we had several new faces on the team. Some of the returning players had to step into starting roles, some at new positions. As I told them at the beginning of the year, it is not where we start but where we finish. I'm very proud of our team winning the Hogoheegee District regular season title." ... Jaxon Dye and Thomas Ball are the leading goal scorers for Honaker. Eric Ball, Lincoln Combs and Brayden Marsh are also top players for the Tigers. ... Talan Hammack and Samuel Rodriguez have scored three goals apiece for Rural Retreat. Nicolai Breninger and goalkeeper Joshua Sawyers have also performed well. Hammack placed hird in the 1,600 at last week's Region 1D track and field championships. "We are a young inexperienced team with only four starters back and seven returning players," said Rural Retreat coach Jeremy Stepp. "Our new assistant coach, Dalton Arnold, has come in and really helped this team progress each day."
Up Next: The winner plays either Patrick Henry or Holston in Monday's regional title match.
GIRLS SOCCER
Region 1C/1D
Fort Chiswell (1-11-3) at Honaker (6-5-1)
Today, 5:30 p.m.
The Skinny: After experiencing the best season in program history in 2024 that included a trip to the state semifinals in Salem, Honaker will attempt to put on an encore playoff performance. ... Returning all-state players in Julia Barton, Kiley Musick and goalkeeper McKenzie Lowe have led the way for a team also featuring some new faces "This season has been one of rebuilding," said Honaker coach Alicia Musick. "We've had to completely rebuild a defensive line, shift people into new positions, and train our young players. I'm proud of how far we have come, and I hope we continue to progress in the regional tournament." ... Since Honaker is the only Region 1D school that fields a girls soccer team, the Tigers are lumped in with Region 1C teams come regional tournament time. "We actually are at a disadvantage because we do not have a district, so my girls have had a lot of time between their last game and now," Musick said. "We've been doing a lot of conditioning and even an alumni scrimmage to try to stay in shape for games." ... Lowe holds the program's career record for saves and Barton is closing on the career record for goals. Barton has 17 goals this season. ... Fort Chiswell's only win came against Galax and not much is known about the Pioneers.
Up Next: The winner plays either Auburn or Galax in a state quarterfinal match on a date yet to be determined.
Giles (10-6) at George Wythe (11-4-2)
Today, 5:30 p.m.
The Skinny: This should be a very competitive match as the two teams split their previous two meetings in 2025. ... GW won the Mountain Empire District tournament by recording wins over Galax (7-1), Giles (4-2) and Auburn (4-1). The Maroons have won eight straight matches. ... Keep in mind the team started the season 1-3-1. "I would sum up our season with the word resilient," said GW coach Nathan Cline. "We've lost two multi-season starters through season-ending injuries and other factors, but it has only seemed to bring the team closer together. It's been amazing to see this team come together. It truly has been a great season." .... Senior Abby Berry (17 goals), sophomore June Morrison (eight goals, eight assists) and senior Hannah Repass (nine goals, six assists) have been the catalysts for the Maroons. Berry was the only senior on George Wythe's girls basketball team that won the VHSL Class 1 state title. ... Senior Addy Courtney, junior Kailey Mullins, freshman Savannah Hodges (six goals), senior Katie Repass and senior Carrie Sage Dalton are also key contributors for GW. ... Giles is led by Kerrigan Mitcham, who has scored more than 100 career goals. "I respect Giles almost more than any other opponent we play," Cline said. "They play so hard. They get in front of every ball and they're patient. They try to play the right way. They can shoot, pass, hold possession - they're a good team and coached well."
Up Next: The winner plays either Bath County or Bland County in a state quarterfinal match on a date yet to be determined.
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