Lady Waves headed to the 'boro

Sectional Championship: Lady Waves at Unaka

ELIZABETHTON - The Midway Lady Waves traveled to Elizabethton on Friday night. It could have very well been the last game for the five senior members of the team. The Lady Green were scheduled to face a Unaka Lady Ranger team that had manhandled every team in its region this year. The Lady Rangers were sporting a 25-4 record and had allowed no runs in their District and Region Championship games. They were also looking to avenge a nasty 1-0, nine inning loss to the Lady Waves in last year's Sectional game. Midway was coming off a stinging 1-0 loss in Wednesday's Region Final against Coalfield. After all the injuries, would the Green still have enough left to earn a fourth straight trip to the State Tournament? Several nervous fans piled out at Unaka High after a long, three hour drive to the top of the state. All of them knew it would be tough to go into hostile territory and come out on top with the win and the berth to Murfreesboro.

Before the game, several of the Midway Seniors stated that they wanted to jump on this team quick and not let up. But most of the Green fans just wanted to survive and advance. What the girls had said would prove poetic. The Lady Waves' first batter, Krystal Rue, blasted a line drive at the Unaka shortstop. The young lady made a heck of a catch, but Rue had made a statement to the Unaka team. That statement was, "We are going to hit this ball, you'd better be ready to make some plays." Alex Coffman slapped safe on her first at bat, and Hannah Colyer blasted a shot to left center that scored Coffman. Midway jumped ahead quicker than the Head Coaches former Laguna and had an early 1-0 lead. Unaka would put two runners on in the bottom of the first inning, but a pop out to catcher Rue, a strikeout by Colyer, and a ground out to "Cannon Arm" Coffman would get Midway out of trouble.

In the second, center fielder Paige Moree led off with a walk. Third baseman Hali Morris smacked a nice single over the shortstop's head, then right fielder Dee Borum put the ball in play to score Moree. Borum would be thrown out at first on the fielder's choice play. Senior catcher Rue would come up big once again, with a single to left to score Morris. That extended the Midway lead to 3-0. After a walk and an error put two Unaka runners on base, Colyer would end that threat herself with three strikeouts.

In the third, the Lady Waves were not letting up. Senior Kati Alexander would score from first base when Moree drove the ball to right center for a stand-up triple. Moree then stole home on an attempted pick-off play by Unaka. Midway led 5-0. The bottom of the third was a whole lot like the bottom of the second. A walk and a single put two on, but Colyer would again close the door with three more strikeouts.

The fourth inning started with a walk by Borum. A hard shot by left fielder Hayley Patterson moved Borum to second. Patterson was thrown out at first on a great play by Unaka. Then, once again, Krystal Rue laid back and drove a change-up pitch to left field to score Borum. Coffman drew a walk, and Kati Alexander singled to score two more Midway runs. Narramore walked, but was left stranded. Midway had added to their lead, which now stood at 8-0. Two strikeouts and a ground out to Narramore at second would end the fourth.

A light rain had begun to fall, but was never hard enough to stop the game. Midway went in order in the fifth, with two pop outs and a ground out. The Lady Rangers would make a run in the fifth that put a slight scare into the Green faithful. Unaka loaded the bases, and then scored three runs before the Lady Waves could get straightened out. But that was all the Lady Rangers could muster.

The Green team added two more insurance runs in the sixth, after singles by Rue and Colyer, Moree came alive again with a two-RBI single. This extended the Midway lead to 10-3. That would be the final score.

For the fourth year in a row, the Midway Lady Waves are Sectional Champions and, in this writer's opinion, the best Single A fast pitch softball team in East Tennessee. Once again, pitcher Hannah Colyer was dominating. Senior Krystal Rue (3-4, 2 RBIs) continues to impress at bat and at catcher. Sophomore Paige Moree had the game of a lifetime, going 2-3, with a walk and 4 RBIs. Midway will now face off against Forrest in the opening round of the State Tournament on Tuesday at 6pm (est)/5pm (cst).

Coal Miners Daughters Get Revenge

Region Championship: Lady Waves at Coalfield

COALFIELD - A fourth consecutive Region Title for the Lady Waves was not to be. Midway came up one run short at Coalfield on Wednesday. The 1-0 loss ended the Lady Waves' three year reign atop Region 2A.

Coalfield placed a runner on base in the bottom of the fourth inning, after the #3 batter in the order was slightly grazed by a pitch. That runner would steal second in a close throw down play to shortstop Alex Coffman. The #4 batter then singled up the middle to score the runner from second. That gave Coalfield the only run it would need. Midway did hit the ball much better than in the previous game with Coalfield, even though that game turned out to be a 1-0 victory for the Lady Waves.

Midway would leave runners stranded in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. In the seventh, Midway opened the inning with a Paige Moree single, followed by a Hali Morris single. With runners on first and second, and no outs, the Lady Waves' fans had some hope. That hope was squashed after a strikeout, a pop up, and another strikeout would end the game and the Championship run.

Both teams played hard and both deserved to win. The Green defense did not give up one error. Midway pitcher Hannah Colyer pitched a beautiful game, but could not get the run support she needed to get the win. Lady Wave first baseman Kati Alexander looked sharp on several plays at first base. Shortstop Alex Coffman's slap hit in the top of the fourth inning was a Lady Vol moment. Once again, Krystal "Put Me in Anywhere Coach" Rue exceeded all expectations with a great performance at the catcher position.

The Lady Waves will now have to go to Unaka and get a win to continue their streak of four straight State Tournament trips. The game will be played on Friday. Game time is yet to be announced.

Lady Waves defeat Oliver Springs

On Monday evening, the Lady Waves started the Regional round of the playoffs with a decisive win over the Oliver Springs Lady Bobcats. Despite a recent rash of injuries, Midway jumped out to a strong start, and they never looked back.

In the first inning, the Bobcats' lead-off batter attempted a bunt, but it was cleanly fielded by freshman third baseman Hali Morris. Morris threw to Kati Alexander for the first out of the game. Senior pitcher Hannah Colyer recorded the second out, when she threw what would be the first of many strikeouts in this game. Oliver Springs did manage one hit in the inning, but the Lady Waves quickly recovered. Colyer caused the next batter to hit a grounder back to her, and then threw to first for the out. Midway got off to a good start in the bottom of the first, when catcher Krystal Rue singled to lead off. Alex Coffman, injured and playing shortstop, became a slap hitter for this game. Coffman proved she can hit from either side of the plate, as she slapped a change-up to reach base and move Rue over to second. Colyer came up next and lined a shot to center field. The ball was caught for an out, but Rue was able to tag up and run to third base. After Coffman stole second, Kati Alexander reached base on a fielder's choice play. Oliver Springs attempted to get Rue coming home, but Rue was able to avoid the tag and score. That would prove to be the only run the Lady Waves would need. Second baseman Taylor Narramore came up next and added some insurance, though. Narramore hit a big single that brought Coffman and Alexander safely home. At the end of the first inning, Midway led, 3-0.

Colyer had warmed up by the time the top of the second came around. Three batters, three strikeouts. In the bottom of the inning, freshman outfielder Danielle Borum burned the Oliver Springs defense with a big shot to left center field. The ball landed just short of the warning track, and Borum got a double out of it. Borum moved to third on a Midway out, and Rue got her second hit of the contest to score Borum. After two innings, the Lady Waves held a 4-0 lead.

In the top of the third, it was once again three straight strikeouts for Colyer. By this time, most in attendance realized that Midway had this game well in hand. In the bottom of the third inning, Narramore got another hit when she drove the ball hard up the middle of the field. Outfielder Paige Moree hit a double over the head of the Oliver Springs left fielder, and Narramore moved to third. After a walk by Morris, Borum hit another monster blast to left field. The left fielder went way back to catch the ball, which otherwise would have hit the outfield fence. It was a sacrifice RBI for Borum, because Narramore tagged up and went home on the play. After three, it was 5-0, Lady Waves.

Oliver Springs showed a spark of offense in the top of the fourth. After Colyer's seventh consecutive strikeout, the Lady Bobcats managed a double and a single. Colyer quickly recovered to strike out the next two batters. Krystal Rue hit another hard single to start the bottom of the frame, then stole second base. A hit by Colyer moved Rue to third. Then, Kati Alexander hit into another fielder's choice, which resulted in another score by Rue. Moree reached base on an Oliver Springs error, which also resulted in a run by Kayla Roberts, who was running for Colyer. After four innings, Midway led, 7-0.

In the fifth, two Bobcat batters reached base on two Midway errors. The Lady Waves also showed some fine defensive play in the inning, though. For the first out of the inning, Rue made a nice throw to Morris, who tagged out an Oliver Springs runner trying to steal third base. Colyer fielded another bunt and threw to Narramore for the second out. Another Colyer strikeout ended the Oliver Springs threat. After Borum and Ashley Alexander walked in the bottom of the fifth, Rue smoked her fourth hit of the game down the third base line to score Borum. Alexander made it to third base, and Rue got to second. That extended Midway's lead to 8-0, after five innings.

An Oliver Springs single and a Midway error put two more runners on in the top of the sixth, but three more Colyer strikeouts kept the Lady Bobcats off the score board. No Lady Waves reached base in the bottom of the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Oliver Springs went down in order. Another Colyer strikeout and a pop-out to Morris put two outs on the Lady Bobcats. Then, Colyer tossed one more strikeout to end this one with emphasis. Final: Midway 8, Oliver Springs 0.

Colyer was once again fantastic. Living up to her reputation, she threw for 16 strikeouts and no walks, giving up only four hits. Beset by injuries, the Lady Waves pulled together as a team and overcame a few errors to shut out Oliver Springs. The Midway girls also scored eight runs on a very good pitcher. Top performers at the plate included Krystal Rue (an amazing 4-4, 2RBIs), Taylor Narramore (2-4, 2 RBIs), and Danielle Borum (1-2, RBI).

The Lady Waves will now play for their fourth straight Region Championship. The Midway girls will have to go through the Coalfield Lady Jackets to get it. The last two meetings between these teams have been at Midway. Last year, the Lady Waves captured the Region trophy by defeating Coalfield, 3-0. Less than two weeks ago, Midway won a 1-0 thriller over the Lady Jackets. For this year's Championship, the Lady Waves will have to travel to Coalfield. The game is set for 5:30 PM on Wednesday.

Lady Waves Win District Title

Waves Crush Grace, Colyer Bedevils Harriman for district tournament title

Girls District Softball Tournament
Midway at Grace Christian Academy
Karns, Tennessee

Coach Robert Lee Viar’s Midway Lady Waves opened and closed district tournament play on Tuesday night with a pair of victories to deliver another district championship to the Waves short-in-existence but much decorated softball program. Due to heavy rains on Monday, the tournament was shortened to a single elimination Tuesday afternoon winner take all showdown for the title. Ernie Banks would have been a fan of the lets play two mentality and Midway was the favorite going into the tournament. The big Green softball machine did more than their share to hold up their end of the bargain. Several Green Team fans were in existence, and SORSN.com had this thing covered from every angle possible. Plug: Join Facebook and become a “fan” of the sorsn Facebook page for live updates (we even had pitch-by-pitch updates). Click here to visit the sorsn Facebook page.

In the opener of the night for the Waves, Midway jumped all over Grace with a 13 run first inning outburst that put the game away early. In fact the Waves were so comfortable after one inning that Coach Viar pulled his ace pitcher, Colyer after just one inning pitched, in order to preserve her energy for the championship game. Despite some second guessing from the manager’s wife, the move proved to be the proper one and paid off later in the night. Midway feasted on Grace pitching while Krystal Rue put in a solid pitching performance to lead Midway into the nightcap. Mercifully this game was ended after 4 innings with Midway leading18-3. The Waves did not escape completely unscathed however as the injury bug did bite again with Alex Coffman getting banged up in the opener. In the previous game, Roane County district foe Harriman had eliminated Rockwood to set up a Harriman/Midway final. Now down to the main event.

Harriman versus Midway, District Championship

With the sun setting quickly on this cool spring night, Midway and Harriman were locked in an intriguing battle early in the game. Collier opened the game with a walk and three strikeouts to close out Harriman in the top of the first. The Midway bats came to life early with some well hit balls in the bottom of the first. Midway’s Krystal Rue smoked a line drive double through the Harriman box, Taylor Narramore lined a ball to the Harriman CF, who made a fabulous catch to record the out. Colyer flied out to right to advance the runner to 3rd, but Kati Alexander the Great popped out to end the threat.

The Harriman portion of the second started similar to the first. A leadoff walk and then Colyer settled down to record three straight strikeouts to leave the runner stranded at second base. Midway threatened again in the bottom of the second with a leadoff walk by Hali Morris, a long flyout on a well hit ball by Paige Moore. Danielle Borum struck out, but Ashley Alexander added to the runners on base with a walk. Midway again left ducks on the pond by stranding two runners with a strikeout by Hayley Patterson to close the frame.

Harriman scratched out its only threat of the night with some two out action in the top of the third. Colyer started the inning with a strikeout and then Hali Morris made a good play to record a put out of a well hit ball. Harriman then smoked a ball to the fence in dead center for a standup double. Lady Devils then stole third on some inattentive defense by the Lady Waves and then broke into the scoring column with a passed ball that allowed the runner to advance from third. Colyer settled down to get the batter with a looking strikeout, but Harriman had broken ahead, 1-0.

Midway scratched back the run in the bottom of the inning with some patience and timely hitting. Rue drew a leadoff walk, stole second base and advanced to third on Narramore’s groundout to the shortstop. Colyer scorched an RBI double to left field and the game was tied 1-1. Midway again let the threat die, as they loaded the bases with a couple of walks. The Harriman pitcher settled down and struck out the next two Midway batters to leave the sacks full of Green runners.

As the night air cooler, Hannah Colyer warmed. The middle innings belong to Colyer, both offensively and defensively. Colyer set the Devils down in order in the top of the fourth with three straight strikeouts. Midway tried to mount a threat in the bottom of the fourth with an infield single by Krystal Rue. Rue then stole second before her luck ran out and was caught stealing at third. The fourth inning ended with the game still tied 1-1.

The top of the fifth was all Colyer, all the time with three more strikeouts in order. Viar’s expert managerial move early in the night would pay dividends as the Harriman pitcher started to fatigue from her earlier game work in the bottom of the fifth inning. Midway’s bats would heat up and put the game away with a four run fifth inning to stake Colyer with a 5-1 lead. Narramore drew a tough lead off walk, Colyer grounded to the short stop, but the throw pulled the first baseman off the bag and suddenly Midway had two on with nobody out. Kati Alexander the Great put the ball in play and drove in a run with a groundout that scored Narramore. 2-1, Midway leads. A passed ball allowed Colyer to score and suddenly the Harriman team was shook and behind 3-1. Borum drilled a triple into right center that drove in two more and the Midway lead grew to 5-1. In the days of old Monday Night Football, Dandy Don Meredith would have sung the frame “turn out the lights, the parties over” and in all reality, Midway had the game in hand. Colyer mowed through three more straight strikeouts in the top of the sixth and ran her total on the night to 17 Ks with a simply dominant ten in a row strikeout stretch that reached back to the third inning. Midway chased another run home in the bottom of the sixth with a walk, a passed ball on a third strike and another passed ball that allowed Narramore to score.

The lead was 6-1 at the end of six and the legions of Midway fans, on Facebook and in the stands could smell that the golden hardware would be heading SOR this night. Harriman tried to mount a threat in the top of the seventh with a hit by pitch, a ground out, and a strike out. Harriman tried to swipe a run at the plate on a passed ball but the Midway catcher made a great recovery play and tagged the runner out to end the ballgame in Midway’s favor 6-1.

Congratulation’s to the Lady Waves on yet another District Championship. The Lady Waves will now host Region play this Friday. At the time of this article, it appears the Lady Waves will face Oliver Springs in the 1st round.

Revisiting Lady Waves at Webb

The last couple of weeks have been hectic to say the least. With a tight schedule and several make-up games, we have struggled to keep up. If not for the great writing efforts of Shawn Renfro, we probably would not have gotten anything on the site. However, we would like to go back to last week and report on a great effort by the Lady Waves against the Knox Webb Lady Spartans.

Enjoyable. That is the best word to describe the Lady Waves' win against the Lady Spartans on Tuesday. Enjoyable to watch the Lady Waves play a very good Knox Webb team and win convincingly. Enjoyable to watch our girls play with such guts and determination. Hard slides, in-the-dirt defensive plays, and aggressive batting were the norm on Tuesday. Tuesday night's game was what most Lady Waves fans expect to see. One of the best teams in Class A softball playing like one of the best teams in Class A softball. This Webb game was not won on walks or errors by the Webb team. This game was won by solid at-bats by the Lady Waves and superb defense by the Green girls. The Webb pitcher did not issue one walk in the entire game, and only five Webb girls struck out. Coach Hutchinson and Coach Viar are always looking for a team effort, and that is what they got.

In the first inning, the Green would go in order with two strikeouts and a ground out. In the bottom of the first, Webb's two lead-off slappers would both reach base. A slapper's job is to put pressure on the defense and see if it will break. Midways defense bent in the first, but the Lady Waves' right fielder, Paige Moree, refused to let it break. When the #3 Webb batter hit a long, high shot that sent Moree back to the fence, she made a great catch and an even greater throw to second base. Dee Borum made the tag on the Webb runner, who was tagging up and coming from first. Borum would get the third out on a pop-up to her at the shortstop position.

In the second inning, Michele Walden would hit a long shot for a stand-up double, but would be left stranded. All-State pitcher Hannah Colyer would retire the side with three strikeouts in the bottom of the second.

The Green girls would get going in the third, after Borum cranked a hard shot to center field for a double. Senior Alex Coffman would move Borum to third with a single. Coffman would then steal second. Senior Krystal Rue, who would be the hero in the Coalfield game later in the week, drove the ball up the middle of the field to score Borum and Coffman. Rue would be thrown out at third on a very questionable call by the umpire. Midway 2, Webb 0. Webb would go down in order in the third.

In the fourth, lead-off batter Taylor Narramore would blast a long, high shot to center field. Most Green fans thought the ball was gone, but it was not to be. The ball glanced off the tip of the center fielder's glove and bounced off the top of the fence, back into play. Narramore would end up on second and be left stranded. In the bottom of the fourth, the #2 slapper for Webb again reached safely. Then, a pop-up was caught by Narramore at second for an out. A hard shot was knocked down by first baseman Kati Alexander. Narramore retrieved the ball and threw back to Alexander for the out. A great hustle play by both girls. A strikeout by Colyer would end the fourth.

The game remained tight throughout the fifth and sixth innings, with Midway still holding onto a slim 2-0 lead.

In the top of the seventh, second baseman Narramore would again go deep, this time to right center. The ball bounced over the fence for a ground rule double. On the next pitch, third baseman Walden would be hit on the hand in an extremely costly play for Lady Waves. Walden has not returned since the Webb game, and is listed as day to day. With two on base, Moree would get a big hit when she drove the ball up the middle to score Narramore. Borum scored Walden with a nice single. After a Midway strikeout, Coffman sent a blast to the right field fence, scoring Moree and Borum. Rue would lay into a change-up pitch and send it to left field to score Coffman. Colyer would single to score Rue. The damage was done, and the game was in Green hands with an 8-0 lead. Two ground outs to Narramore at second and one ground out to Alexander at first would end a great effort by the Lady Waves team.

Knox Webb is a very good team. They have played very well against the Knoxville teams. When these teams see in the News Sentinel that a little Single A team has put an 8-0 thumping on Knox Webb, they will have to take notice. These Midway girls continue to gain recognition. But this huge win was not without cost. The broken finger of Walden was the worst. Rue jammed her hip on a hard slide, and Colyer went down hard on a fall at first base. Thankfully, both of those girls were okay. Good Luck to the Lady Waves in the post season.

Lady Waves win extra inning thriller

Thursday's game against the Coalfield Lady Jackets had a lot of hype surrounding it. It was a match-up between the first place team in District 3A (the Lady Waves) and the first place team in District 4A (Coalfield). It was also a match-up between two of the finest pitchers in the State of Tennessee. Midway senior Hannah Colyer and her accomplishments should be well known to any faithful SORSN reader. Among many other honors, Hannah is a two time All-State pitcher. She has also pitched in three straight State Tournaments. Now, we at SORSN don't usually mention opposing players by name, but Coalfield's freshman pitcher deserves to be given our recognition. Lindsey Fadnek is a great player in her own right, and was named to last year's All-State Team as a pitcher.

Along with all the anticipation of a great game, a big crowd came to "The Hill". Games like this don't always live up to the hype. This one did.

In the first inning, Colyer fired up the Midway fans by throwing three straight strikeouts to retire the side. The Lady Waves also went down in order in the bottom of the frame.

Midway third baseman Michele Walden was moved to injured reserve after suffering a broken finger in Tuesday's game against Webb. She's listed as day to day. Starting in Walden's place was freshman Hali Morris. Morris didn't show any nerves in this big game. She made a nice catch, avoiding a collision with a teammate and recording the first out of the second inning. After another Colyer strikeout, things got dicey for the Lady Waves. Coalfield hit a single up the middle to put a runner on base. Then, they hit another one. With two runners on, however, Colyer came back with a big strikeout to end the threat. In the bottom of the second, three more Midway batters were retired in order.

In the top of the third inning, Coalfield began to try to bunt on the Lady Waves. The Midway defense was calm and sharp, turning the first two bunt attempts into outs at first. Colyer threw in another strikeout to bring the Lady Waves back up to bat. Fadnek, however, tossed three more strikeouts to retire the Midway batters in order. After that, many spectators began to keep a running count, as the two pitchers continued to match each other strikeout for strikeout.

In the top of the fourth inning, the situation became perilous for the Lady Waves. Coalfield's first batter singled. Then, a Midway error on a Lady Jacket bunt attempt put a second runner on base. Colyer came back with a strikeout, and the next batter popped out to Taylor Narramore at second base. Midway was not out of the woods, however. The Coalfield runner at second was able to steal third, and the Lady Jackets had runners on the corners. The Midway fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief, though, when Colyer struck out the next batter to get the Lady Waves out of danger. In the bottom of the fourth, Midway finally got its first runner on base. Center fielder Krystal Rue reached on a Coalfield error. Three more Fadnek strikeouts kept the Lady Waves from capitalizing on the mistake.

The fifth inning was scoreless for both teams, as all batters went down in order.

In the sixth, the tension continued to build. The first Coalfield batter in the inning was struck out by Colyer, but the next two Lady Jackets were able to put the ball in play. Fortunately for Midway, both were put out by Lady Wave fielders. Catcher Alex Coffman narrowly avoided a collision with a teammate to catch a pop-up, then Morris threw to first baseman Kati Alexander on a grounder. Midway was once again put out in order in the bottom.

Coalfield got another hit to start the seventh inning. Colyer answered with two strikeouts, then fielded a grounder and threw to Alexander to get the third out. The meat of Midway's batting order was up in the last inning of regulation play. A run in this inning would mean a Lady Wave victory. Fadnek, however, had other plans. She struck all three Midway batters out.

Colyer started extra inning play with a strikeout. A pop out to Morris and another strikeout brought Midway back up to bat. Two Midway batters put the ball in play in the bottom of the eighth, but both were out at first. Another Fadnek strikeout ended the inning.

Colyer struck out another Lady Jacket to start the ninth. The next Coalfield batter put a scare into the Midway faithful by connecting for a big shot to center field. Thankfully, Rue backed up and measured the ball for the catch and the out. Colyer hurled another strikeout for out number three. Fadnek showed her first sign of vulnerability in the bottom of the ninth inning, when she walked Hali Morris to start the Midway at-bat. Fadnek quickly recovered, however, striking out the next Lady Wave batter. On the next batter, Morris stole second base on a Fadnek pitch that was in the dirt. When the Coalfield catcher threw down to second on the play, the throw was high and went into center field. That allowed Morris to take third as well. Midway now had its first runner of the game in scoring position. After a pop out to the infield, Morris remained on third with two outs. At this point, the tension on "The Hill" was the highest it had been all season. Under those conditions, senior Krystal Rue stepped to the plate. Rue proceeded to thrill the Midway crowd, when she connected with a high pop-up that was headed right for "no man's land", between second base and center field. With two outs, Morris was running on contact. Would the center fielder get to the ball and make the catch? Could the shortstop get back to it in time? Morris crossed home plate while the ball was still climbing skyward. As the ball began its descent, it became obvious that only the shortstop might be able to make the play. It looked like it could turn into an over-the-shoulder Sportscenter highlight catch. But, no! The ball skimmed off the top of the shortstop's glove! As the ball rolled in the center field grass, Rue stopped at second base, and the rest of the Lady Waves poured out of the dugout. Final score: Lady Waves 1, Coalfield 0.

What a game it was. Both pitchers were fantastic. Colyer and Fadnek threw for 17 strikeouts apiece. At the plate, Rue was the hero of the game for Midway. She had the only hit for the Lady Waves, and it was a walk-off RBI. Also highly commendable was the play of freshman Hali Morris. She performed well under pressure, after spending a lot of time on the bench this season. Morris made several plays on defense and scored the only run of the contest. With this victory, the Lady Waves finished the regular season on a high note. Next week, the post season will begin. On Monday, the Midway girls will be at Grace Christian to start the District Tournament. They will play either Grace or Greenback at 5 PM.

Senior Night: Lady Waves vs Harriman

Monday night was Senior Night for the Midway Lady Wave softball team. The five members of the Lady Wave Class of 2009 were recognized before the game. The field looked great for the occasion, and was decked out with a school logo and the uniform numbers of each member of the senior class. After the game was over, a first rate cookout was held by the team parents and the coaches.

As for the game, the Midway girls breezed through this one. Pitcher Hannah Colyer was especially impressive on this night. Colyer pitched a perfect game, facing only twelve batters and striking out nine of them.

The explosive Lady Wave offense helped end this one early. The Midway girls jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. Key performers at the plate included Colyer (2-2, 2 RBIs), Paige Moree (2-3, 2 RBIs), and Danielle Borum (1-1, 2 RBIs). The Lady Waves extended their lead to 15-0 early in the fourth inning, and the game was called.

It's difficult to put into words just what this senior senior class has meant to the softball program and to our whole community. We have written on this subject recently. We will refer the reader to this season's Senior Interview, and also to the article titled Lady Waves Softball - 2009 Preview.

As for Hannah Colyer, Alex Coffman, Kati Alexander, Krystal Rue, and Ashley Alexander; we just want to thank you again, girls. You have done well and made us all proud.

The girls will now play two games on the road before coming back home for the final regular season contest. The Lady Waves will visit Knox Webb on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the girls will try to complete the regular season sweep of District 3A, when they take on the Lady Cherokees at Greenback. On Thursday, the big region showdown with Coalfield will take place to end the regular season.

Lady Waves over Harriman, Wartburg

At Harriman

The Midway Lady Waves squared off against the Harriman Lady Blue Devils in a key district contest last Thursday night. Last year, these two teams fought it out to decide who would be the regular season district champion. This year, the highly experienced Lady Waves would easily cruise to a 10-0 victory and prove what most people already knew: Midway is the team to beat in this district.

Senior catcher Alex Coffman ripped a line drive up the middle to start the game on a good note for the Lady Waves. However, Alex would be gunned down trying to steal third a few moments later. After a Midway strike out, Hannah Colyer stroked the ball to center field to give the Lady Waves their second base runner on the day. Senior Kati Alexander would reach first on a dropped third strike, and Colyer's courtesy runner, Kayla Roberts, would be moved to third. Taylor Narramore then ripped the ball up the middle of the field to score Roberts and give the Green team a 1-0 lead. With two runners in scoring position, Michele Walden would crank a long shot to left field, but the Harriman outfielder made a great catch to end the inning. Senior pitcher Hannah Colyer would see only sixteen batters in the entire game, striking out nine of them. In the bottom of the first inning, a pop up to Dee Borum at shortstop, a strikeout, and a ground out to Narramore at second base would keep the Lady Waves in the lead.

Midway couldn't get anything going in the second, leaving one runner stranded after a walk. A ground out to Alexander at first and two strikeouts by Colyer would end the second inning.

In the third frame, senior Krystal Rue singled. Rue showed her speed by stealing around the bases and finally stealing home also. Colyer then walked, and courtesy runner Roberts stole second. Narramore grounded out, but got the RBI when Roberts scored. After showing some mercy with a lead-off walk, Colyer struck out the next three batters to end the third inning, with the Lady Waves leading 3-0.

Paige Moree would get the Green moving with a lead-off single to center field in the fourth inning. After a Borum walk, freshman Hayley "Patty" Patterson would single to score Moree. After a Rue walk, Colyer busted a shot up the middle to score Borum, Patterson and Rue. Next, Alexander and Narramore would walk. Walden then singled to score Alexander, and Moree would single to score Narramore. In the end the Lady Waves would cruise to a 10-0 victory, almost ensuring at least a tie for the lead in the district standings.

vs. Wartburg

On Friday, the Lady Waves were back at home to host the Wartburg Lady Bulldogs. Junior Michele Walden handled the pitching duties in this one, while Hannah Colyer rested her arm a little and played third base. Walden had another solid performance, throwing for seven strikeouts. She gave up only three walks and two hits. On offense, the Midway girls knocked the ball all over the field. Top performers at the plate included Alex Coffman (2-4, 2 RBIs), Colyer (2-4), Kati Alexander (2-4), and Ashley Alexander (1-3, 2 RBIs). In the end, the Lady Waves finished this one early, winning 12-2.

Next week will be the final week for the Midway regular season. On Monday, the girls will see Harriman again, but this time at home. The Lady Waves will take a road trip to Webb on Tuesday, and will play a final district game at Greenback against the Lady Cherokees on Wednesday. On Thursday, the girls will host a long awaited showdown with Coalfield in the final regular season game

Lady Waves defeat McMinn Central

The McMinn Central Lady Chargers came to Midway on Wednesday, looking to even things up with the Lady Waves. Last week, the Girls from South of the River had squeaked out a 5-4 victory over the AA squad. The rematch on Wednesday kept the Green faithful on edge for most of the contest.

This game started off as a defensive battle. The first four innings were scoreless on both sides. Pitcher Hannah Colyer threw for eight strikeouts in those innings, but Midway managed only two hits in that time. Center fielder Krystal Rue singled, and second baseman Taylor Narramore hit a blast to deep right field that earned her a double. The Lady Waves could not capitalize on either of those hits, however.

The fireworks started in the top of the fifth frame. A Colyer strikeout led off the inning in fine fashion. The next batter singled, however. A Midway error put two runners on for the Lady Chargers, and the visiting team threatened to score for the first time in the game. Colyer hurled another strikeout to give the Lady Waves two outs. The next batter hit another single, though, and this time two runs scored. Later with two runners on again, Colyer worked out of the jam with her third strikeout of the inning. In the bottom of the fifth, the Lady Waves were quick to answer. After catcher Alex Coffman reached base on a Central error, she quickly stole to third. With one out and Coffman on, Colyer hit a big double to center field that easily scored the speedy catcher. Kayla Roberts came on as Colyer's courtesy runner, and she was soon moved to third base by a single from the bat of first baseman Kati Alexander. Narramore then connected for an infield sacrifice RBI that scored Roberts, tying the game. Third baseman Michele Walden singled to knock in Alexander and give Midway its first lead of the game. Right fielder Paige Moree singled on an infield hit, but no more Lady Wave runners would score in the inning. However, much to the delight of the sizable home crowd, Midway now held the lead, 3-2.

In the sixth inning, it seemed like the momentum had swung in favor of the Lady Waves. Center fielder Krystal Rue moved back to grab a towering shot that was hit deep into her territory for the first out. Colyer quickly followed with a strikeout. Walden later fielded a grounder and threw to Alexander to keep the lead in the possession of Midway. The Lady Waves opened the proverbial floodgates in the bottom of the sixth, providing the Midway fans with a lot of relief. Coffman was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Rue hit to left field, then Colyer singled to drive in Coffman. Roberts came on to run for Colyer again, and stole second base. That steal attempt allowed Rue to steal home. Later, with one out, Narramore walked to put two runners on. Walden came up big, when she hit a bomb to deep left field for two RBIs. Moree got a sacrifice RBI when she was thrown out at first and Walden crossed the plate. Shortstop Danielle Borum also singled in the inning. By the time the sixth was over, the Lady Waves led 8-2.

The Lady Chargers had a deep hole to dig out of in the seventh, and they could not do it. The first Central batter did reach base with a single. However, when she later tried to steal second, Borum came up with one of the best defensive plays of the season. Borum jumped high in the air to field the throw from the catcher and to avoid having her legs taken out by the sliding runner. Then, in an incredibly athletic move, she managed to reach down from the air and tag the runner out. The other two outs of the inning came by way of Colyer strikeouts, and the Lady Waves secured the 8-2 victory.

Colyer was once again a powerhouse, throwing for 14 strikeouts. The Midway bats really came alive in the fifth and sixth innings, showing that this offense can explode at any time. On Thursday, the Lady Waves will travel to Harriman for an important district match-up with the Lady Blue Devils. Game time is set for 6 PM. The Midway girls will be back at home on Friday to host the Wartburg Lady Bulldogs.

Lady Waves sail over Greenback

On Tuesday evening, the Lady Waves hosted the Greenback Lady Cherokees in what was originally scheduled as the second half of an away-and-home series. The game at Greenback on Monday was postponed due to weather, but it was a nice day on The Hill for Tuesday's contest.

Michele Walden was the starting pitcher, and she started out with a strikeout. After a pop out to shortstop Danielle "Dee" Borum, Walden struck out another Lady Cherokee and it was Midway's turn to bat. Catcher Alex Coffman started with a walk, and center fielder Krystal Rue reached base on an error. Hannah Colyer, who was playing third base in this game, came to bat and hit a shot to deep left field. The blast scored both Coffman and Rue, and it left Colyer standing on second base. First baseman Kati Alexander followed with another stand-up double for another RBI. Walden then gave the Lady Waves another double and yet another RBI when she hit to left field and scored Alexander. Borum added to the big inning when she hit to center field to bring Walden home. Left fielder Hayley Patterson walked, then Coffman came back with a single to load the bases. Somehow, Greenback got out of the jam to end the inning. By the time it was it over, though, the Lady Waves held a 5-0 lead.

Walden had a strong second inning, striking out the first two Greenback batters. The third out came when Colyer fielded a ball at third and made the throw to first. Kati Alexander got the only Midway hit in the second inning, and the score stood at 5-0 after two frames.

In the third inning, Walden once again started with two strikeouts. She also assisted on the third out, as she fielded the ball and threw to Alexander at first. In the bottom of the third, the Lady Waves were back on track on offense. Right fielder Paige Moree hit a long shot to center field to get on base. With one out, Patterson reached base with her first hit of the game. Then, with two runners on base, Alex Coffman crushed the ball into the wind and over the left field fence for a three-run homer. After that, Rue hit to get back on base. Later, with two outs and one on, Kati Alexander came up and hit to left center field to score Rue. Second baseman Taylor Narramore smoked one over second base and into center field, scoring Alexander. Walden got her first hit of the inning, and Moree got her second. Greenback was finally able to get the third out, but Midway now led 10-0.

Walden started the fourth and final inning with another strikeout. The next batter grounded out to Borum, and the third batter grounded out to Walden. In the bottom of the fourth, Patterson got another hit, then Ashley Alexander was hit by a pitch and walked to first. Hali Morris hit the ball past the Greenback shortstop to score Patterson. Taylr Hall got a two-RBI hit when she knocked the ball over the head of the shortstop. Kayla Roberts walked, Walden hit, and Moree hit to load the bases. Then, Borum cleared the bases with a hit to deep left center, for three RBIs. That made the score 15-0, and the game was called in favor of the Lady Waves.

The Lady Waves cruised through this one, thanks in large part to some big hits by the Midway batters and some nice pitching by Walden. Walden recorded seven strikeouts and gave up only one walk in the shutout. She also went 3-4 at the plate. Coffman was 2-2, including that three-run homer. Kati Alexander went 3-3 with two RBIs. Borum had four RBIs.

On Wednesday, the Lady Waves will host McMinn Central in a rematch of last week's game. The Midway girls edged out Central 5-4 at their place, and it should be another great game on Wednesday.

Lady Waves down Kingston....Again

A little over a month ago, the Lady Waves claimed one of their proudest victories of the season. The Girls from the South traveled a few short miles to visit our neighbors to the north, and they came back home with a big win. Just like the last time these two teams met, the weather was great and the crowd of spectators was large. And just like the last time, the Lady Waves took care of business.

Midway got off to a bit of a rocky start, as an error put the first Lady Jacket batter on base. A steal by the runner and a bunt by the next Kingston batter gave the Lady Jackets a runner on third with one out. Thankfully, the Midway girls settled down and recorded two more outs, including a pop up fielded by catcher Alex Coffman and a strikeout thrown by pitcher Hannah Colyer. The Lady Waves struck quickly in the bottom of the first inning. Coffman reached on an error, then shortstop Krystal Rue dropped a blooper over first base. Coffman reached third on the play, but Rue was tagged out at second on a very close call. Colyer came up and hit a sacrifice RBI, as Coffman crossed home plate to score. No more runs were scored in the inning, but the Lady Waves now held the lead, 1-0.

Hannah Colyer was untouchable for most of the game. The top of the second inning consisted of three straight strikeouts. In the bottom, however, no Midway runner reached base.

The top of the third inning saw Colyer record her fifth, sixth, and seventh consecutive strikeouts. With one out in the bottom of the inning, left fielder Hayley Patterson showed a lot of hustle to beat out a throw at first on an infield grounder. Later, with two outs and Patterson at third, Rue got her second hit of the game and an RBI. At the end of the third, the Lady Waves led, 2-0.

In the top of the fourth inning, Colyer threw her eighth, ninth, and tenth straight strikeouts. Third baseman Michele Walden reached on a hit, and center fielder Paige Moree drew a walk in the inning. However, no runs were added to the score board.

The first out of the fifth inning was Colyer's eleventh consecutive strikeout. Second baseman Taylor Narramore fielded a routine pop-up for the second out, then dug a tough grounder out of the dirt and made a nice toss to first baseman Kati Alexander for the third out. Patterson was able to reach on a walk in the bottom of the frame, but no scoring came of it.

Colyer tossed two more strikeouts to start the sixth inning. Another Midway error put a runner on for Kingston for the first time since the first inning. However, the next batter grounded out to Walden. In the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Waves added a little more padding to their lead. First, Alexander walked with one out. Then, Moree singled and Narramore walked to load the bases. Finally, right fielder Danielle Borum came to the plate and hit a single which scored Alexander. Moree almost scored on the play, but was tagged out at home. At the end of the inning, Midway led, 3-0.

After Colyer's fourteenth strikeout of the game, a Lady Jacket batter finally hit a blooper over first base to record the team's first and only hit of the game. Colyer quickly followed with strikeouts number 15 and 16, and the victory was sealed for Midway.

It was a major win for the Lady Waves, as they completed the season sweep of Kingston. Colyer was nothing short of spectacular. She threw a one-hitter that consisted of 16 strikeouts and no walks. At one point, Colyer threw for 11 consecutive strikeouts. Only three Lady Jacket batters reached base, and two of those were on errors. The defense was solid the rest of the way, and the girls game up with some solid hits against a good Kingston pitcher. Krystal Rue was 2-3 at the plate, with an RBI. The Lady Waves will now host Oneida on Saturday at noon, and will play an away and home series against district foe Greenback on Monday and Tuesday. Those games are scheduled for 5:30 on each evening