bizazz

Congratulations to the Admirals.

DeviledHornet, you're coming across as a sore loser. One of the negatives of discussion boards like this is that posters can write anything they want behind the shield of anonymity. Nobody knows how successful Catapano will be in college, much less pro ball. But one thing is for certain, his high school record speaks for itself. When it came time to get those last three outs yesterday, he took total control of the game. I guess it's doubley embarrasing when you run your mouth and you can't back it up. That's to take nothing away from Lockwood. He pitched an outstanding game. However the one thing pitchers cannot control is the defense behind him. When batters put the ball into play anything can happen.

I talked to someone on the phone who attended the game. Karns started Henry, but he didn't have his good stuff tonight.

It was a great game. Too bad about the weather conditions. Neither pitcher deserved to lose. The Halls 2b made a fantastic play to keep Farragut off the scoreboard. It seemed like momentum shifted when Farragut threw the runner out at home. Give little Delmonico credit for putting the ball into play. It should've been a doubleplay ball, but wasn't. Well who would've thougth that both Halls and South Doyle would not make the Sectionals this year.

For Knoxville area you can go to knoxnews.com and click on PrepExtra. There are baseball stats for those that are turned in by the coaches. Not all coaches elect to send their stats in.

On paper - The pitching could be a draw. I'd have to give Halls the advantage in terms of batting lineup. Who's more solid defensively? The game could come down to a couple of lucky bounces or fielding mistakes.

I think Knox Halls has an excellent shot to get to the Fling. Question: has Halls' pitching been as consistent this year as compared to last year (excluding Lockwood)? Last year they had 1A and 1B in Lockwood and Larsen. If they get to the Fling that's when their pitching depth will be a key. Until then they can ride Lockwood. However, Catpano and Lockwood may be the best two hurlers in E. Tennessee. When you get two outstanding pitchers together anything can happen. I hope someone from East Tennessee can bring home the AAA crown. However on paper I'd say there are several teams outside East Tennessee that will be strong contenders this year.

If my schedule permits I plan to be there. Could be a great game.

Unless things have changed coaches get to nominate players for the all-district team based on order of finish. For example South Doyle gets to name more players than Sevier County or Lenoir City.

South Doyle is hosting the tournament.

Hey Dugout, how's your bruise.

Hozr I'm sorry I missed that one. I ended up at the FREE Tennessee game instead. As you are aware I'm saddled with college tuition these days. I can only budget so many games where I have to pay to attend. Since the Ads have made the Regional I'll probably wait and catch one of those games. For Farragut or Halls it would be better for those two not to square off in the opening round. That would mean one of those teams finished runner-up in their district. If that's the case however, and its Catapano vs. Lockwood, I'll make every effort to be there. Karns has a good ballclub and pitching, too. This should be a very competitive Regional. Good luck to you guys in the 4AAA championship.

You're correct. I think some may consider the Sectional to be the first round of the State tournament. However it is not played at the Spring Fling. First game of the Region is all important. Win the first game and you're in the Sectional, regardless of what happens in the Region championship. That means you may see your best pitchers in Round 1 of the Region. Thus the first game of the Region could potentially be the best game.

Agreed - classy post. Congratulations to SD on a great regular season. The Kees should be a force again next year.

Looks like E. Tennessee is getting break from Mother Nature. I don't think there's any rain scheduled for this afternoon. Of course it was supposed to rain a bunch yesterday and it barely sprinkled. I'd agree that Farragut has a tough task to beat Bearden twice. They have some good young pitching talent, but they've already thrown a lot of innings the past couple of days.

Having Catty available for this game was big for Farragut. It's going to be tougher to take 2 more from Bearden. Either way the region berths are set. There's a potential Catapano vs. Lockwood matchup down the road.

I guess rumors of Farragut's demise are greatly exaggerated. I know it's a disappointing end for the Kees.

All remaining 4AAA games are at South Doyle.

Who has the most pitching left?

Good points by all. I also like the idea of making the substate a best 2 of 3. It would be analogous to the super-regionals played by colleges. One of the problems I've always had re: region berths is the disparity in districts. Districts like 7AAA and 4AAA have been brutal in the past. OTOH I don't know if it's changed but the West Tennessee district that housed Jackson Central-Merry used to only have 4 teams. It's a lot tougher to fight it out with 7 other teams to make a region vs. 3.

Bearden just flat out smacked the baseball last night. I was thinking while watching the game that Farragut might want to increase its 5-3 lead. I'd never personally seen Farragut suffer an inning like the 8-run 5th. A lot of it was Bearden hitting, but Farragut kicked the ball around too. I could tell a couple of years ago that this Bearden team would be good if they kept everyone together. The improvement in pitching, added to their hitting, has got them a Region berth. Farragut is young. They'll have a tough game vs. SD or WB, but I wouldn't put anything past them.

Congratulations to the Bobcats on a fine season. They've had some rough years lately.

Thanks Rebel. I got lucky on that one. Things are getting exciting now. Good luck to all.

Sorry, I don't have access to today's paper and was wondering if this is correct. If this is wrong somebody correct me. SD and LC matchup at 3:30. Who's next WB and Maryville? The winner of those two games will face off in an elimination game, with the winner to face the loser of tonight's Bearden-Farragut matchup? The winner of tonight's Bearden-Farragut game qualifies for a region berth. The loser of tonight's Bearden-Farragut game will await the team remaining from SD, LC, WB, and Maryville? The winner of that game makes the district finals and earns the other region berth.

Are the Ads turning it on at just the right time?