KenHawk

Congratulations Gibbs on winning another state title. Great program, and one of the best coaches to ever be on the field. All of us in East Tennessee are proud of you and your state championship. Way to go Carol! P.S. Hey Lady Eagles Fan. I don't get on coacht much anymore since I am no longer coaching. Hope all is well with you.

That is correct in that the runner does not have to slide, but the rule states that the runner must get out of the fielders way once the force out is made. If the batter-runner has reached first safely. there is no interference. Otherwise,interference should have been called and the batter-runner declared out.

There are no restrictions on summer teams until school begins. The "no more than 5 on a team" rule kicks in the first scheduled day of classes for that particular school. So, if your school starts the first Monday in August, even though that is still the summer, you can not have more than 5 girls from your school participating on a team without endangering their eligibility with TSSAA.

I agree RebelRon. Webb is a very talented and well-coached team. I don't think the final score indicates how challenging the game really was. Good luck, Webb. You have a classy team.

Congratulations Gibbs on making it this far. Keep it going...and good luck. All of East Tennessee is proud of you.

By the way...if, for any reason ball four became a dead ball (Wild pitch touched a spectator or some equipment for example), the umpire's ruling would have been correct. But, based on the way you described the situation, I believe the umpire missed the call. Good luck the rest of your season.

The ball is still live. There is no rule that prohibits a batter runner from advancing more than one base on a base on balls, as long as the batter runner does not stop at first base. She may even round first base, stop, and then attempt to go to second immediately or go back to first. A base on balls is no different than a base hit... just because the ball is thrown to the pitcher in the circle does not keep runners from continuing to advance. Umpire ruled incorrectly in your situation.

If the girl was attempting a drag (or running) bunt, the call was correct. If she was attempting to slap, there must be a noticable chopping motion. If in the umpire's opinion the girl made no attempt to slap, but rather was doing a drag bunt, then it is a strikeout. Just because a player is running forward when contact was made does not mean the player was slapping. A drag bunt with two stikes can not be compared to a check swing. A drag bunt and a slap hit are two different things and the rules are very specific about this. Unfortunately, the correct call is seldom made.

Maryville's Allison Barbee hit a walk off 3 run homer in the bottom of the 8th inning to beat Powell in the championship game of the Anderson Co. Tournament. Maryville went 6-0 for the tournament: Pool Play Friday Maryville 5 Powell 3 Maryville 5 Morristown East 3 Double Elimination Bracket on Saturday Maryville 10 Oliver Springs 0 Maryville 7 Sweetwater 1 Winners Bracket Final Maryville 2 Morristown 0 Championship Game Maryville 7 Powell 4 (eight innings) Tournament field only had 9 teams. (We usually do the Gibbs Tournament instead of the Anderson Co. tournament, but this year our prom is the same weekend as the Gibbs tournament. Next week, we'll be at Soddy Daisy's tournament.)

Today's Maryville game at WB has been rescheduled for Wednesday 3/24 at William Blount at 5:00.

Maryville opened the season in Orlando, FL Monday with two games. They beat Pine Richland (PA) 12-2 and Auburn High School (AL) 4-3. Tuesday Maryville defeated Episcopal (TX) 9-5. Wednesday, Maryville fell to Bellaire of Houston, TX 2-4.

I can assure you that I never want the Maryville softball team to look bad, and I certainly don't "plan" on us playing poorly as part of some strategic move. If I were another team's coach, I'd be chomping at the bit to play us as well, based on Saturday's performance. On the other hand, a scrimmage game does not count. We try a lot of things in scrimmages that we would probably never do in a real game. I don't get as upset over pre season mistakes as I do during the post season. I think all teams play with more intensity and focus during the post season than they do in playdate scrimmages. I'm assuming that that is what WmBlGovs meant by his/her statement. I take his/her comments about strategy as being tongue and cheek. William Blount is always a tough opponent for us, especially since our schools are only about 4 miles apart. Ken Hawkins MHS softball

After 15 days, Ashley is no longer in her medically induced coma. Also, she had her ventilator removed this morning and is breathing on her own. After a bout with pneumonia earlier this week, she is now over that as well. She is speaking to her family in complete sentences, even though she remains quite confused over what has happened and what is going on. The nurses said that that is a very good sign. She remains in critical care, but there is much hope that she will continually improve even though the road ahead to recovery is still long.Miracles are happening. God is good. Thank you for your continued prayers. Ken Hawkins

Thank you all for your many prayers and concerns. Ashley has shown many positive signs in the few moments that she has been brought out of her sedation over the past few days. She recognized her parents and has been able to move her arms and legs. Keep praying. We all hope that Ashley will soon be able to be herself again. Ken Hawkins

Ashley remains in critical condition at UT hospital. She has been in a medically induced "coma" since the accident happened last Saturday. Please continue to remember Ashley and her family in your prayers. Ken Hawkins MHS Softball