East Hamilton senior Dani Wasserstrom was lights out in Tuesday's 8-1 District 5-AAA victory at Hixson.
The right-hander's off-speed pitches kept opposing batters flailing while she located her fastball in spots that were hard to hit as she struck out a dozen. Her complete game effort was aided by her sister, senior catcher Nicole Wasserstrom.
After moving in from Chicago, Ill. ahead of their junior season last year, the Wasserstroms have provided a spark for the Lady Hurricanes, who went 23-8 last season and won a district championship. This year, Norma Nelson's team is off to a solid 4-2 start which includes wins over Soddy-Daisy, GPS, Boyd Buchanan and now Hixson.
Dani also drove the ball to the opposite field for a triple and RBI double in the victory, while Ashlyn Watkins drove in three runs and Grace Hixson doubled and had an RBI single. East Hamilton scored runs in every inning but the seventh.
"Dani was a standout at shortstop for us last season. She works her tail off at everything she does," coach Nelson said. "Last year we didn't need her to pitch because we had Syerra Rogers (272 strikeouts, 19 wins). Her chemistry with her sister behind the plate is forming and she really has worked hard with her pitching lessons. She is a competitor and loves to be out on the field working every day with her teammates."
Hixson's lone run came in the third on a suicide squeeze by Ryleigh Quarles which plated Chelsea Parris who had doubled and advanced to third in a run-down.
Before the game the Lady Wildcats named their softball field in honor of legendary coach Janet Tate, who led Hixson to back-to-back Class AAA state championships in 1983 and 1984. The first championship came with a thrilling 7-6 win over Mt. Juliet.
"The honor is very humbling," Tate said. "I remember the kids and those special relationships. There were lots of them from those state championship teams out here tonight. This school is my pride. It was my first head coaching experience. I was blessed to have some great girls who could really play."
> McMinn County 14, Howard 1: Lexi Cooley scored four times and had a pair of hits along with Reagan Wade who drove in four runs. Cami Wade also had three RBIs.
> Chattanooga Christian 5, Walker Valley 4: Lauren McGill hit a two-run, walk-off double with one out for the Lady Chargers, whose Autumn Hughes earned the complete game victory. Kiarra Nicholes homered for Walker Valley.
> Meigs County 14, Loudon 0: Sierra Howard drove in four runs and struck out eight while allowing just one hit over four innings.
> Silverdale Baptist 4, Chilton County 2: Kennedy Stinson drove in two runs and had a pair of hits while Katie Willoughby allowed four hits and struck out six to earn the complete game win.
BASEBALL
> Northwest Whitfield 13, Cedartown 1: Senior ace Cade Fisher was a force on the mound and at the plate for the Bruins in the Region 7-AAAA win. The University of Florida commit allowed four hits and struck out 10 in the five-inning game while also hitting a homer and double with three RBIs. Keaton McQuaig had three hits and three RBIs, with Aiden Hosford adding three RBIs and Zander Frady two hits and two RBIs for Northwest (8-7, 2-2).
> Ringgold 10, Murray County 0: Sebastian Haggard allowed a hit and struck out eight in the five-inning Region 6-AAA game. Brady Hermann had two hits and three RBIs, with Ross Norman adding two hits, two RBIs and two runs and Dre Morris two hits and three runs scored for the Tigers (6-9, 3-1).
> Calhoun 11, Hiram 0: Jax Bishop (four innings, eight strikeouts) and Brooks Crawford (one inning, two strikeouts) combined for a five-inning no-hitter for the Yellow Jackets (11-3, 1-1) in the Region 7-AAAAA game. Andon Lewis drove in two with a homer and double and Kris Sutton had two hits, drove in three and scored twice for Calhoun.
> Trion 11, Drew Charter 0: Conner Deparlier allowed a hit and fanned four in five innings and was supported by Brantley Willbanks, who had a pair of doubles and drove in three. Linkin Farrar was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored and Nate Willingham added two RBIs for Trion (8-5, 2-1).
> Rockmart 8, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 1: Trevor Caldwell was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and Jake Bailey drove in two for Rockmart in the Region 6-AAA game.
> Fannin County 17, Dade County 3: Chance Stacy had three hits and drove in five to lead the Rebels in the Region 7-AA contest.
> Lookout Valley 10, Copper Basin 0: Christian Chandler tossed a no-hitter as he recorded an incredible 17 strikeouts over 91 pitches in six innings. Jaxon Quails set the tone atop the Yellow Jackets lineup going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI double while Jacob Winchester also had three hits and two runs scored. Chandler doubled and had two hits to supplement his pitching gem.
> Hixson 2, Red Bank 1: Leadoff hitter Jase Moses went 3-for-3 and scored both runs for the Wildcats whose Kane Johnson continued his strong hitting going 2-for-2 with an RBI. Cameron Butler outdueled Red Bank's Logan Denton as Butler allowed four hits and one earned run in a complete game win. Denton fanned seven and did not allow an earned run on six hits.
> Sale Creek 11, Oliver Springs 0: The bottom of the Panthers lineup scored five times and drove in five runs, which included three RBIs from Ethan Grider. Sale Creek (8-0) received strong work from Travis Xavier and Garrett Pickett on the mound.
> Chattanooga Christian 14, South Pittsburg 13: William Wall drove in three runs and had two hits while Luke Tinholt was stellar in relief striking out six over three innings of one-run ball. Tinholt also had two RBIs along with Cooper Kay in the win. South Pittsburg was led by Coy Hackney who went 4-for-5 with four runs scored and three RBIs.
SOCCER
> Soddy Daisy 0, Red Bank 0: The Trojans won 5-4 in penalty kicks. David Lopez, Omar Lopez, Jose Enriquez, Jensen Harbaugh and Jackson Voiles scored PKs for Soddy-Daisy, whose Noah Blue was stout in goal.
TENNIS
> McCallie 7, Baylor 0: Blue Tornado No. 1 seed Andreas Sillaste combined with Collin Tuttle for an 8-5 doubles win while Sillaste outdueled Andres Mercedes for a 6-3, 7-6 win in singles play. Henry Imorde also stood out for McCallie with an 8-1 doubles win, while outscoring his opposition 12-3 in doubles.