Today at 12 Noon, Friendship Christian will host Marion County in both baseball and softball sectionals.

The Commanders come in 24-7 while their softball counterparts sport a record of 21-17.

Today at 5 p.m. Mt. Juliet High (28-8) will entertain Brentwood High in a Class AAA softball sectional.

Tonight at 7 p.m. Mt. Juliet will host Nashville Overton in a Class AAA baseball sectional.

ALL of today’s winners will advance to the TSSAA Spring Fling next week in Murfreesboro.

KEIL LATEST TO BE SHOWN THE DOOR

By TOMMY BRYAN, sports editor
Lebanon High principal Myra Sloan’s makeover of the Blue Devil coaching staff continued over the weekend with her dismissal of boy’s basketball coach Doug Keil.

Fired via a telephone conversation with Sloan Sunday afternoon, Keil becomes the latest in a series of head coaches and assistants who will not be returning in Blue and White next school year.

“I certainly understand  the fact that Mrs. Sloan makes the decisions about her coaching positions,” Keil said Monday night. “I’ve enjoyed my time at Lebanon High both as a teacher and coach. I very much want to stay in education -- and I don’t want to uproot my family from this community.”

Keil, head coach of the Blue Devil boys for the past eight seasons, served four seasons as an assistant coach at LHS under former coach Randall Hutto, before taking a head coaching job at Warren County High in McMinnville.

He left Warren County to assume the top job at LHS following Hutto’s retirement. Keil went 121-122 in eight years as head coach at LHS, including a record of 7-21 this past season. He teaches Algebra and has earned “Level 5” status as an educator.

Longtime wrestling coach Darin Plumlee (Special Education Math, 9 years experience), track coach David Glasscock (a Level 5 Science instructor, 12 years) and offensive line coach Eric Lawrence (Algebra, 7 years) were all transferred out of the building by Sloan for the 2011-2012 academic year. Both Plumlee and Glasscock also worked as assistants under former head football coach Bobby Brown.

Coach Brown was forced to resign this past December after nine years as head coach -- after posting a record of 44-51. Brown will be taking a postion in the Lebanon Special School District this fall as assistant principal at Baird Middle School.

Volleyball coach hired -- The search for a new Lebanon High volleyball coach to replace Paula Jackson has come to a close as the school turns to Tamikia L. White, a Lebanon resident who works in the Central Office of Metro Nashville Public Schools. 

White worked at her alma mater LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis as an assistant volleyball coach 2000-2006 in addition to duties in the sports information office.

She has played volleyball for over 25 years on the club, high school and collegiate level.

MT. JULIET 10, ROSSVIEW 4
MT. JULIET -- Kristin Meisel drilled a pair of two-run singles Monday night to help lift Mt. Juliet to a 10-4 home victory over Rossview in the opening round of Region 5AAA softball tournament.

The Lady Bears pounded out 15 hits and improved to 27-7 overall with the victory. Lefty Laurel Woodard scattered five hits in seven innings of work to pick up the decision.

Mt. Juliet will host rival Beech High Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the regional final. Wednesday's winner will host a TSSAA sectional game Friday while the loser will go on the road for a shot a berth in Spring Fling.

Wednesday's game will be a rematch of the District 9AAA tournament played last week in Lebanon -- a game won by the Lady Bears 9-6. Beech forced the “if necessary” game with a 13-5 victory over Mt. Juliet.

FCS 13, JACKSON COUNTY 3
LEBANON -- A nine-run third inning proved to be the difference Monday as Friendship Christian eliminated Jackson County 13-3 in the Region 4A softball tournament opener.

The Lady Commanders improved to 20-17 on the season and will host arch-rival Gordonsville Wednesday at 5 p.m. for the regional crown. Wednesday’s winner will host a TSSAA sectional game on Friday with the loser going on the road.

Kaity Woodall and Laurel Burroughs each went 4-for-4 for the winners. Woodall scored four times along with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Burroughs slugged an two run homer in the third and added three doubles. Maci Wilkerson ripped a pair of hits, including a triple for a pair of RBI while Megan Reeves and Jerah Glenn each added a pair of hits.

Woodall picked up the decision in relief of starter Hunter Holland.

By TOMMY BRYAN
LEBANON -- A leadoff homer from Friendship Christian's Chris Hall set the tone early as the Commanders rolled to an 11-0 victory in five innings over Monterey Monday evening in the first round of the Region 4-A baseball tournament.

Hall added a bloop double in the second inning and finished with three runs batted in as FCS won for the 17th consecutive time this season, improving to 23-7 overall. The Wildcats closed out the season 9-15.

"These Monday regional openers have always been a little issue with us," saif Friendship head coach John McNeal. "There have been times we have struggle and not played as well as we should. I thought their pitcher (Arlis Phillips) might give us a little trouble with his curve ball, but Chris started us out with a homer run that pretty much set the tone. We were able to get runs the next few innings and end it in five. We were hoping we could play a quick game and save our pitching and not push us out any more than we had to."

Right-hander Kyle Wood dominated Monterey's lineup, allowing just two hits -- singles to Isiah Walker (third inning) and Arlis Phillips (fifth) while striking out seven.

The Commanders scored three times in the second, then salted the game away with a four spot in the fourth as Tanner Martin drilled a homer off the scoreboard in right-center.

Phillips started and was tagged with the loss. He struck out four and walked four.

Friendship will travel to Gainesboro Wednesday for the Region 4-A championship game vs. Jackson County. The District 7-A champion Blue Devils eliminated Trousdale County 10-0 Monday.

Wednesday's winner will host a sectional game Friday with the loser going on the road.

MT. JULIET 1, DICKSON COUNTY 0
MT. JULIET -- A first inning run proved to be more than enough for Mt. Juliet ace Kyle Smith as the Golden Bears eliminated Dickson County 1-0 Monday night in the Region 5AAA baseball opener.

Zach Tompkins laced a clean double to score Hunter Gilbert, who had reached on a single, and from the first inning on Smith (9-1) took over. The big right-hander struck out 14 and allowed just three hits while wiggling out of a couple of jams.

"Another typical performance from Kyle," said Mt. Juliet coach Mark Purvis.  "He had one or two innings where they had a chance and he shut the door on them. The others, he dominated. They (Dickson County) had a good guy on the hill, also, so it was a tough night to score."

Tompkins had a pair of doubles on the night as Mt. Juliet could scratch only four hits off Dickson County starter Joseph Teal.

Mt. Juliet (27-7) will host Rossview High Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Region 5AAA finals. Wednesday's winner will host a sectional game Friday while the loser will play on the road for a berth in the TSSAA Spring Fling.

BULLDOGS FORCE FINAL GAME

PADUCAH, KY -- Cumberland forced the "if necessary" game Sunday afternoon at Brooks Stadium with a 19-9 win over Tennessee Wesleyan, but didn't have enough gas left in the tank to finish the deal.

TWC defeated Cumberland 9-2 in the nightcap and earned a trip to the 55th annual Avista NAIA World Series next week in Lweiston, Idaho. CU was denied an 11th trip to the World Series after winning the crown in 2010.

"We gave it all we had," said CU coach Woody Hunt, "we just kind of ran out of steam and manpower there in the second game. Tennessee Wesleyan has a very good team -- I think they're the best team we've played -- including Embry-Riddle.