By TOMMY BRYAN, sports editor
Down 9-0 early to Williamson County power Ravenwood, Wilson Central’s baseball team battled back to a 9-all tie only to see the visitors break loose for nine more runs in an 18-9 loss Thursday morning in the Wilson County Invitational Tournament.

Ravenwood opened the top of the first with three extra base hits, two doubles and a triple, eventually scoring nine times.

The Wildcats (2-4) never blinked, however, answering with a single run in the bottom of the first, then three more in the second on a home homer by Dakota Byrd. Central pushed across five in the bottom of the third to knot the score at 9-9.

“We’ve got a ways to go defensively,” said WC head coach Anthony Ford. “I liked the way our guys stayed aggressive at the plate, but give Ravenwood credit -- they pounded the baseball.”

All told, Ravenwood racked up 18 hits against four Wilson Central pitchers.

Dylan Pengergast paced Central’s 10-hit attack with a two-for-four effort -- including a double.

WCIT notes -- No games were played Wednesday night at any of the four local venues after a heavy band of storms roared through just before 6 p.m.

“We had the tarp off, and both teams had taken infield,” said Mt. Juliet coach Mark Purvis. “Then the bottom fell out. It looked like we were going to get a tornado.”

23 TEAMS WILL VIE FOR TITLE

By TOMMY BRYAN, sports editor
Rest assured, rain is in the forecast as the annual Wilson County Invitational Tournament kicks off Wednesday night with pool games at four local baseball fields.

The tournament, hosted by Mt. Juliet, Lebanon High's Veterans Field, Wilson Central and Friendship Christian has been plaqued by Mother Nature seemingly since its inception and this year looks to be no different as the forecast is calling for some mid-week rain.

Some 19 out-of-town teams will compete for the tournament championship with pool play continuing through Saturday morning. A single-elimination tournament should produce a champion by later Sunday afternoon -- weather permitting.

Here's a look at Wednesday night's opening round games.

6 p.m. Wednesday, March 23:
Hendersonville at Mt. Juliet
Ravenwood at Wilson Central
Hume Fogg at Lebanon / Veteran's Field
Hendersonville at Friendship Christian

Thursday, March 24:
Mt. Juliet High
3:30 p.m. Creek Wood vs. station Camp
6 p.m.  Mt. Juliet vs. Science Hill
8:30 p.m.  Houston vs. Science Hill

Wilson Central High
1 p.m.  Clarksville vs. Ravenwood
3:30 p.m. Beech vs. Clarksville
6 p.m. Beech vs. Ravenwood
8:30 p.m. Wilson Central vs. Montgomery Central

LHS / Veterans Field
3:30 p.m. Centennial vs. Gallatin
6 p.m.  Centennial vs. Lebanon
8:30 p.m. White House vs. Station Camp

Friendship Christian
3:30 p.m. Portland vs. Franklin County
6 p.m. Lipscomb vs. Franklin
8:30 p.m. FCS vs. Lipscomb

For the complete tournament schedule, please follow this link -- WCIT.

From Post staff reports
Some 58 high school softball teams, including three from Wilson County, are participating this week in the Commando Classic at Hendersonville’s massive Drakes Creek Park.

Pool play action continues Friday at 3:30 p.m. as Mt. Juliet plays Blackman High, followed by a 5 p.m. contest vs. Chattanooga GPS. Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Mt. Juliet will take on Florence, AL.

Lebanon High is scheduled to play Sycamore High Friday at 3:30 p.m. followed by a 6:30 p.m. game vs. Pigeon Forge. Saturday at 10 a.m. LHS will take on Columbia Central.

Wilson Central High is slated to play Pope John Paul II today at 3:30 p.m. followed by a 5 p.m. game with Knoxville Farragut. Saturday at 10 a.m. the Lady Wildcats will tangle with Marshall County.

Siegel High 5, Wilson Central 2
HENDERSONVILLE -- Siegel struck for four runs in the bottom of the first inning en route to a 5-2 win over Wilson Central in the Commando Classic Wednesday at Drakes Creek Park. The Stars banged out eight hits against Central pitching. Sophomore Sidney Smith started and took the loss for Wilson Central.

Earlier Wednesday, Central dropped a 7-6 decision to Sycamore High. On Tuesday, Wilson Central split a pair of pool play games -- defeating White House 4-2 and falling to Knoxville Gibbs High 9-3.

Lebanon 12, Gallatin 0
GALLATIN -- Lebanon High rode the stellar pitching effort of Beth Swartwout Wednesday for a 12-0 victory over Gallatin High at Triple Creek Park. Swartwout allowed just one hit in four innings of work, striking out three with no walks.

Kelly McKeon and Kathryn Ludwikowski each bopped home runs for to lead Lebanon’s 12-hit attack. McKeon’s blast was a three-run shot in the third while Ludwikowski’s was a two-run bomb in the third. Katie Blackburn and Tori Brewington each had two hits for LHS. On Tuesday, Lebanon pounded Donelson Christian 13-0 at Baird Park.

LEBANON -- Stephanie Gutierrez and Nicole Swann both hit their first career home runs and Cumberland University held off a seventh-inning rally by Martin Methodist College Tuesday, as the Bulldogs took the second game of a doubleheader, 5-4, after dropping the opener, 6-5.

With the win in the nightcap, Cumberland (13-9, 3-1 TranSouth Conference) snapped a 28-game losing skid to the RedHawks. The Bulldogs’ last victory over MMC came in the 2004 TranSouth Championships, with CU taking a 4-2 win in eight innings.

The solo home run for Gutierrez came in the senior’s 217th trip to the plate as a Bulldog, while the two-run shot by Swann was just the third career hit for the sophomore, who has seen limited plate appearances in her two years.

Gutierrez, who was named the Music City Star of the Game, finished the doubleheader 3-for-6 with three RBIs. The Orlando, Fla., native’s long ball broke up Caroline Ezell’s no-hitter in the bottom of the fifth inning. To that point, the MMC pitcher had faced just one over the minimum.

After Victoria Bennett was hit by a pitch for the fifth time this season, Swann sent a rocket shot over the 14-foot center field wall, giving Cumberland a 3-0 lead.

Amber Mayne followed with a hit and got to third when Christina Manis reached on an error, but the inning ended when CaSarah Gilliam grounded into a double play.

CU added three critical insurance runs in the sixth inning but left the bases loaded. Heather James, who reached on a fielder’s choice, and Sarah Murray, who doubled, scored on a two-out, pinch-hit single by Meghan White. White stole both second and third, Swann walked and Mayne was hit by a pitch to load the bases for another pinch-hitter, Tonya Barlow. The junior sent a shot into deep center field that nearly got over the head of Karina de los Santos, who barely made the snowcone catch.

Courtney Maynard (5-2) ran into a little trouble in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with no outs on a single and a pair of walks. Two more singles plated a trio of runs and signaled the end of the day for the freshman.

In six-plus innings gave up four runs on eight hits but worked out of several tough situations. In the first inning, Martin Methodist loaded the bases with one out before the Gordonsville High School product struck out Samantha Queen and induced a groundout to end the threat.

Another strikeout halted another RedHawk scoring chance in the second as Maynard got Megan McKean swinging to end the inning, leaving two runners on base. MMC, which stranded 11 total baserunners, also left two on base in the fifth.

Caity Gray picked up her first save of the season, coming into the game with two on and no one out in the seventh. The junior gave up one hit and struck out one.

Game 1 -- Martin Methodist 6, Cumberland 5: Cumberland scored five runs in the bottom of the first but couldn’t overcome four errors, giving up the lead late.

After Manis led off the first with a bunt single, Gilliam doubled over the head of de los Santos. With one out, James hit it back to the pitcher, who came home trying to get Manis at the plate, but the speedster from Hendersonville made it in safely.

Bennett was plunked to load the bases for Murray, who grounded out to the pitcher, scoring Gilliam. With two outs Lavery reloaded the bases when she took a ball off the helmet. Gutierrez followed with a two-run single through the right side and Courtney White drove in another run with a shot back up the middle.

The 5-0 lead wasn’t enough as MMC scored two unearned runs in the second and plated three more with two outs in the third, including a two-run homer.

A dropped popup on the infield with two outs in the fifth inning scored the game-winner for the RedHawks.

Cumberland travels to league-leading Trevecca Nazarene University Thursday at 4 p.m.

BULLDOGS DOWN TN WESLEYAN 10-3 TUESDAY

LEBANON -- Tommy Crews went 3-for-3 with a double, homer and five RBIs and Lebanon High product Cody Ferrell had his second straight strong outing on the mound in No. 1 Cumberland’s 10-3 victory Tuesday over 14th-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan at Stockton Field.

Cumberland (16-8) scored three times in the fourth inning to take a 4-0 lead, only to see the visitors push across three runs in the fifth to make it a one-run run. But the Bulldogs answered with five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take control.

Crews belted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the fourth and had a bases-clearing double in the fifth to break open the contest. He also singled in the seventh and scored three times, earning Music City Star Player of the Game honors.

Tommy Winegardner and Antonio Butler each had two hits for CU and David Fanshawe scored twice in the victory.

Ferrell (2-1) got out of a jam in the first and also worked out of the fifth unscathed before a two-run single from Stephen Branca and an RBI single by C.J. McElroy got Tennessee Wesleyan (17-10) within a run. The Bulldog lefthander allowed three runs on four hits in 6.1 innings, walking six.

Logan Neal came on in the seventh after a pair of walks and gave up just a single in 1.2 innings of relief. Patrick Corrigan worked the ninth for CU, allowing two singles before a nifty 3-6-1 doubleplay erased the trouble.

TWC starter Matt Brennan (1-4) took the loss, giving up four runs on three hits in three innings. The righthander walked four and struck out four. Reliever Drew Housewright lasted just three batters, allowing a double and two walks, and Ronald Phelps gave up three runs on six hits in three innings of work.

The Bulldogs got on the board in the third inning after a leadoff single from T.J. Murphy and a walk to Greg Appleton. Richie Seaton’s sacrifice bunt pushed the runners up a base and Winegardner’s sac fly to left plated Murphy for a 1-0 lead.

CU added three more runs in the fourth. Fanshawe was hit after a 10-pitch at-bat and Crews followed with a two-run homer to right, his first home run of the season. Butler then walked, moved to second on a passed ball, stole third and scored on a line out by Murphy for a 4-0 advantage.

TWC cut into the deficit with three runs in the fifth, as Anthony Boix singled to leadoff and David Lindsay walked. Jon Smith walked with one out to load the bases and Ferrell got another popout, but Branca lined a two-run single into right. McEloroy then singled into center, plating another run, making it 4-3 Cumberland.

The Bulldogs answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning. Winegardner led off with a double and Mike Mandarino and Cory Farris both drew walks, loading the bases. Fanshawe blooped an RBI single into leftcenter and Crews cleared the bases with a double to leftcenter.

Butler then singled to right and Appleton followed with an RBI lineout for a 9-3 Cumberland lead.

CU added another run in the seven after Crews and Butler both singled and Murphy grounded sharply to first baseman David Bergin, whose throw to second hit Butler and caromed away, allowing Crews to score on the play.

Cumberland plays Shawnee State in a single game Wednesday at 1 p.m. before heading to Blue Mountain College for a three-game series this weekend.