Slow start sends Friendship to Middle Region runner up
May 11—Friendship Christian got off to a slow start Thursday and never fully recovered in falling 8-4 in the Middle Region championship game to visiting Columbia Academy at John McNeal Stadium.
The Bulldogs took a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Friendship starter Hayden Holleman, who was taken out to open the second by Elijah Stockton. Stockton surrendered a two-run double to C.J. Durrough for a 5-0 margin. CA tacked on two more in the third for a7-0 lead.
Brayden Stringer came on with no outs in the third and kept the Bulldogs in check the rest of the way, allowing just a sixth-inning score.
But it was too little too late as Gunner Skelton kept Friendship's bats in check until Adam Gordon's ninth home run of the season, with two on, in the fourth to bring the Commanders to within 7-3. Mason Hallum drove in the other FCS run in the seventh.
Skelton allowed eight hits and a walk while striking out 13. CA had 13 hits off the trio of Friendship pitchers.
Hallum and Holleman had two hits each while Knox Hayslip doubled.
With the championship, Columbia Academy earned a bye into the State XII best-of-3 series at home next week against this weekend's winner between Silverdale and St. George's.
Friendship fell to 28-12-1 and will host First Assembly Christian in an elimination game, at 7 p.m., at McNeal Stadium with the winner advancing to a best-of-3 next week at Boyd-Buchanan in Chattanooga for the right to go to Spring Fling in Murfreesboro.
FACS, located in the Memphis suburb of Cordova, and FCS have commencement ceremonies today, prompting the later start to the game.
Commanders overcome Goodpasture to reach region final
Friendship Christian moved to within a win of its first Middle Region championship since 2019 with a 5-3 win over visiting Goodpasture on Tuesday at John McNeal Stadium.
The teams were tied 2-2 before Friendship went up 3-2 in the fifth and 5-3 in the sixth as the Commanders climbed to the championship game against Columbia Academy (delayed a day to Thursday by weather) with a 28-11-1 record.
The Middle Region champion will get a bye to the round of eight in the State XII tournament and host the winner of Silverdale and St. George's (who will play this weekend in a one-and-done at the Middle Region champion) in a best-of-3 series later next week to send the winner to the state's final four in Murfreesboro. The Middle runner-up will host First Assembly Christian in a one-game matchup Saturday with the winner going to Chattanooga's Boyd-Buchanan for the best-of-3.
Sam Duckwiler pitched three innings in relief of starter Ayden Moore and benefitted from Friendship's late-game surge to improve to 2-0 with a 1.33 earned-run average. He allowed four hits and a seventh-inning run. Moore surrendered single scores in the first and third innings, five hits and three walks.
Friendship was outhit 9-7. Adam Gordon doubled as he and Quin Long had two hits each for the Commanders. Mason Hallum also had a double.