By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City. Tenn.–Eighth Grade Night couldn’t have gone any better for the Union City Middle School softball team.
After beating Ridgemont 20-5 and honoring seven girls in between-game ceremonies, the Lady Tornadoes then rallied to beat Dyersburg 7-6 in extra innings Thursday at Graham Park.
The doubleheader sweep sends UC into this weekend’s postseason tournament with a 14-6 record.
Sarah Beth Byars tripled to lead off the bottom of the sixth, then raced home on an error to give the Purple and Gold a thrilling nightcap victory.
Byars had a stellar day, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored in Game 2 after getting three hits in four at-bats in the opener.
Mattie Smith tripled twice, doubled and drove in three runs in the win over D’burg. Addison Carr had three hits, two runs scored and two RBI, while Gracie Sims tripled.
Carr struck out seven and gave up just three earned runs to get the pitching victory.
In the win over Ridgemont, UC scored eight times in both the first and second innings to sail to a run-rule triumph.
Breanna McLendon roped a first-inning grand slam to get the Lady Tornadoes off to a good start. Clare Atwill joined Byars in going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Carr had two hits and four RBI.
Madie Theobald drove in three tallies, Jenna Kate Cross had three singles and three runs scored and Skylar Brundige scored twice.
Smith fanned nine and gave up only two hits to earn the pitching win.
Union City will be involved in postseason play Saturday in Milan.
MIDDLE SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY
UC boys 2nd, girls team 3rd in final meet
Running shorthanded due to athletes’ involvement with other activities, the Tornado boys’ team was still good enough for second place in the Best of the West at Three Oaks.
The Lady Twisters placed third in the last meet of the 2021 season.
Four Union City boys medaled. Woodrow McKinnis completed a strong campaign with a sixth-place finish, sporting a time of 13:06.
Brayden Chism (13:43) was 16th, and both Andrew Beard and Paul Martin Tohn ended up with a time of 14:07, Beard narrowly edging his teammate for 20th place.
Wrigley Harder (15:26) came in 45th and Camden Dawkins (19:51) ranked 97th.
The UC girls had two medalists, led by Brylee Patrick (15:31), who was ninth in the two-mile race. Ainsley Beard cracked the Top 25 at No. 22 after finishing with a time of 16:17.
Other finishers for the Lady Tornadoes were Blythe Ogden (16:03), Briley McKinney (16:47), Phoebe Coleman (17:44) and Arie Gear (27:28).
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
UC 3, Peabody 1
The Lady Tornadoes won the final two games after splitting the first two to complete a season sweep of Peabody and better their District 13A record to 9-3.
UC won Games 3 and 4, 25-17 and 25-16, respectively. The Twisters took the opening game 25-23, but dropped Game 2, 25-22.
Raegan Taylor had a hand in eight assists and came up with six saves and five aces for Union City. Anna Cheatham registered nine kills, a half-dozen aces and six saves, and Annie Wade recorded seven digs and five aces. Kaigan Davis smashed nine kills.
Emma Powell finished with nine assists, five aces and four digs for the Lady Tornadoes, who wore blue hair ribbons in honor and memory of UCHS special needs student Parker Vowell, who passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday.
Union City will carry a 9-6 overall record into the final week of the regular season that begins with a home match against Halls Monday.
MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Northview 22, UC 18
Union City’s second half comeback bid fell short, dropping the Tornadoes to 4-2 heading into next week’s home season finale against Paris Inman.
Aiden Reid rushed for 123 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion for UC against Northview. Quarterback Kirben Thompson had 95 yards and also scored a TD and accounted for a two-point play.
Deyton Buckley had three tackles and a pass deflection for the Twister defense. Owen Waggoner had a forced safety, Reid came up with a fumble recovery and Thompson had a forced fumble and a recovery.
UC trailed 14-0 at halftime.