SPORTS

JCMS’ Dakota Holt earns the win on the hill against UH. Holt had three hits in their win over Providence and allowed only six hits against UH.

Tomahawk Sports

The middle school Longhorns pulled off a big feat last week by picking up two huge wins over Providence Academy and University School. The knocked off Providence 10-5 on Thursday then came away with a 9-6 win over the Junior Bucs on Friday.

JCMS 10
Providence 5
Coach Julian Crews had his troops ready for battle against a very good Providence team. They blew open the game with a five-run second inning then scored three more times in the third.
Dakota Holt blasted a two-run single in the second frame scoring Graham Reece and Connor Simcox who had walked. George Grill followed duplicated the feat with a two-run one bagger plating, Dominic Kelly and Holt. Peyton Pavusek made sure Grill wasn’t left standing by ripping a run-scoring base hit for a 5-0 advantage.
The hot bats continued for JCMS after extending their advantage to 8-0 in the third. It was Holt and Grill who once again did the damage.
Holt ripped a run-scoring single while Grill plated two more with a solid single that pretty much put the game out of reach.
The Longhorns closed out their scoring with a 2-run fifth inning. Pavusek
and Simcox each drove in a run with base hits to
double up the score on Providence.
Holt and Simcox had a big day at the plate collecting three hits apiece. Tanner Marshall, Pavusek and Grill were just as productive collecting two hits each with two runs scored. Ezra Howard and Graham Reece provided one hit each.
Pavusek pitched three innings plus to earn the win on the mound for the Horns. Simcox tossed two scoreless innings, and Holt closed it out with a strong seventh inning to assist Pavusek in their closing roles.

JCMS 9
University School 6
The Longhorns rallied to score six runs over the final two innings to knock off University School on Friday. The Junior Bucs had taken a 4-3 lead in the fifth, but Johnson County rallied to tally four in the bottom half to go up 7-4.
Peyton Pavusek swung the momentum in JCMS’ favor with a mammoth triple in the gap to tie the game at 4-4. Tanner Marshall followed that up with a double to drive home Pavusek for a 5-4 advantage, but the Horns weren’t finished.
Dominic Kelly, Tyler Bouchelle and Conner Simcox all had base hits to aid in another pair of runs.
Graham Reece singled in
a run during the sixth
inning, and Marshall doubled him home to give the Horns the cushion they needed to stave off the Bucs who scored two in their final at-bat.
Pavusek went 3-for-4 with two RBI’s to lead the Longhorns at the plate. Kelly, Marshall and George Grill collected two hits apiece. Ezra Howard, Reece and Bouchelle all had a base hit and scored.
Holt went five innings on the mound to earn the win. Howard tossed the final two innings to record the save.
“This was two good wins for us,” said their legendary skipper Julian
Crews. “We’ve been hitting the ball well, and our pitching and defense have been solid.”

JC’s Cassidy Lakatos tags out a Central runner trying to reach third base. Lakatos played well defensively in their 8-2 win. Photos by Tameula Trivett

Tomahawk Sports

The Lady Longhorns
got the revenge they came seeking on Thursday after losing a close contest two weeks ago in Blountville. They knocked off Sullivan Central 8-2 after losing a heartbreaking 7-4 contest at Sullivan East on Tuesday thanks to a 3-run walk-off homer with two outs in the last inning.
Johnson County 8
Sullivan Central 2
The Lady Longhorns scored four times in the second inning with two outs then added two more in the third to get the upper hand on Central.
Abby Cornett laced a two-run single, and Maddi Edington delivered another one bagger that plated a couple more runs for a 4-0 advantage.
A towering 2-run homer in the third inning by Hannah Brooks scored Lindsey Wills who had singled for a 6-0 advantage.
Natalie Winters had a key base hit in the fourth inning that helped produced another run that made it 7-0.
Their final run came in the sixth on an RBI double from Lindsey Wills that scored Winters.
Central scored its lone two runs in the sixth inning but couldn’t muster any more runs off of Hannah Brooks. She went the distance on the mound to earn the win allowing just six hits.
Brooks had a good day at the plate going 2-for-4 with two RBI’s and two runs scored. Edington and Wills recorded two hits apiece. Alexis Hendley was 1-for-1 with an RBI and run scored. Cornett and Winters collected one hit each.
JCHS’ head coach Greg Reece was happy with his team’s performance.
“Tonight our team really responded and bounced back from that tough loss to East,” said Reece. “We were shorthanded and a little beat down the first time we played them, and we really beat ourselves. Tonight the ladies came out and attacked them both at the plate and on the bases. Bouncing back from the loss at East to play like this tonight says a lot about the character of this team.”
Reece went on to add.
“We are through the roughest part of our schedule, but we still have Elizabethton twice and Sullivan South twice this week. The next few days will determine where we are in the seeding for the district tournament.”

Sullivan East 7
Johnson County 4
Caiden Bawgus hit a two-out 3-run walk-off homer to give the Lady ‘Patriots a come-from-behind win.
The Longhorns held a 4-3 lead after five, but East tied the game with a run in the sixth.
The Patriots used a 2-run homer by Kaylee Wolfe in the first inning to get on the board. They also got a single home run by Chelsea Sams during the third.
The Lady Longhorns used a 2-run single by Maddi Edington and an RBI base hit by Abby Cornett in the second inning to get on the board with three runs in the second inning. A single from by Hannah Brooks and Bella Miller’s double would factor in them taking a 4-3 lead in the fifth.
Miller swung the big stick for the Longhorns going 3-for-3.
Cornett was 2-for-3 and Edington 2-for-4 with two RBI’s, while Winters and Brooks had the only other hits for Johnson County.
The home runs by Wolfe, Sams, and Bawgus accounted for six of the seven runs that East scored.
Johnson County’s skipper Greg Reece summed up the loss best.
“That is a tough loss to accept. We played very well at times, but we missed out on some big opportunities. We had bases loaded with one out and got nothing out of it. I think we left runners on second and third another time. Hannah Brooks pitched a terrific game, even with the homers, she did a great job of mixing in location and speed, but East is going to get their hits. “
Reece added.
“Natalie Winters played very well moving from first to catcher in place of the injured Emmy Miller. Natalie had not caught in a while, and she handled things behind the plate great.”
The Longhorns were set to play a doubleheader at Elizabethton and another twin bill at Sullivan South on Thursday.

JC’s Weston Throop stepped up big in their win over HV. The senior leader went 3-4 in game one and scored the winning run after singling in game two.

Tomahawk Sports

Johnson County’s baseball team is out to prove all the naysayers wrong, and so far they’ve done that this year. The Longhorns are currently 4-4 in league play after sweeping Happy Valley in a doubleheader on Tuesday.
The Longhorns won the first game 11-0 then took the second game 6-5 in dramatic fashion.
They followed that up with a 14-1 victory over FCA on Friday.
Head coach Pete Pavusek is happy with his team’s play so far.
“We were picked to finish at the bottom in the preseason, but we can do no worse than fifth,” said Pavusek. “We could possibly finish third or fourth but beating Happy Valley in a doubleheader was big because our kids wanted to win both games so bad. Weston Throop was huge in game two, and Jaiden Joiner pitched an excellent game in the first one. Reese Stout has been hitting the ball really good in his DH spot. Guys like Petie Pavusek, Ben Howard and Bradley Livorsi have hit the ball well and are providing some great leadership, but we are also getting some good play out of sophomore Stacy Greer and our freshmen Ethan Icenhour, Asa Lewis, and Zack Parsons. It’s been a very productive year so far.

Johnson County 11
Happy Valley 0
The Longhorns used an outstanding pitching performance by Jayden Joiner to capture the first game convincingly. The Milligan College signee tossed a two-hitter, striking out nine Warrior batters without issuing a walk.
The Horns gave him plenty of run support that began in the first inning.
Joiner led off with a single then later scored on Reese Stout’s base hit.
The Longhorns added another run in the second getting an RBI base hit by freshman Ethan Icenhour scoring Weston Throop who had singled.
Throop and Icenhour duplicated that same feat again in the fourth inning with a back-to-back base to go up 3-0. They extended their lead to 6-0 in the fifth with a three-run outburst.
Petie Pavusek, Stacy Greer, Throop, and Bradley Livorsi all had singles that led to their trio of runs. They put it out of reach by scoring five times in the seventh.
Pavusek, Ben Howard, Joiner, and Livorsi all drove home runs which allowed the Horns to escape with the win. The Longhorns served as the visiting team in this game due to Happy Valley not having a home field to play its games on due to the recent flooding.
Throop and Stout banged out three hits apiece to pace the Longhorns. Greer and Icenhour provided added two apiece. Pavusek, Joiner and Asa Lewis all had one.

Game 2
Johnson County 6
Happy Valley 5
The fountain of youth was flowing nicely in this contest. Freshman Asa Lewis singled home Weston Throop with the game-winner after he had led off the seventh inning with a base hit.
The Longhorns fell behind 3-0 in the early going but rallied back with a two-run to third to get within one. Four walks, an error, and Petie Pavusek’s 2-run single helped the Horns to remain in the hunt.
The lead swapped hand twice until the seventh inning when Lewis’ ripped a two-out base hit on a 3-2 pitch. He also pitched the seventh inning to earn the win.
Ben Howard pitched four strong innings for the Horns by limiting the Warriors to just five hits and three runs with five strikeouts. Bradley Livorsi came on in relief to toss two strong innings.
Pavusek went 2-for-4 with two RBI’s to lead the Longhorns at the plate. Asa Lewis was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Ethan Icenhour went 1-for-3 with two RBI’s. Joiner and Throop also had a base hit each.
Wilson led the Longhorns going 3-for-4.

Johnson County 14
FCA 1
The Longhorns scored seven times in the first inning to win rather easily over FCA on Friday in what should be known as Pete Pavusek Field.
Pavusek has recorded over 330 victories in his 23 years plus as the Longhorns’ head skipper.
The Longhorns got a dominant pitching effort by freshman Zack Parsons in relief
of Bradley Livorsi who
tossed the first two innings to earn the win. Parsons struck out three and never allowed a base runner during his
brief stint.
Eric Neely threw the final inning.
Parsons helped his cause by going 1-for-1 with an
RBI double. Livorsi added two hits and three RBI’s
while Pavusek drove in two runs with a pair of base hits. Ben Howard and Ethan
Icenhour were 2-for-3 each with two runs scored. Stacy Greer was 1-for-2 with an RBI and run scored. Reese Stout was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Weston Throop was 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
Asa Lewis had the most important day for the Horns going 4-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored.
The Longhorns blasted out 17 hits on the day.
The Longhorns have a big week ahead as they took on Sullivan South on Monday and Tuesday before traveling to Tennessee High on Thursday. They’ll be at home for a doubleheader with Unaka on Friday which will be senior night.

Hannah Fritts pitched the full game for the JCMS Lady Longhorns on the road against The Mary Hughes School. Fritts pitched well but the Lady Lions were hitting even better. The undefeated Mary Hughes team handed the Longhorns a tough loss of 8-1 by the end of the contest.
Photos by Tia Thomas

Story and Photos Submitted by Tia Thomas

The JCMS Lady Longhorns ran into a buzz saw when they traveled Thursday to battle undefeated Mary Hughes losing 8-1.
The Lady Horns bats were kept in check as hit after hit went right at the Lady Lions fielders. JCMS scored their lone run in the first inning when Zennia Bouchelle reached first on an error.
Bouchelle then stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a ground out by Hannah Fritts.
Aubrie Baird and Autumn Shepherd picked up the lone hits for the Longhorns.
They Lady Horns stood 5-1 in the conference and 8-6 overall ahead of Ashe County Middle school on Tuesday April 16, while
celebrating eighth-grade night.
The Lady Longhorns got off to a slow start against a much improved Hampton team. The bats finally came alive and the Horns cruised to a 12-0 win in 5 innings. Maddie Jones, Aubrey Savery, Hanna Fritts, Autumn Lewis, and Zennia Bouchelle had two hits. Autumn Shepherd, Amy Gunter, and Audrey Baird had a hit each. Hanna Fritts pitched 4 inning of hitless ball and struck out 5. Autumn Shepherd came in to finish it off striking out 2.
In the JV game, the Horns won 3-0.

JC’s Lindsey Wills slides under the tag of UC’s Hannah Hawkins. Wills was 1-1 with a run scored and RBI in their
8-2 loss. Photos by Tameula Trivett

Tomahawk sports JOHNSON CITY—The Lady Longhorns used the long ball to earn a huge conference win over Happy Valley on Tuesday. Natalie Winters, Hannah Brooks, and Maddi Edington all went yard in their 9-3 victory over the Warriors played at Rotary Park.
It was Winters and Brooks that set the tone in the first inning and Edington that delivered the dagger in the sixth.
Edington led ripped a leadoff single to start the game then Winters crushed a mammoth home run over the fence that gave them a 2-0 advantage, but that was just the start.
Hannah Brooks gave her team a 4-0 advantage by sending another two-run homer over the wall scoring Lindsey Wills who had walked.
The Longhorns continued to play well and upped their lead at 8-0 in the third.
Abby Cornett had the big hit in the inning, a two-run, two-out single. Cassidy Lakatos and Emmy Miller each drove in a run with base hits and scored that ending any comeback hopes by the Warriors after then loaded the bases in the bottom half but failed to score.
Edington closed out the Longhorns’ scoring by ripping a solo home run over the right-field fence in the sixth after the Lady Warriors had scored twice in the fifth.
Edington ended the day going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Brooks was 1-for-1 with two runs scored and two RBI’s. Winters drove in a pair of runs with her homer and Wills was 1-for-2 with a run scored. Emmy Miller, Lakatos and Cornett all had base hits.
Bella Miller went the distance of the mound to earn the win for the Longhorns. She scattered ten hits and gave up only one earned run.
Laura Rice had a big day at the plate for the Valley going 4-for-4.
The game ended with a scary moment.
Happy Valley’s Olivia Absher tried to tag up from third base and score on a sacrifice fly but was thrown out at the plate by Johnson County’s Alexis Hendley on a perfect throw from right field to catcher Emmy Miller. Absher crashed into Miller, and both girls went down and had to be transported to the Johnson City Medical Center by ambulance.
Everyone is asked to remember them in prayer as they try and recover from what was thought to be concussions for both players.

Johnson Co. 404 001 -9
Happy Valley 000 201 -3

B. Miller and E. Miller, Holt, Absher (4) and Havner.
WP—B. Miller.
HR—JC (Winters, Brooks, Edington)

Unicoi County 8
Johnson County 2
The news wasn’t good on Thursday as Johnson County lost to visiting Unicoi County 8-2 at Bob Kirksey Field.
Hannah Brooks paced Johnson County at the plate by going 2-for-3. Lindsey Wills was 1-for-1 with an RBI and run scored. Natalie Winters and Maddi Edington went 1-for-3 apiece to close out the hitting for the Lady Longhorns.
Hailie Hawkins and Samantha Chavez had three hits each for the Lady Blue Devils. Karla Kinsler and Ashton Vance provided two apiece.
Allee Griffith picked up the win on the mound for Unicoi County.
The Longhorns played without starting catcher Emmy Miller who is out indefinitely after being hurt in the Happy Valley win.

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JCMS’ Ezra Howard steals home in a recent win. Howard had two hits and pitched two scoreless innings in their
20-0 win over Cloudland. Photos by Tameula Trivett

JC’s Stacy Greer rips a base hit versus Elizabethton. Greer drove in a run, but the Horns lost 10-4 to the Cyclones. Submitted photo

Johnson County played with the big dog for five innings, but a six pack of
runs by Elizabethton in the sixth inning would prove to be the difference. The Cyclones broke open a close game to win 10-4 on Tuesday afternoon at Joe O’Brien Field.
It was a gutsy performance by the Horns against Elizabethton who remains undefeated in conference play at 7-0. Johnson County fell to 2-4 and will play at Happy Valley on Monday.
The Longhorns got on the board first when Ben Howard doubled in the first inning and scored on Petie Pavusek’s groundout.
Elizabethton moved in front 3-1 in the bottom half after collecting a pair of unearned runs aided by the help of three walks.
The Cyclones made it 4-1 in the third with the help of back-to-back doubles from Lawson Wagner and Jayden Anderson.
Johnson County used a leadoff double by Pavusek in the fourth inning to cut the deficit in half at 4-2. He was able to scamper home on Reese Stout’s single, but then the dagger came.
The Cyclones exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 10-2. Evan Carter got things started with a leadoff triple, but the free passes continued to hurt Johnson County.
Four Cyclones walked and scored in the inning making it five for the game.
Johnson County refused to quit and found a way to push across two runs in the sixth. Pavusek and Stacy Greer each had a single and scored, but Lawson Wagner came on to shut the door ending any comeback hopes by the Longhorns.
Pavusek led the Longhorns at the plate by going 2-for-3 with two runs
scored. Jayden Joiner, Ben Howard, Stout, Greer, Eric Neely, Ethan Icenhour, and Bradley Livorsi each added a base hit.
Matthew Dailey went 2-for-2 and drove in a pair of runs for the Cyclones in addition to pitching the win. Anderson added two hits and Carter scored twice and drove in two runs.
The Cyclones were to take on Happy Valley on Monday before getting into the thick of conference play.

Johnson Co. 100 102 0 -4
Elizabethton 301 060 x -10
WP—Dailey, LP—Howard

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Maddie Jones threw a great game against Watauga County for the JCMS Lady Longhorns on their home field Monday, April 1. Jones pitched the first 4 innings and Autumn Lewis came in for the 5th to close the game out. JCMS steamrolled Watauga 13-3 in the game which was called after 5 innings. Photos By Tia Thomas

Hannah Fritts slides into second safely during Game 2 of the JCMS Longhorns’ doubleheader against the Happy Valley Warriors at the Horns’ home field on April 2. Fritts had already knocked two out of the park as well as pitched a perfect game in Game 1 of the night as the Horns stomped the Warriors 12-0 in Game 1 and 16-1 in Game 2. By Tia Thomas

Head coach Haley Miller had her Lady Longhorns’ softball team clicking on all cylinders this past week. Her squad earned a very important doubleheader sweep over Happy Valley 12-1 and 16-0 on Friday after crushing Watauga County 13-3 earlier in the week.

JCMS 16, Happy Valley 1
The Longhorns rode a mammoth performance by Hannah Fritts in the first contest to earn
the victory. She dazzled the crowd by tossing a perfect game no-
hitter in addition to crushing two home runs, including one that dented the umpire’s hood on his vehicle.
Maddie Jones continued to swing a hot bat for Johnson County by collecting three hits. Autumn Shepherd had provided a stellar performance with two hits. Audrey Savery, Autumn Lewis, Amy Gunter, Zennia Bouchelle, and Aiden Thomas had a hit each.

JCMS 12, Happy Valley 0
The Lady Horns continued their dominance in the second game with an impressive 12-1 decision. Autumn Lewis silenced the Watauga bats by pitching a one-hitter. She also helped her cause by smacking three base hits. Hannah Fritts, Autumn Shepherd and Amy Gunter delivered two hits apiece. Maddie Jones, Audrey Savery Zennia Bouchelle, Eden Potter and Makenzie Poe each provided one.

JCMS 13, Watauga 3
The Lady Longhorns started their clean sweep with a 13-3 win over Watauga in a game that lasted only five innings.
Maddie Jones, Audrey Savery, Amy Gunter, Autumn Shepherd, and Makenzie Poe all had 2 hits apiece to pace the offensive attack. Hannah Fritts, Autumn Lewis,
and Zennia Bouchelle had a hit each.
Mattie Jones pitched 4 innings to earn the win. Fritts came on in relief to close the door in the fifth.

JC’s Dalton Adams tags out a Unaka runner at third base. The Longhorns lost the game 11-8 after winning two games in the week.

Tomahawk Sports

Baseball can be a confusing game at times, and the middle school Longhorns found that out last week. They knocked off University School 8-1 on Tuesday then blew out Unaka 14-0 on Thursday.
But the Rangers got revenge on Friday in a make-up game by knocking off the Longhorns 11-8.

JCMS 8
University School 1
Peyton Pavusek pitched a strong 5 2/3 innings to get the win on the mound for the Longhorns. He allowed only two hits and struck out four while limited the Jr. Bucs to a single run.
Pavusek singled and scored on a base hit by Tyler Bouchelle in the second inning to get Johnson County on the board.
They pushed across three in the third to expand their advantage at 4-0.
Conner Simcox singled in Graham Reece to get things started. Bouchelle ripped a 2-run double to highlight the inning.
The Longhorns put the game away in the fifth
and sixth with a four-run outburst. An RBI base hit by Graham Reece drove in Ezra Howard who had singled. Pavusek added insult to injury with another run-scoring single followed by a two-run double off the bat of George Grill.
Pavusek and Bouchelle went 3-for-4 each to lead
the Longhorns at the plate. Howard, Graham Reece, Grill, Dakota Holt, and Simcox had a base hit each to round out Johnson County’s 11 total.

JCMS 14
Unaka 0
Dakota Holt allowed only five hits in five innings that allowed the Longhorns to run-rule the Rangers. Holt finished the game with seven strikeouts.
The Longhorns scored five runs in the opening inning then extended their lead at 11-0 in the third by placing six more runs on the scoreboard.
JCMS collected 12 hits in the game led by Conner
Simcox’s two hits and 3 RBI’s performance. Ezra Howard was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI’s. Holt had two
hits and 2 RBI’s while
Graham Reece added two base hits and scored twice. Tanner Marshall went 1-
for-2 with a run scored and RBI.

Unaka 11
JCMS 8
Johnson County’s pitching staff got razor thin
on Friday as they couldn’t hold off Unaka at home to earn a clean sweep for the week. The Rangers took advantage of 11 walks and two hit batters to come away with their victory.
Tanner Marshall, Ezra Howard, Peyton Pavusek and George Grill had two hits apiece for the Longhorns. Dakota Holt, Ethan Reece, and Conner Simcox provided one respectively.
Things don’t get any easier for the Longhorns next week. They’ll play four games, all at home on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and the following Monday.

Maddie Jones sliding under the tag to up the score to 5-1 in the 4th inning against Cloudland Thursday evening. Photo by Tia Thomas

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It was a good week for Head Coach Haley Miller and her middle school Lady Longhorns last week. They defeated Cloudland 10- 2 on Thursday after rolling past Hampton 22-3 on Tuesday.

JCMS 10
Cloudland 2
Hannah Fritts dominated the game by giving up only two runs while pitching the Lady Longhorns to a huge conference win. Fritts also helped her cause by collecting two base hits and two RBI’s.
Maddie Jones had a monster game at the plate gathering four hits with two RBI’s. Autumn Shepherd and Autumn Baird had three hits apiece with Shepherd knocking in two runs. Kendyle Kleine had two base hits and a RBI. Aubrey Savery, Amy Gunter, Zennia Bouchelle and Aden Thomas each drove in a run with one hit apiece.

Hannah Fritts firing for the Lady Horns in the 7th inning against VMS on March 29. Photos by Tia Thomas

Emily Walker grabs a high throw to second to force an out in JV action
against Virginia Middle School Friday evening.

JCMS 22
Hampton 3
The Lady Longhorns scored early and often while running roughshod past the Lady Bulldogs’ softball team.
Maddie Jones blasted out four hits to lead the Longhorns. Autumn Lewis, Aubrey Savery, Autumn Shepherd and Autumn Baird added three hits each. Hannah Fritts, Kendyle Kleine and Amy Gunter had two hits
and two RBI’s apiece. Jones and Lewis drove in two runs each. Savery, Shepherd and Baird logged three RBI’s apiece.
Coach Miller complimented her team for their overall play and stated that the kids were starting to play better each time out.

JC’s Emmy Miller give teammate Abby Cornett a high five after scoring versus Hampton. Miller and Cornett combined for three hits each in their 24-5 win over University School.
Photos by
Tomahawk Sports

JC’s senior pitcher Bella Miller fires a pitch against Patrick Henry. Miller pitched 2 of the four wins against PH and Hampton.

Longhorns reel off four straight

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Head coach Greg Reece has his Lady Longhorns playing at a high level after a rough start to open the season. His Johnson County squad reeled off four straight wins last week that included a 24-5 romp of University School on Monday. They swept Patrick Henry in a doubleheader 8-4 and 8-5 to start the week then unloaded on Hampton 20-0 on Friday.

Johnson County 24
University School 5
The Lady Longhorns unleashed a 21-hit attack on University High that led to a 24-5 victory at Indian Trail on Monday. Hannah Brooks blasted a home run with the bases loaded in the final inning for the closing encore after Emmy Miller had ripped a three-run triple in the inning before.
Every Longhorn starter had a base hit in the game, and seven had two or more.
Brooks ended the day with four hits and six RBI’s. Abby Cornett provided three hits and five RBI’s, while Maddi Edington collected three hits; three RBI’s and scored twice.
Emmy Miller was 3-for-4 with two RBI’s and three runs scored. Cassidy Lakatos went 2-for-4 with four runs batted in coupled with Bella Miller, who had three RBI’s and two base hits.
Natalie Winters provided two base hits and scored twice. Lindsey Wills was 1-for-3 with 2 RBI’s and scored three times. Diamond Dibble closed out the hitting going 1-for-4 with three runs scored.
Hannah Brooks went the distance on the mound to earn the win. She struck out five and allowed only two earned runs.

Johnson County 20
Hampton 0
The high parade continued at Hampton on Friday as 23 base hits led to 20 runs being scored by the visiting Longhorns.
The Horns took a 3-0 lead in the first inning then broke the game open with another four in the second.
Natalie Winters blasted a three-run homer in the second inning to put Johnson County up 6-0. Hannah Brooks launched a three-run homer in the following inning after Winters had swatted a two-run single to make the score 11-0.
Winters amassed seven RBI’s while going 4-for-5 for the Longhorns. Maddi Edington was a perfect 5-for-5 with two RBI’s and three runs scored. Hannah Brooks was 3-for-4 with four RBI’s.
Cassidy Lakatos swatted three base hits and that plated three runs. Emmy Miller, Tiffany Price, Faith Walsh, and Hailey Rider had two hits apiece, while Abby Cornett and Bella Miller had a hit respectively.
Bella Miller pitched the first two innings before giving way to the freshman Rider who tossed the final three.
Maddie Setlock, Katie Grindstaff, and Bella Brown had the only base hits in the game for Hampton.

Johnson County 8
Patrick Henry 4
The Lady Longhorns got the week off to a good start by sweeping Patrick Henry in a doubleheader at Bob Kirksey’s Field. They won the first game 8-4 then capped off the nightcap with an 8-5 victory.
Hannah Brooks had a 3-run homer in the first game to helped put the game out of reach. Cassidy Lakatos led the hitting going 3-for-3. Maddi Edington was 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Emmy Miller had a double and drove in a run that was without starters Natalie Winters and Lindsey Winters who were with Johnson County’s award-winning HOSEA team at the state competition.
Haley Rider ripped a two-run double in the first inning of the second game, and Jayla Gregg added an RBI single that set the tone for an 8-5 Longhorns’ victory.
Rider earned the win on the mound for the Lady Longhorns.

Petie Pavusek (3-4, 5 RBI’s) Photos by Tomahawk Sports

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Johnson County ran their season record to 5-0 by knocking off Cloudland 17-0 on Friday. It was a game where the Longhorns were able to get some young kids a lot of playing time and varsity experience.
Head coach Pete Pavusek touched on his team’s fast start so far.
“It’s definitely been surprising to be 5-0,” said Pavusek. “We won a couple of big conference games on Tuesday and carried over that momentum. We scheduled this game hoping to get our young kids some playing time and varsity experience. Our freshmen Asa Lewis and Ethan Icenhour have been playing well for us, and now we have Zack Parsons out for the team who went 1-for-1 in his first varsity game. It was good to get everyone get to play.”
The Longhorns made a statement in the first inning by scoring ten runs. Reese Stout and Weston Throop hit home runs in the inning. Jayden Joiner, Stacy Greer, Icenhour, and Petie Pavusek all had base hits and drove in a run.
Johnson County continued to pour it on scoring three more times in the third and fourth innings while added another one in the second.
Bradley Livorsi picked up the win on the mound in three innings of work. He struck out six en route to his first win. Eric Neely
and Asa Lewis tossed an inning of scoreless baseball apiece.
Pavusek had a massive day at the plate going 3-for-4 with five RBI’s. Throop was 2-for-3 with three RBI’s. Joiner was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Stout added a 2-for-3 performance with two RBI’s. Greer had a perfect day at the plate going 1-for-1 while driving in two runs as did Mason Bragg who was 2-for-2 with three RBI’s. Parsons was 1-for-1 with an RBI and run scored. Ty Warren, Lewis, Icenhour, Livorsi, Neely and Howard collected one hit apiece.
Dillon Johnson, Hunter Blair, and Braden Christman had the only hits in the game for Cloudland.

Johnson Co. 10 1 0 3 3 -17
Cloudland 0 0 0 0 0 – 0
WP—Livorsi
HR—JC (Stout, Throop)

JCMS’ Peyton Pavusek (30) pitched a scoreless 7th inning to get the save against FCA. Pavusek had four hits and 3 RBI’s in their 8-6 victory. Photos by Tameula Trivett

Tomahawk Sports

The Longhorns held off a late FCA rally to come away with an 8-6 win over the Flames.
The bulk of Johnson County’s offense came during the first and third innings where they scored three times in each of them.
Graham Reece singled to start the game and later scored on a run-scoring base hit from Peyton Pavusek. George Grill delivered the biggest hit, a two-run triple that plated Pavusek and Dakota Holt giving the Horns a 3-1 lead.
Walks to Reece and Holt would get things started once again in the third inning for Johnson County. Pavusek delivered an RBI single while Grill delivered a double giving the Longhorns a 6-2 cushion.
The Horns would use Nate King’s single in the fourth inning to score another run. It’s final one game during the fifth when Grill smacked a single scoring Pavusek who had hit safely.
Grill had a mammoth day going 3-for-4 with five
RBI’s. Pavusek also provided a monster game going
4-for-4 with two RBI‘s and three runs scored. Reece and Holt had a base hit each and scored twice. Tanner
Marshall and Nate King provided the other two Longhorn hits.
Connor Simcox started
on the mound for the
Longhorns and pitched
three strong innings to
record the win. Holt came on in the fourth and
pitched three good innings. Pavusek tossed the last inning and was credited with the save.
Head coach Julian Crews touched on his team’s win.
“We were just happy to get on the field,” said Crews. “We’ve struggled to play games because of the rain and cold, so this was our first game at home. I thought our pitchers threw well with six strikeouts and only two walks. Grill had a huge game at the plate, and so did Pavusek. It was a good win but even better to get out on the field.”
The Longhorns will play at Unaka on Thursday and host the Rangers at home on Friday.

JC’s head coach Greg
Reece gives instructions to Abby Cornett (11). Cornett had two hits in the game, but the Horns lost 8-5 to Central.

BLOUNTVILLE—The Lady Longhorns had victory within their grasps only to watch Central snatch it from them. The Lady Cougars five runs in the fifth inning then held on for an 8-5 victory.
The Longhorns went on top 5-3 in the fifth inning on a 2-run single by Alexis Hendley scoring Hannah Brooks and Bella Miller who had all hit safely.
Johnson County’s defense proved to be their downfall by committing five errors. Bella Miller started on the mound for Johnson County but was relieved by Brooks in the sixth.
Brooks allowed only one hit and no runs during her time on the mound. Miller surrendered eight runs by only four was earned.
Abby Cornett led the Longhorns at the plate going 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. Hendley went
1-for-3 and drove in two runs. Natalie Winters, Brooks, Bella Miller, and Emmy Miller added one hit apiece.
Maddi Flanagan went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Lady Cougars. Katie Horne also had a pair of hits for the winners.
“We didn’t play well defensively,” said JCHS’ head coach Greg Reece. “We committed five errors, so
half of their runs were unearned.”
The Longhorns are now 0-3 in conference play.

JCHS 030 020 0 -5
Central 210 050 x -8
B. Miller, Brooks 6 and E. Miller. Snapp, Chandler 6, Sheffield 7 and Horne.
WP—Chandler, LP—Miller
Save—Sheffield.

JC’s Maddi Edington had the game-winning hit against Chuckey-Doak. The Horns placed 3rd in the bronze division in the East Tn. Classic. Photo by Tomahawk Sports.

Tomahawk Sports

JOHNSON CITY—The Lady Longhorns took to the softball diamond over the weekend and pulled out their first two wins of the seasons. They earned a third-place finish in the bronze division of the East Tennessee Classic by knocking off Chuckey-Doak 5-4 in the consolation game. They also defeated Class A powerhouse Unaka 10-9 on Friday by overcoming a five-run deficit in the last inning to tie the game and then win it in the following frame by way of the international rule.
The Longhorns played in a four-team pool, and their pool was far superior to any of the other three. The three teams they were paired with, Daniel Boone, Knox Farragut, and Unaka all won their respective divisions.
Boone won the overall gold division as the tourney’s best team defeating Farragut 1-0 who won the silver division. Unaka claimed the white bracket after their loss to Johnson County
The Horns were shut out by Boone and Farragut but found their offense in games versus Unaka, Sullivan South and Chuckey-Doak.

Johnson County 10
Unaka 9
The Longhorns trailed 9-4 going into the last inning but scored five runs to tie the game that sent it into extra innings.
RBI singles by Natalie Winters and Alexis Hendley got Johnson County on the board in the second inning giving them a 2-0 advantage.
The Lady Rangers scored three in the third to go up 3-2, but the Horns would tie the game in the bottom half. Hannah Brooks crushed a mammoth home run over the left centerfield fence that pulled them even at 3-3.
The Rangers used a pair of two-run doubles from Kendall Bare and Lilly Kiser in the fourth to go up 8-3. Lindsey Wills singled and scored in the bottom half to cut the deficit in half at 8-4.
The Longhorns trailed by five going into their final at-bat but rallied with one out to pull even.
Bella Miller singled then scored on the double off the bat of Tiffany Price. Winters helped the cause with an RBI single and Wills crushed a line drive that got misplayed in right field that scored another.
The Horns would tie the game on a 2-run double off the bat of Emmy Miller that made it 9-9.
The final inning would be played under the international rule with each team starting with a runner at second.
Brooks recorded a big strikeout on the mound for Johnson County that left a Lady Ranger stranded at third base.
The Longhorns would win the game in the bottom half thanks to a leadoff double by Maddi Edington scoring Cassidy Lakatos with the game winner.
Winters went 2-for-4 with two RBI’s to lead the Longhorns. Emmy Miller, Edington, and Lakatos were 2-for-4 each with an RBI and run scored. Price was 1-for-1 with an RBI and run scored. Brooks was 1-for-2 with two runs scored, while Wills had a base hit and scored twice as did Bella Miller. Alexis Hendley was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Brooks went the distance on the mound to earn with a win. She struck out six and allowed only two walks. Only five of Unaka’s runs were earned.
Bare and Sadie Shoun had a pair of hits apiece to lead the Rangers.
It was the first win as a high school head coach for Johnson County’s Greg Reece. He touched on his team’s resilience after being paired in the same pool with heavyweights Daniel Boone and Knox Farragut.
“The win over Unaka was important,” said Reece. “We needed that after the scheduled we had. We started hitting the ball better, and we regained some confidence. I’m proud of our kids for the way they battled back.”

Johnson County 5
Chuckey-Doak 4
The weary Longhorns departed Wing Deer Park on Saturday with a win in their final game of the tournament to claim third place in the bronze division.
A double by Emmy Miller in the first inning scored Natalie Winters who had singled to lead off the game for a 1-0 advantage. Hannah Brooks made it 2-0 by driving in Wills from third.
The Lady Black Knights scored three times in the fifth inning to go up 4-2, but the Horns would rally to win the game in their final at-bat in dramatic fashion.
Emmy Miller blasted a double in the fifth to tie the game when Hannah Brooks won it with an RBI single.
Emmy Miller had a monster game going 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Winters scored a pair of runs and went 1-for-3. Brooks was 1-for-3 with two RBI’s. Bella Miller and Abby Cornett had a base hit apiece, and Lindsey Wills drove in a run.
Brooks struck out 11 batters to earn the win on the mound for Johnson County.

Sullivan South 8
Johnson County 5
Laura Dade’s three-run homer in the fifth inning broke a 5-5 tie allowing South to reach the championship game of the bronze division in the East Tennessee Classic.
Hannah Brooks had put Johnson County in front in the top half with a two-run homer, her second one in the tournament. She was 2-for-3 with two RBI’s to lead the Horns. Emmy Miller and Bella Miller were 2-for-3 each with a run scored. Natalie Winters, Lindsey Wills, and Maddi Edington all had a base hit and scored.
Reece summed up his team’s play on Saturday.
“We were pretty much exhausted by the end of the
day on Saturday, and it showed. We started off well against Chuckey-Doak, but could not do much offensively until we went to the short game. Hannah Brooks really gutted this one out and pitched great. We played two great teams in Farragut and Boone and held our won in the game with South. The tournament was a challenge for us against some very impressive teams.”

Junior Varsity Results
The junior varsity played well and finished 1-2 in the tournament. They defeated Science Hill 8-6 with the help of a two-run homer off the bat of freshman Jayla Gregg. They lost to Knox Farragut 8-5 and were defeated by Dobyns-Bennett 5-4.
Haley Cox had three hits in the loss to D-B. Faith Walsh, Tiffany Price, Sydni Potter, Kirsten Day and Sarah Rider added a base hit apiece. Hailey Rider pitched well while going the distance recording six strikeouts.
“We played eight freshmen in the JV tournament,” said Reece. “Hailey Rider stood out on the mound. Kirsten Day and Morgan Murwin also pitched well.”

JC’s first baseman Asa Lewis stretches to get the out against Central. Lewis had five hits in two games including 4 in game one. Photo by Tameula Trivett

Tomahawk Sports

Johnson County ran their season record to 4-0 with a pair of important conference wins against Sullivan Central on Tuesday. The Longhorns won the first game 11-2 then dominated the second contest 10-0.

Game 1
Johnson County 11
Sullivan Central 2
The Longhorns grabbed a 5-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back in their win during the first contest. A two-run double off the left field fence by Petie Pavusek scored Jayden Joiner and Ben Howard who had both singled to go up 2-0. Weston Throop added a run-scoring base hit, and freshmen Ethan Icenhour and Asa Lewis both hit safely to up the ante at 5-0.
The Horns scored three times in the third and fifth innings to put the game away.
Reese Stout had a monster
game going 3-for-4 with three RBI’s. Pavusek was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in. Throop swatted a pair of base hits and scored twice. Icenhour went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Joiner recorded a base hit with an RBI and run scored.
The day belonged to Ben Howard and Asa Lewis. Howard went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI’s. He also tossed a complete game allowing only two runs to pick up the win for the Horns.
Lewis was 4-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.
“I felt like Ben (Howard) pitched a great game and we hit the
ball well,” said JCHS’ head coach Pete Pavusek. “We’re getting
good production from our two freshmen Icenhour and Lewis.
Reese Stout, Ben, and Petie have been hitting it well at the top. I’m very pleased with the way we played.”

Game 2
Johnson County 10
Sullivan Central 0
Jayden Joiner dominated the Cougars on the mound by allowing only three hits while pitching the shutout win. Joiner threw only 65 pitches in his complete game performance.
The Longhorns scored a solo run in the second then broke the game open with a seven-run third inning outburst.
Back-to-back doubles by Stacy Greer and Weston Throop gave the Horns a 1-0 lead in the second inning. It only got worse for the Cougars in the third.
Ben Howard ripped a triple scoring Joiner who
had singled. Reese Stout drove home Howard
with a two-bagger that was followed by consecutive singles from Throop,
Bradley Livorsi, Ethan Icenhour and Asa Lewis
that inflated their cushion at 8-0.
The Horns scored a pair of runs in the fifth inning that allowed them to walk away with the clean sweep of the Cougars.
Joiner, Howard, Stout, Greer, Throop, and Livorsi had two hits apiece to
pace the Longhorns. Icenhour and Lewis collected one each.
“We kept hitting the baseball all afternoon, and Jayden pitched one heck of a game,” said Throop. “We didn’t expect to be 4-0, but I’m happy with the way that we’ve been playing.”
Game 1
Sullivan C. 000 200 0 -2
Johnson Co. 503 030 x -11
WP—Ben Howard

Game 2
Johnson Co. 017 02 – 10
Sullivan C. 000 00 -0 WP—Jayden Joiner