Lady Buffs forge tie atop AAC standings
  
from staff reports

   Milligan won both games of a Thursday doubleheader against Tennessee Wesleyan to tie the Lady Bulldogs at 8-2 atop the Applachian Athletic Conference softball standings.
   In game one, the Lady Buffaloes scored three runs in the bottom of the final inning to sneak past Wesleyan 4-3. Brooke Davis won the game with a two-run double and finished the game 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
   Johnson County alumnus Ashley Magdzuik finished the seventh on the mound to record her first college win, after Ashley Fine pitched the first six innings.
   Brandy Waddle pitched a complete game in the nightcap, allowing only five hits and two runs in an 8-2 win. She struck out eight batter to improve to 6-3 on the year.
   Carissa Ellis broke the game open in the third with a three-run triple. She had two hits and the three RBIs in the contest. Davis continued her bat attack with two hits and two RBIs.
   Milligan travels to Bluefield next Wednesday.
   HOWELL LEADS HV
   TO LAST INNING WIN
   Leanna Howell's two-run homer in the final inning propelled Happy Valley to a 10-8 win over Sullivan North in girls' softball action Thursday evening.
   Besides her last-inning heroics to break an 8-all tie, Howell was also the winning pitcher after coming in for Kortney Goulds in the fifth inning.
   The Lady Warriors tallied nine hits in the contest, led by catcher Alicia Dick with a 2-for-4 effort and Jessie Blevins going 2-for-3.
   After the Lady Raiders scored once in the top of the first, HV countered with three in the bottom frame. North scored five runs in the third and two in the fourth to go ahead by five. Happy Valley scored three in the bottom of the fourth and two in the bottom of the fifth to knot things up before Howell's winning shot.
   The Lady Warriors will host Sullivan Central their next home game on Monday.
   CITADEL TOPS ETSU 3-2
   Right fielder Brook Dantzler went 3-for-5 and scored two runs to propel The Citadel past East Tennessee State 3-2 in Southern Conference baseball action on Thursday.
   The Bulldogs (14-11, 8-2) jumped on the Bucs early scoring two runs in the bottom of the first. Dantzler led off with a single and was followed with singles by David Griffin, Jason Randall and Chip Cannon.
   ETSU (7-15, 1-6) scratched across a run in the top of the third as Tim Turner singled, stole second, advanced to third and then scored on a fly ball to left.
   The other Buccaneer run came in the top of the sixth after right fielder Kirk Keithley walked and scored on a ground out by catcher Caleb Moore.
   Raymond Jenkins (1-1) scored the win for The Citadel, while starter Donnie Sharp (2-4) was given the loss for ETSU.
   The schools square off in game two of the series today at 6 p.m. in Charleston.
   LONGHORNS DENY UH
   MOUNTAIN CITY-- Seven different Johnson County batters had two hits, as the Longhorns defeated the University High Jr. Bucs 7-4 at Longhorn Field Thursday.
   Junior Paisley, Adam Johnson, Jeff Lewis, Joe Atwood, Matt McQueen, Chad Reece and Adam Leonard each had two hits for the Longhorns. Jon Arnold had the other Longhorn hit.
   Atwood shined in this contest, as he finished with two doubles and three RBIs.
   The Longhorns rallied from a 4-3 deficit with a four-run fifth inning. The big hit in that frame was an Atwood double that drove in two runs.
   Arnold closed it out from there on the mound en route to running his record to 3-0.
   Leonard helped seal the deal in the top of the seventh with an outstanding defensive play at third base to prevent a triple. Leonard then threw the runner out for the second out of the inning.
   The Longhorns now run their record to 6-0, and will be back in action Monday at Mooney Field against these same Junior Buccaneers.
   JUNIOR RANGERS
   BEST BLOUNTVILLE
   Charles Peters bashed his fourth home run in three games while Tee Blevins struck out nine batters on Thursday, lifting Unaka's Junior Rangers to an 8-2 win over Blountville in a middle school baseball game.
   Peters, whose homers have all been out of the park, finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Blevins helped his own cause, going 2-for-4, and got some additional help from Chris Buckles, who batted 2-for-4.
   Unaka jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Blountville got on the board.
   Walsh was tops for the Tigers, batting 1-for-2.