The Vikings' season came to a close despite holding a late lead in their finale. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

MURFREESBORO -- After Michael Smith was hit by a pitch and Cody Pierce singled, Lance Paschal stroked a ball into the gap to score both teammates and stake Community to a 2-0 first-inning lead over Eagleville in the second elimination game of the afternoon in the District 9-A tournament at Middle Tennessee Christian.

Pierce came through again in the top of the third with a leadoff double. He touched the plate after Grant Patterson singled him home to push their upper hand to 3-0.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, that was their last score of 2008 as Eagleville rallied back with a four-run fourth thanks in part to a throwing error that scored two. The 5-3 loss ended Community's season with a final record of 8-14.

"Overall, they came after it and went after it hard," Community coach Josh Burrahm said. "They played well. We had one bad inning against them and it wound up costing us."

Both losses during the tournament came via Eagleville but the Purple and Gold had victory well within their grasp each time. Burrahm is confident that his team will extract the positives from their three postseason games and carry that into '09.

"Next year, we don't lose anybody -- so, that's a plus," he said. "We've just got to get better at baserunning and making routine plays. That's what hurt us this year. Our sticks are there. We've just got to start playing better defense."

With the winners' bracket final taking place shortly after the season came to a close for the boys from northwest Bedford County, Burrahm and his staff realize they aren't far from appearing in such games in the future.

"We're close," Burrahm said. "It's just a matter of how hard the kids want to work and push themselves.

"We need to start doing the things that the Cascade's and MTC's are doing. They're doing everything full blast. We've got to get to that point with everything where things happen instinctively instead of having to think about what we do. Instincts have to take over, and we have to react."

Pierce added a fifth-inning single to give him three of his squad's five knocks.

Lance Paschal was the tough-luck losing pitcher. He struck out five and walked three in six innings of work.

Community's Dustin White makes solid contact. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

Eagleville's Tony Adams was a tough out all afternoon. The catcher showed no ill-effects from catching in the heat when he had a bat in his hand, ripping two singles before his double in the fifth brought home the game-tying score.

Winning pitcher Jim Edwards struck out four in five innings before Justin Moore took over for the final six outs.

The Eagles face Forrest today in further losers' bracket action at 5.

Community 7, Van Buren County 0: The Vikes wasted little time throwing the Spencer boys on their backs with each team's season on the line, getting a pair of RBI groundouts from Paschal and Dustin White to score Smith and Pierce in the bottom of the first.

That was all the backing Pierce needed for his mound efforts. The sophomore right-hander scattered three hits over six scoreless frames to pick up the 'W'.

White drove home a pair and Grant Patterson knocked in White with a triple to highlight a three-run third. Smith drove home the final two scores with a sixth-inning double.