By WAYNE PHILLIPS

Sports Editor

ELIZABETHTON -- Unaka plays small ball. North Greene plays long ball.

Riding two power-packed grand slam home runs, the North Lady Huskies are one win away from making a trip to Murfreesboro and next week's TSSAA State Tournament after claiming an 8-3 victory over old rival Unaka here Wednesday in the Region 1-A championship game.

The regional title gives the Huskies a home field advantage in the Sectional playoffs Friday at 5:30 p.m. against Coalfield, who lost 3-0 to Midway in the Region 2-A title game Wednesday.

North Greene's pitching was solid Wednesday against Unaka, but Huskies' coach Beverly Fletcher threw the first curve in the game by starting No. 2 pitcher Brittany McGhee against the Lady Rangers, the sixth time the two teams have met this year.

"They (Unaka) were used to seeing Tosha (Hall, the Huskies No. 1 pitcher), so we thought we'd throw a little monkey wrench in there, maybe get them out of whack a little bit," an elated Coach Fletcher said after turning cartwheels in front of the team while parents were shooting photos of the squad with their regional trophy. "She did a great job -- exactly what we needed her to do. Then Tosha stepped in and finished it up. Both girls did a great job."

Hall hit the first grand slam for the Huskies in the top of the fifth, a mammoth shot well over the center field fence that came with two outs and erased a 3-0 Unaka lead.

"Our girls like to swing the bat," Fletcher said. "We hit the ball very, very well, and we played very well. When we needed big hits, two juniors stepped up and came through."

The Huskies loaded the sacks with one out in the fifth when Amy Vallie reached on a throwing error, Bobbie Cobb smacked a hot shot to first that the first baseman couldn't handle, and Sam Weems lined a bullet up the middle. Unaka pitcher Lacy Huskins buckled down and got the second out with a strikeout, but Hall then cleared the sacks with the homer, and the Huskies were in the lead for keeps.

McGhee pitched the first three innings for the Huskies and allowed only one hit, but it was a big one after she had walked a couple of batters. McKenzie Eggers laced a two-run double to center that plated both runners who had reached on free passes.

Hall came on in the third, and the Rangers struck for another run. Hannah Colbaugh reached on a lead-off double, then pinch runner Danielle Jones came home on a wild pitch after reaching second on a groundout and stealing third base.

But the grand slam by Hall erased that 3-0 deficit for the Huskies, and Hall got out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth, thanks to good defense. Weems made a diving catch of a foul ball off the bat of Brandy Allen, turning a flip against the fence after making the grab. Unaka followed with a single by Huskins and a double by Eggers, putting runners on second and third, but again Weems came speeding in from left to make the catch on a bloop fly off the bat of Kayla Winters that appeared as if it was going to fall in for a hit.

North Greene got the insurance runs they needed in the top of the seventh. Cobb reached with her third hit of the afternoon, and with one out, the bases were loaded on back-to-back hits by Lindsey Darnell and Hall. Unaka got the second out on a pop-up, but McGhee followed that up by lining a homer over the center field fence for the grand slam and an 8-3 North Greene lead.

McGhee and Cobb had three hits for the Huskies, while Darnell and Hall each had two safe blows. Unaka got two doubles from Eggers.

NG AB R H Un AB R H

Weems,lf 4 1 1 Allen,rf 4 0 0

Darnell,cf 4 1 2 Huskins,p 3 1 1

Hall,3b 4 2 2 Eggers,c 3 0 2

Har'son,c 4 0 0 Winters,cf 3 0 0

McGhee,p 4 1 3 C'baugh,3b 2 1 1

Adams,ss 3 0 0 McI'urff,3b 3 0 0

Payne,rf 4 0 0 Andrews,ss 3 0 0

Vallie,2b 3 1 1 W'ms,lf 3 0 0

Cobb,1b 3 2 3 Cox,2b 2 1 1

TOTALS 33 8 12 26 3 5

2bHits:NG-Darnell; Un-Eggers 2, Colbaugh. HR: NG-Hall, McGhee. WP: Hall. LP: Huskins.

Score by innings:

North Greene 000 040 4--8 12

Unaka 002 100 0--3 5