By JIM STEELE
mckenzierebels.com

So now we know.

As teams are eliminated and the remaining games become scarce, the stakes get higher. And McKenzie's baseball and softball teams know where they are going and what's ahead of them. Thursday afternoon at Huntingdon, all-state pitcher Brooke Thomas struck out the first 15 McKenzie batters she faced in the District 13A softball championship as the Fillies were 10-0 winners.

Wednesday, Huntingdon was an 8-1 victor over McKenzie in the District 13A baseball championship. Colin Hatch had a good day on the hill and McKenzie batters and defense struggled.

The district tournament losses relegated McKenzie to the road this Monday and the compass points to Obion County. The McKenzie baseball team, 23-8, will face Union City and former Rebel coach Jeremy Maddox in the opening round of the Region 7A baseball tournament. Meanwhile, the Lady Rebels will visit South Fulton in the Region 7A softball opener. Game time is 5 p.m. The start time for the baseball game will be announced soon.

First-round regional victories assure teams two more games: the regional championship and a substate invitation. A first-round loss will consign teams to an early summer.

In District 14A, Union City beat Trenton 7-0 for the title Tuesday. Trenton upended Humboldt twice to earn the regional bid and excusing Humboldt from regional play for the first time in three years. The Tornadoes are 16-14-1.

Meanwhile, the Lady Rebels' foe, South Fulton, lost to Union City 1-0 in the opener of the District 14A championship doubleheader, then turned around and beat the Lady Tornadoes 2-0 for the crown. South Fulton boasts as 21-8 mark while Union City is 23-15.

Teams who advance to the regional finals don't face a do-or-die situation on Wednesday. The regional winners will host substate while losers hit the road. McKenzie's baseball team has been a road substate team each of the past two years. The Rebels beat host Adamsville 7-1 in substate 2006. McKenzie lost 10-4 at Jackson Christian School last year.

The Lady Rebels' last sectional appearance was two years ago when host Trinity won 5-0. In 2004, new school Creek Wood knocked of homestanding McKenzie 8-4 in the 2A substate round. McKenzie lost a controvesial substate game at Marshall County in 2003, 4-0. Marshall County refused to change the game time, even after urging from the TSSAA, because it knew McKenzie was holding graduation on substate night and McKenzie would not be able to field its seniors. The Lady Rebels fielded players who were still officially listed on the TSSAA roster, but quit before the season started. McKenzie would not have been able to field enough players without Amanda Rogers and Crystal Mann, the two players who couldn't play during the regular season because of other conflicts, suited up for the first time that season in a substate game.