The two most terrifying words to any team in Three River Conference softball going forward are, “She’s back”.

Lauren Brickey, the defending Class AA Miss Softball in Tennessee, proved Tuesday that she has moved past a quad injury that has kept her down most of the season as the senior owned the Unicoi County Lady Blue Devils from the pitching circle in leading the Lady Cyclones to a 3-0 shutout over their arch nemesis.

Brickey went seven complete innings allow no runs on one hit and whiffing two Unicoi County batters.

“I strained my quad and that was no fun especially in my senior year,” said Brickey. “It caused me to miss out on some games, and I didn’t want to do that.

“But I think it just made me want to work harder when I came back,” Brickey added. “It definitely made me realize that this is a team sport, and it’s not just about one person—everybody has to do something.”

While hits were at a minimum for the visitors, the Lady Cyclones got the key hits they needed to get the job done collecting eight hits on the day.

Hannah Edwards got her team rolling as she singled and advanced to third base on a two-base error for Elizabethton. A Kaylen Shell groundout scored Edwards to give Elizabethton the 1-0 lead.

The score stayed that way until the Lady Cyclone sixth when Brickey ripped a single followed by a Maci West single advancing Brickey to third base.

Edwards came through once again as she laced an RBI-single scoring Brickey with West sliding safely into third base to put runners on the corner once again.

Catcher Haley Fair gave Elizabethton the cushion they needed as she came through with a single that plated West making it a 3-0 game heading into the top of the seventh.

Brickey worked around a couple of Lady Blue Devil runners in the top of the seventh to earn the win.

Edwards and West each accounted for two hits in the contest.

“The first inning set the tone there,” said Lady Cyclone head coach Ken Hardin. “We had that mistake on the first ball and then we came through and kept them off the board which was big for us.

“Lauren threw the ball well, and Haley did a great job behind the plate. We have not played good at all at home the last couple of years, and we have tried different things,” Hardin added.

“It is important to play well at home and pick up some wins on the road to win the conference.”

With the win, the Lady Cyclones slid past the Lady Blue Devils with a perfect 4-0 mark while Unicoi County slipped to 4-1.