MURFREESBORO — Harriman High School’s stay in the state Class A baseball tournament was short, but with an all-underclassmen returning next season, the Blue Devils could be back in 2011.

Nashville Christian’s hot hitting eliminated Harriman on Wednesday. The Eagles won the losers’ bracket game 9-4 at Riverdale.

“We hope to make it back,” said Blue Devils coach Andy Adcox.

“They didn’t want it to end. We fought from behind all year.”

With players like junior Cody Barnard returning, Adcox said the Blue Devils (18-17) should be a team to be reckoned with next season.

Barnard, a shortstop/pitcher, went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and scored two runs.

“Cody is a phenomenal baseball player who knows the game as well as anybody I’ve coached. He hit .430 to lead us in the regular season and has done nothing but climb in the postseason.”

Harriman, which hit the ball hard, led 3-1 early.

Barnard opened the game with a double and scored on a throwing error.

Nashville Christian (25-9) drew even with a run in the bottom of theinning, but the Blue Devils tallied twice in the third.

Tyler Stubbs led off with a bunt single and Barnard cracked another double to left-center.

Trenton Catron’s sacrifice fly scored Stubbs and Dishman’s single scored Barnard from third to put Harriman up 3-1.

But the Eagles, who pounded 14 hits, struck for eight runs over the next three innings to take control. Parker Lockhart went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer to lead Nashville Christian.

Adcox, who challenged several close calls, said the Eagles took advantage of their opportunities.

“We didn’t get the breaks today and there were a few questionable calls, but they capitalized. You’ve got to play through that stuff and I thought we did. We didn’t hang our heads,” Adcox said.

Harriman tried to cobble together a final rally in the seventh as Tyler Manning doubled and Devon Franklin singled. But the Eagles turned a double play on a Stubbs grounder that scored Manning.

Barnard singled before reliever Garrett Buttrey got the final out.