4:00 PM – CHS Baseball at Columbia Central – Thunder Radio broadcast
4:30 PM – CCMS Boys’ Soccer HOSTS North Franklin
5:00 PM – CCMS Softball at Warren Co
5:00 PM – CCMS Baseball at Warren Co
5:30 PM – WMS Baseball HOSTS Moore County
5:30 PM – WMS Softball at Cannon Co
7:00 PM – CHS Softball HOSTS Warren Co
7:00 PM – CHS Boys’ Soccer HOSTS Warren Co

In their final preseason scrimmage game of the spring, the Coffee County CHS baseball team welcomed Lebanon to Powers Field on Saturday.  The Red Raiders banged out 12 hits but the defense surrendered 3 unearned runs as they dropped the 12 to 6 decision to the Blue Devils. 

Hayden Skipper was the leading hitter for the Red Raiders as he had a single, a double and a home run with 2 runs scored and an RBI.  Zack Milan, Wyatt Nugent, Lane Spry, and Brandon Jernigan all had doubles for Coffee County. 

The Red Raiders open the season on Monday in a road game at Columbia.  Coffee County opens the season in the district contest with a 1^st pitch set for 4 PM.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you the broadcast.  Our pregame show will begin at 3:50 live from Columbia. 

The Coffee County Middle School softball team traveled to Shelbyville to compete in the Shelbyville Tournament on Saturday.   The Lady Raiders went 3 and 1 on the day outscoring their opponents 38 to 7. 

The Lady Raiders opened the day with an 18 to 0 win over Liberty.  The Lady Raiders scored 11 runs in the 1^st inning as they romped to the win.  Haleigh Skipper went 3 innings in the circle to get the win surrendering only 2 hits.  At the plate, Skipper had 2 singles, scored twice and drove in 2 runs.  Willow Carden finished with a single and 3 RBI.  Channah Gannon had a double, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored. 

In the 2^nd game of the day, the Lady Raiders once again off to a red hot start in a 16 to 0 win over Community.   Savannah Cooper was the winning pitcher as she pitched 3 innings allowing only 2 hits while striking out 5.  At the plate, Cooper had 2 singles and 3 RBI.    Kellie Tucker, Willow Carden and Channah Gannon all scored 3 runs. 

Against Eagleville, Coffee Middle was held to 1 hit as they dropped a 4 to 0 decision.  Scoreless going to the bottom of the 5^th inning, Eagleville rallied for 4 runs to grab the win.  Katelyn Anderson got the lone hit for the Lady Raiders.  Anderson took the loss in the circle as she surrendering 3 earned runs while striking out 6. 

The Lady Raiders closed out the day with a 4 to 3 win over Rocky Fork Middle out of Smyrna.  Madison Pruitt had a double and a single with 1 RBI to lead the hit attack.  Savannah Cooper had a single and an RBI.  Channah Gannon got the win in the circle as she struck out 7. 

The Lady Raiders return to action on Monday as they travel to McMinnville.  Coffee Middle returns to conference action against Warren County.  First pitch is set for 5 PM.   

The Coffee County CHS softball team traveled to Hendersonville on Saturday for a preseason playday.  Mixing and matching lineups in their final scrimmage action of the year, the Lady Raiders went 1 and 2 with a tie on the day. 

The Lady Raiders opened the day strong as they scored 4 runs in the 1^st inning against Springfield.  The Lady Jackets rallied to even the score as the game ended in a 6 to 6 tie.  Coffee County banged out 10 hits but 5 Lady Raider errors surrendered 3 unearned runs.  Keri Munn had a single and a double while Sarah West had 2 hits and 2 RBI.   

Playing a JV lineup against Clarksville, the Lady Raiders were blanked 20 to 0 in the 2^nd game of the day.  The Lady Wildcats varsity squad posted 13 runs in a brutal 1^st inning to put the game out of reach.  The Lady Raiders were held to 2 hits as Olivia Evans had a double and Emily Schuster hit a single.  Schuster took the loss in the circle as the Lady Raiders committed 8 errors allowed 12 unearned runs. 

In the 3^rd game of the day, Coffee County’s varsity squad came up short in a 4 to 3 loss to Hendersonville.  The Lady Raiders had the tying run on 3^rd base and the winning run on 2^nd base when time expired. 

The Lady Raiders closed out the day with a 6 to 2 win over Rossview.  Haidyn Campbell got the win in the circle as she did not give up an earned run in a great pitching performance.  Chloe Gannon and Cheyenne Vickers each had a double and Alivia Reel had a pair of singles. 

The Lady Raiders open the regular season on Monday as they play host to Warren County at Terry Floyd Field.  First pitch is set for 7 PM. 

Two games, two shutouts, two massive victories.

Juuse Saros was perfect again, and Ryan Ellis scored the game’s only goal, as the Nashville Predators defeated the Dallas Stars, 1-0, to sweep a home-and-home set with their division rival on Saturday afternoon in Texas.

The result gives the Preds 76 points in the standings – enough to slot them back into a Wild Card spot for the moment – but just as important, two-straight wins over the team that has become arguably their top rival.

Plus, it’s the first time in franchise history the Predators have posted shutouts in both outings of a home-and-home scenario – and that feels quite satisfying.

“Just two huge wins for us against a team like Dallas [is great],” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “They’re a really good team, and just the way we defended, the way we competed [was good] and [Saros] was unbelievable again.”

That he was. The Predators netminder posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time in his career on his way to win No. 16 on the season – perhaps none bigger than his most recent two victories.

“He’s been playing amazing,” Ellis said of Saros. “We’ve always had great goaltending here, no matter who’s in the net, and Juice has been honestly unbelievable. He looks so calm, even on high-danger chances. He’s just swallowing them up, eating them every time… To be honest, he looks phenomenal right now.”

The opening period was scoreless, and it was looking as though the second stanza may be headed that way as well, until Ellis did something about it. With three seconds remaining on a Predators’ power play, Nashville’s associate captain took the puck on the far side and simply threw it at the net. The shot found its way through Stars netminder Ben Bishop and into the cage to give the Preds a lead after 40 minutes.

“It was a big goal for where we’re at in the season,” Ellis said. “It felt good, but we’re still hungry. There’s something we’re chasing right now, and all that matters is we won this game.”

A single goal was more than enough for Saros the rest of the way, and the Nashville netminder made 37 saves in total, including 14 apiece in both the second and third periods, to lead the Preds to their 34th win of the season.

“He looks calm, even when there’s a lot of things going on,” Preds Head Coach John Hynes said of Saros. “He’s positionally sound, he’s reading the play, he’s always in position, and then, the big part of it, too, is when he’s getting in those situations where it gets scrambled… there’s no panic. He’s in the right spot, and that’s why he’s able to make the saves.”

With Saturday’s game now in the books, the Predators shift their focus to another set of contests – a four-game road trip that begins Tuesday night in Montreal. Everyone in the Nashville locker room has at least one eye on the standings from time to time, but as Ellis said, the Predators control their own destiny.

They just have to keep winning, and these last two efforts will certainly help their cause.

“One thing we all understand is this is going to be a tight race,” Hynes said. “As long as you can take care of yourself, [that’s important]. So, it’s just about the next game and staying the short-term focus… It’s just focusing on the next game and and not getting too emotional either way whether you’re in a playoff sport or out of a playoff spot [right now]. We’d like to try to be in one after Game 82.”

Notes:

The Predators kept the exact same lineup on Saturday afternoon as they did in Thursday’s win over Dallas, meaning Dan Hamhuis, Yannick Weber, Colin Blackwell and Austin Watson were scratched.

Although the Preds returned home to Nashville following Saturday’s contest, the outing began a five-game road trip for the group. It continues on Tuesday night (at 6 p.m. CT) in Montreal, before the Predators make stops in Toronto, Columbus and Minnesota and return home in mid-March.