Kara Beth Patton of Westwood softball[File Photo]

Westwood led 3 to 0 entering the 6^th inning but a pair of runs by Community in the 6^th and 2 more in the 7^th put the Lady Rockets in a 4 to 3 hole entering their last at-bat.  Brooklyn Blake scored on a sacrifice fly from Paisley Campbell in the bottom of the 7^th inning to knot to score.  Community added 3 runs in the top of the 8^th inning but the game was called due to darkness.

Kara Beth Patton led the Lady Rockets in hitting with 3 hits.  Haidyn Campbell added a double and a single.  Abby Clark had 2 RBI for Westwood.

The Lady Rockets will be back at home on Tuesday when they welcome Moore County to Lady Rocket Field.  First pitch is set for 5 PM.

Caleb Simmons of Westwood tennis

The Westwood tennis teams hit the road on Thursday for a match at Lewisburg.  The Rockets fell 5 to 2.  The Lady Rockets won 6 to 1.

In the girls’ matches, Westwood got wins in singles play from Lauren Perry( 6 to 3), Rylea McNamara(6-1), Anna Johnson(6-4) and Gianna Bland(6-4).  The doubles teams of Perry/Johnson(6 to 1) and Addison Welch/McNamara(6-2) claimed wins over the Lady Tigers.

In the boys’ matches, Caleb Simmons needed to go to the tiebreaker to fight to a 7 to 6 win.  In doubles action, Caleb paired with Isaac Simmons to capture a 6 to 0 win.

Westwood returns to the court on Tuesday when they travel to St. Andrews-Sewanee.  Singles matches will get underway at 4 PM.

Olivia Evans of CCMS softball

The Coffee County Middle School softball welcomed North Franklin to the CCMS diamond on Thursday.  The Lady Raiders hosted the Lady Gators in a conference game originally scheduled for March 20^th.  The Lady Raiders saw the visiting Lady Gators score 4 runs in the 6^th inning to capture the 10 to 7 extra inning win over Coffee Middle.

The Lady Raiders needed 3 runs in the bottom of the 5^th inning to force extra innings.  North struck for 2 runs in the top of the first inning and added 2 more in the 4^th and 2 more in the 5^th to take a 6 to 3 lead into the bottom of the 5^th.  A frantic Raider comeback forced extra innings, but North sent 8 batters to the plate scoring 4 runs in the 6^th inning on 4 hits, 2 errors and a walk

The Lady Raiders were led in hitting by Olivia Evans who had 3 singles and scored twice.  . Kiya Ferrell added a double and a single as Coffee County finished with 9 hits.  The loss drops the Lady Raiders record to 6 and 3 on the year.

Coffee County is back at home on Wednesday when they play host to North in the second game of the season series.  First pitch is set for 5 PM at CCMS.

Brady Nugent of Westwood baseball

The Westwood baseball team traveled to Chapel Hill on Thursday night for a conference match with Forrest.  Facing off against the traditionally strong Forrest squad, Westwood hoped to break their 3 game losing streak.  Despite an early 4 to 1 lead, Westwood fell to the Chapel Hill Rockets 14 to 4.

A pair of runs in the 1^st inning staked Westwood to an early 2 to nothing lead.  Brady Nugent and Luke Beachboard earned walks and came around to score Westwood’s 1^st inning runs.  In the 2^nd inning, leadoff walks to Trey Brewer and Jonathan Nelson turned into the Rockets 3^rd and 4^th runs; helped in part by a RBI bunt from Nugent.  After that, Forrest scored in every inning, including 6 runs in the 6^th inning to blow open the otherwise close game.  Nugent, Brewer and Nelson all finished with a pair of walks.

The Rockets travel to Fayetteville on Saturday for an afternoon conference matchup with Fayetteville City.  First pitch will be at 1 PM.

Schedule for Saturday’s Red Raider Invitational

The Coffee County Central High School soccer team will be hosting their annual Red Raider Invitational Middle School Tournament on Saturday at the Raider Academy.  The tournament will feature 11 teams from 7 different middle Tennessee counties.  The tournament will guarantee each team 3 games with champions being crowned in 3 divisions.

The action will get underway at 8 AM on Saturday morning and the Coffee County Middle School soccer team will face Prescott Middle School from Cookeville in the opening round game.  That match will take place on the football field at Carden-Jarrell Field.  Westwood will hit the pitch at 10 AM as they take on the winner between CCMS and Prescott.  That game will also take place on the football field.

Games will be played at the Raider Soccer Field as well as the Championship rounds are set to begin at 4 PM.  The Gold Champion will be crowned at 5.  Cost of admission is $5 and each game will feature two, 25 minute halves.  Concessions will also be available so make plans to come and enjoy a full day of middle school soccer action at the Raider Academy.

In a span of 15 minutes, the Nashville Predators set a flurry of franchise firsts, each more impressive than the last.

The Preds’ 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night gave Nashville their first Central Division title in franchise history. The two points also bestowed a regular-season Western Conference crown on the Predators.

The final horn at Capital One Arena didn’t sound the end of the tension, however, as the team then ran to the locker room to view the closing moments of the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers game on their phones. A Jared McCann goal with 5:37 left was just what the Panthers and Preds needed; the Panthers’ 3-2 triumph clinching one more banner for the Predators, this time the League’s regular-season crown as Presidents’ Trophy winners.

“The guys worked really hard,” Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “All year we’ve talked about doing the best we can and it’s always just been about home ice and trying to stay in our building and give ourselves the best chance to be successful in the playoffs… The guys did an incredible job of staying really focused and fairly consistent with their game, and because of it, we sit where we sit.”

As for the game the Predators directly played in, the visitors rallied twice, using a 2-for-2 performance on the power play to record their franchise-record 52nd win of the campaign.

Craig Smith scored two times and Roman Josi knotted the contest at 3-3 in the third period prior to Ryan Johansen pushing the puck just across the goal line for his 15th and the game-winner.

“There’s things you want to check off the list at the beginning of the year, goals you want to hit and I think it’s just the way that we play,” Smith said. “Tonight was great.”

Smith tallied on the power play less than five minutes into the game to give the Preds a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes, but Washington stormed back to start the second, potting two power-play markers of their own to grab their first lead of the evening.

But in a period that was largely dominated by the home team, and after Juuse Saros was done making save after save, it was Smith who found a loose puck for the second time, once again beating Philipp Grubauer to even the score.

Evgeny Kuznetsov’s second of the evening put the Capitals ahead 3-2 just 67 seconds into the final period, but the better team in the third would end up clearly being the Predators.

Down a goal, Nashville went to work, with Josi’s one-timer tying the game before the midway mark of the period, and later, the Preds’ first line got the deciding marker in wowing fashion. After Filip Forsberg skated through the Capitals’ defense – including putting a puck between a defenseman’s legs – the rebound from Viktor Arvidsson’s shot was just nudged across the goal line by Johansen.

And that was all the Predators needed to do something no Nashville team has ever done before.

“It’s a long road, but I think the guys did an unbelievable job of just staying focused,” Laviolette said. “When we did hit a bump in the road, that bump turned quickly in a different direction and they got back to work and got it working in a really positive way. The leadership in the room was excellent all year long.”

Banner Night:

The 2017 Western Conference Champions banner at Bridgestone Arena will have some company next fall.

A 4-3 win in Washington on Thursday night clinched the first Central Division title for the Predators in franchise history, as well as a regular-season Western Conference title.

But as the Predators retired to their locker room, plenty of jubilation in tow already, a game in South Florida grabbed their attention. A few cell phones streaming the Panthers and Bruins made their way out into the open, and just moments after clinching the Central and the West, the Predators watched, as a team, the Presidents’ Trophy come their way, too.

Quite a 15-minute span in the nation’s capital.

“Every rink you go to, there’s so many banners up there and we only have one banner,” Josi said. “[Winning the division, and possibly more] was definitely one of our goals. It’s such a great organization, and I’m so lucky to have been a part of it for such a long time.”

“It’s pretty special,” Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said. “I think we’ve been working toward that goal the entire year, and really the entire time I’ve been here. A lot of people say it’s the hardest division in the League, and I think year in, year out we find out how hard it really is. Tonight, to add a banner up there, it’s a good feeling for the guys.”

Perhaps it was somewhat appropriate that Craig Smith played a notable role in the victory. As one of the longest-tenured Preds, having skated all 515 games of his career with Nashville, Smith has seen highs and lows over the seven seasons, but lately, it just keeps getting better and better.

“It’s big for the organization,” Smith said. “A lot of guys have put in a lot of hard work and a lot of time to produce a season like that. It’s cool so far and we’re having fun with it, but we’re staying game by game here. We’re having fun with each other and holding each other accountable to get out there and play for each other, so it’s great.”

The Predators began the season with plenty they wanted to acheive. Capturing a Central Division title was one of them. And there’s still so much more to do.

“It’s definitely something we’re proud of, but obviously the main goal remains to win the Stanley Cup,” Josi said.

Notes:

With two tallies on Thursday, Craig Smith hit the 25-goal mark for the first time in his career.

Eeli Tolvanen was scratched for Nashville after skating in the first three games of his career against the Sabres, Lightning and Panthers.

The Predators will now return home to host their regular-season finale on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin next week, with Nashville set to host Games 1 and 2 of their Round One Series. A full postseason schedule will be released once the 2017-18 NHL regular season has concluded.

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

The Nashville Sounds got 16 hits from the offense and five shutout innings from starter James Naile in an 11-0 rout over the New Orleans Baby Cakes on Opening Day.

Every member of the starting lineup had at least one hit for Nashville. Dustin Fowler went 3-for-5 to lead six different Sounds players with a multi-hit game.

Mark Canha got the offense rolling when he launched a solo home run to lead off the second inning. It was one of two homers Nashville would hit on the night. Second baseman Franklin Barreto gave the Sounds a 3-0 lead in third when he drilled a two-run blast to left field.

Nashville busted the game open in the fourth when they plated five runs on six hits to take an 8-0 lead. Hits in the inning came from Anthony Garcia, Nick Martini, Dustin Garneau, Jorge Mateo, Renato Nunez and Canha.

While the offense was busy building a lead, Naile was cruising along keeping the Baby Cakes off the scoreboard. The right-hander wiggled out of jams in the first and fifth on the way to his second career Triple-A win. Naile allowed only three hits and recorded five strikeouts in his five frames.

Nashville used another big inning in the eighth to put up a crooked number. Mateo’s RBI double made it a 9-0 game and Fowler’s third hit of the night extended the lead to double digits.

The bullpen trio of Jeremy Bleich, Jake Sanchez and Kyle Finnegan went the rest of the way for Nashville. Bleich faced the minimum six batters in two frames while Sanchez worked the eighth and Finnegan closed the ninth.

Nashville and New Orleans continue the five-game series Friday night at Shrine on Airline. Right-hander Frankie Montas starts for the Sounds against right-hander Zac Gallen for the Baby Cakes. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Post-Game Notes

• The Nashville Sounds Opening Day record is now 19-22, including 7-15 on the road. The win snapped a three-game Opening Day losing streak.
• Nashville and New Orleans have now met eight times to start their respective seasons. The series is tied 4-4 after Nashville’s win tonight.
• Sounds starter James Naile made his first career Opening Day start tonight. The right-hander tossed five shutout innings (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K) and earned his second career Triple-A win.
• Mark Canha’s second inning home run gave Nashville a 1-0 lead. It was the first Opening Day home run by a Sounds player since Hector Gomez on April 4, 2014 at Omaha.
• Mark Canha and Franklin Barreto homered in tonight’s win. The last time the Sounds had two or more home runs on Opening Day was when Brandon Boggs and Edwin Maysonet homered in a win over New Orleans on April 7, 2011.
• Dustin Fowler went 3-for-5 and became the first Sounds player to have at least three hits on Opening Day since Sean Halton on April 5, 2012.
• The 11 runs Nashville scored is the most ever on Opening Day. The previous high was 10 runs in 2000 and 1994.
• Tonight’s shutout win was the first for Nashville on Opening Day since a 7-0 win vs. Edmonton on April 8, 1999.

The 2018 season is the Sounds’ 41^st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Opening Day at First Tennessee Park is scheduled for Tuesday, April 10 when the Sounds host the Iowa Cubs at 6:35 p.m. Season ticket memberships are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.