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Sounds Comeback Effort Falls Short
The Nashville Sounds brought the tying run to the plate twice in the final two innings but dropped Saturday night’s game 8-5 to the Sacramento River Cats. Nashville once again failed to get over the hump and get above .500 for the season.
Despite reaching the .500 mark for the seventh time in 2017, the Sounds still have not been above .500 since April 8 when they were 2-1.
For the sixth consecutive ball game the Sounds (19-20) drew first blood but unlike the previous five it wasn’t the long ball that broke the ice. With the bases loaded in the top of the third inning, Matt Chapman drew a walk to score Jaycob Brugman who started the two out rally with a base hit.
After getting through the first three innings without incident, Chris Bassitt’s command faltered a bit in the fourth inning. He hit the leadoff batter, Aaron Hill, and then left a hanger that was banged over the left field porch to give the River Cats (16-25) a 2-1 advantage. Bassitt (1-1, 7.24) would hit Hill again in the fifth inning along with Wynton Bernard before Ryder Jones unloaded a grand slam to break open the game and make it 6-1 River Cats. When all the dust had settled, Bassitt yielded seven runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings of work with two walks and three hit batters.
Nashville got two runs back in the sixth inning when Joey Wendle went yard to begin the frame. For Wendle it was his third home run of the season and Nashville’s 54th of 2017. Ryan Lavarnway followed Wendle’s long ball with a base hit and came in to score on Ryan LaMarre’s sharply hit single.
Wendle again made his presence felt in the seventh inning. With two outs and Chapman on first base, Wendle ripped a double just fair down the left field line to score Chapman and cut the River Cats lead to 7-4. The Sounds would bring the tying run to the plate in the eighth inning in the form of Franklin Barreto but they were unable to claw any closer as Kyle Crick fanned Barreto on a 97 mile per hour heater.
Renato Nunez led off the ninth inning with a no-doubt home run over the left field fence to inch one run closer and Wendle picked up his third hit of the game two batters later. Lavarnway drew a walk to bring the tying run to the plate for the second straight inning but Crick got Chris Parmelee and LaMarre to strike out to secure the victory for the River Cats.
The two home runs for the Sounds extended their streak of six straight games with at least two big flys.
The Sounds play game three of their four-game set in Sacramento Sunday afternoon against the River Cats at Raley Field. Right-hander Jharel Cotton (1-0, 5.40) starts for Nashville against right-hander Chris Stratton (0-1, 5.96) for Sacramento. First pitch is slated for 3:05 p.m.
Braves’ Eighth-Inning Outburst Sinks Nationals
Needing to pick up some of the slack with Freddie Freeman sidelined for at least the next two months, Nick Markakis delivered a go-ahead single and Kurt Suzuki homered to further enrich the three-run eighth inning the Braves constructed during Friday night’s 7-4 win over the Nationals at SunTrust Park.
Brandon Phillips drew a walk off Enny Romero and then notched his second stolen base of the game before scoring on Markakis’ RBI single. Suzuki extended Romero’s woes when he drilled a two-run homer into the left-field seats, his third home run of the season and second in as many days.
“I think we should really realize [Markakis] had that professional at-bat, lefty on lefty with a guy throwing 98 [mph],” Suzuki said. “That set everything up. I got to see a lot of pitches from the side. He put us on top, and it was just nice to get that little extra insurance.”
Dansby Swanson gave the Braves an early lead with a two-run homer in the second inning, but the rookie shortstop also committed one of the two defensive miscues that allowed the Nationals to tally three runs in the third inning. After Daniel Murphy answered Matt Kemp’s game-tying homer in the third with a solo shot in the fourth, Atlanta tied the game with Suzuki’s one-out double in the fifth.
“I think that our mentality, especially missing the big guy [Freeman], is going to be this idea of bending but not breaking,” Braves starter R.A. Dickey said. “Tonight against a really good ball club, and Washington is the best for a reason, you knew it was going to be a dogfight from pitch one.”
While Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez needed 116 pitches to complete 5 2/3 innings, Atlanta knuckleballer Dickey tallied 116 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. The Braves won for the sixth time in their past eight games with the help of a bullpen that did not allow a hit.
Meanwhile, the Nationals’ struggling bullpen has been overworked lately as they dropped their third consecutive game, matching a season high. With few options available in the bullpen, they turned to Romero, even though he has struggled lately. Romero declined to speak to the media after the game.
“It’s a bad series of events,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. “You can’t bring it back, because there’s not a whole lot you can do right now. We’re trying just about everything you can do. We just have to come out and play better tomorrow.”
Swanson recorded a multi-hit game for the third time in the past four days and reached in each of his four plate appearances as his batting average moved above .200 for the first time this season. But he also made some key defensive contributions. He went into the hole to rob Jayson Werth of a leadoff single in the fifth and aided closer Jim Johnson’s perfect ninth with a nifty play on Adam Lind’s leadoff grounder.
Taylor notched a one-out double in the third inning and scored from second base when Swanson whiffed on the barehanded play he had to try in an attempt to prevent the speedy Trea Turner from reaching on an infield single. Freeman’s absence with a fractured wrist was felt two batters later when Bryce Harper’s two-out grounder eluded Jace Peterson, who had never played first base before Wednesday. Peterson’s miscue allowed a pair of unearned runs to score against Dickey.
Bartolo Colon will be aiming to win a second straight start when Atlanta and Washington resume this series Saturday at 3:10 p.m. CT. Colon won in Toronto on Monday, but he has a 8.44 ERA over his past five starts.
Blackburn Solid as Sounds Top River Cats 6-0
It was a new day but the same story for the Sounds on their trip through California. The Sounds powered their way to another victory, this time a 6-0 victory over the Sacramento River Cats on the back of a pair of home runs to continue their explosive month of May.
In the month of May the Sounds (19-19) have cranked 35 home runs, which is more than any team in professional baseball. Through the first five games of their current eight-game road trip the Sounds have launched 13 long balls.
Northern California native, Paul Blackburn (2-4, 3.89) posted his best outing of the season Friday night. The 23-year-old kept the River Cats (15-25) hitless through four innings and surrendered just a pair of base knocks in his six innings of shutout baseball. Blackburn kept the River Cats off balance all night long as they struggled to make solid contact.
For the fifth consecutive game the Sounds used the long ball to claim an early lead. Friday night it was Renato Nunez doing the damage. Matt Olson reached on a two-out error by Sacramento’s Jae-Gyun Hwang and Nunez made the River Cats pay by depositing a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left center field to give the Sounds a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Eight batters stepped up to the dish in the fourth inning as the Sounds tacked on four runs to give Blackburn a comfortable 6-0 lead to work with. Joan Gregorio issued back-to-back free passes to lead off the frame and Nashville capitalized. Catcher Ryan Lavarnway launched a three-run bomb over the left field fence for his fourth home run of the season. Later in the inning Jaycob Brugman continued his torrid pace with an RBI single that extended his hitting streak to seven games.
Tucker Healy (1-1, 1.13) and Tyler Sturdevant combined to shut the door on the River Cats with three combined shutout frames.
For the Sounds it was the second shutout of the season. Their last shutout came in an 11-0 victory at Round Rock on May 2.
The Sounds play game two of their four-game set in Sacramento tomorrow night against the River Cats at Raley Field. Right-hander Chris Bassitt (1-0, 4.00) starts for Nashville against left-hander Michael Roth (2-3, 4.54) for Sacramento. First pitch is slated for 9:05 p.m.
Young and Pearson Qualify for State Track Meet
Karson Young lands her long jump in the 2016 TSSAA state track meet at MTSU
Six Lady Raider track athletes traveled to Rhea County on Monday for the Sectional Track meet with the berths in the state track meet on the line. Four members of the 4x800M relay team, along with Karson Young and Sarah Pearson competed in a total of 6 events.
The 4x800M relay team of Emily St. John, Makenzie Webb, Chloe Haggard, and Emilee Roberson clocked a time of 11:14.57 for a 7th place finish. That time was not good enough to advance to the state meet. Coach Nathan Wanuch was complimentary of the team saying: “I’m really excited about the future of this team, as every member has at least 2 more years of competition and made big improvements to their times this season.”
Sarah Pearson, who has already qualified for the state meet in the pentathlon, also qualified in the 300M hurdles with a personal record time of 47.70 to finish in 2nd place. In the 100M hurdles, Pearson ran a season best time of 16.47 as she finished in 5th place. That time was not good enough to qualify for the state meet in the 100M hurdles.
Karson Young had an incredible day as she was a perfect 4 for 4 in qualifying. In the 100M hurdles, Young ran a time of 16.25 for a 3rd place finish. In the high jump, Young jumped a season best 5’ to finish in 2nd place. In the long jump, Young leaped 16’11” to finish in 4th place and in the triple jump, Young jumped a distance of 34’ 5 ¾” for a 2nd place finish. All 4 finishes were good enough to advance Young to the state meet.
The state meet begins on Monday at MTSU’s Dean Hayes Track. Pearson will compete in the pentathlon on Monday beginning at 10 AM. The jumps and hurdle events will take place on Thursday beginning at 9 AM. To see a complete schedule, you can visit the TSSAA website at: http://tssaa.org/2017-tssaa-state-track-meet-schedule/
To see a complete rundown on all events, you can check out the times at: http://tn.milesplit.com/meets/260595/results/526823/formatted#.WRzuuvkrLIU
5/21/17 — Waymon Levoid Baltimore, Sr.
Funeral services for Mr. Waymon Levoid Baltimore, Sr., age 85 of
Manchester, will be held Sunday, May 21, 2017, at 4 PM at Manchester
Funeral Home, with Brother Jack Hice officiating. Burial will follow in
Rose Hill Memorial Gardens. Visitation with the Baltimore family will be
from 2 PM until time of service on Sunday at the funeral home. Mr.
Baltimore passed away Friday, May 19th at his home following an extended
illness.
Mr. Waymon was born on December 23, 1931, in Coffee County, TN, to the late
Willis and Hazel Dorsett Baltimore. He was a construction worker with AERO.
He served his country in the United States Army National Guard for over 25
years, receiving an honorable discharge from service. Mr. Waymon loved to
travel, watching the Atlanta Braves baseball team and the Lady Vols
basketball team. He also loved working in his metal shop where he made
*miniature* (active) cannons. He was also a member of the former First
Church of God in Tullahoma. Mr. Waymon was said to never meet a stranger.
He proved that to be true when in Washington on a trip, he ran into a
friend.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Waymon is preceded in death by his loving
wife of over 60 years, Dorothy Louise Brown Baltimore and one brother,
Winfred Baltimore. He is survived by his two children; son, Waymon Levoid
Baltimore, Jr. (Holly) of Tullahoma, and daughter, Glenda Louise Blackburn
(Richard) of Manchester; three grandchildren, Tracy Arnold (Richie), Treva
Potter (Reuben), Richard Blackburn, Jr. (Amanda); four great-grandchildren,
Kimberly and Clayton Belk, Richelle Usleton (Michael), and Robert Arnold;
two great, great-grandchildren, Ashton and Scarlett Walker; several nieces
and nephews and a host of friends.
MANCHESTER FUNERAL HOME IS HONORED TO SERVE THE Baltimore FAMILY
5/21/17 — Randall Scott Bridges
Randall Scott Bridges of Tullahoma passed this life on Wednesday, May 17,
2017 at Tennova Healthcare – Harton at the age of 48 years. A Celebration
of Life Gathering is scheduled for Sunday, May 21, 2017 from 1 – 3 PM at
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home.
A native of Madison, AL, he was the son of the late Chester Cee and Ruby
Alice Harbin Bridges. He was an auto mechanic and enjoyed fishing, driving
sprint cars, watching TV and spending time with his family. His father had
worked for NASA, so he was very interested in anything to do with space.
Mr. Bridges is survived by his fiancé, Melissa Puskarich of Tullahoma; two
daughters, Randi Goddard and her husband, James of Huntsville and Krystal
Lusk and her husband, Matthew of Huntsville; three sons, Jonathan and David
O’Neal of Tullahoma and Phillip Puskarich of Tullahoma; one sister, Tracy
Jo Bridges of Huntsville and three grandchildren, Robert and Skylar Harris
and Adalyn Goddard.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
5/19/17 — Birthdays
Birthdays:
John Totherow, 17 — Pizza Winner!
Brooklynn Randall, 7
Riley Medford, 72
Deloris Medford, 70
Ralph Elam, 72
Don Bell
Sandra Pinegar
Pam Riddle
Anniversaries:
Billy & Angela Rogers, 28
Food Lion Birthday Cake Winner:
Brooklynn Randall, 7
Flowers by Michael Anniversary Winner:
Billy & Angela Rogers, 28
5/18/17 — Birthdays
Birthdays:
June Davis — Pizza Winner!
Helen Clutter
Charlie Harrell, 78
Anniversaries:
Jerry & Mary Foster
Community Meet & Greet for New Lady Raider Basketball Coach
Joe Pat Cope and his daughter Reagan[Photo courtesy of Joe Pat Cope]
The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast LIVE each Saturday morning from 10 to 11 from the showroom of Al White/Ford Lincoln. Al White has been the host of the Coaches Show since November of 2014 and is heard exclusively here on Thunder Radio
Preds Force Overtime, Ducks Win Game Four to Even Series
The Nashville Predators roared back once more, but it was the Anaheim Ducks who got the final shot.
After the Predators tied the score with less than a minute to play, Corey Perry got credit for the winner in overtime as the Ducks defeated the Predators, 3-2, to even the Western Conference Final at two games apiece. The loss snaps Nashville’s 10-game home postseason win streak and sees them faced with a 2-2 series for the first time in these playoffs.
Nashville looked like themselves during the second and third period, as well as points in the extra session, but a slow start gave Anaheim the chance to take a lead, forcing the Preds to chase from behind in a game where they never had the advantage on the scoreboard.
“The guys know what we’re capable of, and there’s a standard to which we measure ourselves and how we need to play, and we weren’t close to it [in the first period],” Nashville Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “We got going in the second period and at least competed better. We lost the period, but I thought we competed better and started to press more. And then in the third period we really got going. But, you know, it’s about consistency. And we could have been better in the first.”
The Predators were outshot by a 15-2 count in the first period, and Anaheim also led where it mattered, thanks to a goal from Rickard Rakell for a 1-0 lead after one. Nashville had plenty more chances at the Ducks in the second stanza, but it was Nick Ritchie who got the only goal, doubling Anaheim’s lead after 40 minutes.
But if the Predators have shown anything in these playoffs, they’re never quite out of it.
First, it was P.K. Subban who blasted home his second of the postseason to give the Preds – and the crowd – a burst of life. Then, Nashville got a 5-on-3 power play, seemingly inevitable that they would tie the game. However, the Ducks managed to kill it off, forcing the Preds to pull goaltender Pekka Rinne for an extra attacker.
And then, with 35 seconds to play, Filip Forsberg poked home a loose puck past John Gibson to send Bridgestone Arena into a frenzy.
Forsberg’s late game-tying tally
“Tonight, they threw one at the net and somebody deflected it in,” Rinne said. “It happened fast. That’s how it is usually in OT. It’s too bad it went this way.”
“They’re a good team, so we know every game’s going to be a battle,” Subban said. “I think if there’s a positive that we showed tonight, it’s that when we want to play our game we can’t be stopped. I thought we did a good job in the third period of battling back and giving ourselves an opportunity to win the game. We had chances in overtime that didn’t go our way.”
The Predators will now head back to Anaheim for Game Five to continue what has turned into a best-of-three series to determine who will represent the Western Conference for a chance at the ultimate prize.
And as far as the Preds are concerned, Game Four needs to be forgotten quickly.
“It kind of has to be behind us already, and we have to focus on the next one,” Rinne said. “That’s a missed opportunity, but we battled back, and obviously didn’t have a good start. Not a good first period. But we battled back and showed a lot of character.”
“It’s the playoffs – you have to move on,” Forsberg said. “It’s a big game coming up on Saturday and that’s what we’re going to focus on right now.”
Notes:
Attendance inside Bridgestone Arena for Game Four was 17,423, a hockey record for the building.
Filip Forsberg has scored in four consecutive playoff games, a Nashville franchise record. Forsberg is now tied with Joel Ward for most goals in a single Nashville postseason with seven.
Game Five between the Preds and the Ducks will take place on Saturday evening from Anaheim, a 6:15 p.m. CT start. The series will then come back to Nashville for Game Six on Monday night at 7 p.m. CT.
Pete Weber’s Postgame Report