Category: Sports

The Coffee County CHS volleyball team finished strong on Saturday in 3 day team camp at Cumberland.  After a 2 and 2 performance of Friday, the Lady Raiders won both of their matches on Saturday.

On Friday, the Lady Raiders played 4 controlled scrimmages winning 2 of the 4.  Coffee County got wins over Mt. Juliet Christian and Cannon County.  They fell in close losses to Clarksville Northeast and Gallatin.

On Saturday, the Lady Raiders opened with a straight set win over University School of Nashville 25-15 and 25-19.  In their final game, Coffee County won a 3 set rematch with Mt. Juliet Christian 19-25, 25-20 and 18-16.  Coach Andrew Taylor called out the performances of Andrea Rigney, Maddie Husted, Kiya Ferrell and Lauren Brandt.  The Lady Raiders will hit the road on Wednesday for 3 days of competition at Eagleville.

The Sounds won in walk-off fashion when Patrick Wisdom hit a two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth to defeat New Orleans 3-2. 10,309 fans cheered as Wisdom was met at home plate by his teammates and multiple water cooler showers.

The first run of the game was scored by New Orleans in the first inning. Magneuris Sierra led the game off with a single and scored on an Eddy Alvarez double to put the Baby Cakes up 1-0.

Tim Dillard was dominant after the first inning. He struck out a season-high nine batters through six innings. He did allow one more run, in the sixth inning, a solo home run by Austin Dean to give New Orleans a 2-0 lead.

The game was all tied up in the bottom of the sixth on two solo home runs. Scott Heineman hit the first on a laser down the left field line that just made it over the 330 sign. Two batters later, Matt Davidson blasted a towering home run to left-center field, effectively tying the game at 2.

Nashville threatened in the bottom of the seventh with runners on first and third with one out. Juremi Profar hit a fly ball to Gabriel Guerrero and Christian Lopes attempted to tag from third on the play. Guerrero threw a clothesline from right field and threw Lopes out handily to keep the game tied.

The magic happened in the bottom of the ninth when Wisdom launched a 1-2 pitch way over the left field wall to win the game. Nashville completed the two-run comeback to win 3-2. It was the first walk-off home run for the Sounds since June 20, 2017, which was also against New Orleans.

Tomorrow’s series finale will be played at 6:15 p.m., where left-hander Joe Palumbo (1-0, 3.86) will pitch for Nashville while New Orleans will throw right-hander Joe Gunkel (1-1, 3.90).

Post-Game Notes

– With tonight’s 3-2 win, the Sounds are now 40-52 on the season.

– Tim Dillard’s season-high of nine strikeouts was one shy of his career-high of 10, set back on April 14, 2005 with High-A Brevard County versus Jupiter. The last time he had nine strikeouts was back in the same season in 2005 at Palm Beach.

– With Scott Heineman’s fourth home run of the season, he extended his on-base streak to 19 games. In the streak, he is hitting .431 (31-for-72) with 19 runs scored, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 12 RBI and 12 walks.

– Christian Lopes had another multi-hit night. It was his eighth multi-hit game in his 13 games with Nashville. Lopes is batting .488 (20-for-41) in Triple-A.

– David Carpenter entered the ninth inning with a runner on first base and no outs and didn’t allow a run. It was his first win of the season.

The 2019 season is the 42nd in Nashville Sounds franchise history and first as the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

The Coffee County CHS volleyball team hit the road on Thursday for a 3 day team camp at Cumberland.  The Lady Raiders worked on fundamentals on Thursday with positional training and a situational scrimmage with Independence.  The session featured serve and serve receive along with some free ball.

On Friday, the Lady Raiders played 4 controlled scrimmages winning 2 of the 4.  Coffee County got wins over Mt. Juliet Christian and Cannon County.  They fell in close losses to Clarksville Northeast and Gallatin.

Coffee County will play University School of Nashville at 9:30 AM on Saturday in a 4 team, double elimination bracket.  Their second game will be at 11 or 11:45.

The New Orleans Baby Cakes scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to grab a come-from-behind 7-4 win over the Nashville Sounds in front of a sellout crowd of 10,208 at First Tennessee Park Friday night.

The two teams were even through the first six innings at 2-2. Starter Wes Benjamin went six strong innings and allowed only two runs for Nashville, and New Orleans starter Hector Noesi limited the Sounds to three runs in seven innings.

Sounds’ catcher Jose Trevino snapped the 2-2 tie with a solo home run to the berm in left-center field in the bottom of the sixth inning. Trevino’s second home run of the season gave Nashville a 3-2 lead, but the one-run advantage was brief.

Nashville reliever Jake Petricka tossed a scoreless top of the seventh to keep it a 3-2 game. Trouble started in the eighth when Magneuris Sierra bunted for a base hit. Locke St. John’s throw to first was wild and allowed Sierra to get to third base.

The next three batters reached safely and the Baby Cakes took a 4-3 lead. Eddy Alvarez tripled to even the game at 3-3 and Isan Diaz singled to give New Orleans a lead.

Taylor Guerrieri relieved St. John and got a quick out on a fielder’s choice to cut down Diaz at the plate. But a single by Peter O’Brien and another throwing error cost Nashville another run. Wilkin Castillo knocked in another run and made it a five-run frame for the Baby Cakes.

Nashville answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth when Eli White launched his 11th home run of the season – a solo blast down the left field line to trim the deficit to 7-4.

Andy Ibanez, Scott Heineman and Christian Lopes all had multi-hit games for the Sounds. Lopes is hitting .474 (18-for-38) in his first 12 games with Nashville.

Game three of the four-game series is scheduled for Saturday at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Tim Dillard (5-8, 5.78) starts for Nashville against right-hander Cody Poteet (0-0, 5.73) for New Orleans. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Post-Game Notes

– With Friday’s 7-4 loss, the Sounds dropped to 39-52 on the season.

– Scott Heineman singled in the first inning to extend his on-base streak to 18 games. He’s hitting .441 (30-for-68) with 18 runs scored and 11 RBI during the streak.

– Friday’s crowd of 10,208 was the 14th sellout of the season at First Tennessee Park.

– The Sounds lost despite leading after seven innings. They are now 30-3 when leading after seven.

The 2019 season is the 42nd in Nashville Sounds franchise history and first as the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

Terreal Clayborne of Coffee County CHS football runs a pass route during Thursday’s scrimmage action

“We are not there yet, but we are getting better” said Red Raider football coach Doug Greene on Thursday night.  The Coffee County CHS football team welcomed Lincoln County to Carden-Jarrell Field for a 7 on 7 scrimmage.  The varsity squads played five, 10 play series on the day.

The Red Raiders were able to move the ball offensively but scored only 1 touchdown.  On defense, Coffee County gave up 4 touchdowns but picked off 5 passes.  C.J. Anthony, Terreal Clayborne, Marshall Haney, Jamie Norris and Ashton Ferrell all had interceptions for the Raiders.  Matthew Pittman threw for the Raiders lone score hitting J.T. Bush on a 25 yard touchdown over the middle.

Coffee County will end the 7 on 7 portion of their summer next week with a pair of road trips to compete in a pair of 7 on 7 tournaments.  On Tuesday, the Raiders will visit Walker Valley in a tournament set to begin at 6 PM EDT.  On Thursday, they travel to Shelbyville for a tournament beginning at 8:30 AM.  Each tournament will give the Raiders 5 games.

Baxter White(center right) presents checks to CHS basketball coach Micah Williams(center left) on Thursday at the dealership.

Al White Ford/Lincoln, in conjunction with Lincoln Motor Company, hosted a Driven to Give Event to benefit the Coffee County Central High School boys’ basketball team.  The event, which was held on May 11th, earned $8,000 for the Red Raiders.  A check was presented to the team at a ceremony in the Al White showroom on Thursday.  “The Coffee Co. boys basketball program is very appreciative of the help and support that Al White provides through this fundraiser, not only for our program, but other programs in our community” said Red Raider head coach Micah Williams.

Al White Ford/Lincoln raised over $75,000 last school year for schools and teams through test drive events like this one with both Ford and Lincoln.  Over the past 4 years, Al White has helped raise well over a quarter of a million dollars for the community through these events.  Baxter White coordinates the test drive program for the dealership.  Al White’s test drive program will ramp up for the school year in September.

The Nashville Sounds defeated New Orleans Baby Cakes 11-7 at First Tennessee Park Thursday night. The Sounds scored six runs in the sixth inning and never looked back.

Just moments before the huge inning, the Baby Cakes plated a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to even the game at 2-2. The runs for New Orleans came just after Nashville starter Austin Bibens-Dirkx finished five shutout innings on the bump.

Nashville sent 11 to the plate in the sixth and collected seven consecutive hits. It started with Carlos Tocci’s base hit to right field. Eli White gave the Sounds the lead for good with a run-scoring triple down the left field line.

Nashville Sounds Six-Run Sixth Inning Leads to Win Over New Orleans Baby Cakes at First Tennessee Park Thursday night. (Nashville Sounds)
Nashville Sounds Six-Run Sixth Inning Leads to Win Over New Orleans Baby Cakes at First Tennessee Park Thursday night. (Nashville Sounds)

Matt Davidson’s RBI single made it a 4-2 game, and Scott Heineman and Andy Ibanez singled to load the bases.

Christian Lopes busted the game open with a two-run double to left field.

Jose Trevino followed with another run-scoring base hit and the sixth run came home when New Orleans third baseman Eddy Alvarez misplayed a ground ball to the hot corner.

The Baby Cakes plated a pair of runs off Kyle Dowdy in the top of the seventh to trim their deficit to 8-4, but the Sounds answered again in the home half. Eli White singled and stole second base, then scored on a one-out base hit to right field by Heineman. Two more runs scored in the frame to extend Nashville’s lead to 11-4.

Nashville received multi-hit games from Tocci, Heineman, Ibanez and Trevino and went 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Bibens-Dirkx didn’t factor into the decision despite his best start of the year. He allowed only one hit and one walk in his five shutout frames while recording five strikeouts.

Post-Game Notes
With Thursday’s 11-7 win, the Sounds improved to 39-51 on the season.

The Sounds scored six runs in the sixth inning tonight – the sixth time the team has scored six or more runs in a single inning in 2019.

Scott Heineman drew a walk in the fifth inning to extend his on-base streak to 17 games. He’s hitting .438 (28-for-64) with 18 runs scored and 11 RBI during the streak.

Eli White stole his 10th base of the year in the seventh inning and is the 12th player in the Pacific Coast League to have at least 10 stolen bases and 10 home runs in 2019.

Next Up For Nashville Sounds
Game two of the four-game series is scheduled for Friday night at First Tennessee Park. Left-hander Wes Benjamin (4-5, 6.84) starts for Nashville against right-hander Hector Noesi (9-4, 3.17) for New Orleans. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm.

The Coffee County CHS football team will host Lincoln County on Thursday in their only home scrimmage in July.  The Red Raiders will play host to the Falcons in a 7 on 7 scrimmage at Carden-Jarrell Field.  Kick-off is set for 5:30 PM.

On Wednesday, the Red Raiders traveled to Lynchburg for some 7 on 7 action.  Raider head coach Doug Greene saw some positives for the team.  After a slow start, Coffee County showed some improvement toward the end of the workout.

After Thursday’s home scrimmage, the Red Raiders will travel to Walker Valley on Tuesday and Shelbyville on Thursday for their final two 7 on 7 scrimmages.

All homeschool students living in Coffee County who would like to sign up for high school or middle school sports in the coming school year will need to register through the respective schools Central office before August 1st. This deadline also includes physicals. See Keith Cornelius at the Coffee County Schools central office.  If you have questions, you can contact athletic director Kyle Harris at Coffee County Middle School at: harrisk@k12coffee.net or Rebecca Koger at Coffee County Central High School at: kogerr@k12coffee.net

Any Manchester City zoned middle school homeschoolers need to register with the City School System. They will need to register with Westwood Middle School athletic director James Dobson.  If you have questions, you can contact Coach Dobson at: jdobson@k12mcs.net

As the Titans gear up for the 2019 season, fans will once again have an opportunity to watch the team work.

Among the highlights of this year’s training camp: Nine open practices, a night practice at Nissan Stadium, and joint practices with the New England Patriots.

Admission is free to all of the practices, with no ticket required. More information on parking and the Nissan Stadium event will be released in the coming weeks.

The first open practice for fans is set for Saturday, July 27 from 9:50 a.m. – Noon at Saint Thomas Sports Park.

Here’s a look at the complete schedule of open practices for fans:

Sat., July 27: 9:50 am – Noon Practice (Open to Fans)

Sun., July 28: 10:00 am – 12:15 pm Practice (Open to Fans)

Wed., July 31: 9:50 am – Noon Practice (Open to Fans)

Fri., Aug. 2: 9:50 am – Noon Practice (Open to Fans)

Sat., Aug. 3: 6:00 – 8:00 pm Practice at Nissan Stadium (Open to Fans)

Sat., Aug. 10: 1:50 – 3:45 pm Practice (Open to Fans)

Sun., Aug. 11: 10:00 am – 12:15 pm Practice (Open to Fans)

Wed., Aug. 14: 9:50 am – Noon Practice with Patriots (Open to Fans)

Thurs., Aug. 15: 9:50 am – Noon Practice with Patriots (Open to Fans)

The Titans opted not to hold a Friday night practice this year in favor of a night practice at Nissan Stadium, which is set for 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, August 3.

Titans coach Mike Vrabel said last month the plans is to hold a scrimmage on August 3.

“Hopefully depending on the health — I don’t make the decisions on practice until sometimes the day before, or what the health of the team looks like,” Vrabel said, “is that we could have somewhat of a scrimmage-type setting in the stadium.”

Prior to the team’s August 17 preseason game between the Titans and Patriots, the two teams will hold a pair of joint practices that will be open to fans.

Vrabel and Patriots coach Bill Belichick began conversations about the practices earlier this offseason. Vrabel said the practices should be great work for both teams.

“Clearly you know all the head coaches, but you have a better relationship with some of the other ones, and Bill is one that I have a better relationship with,” Vrabel said. “So it was, ‘Hey, we’re putting in to play you guys in the preseason.’ And Bill was like, ‘Can we come to Nashville and practice?’

“We practiced against the Patriots when we were in Houston (with the Texans), and I feel like they are a good team to practice against just because of the same expectations, trying to get stuff done, trying to get things accomplished but not fighting or anything.”

The Titans beat quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots 34-10 at Nissan Stadium last November.

Last August, the Titans practiced against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I think it just breaks up camp,” Vrabel said of joint practices. “And it is always great to see what they are doing. We don’t right now play them, hopefully until the playoffs. …. You can say, ‘Hey, we’re going to be base. Or we’re going to be vanilla. Or let’s do some blitzes.’ And Bill is easy to work with.”

The Titans open the preseason on Thursday, August 8 at Philadelphia.

The team’s regular season opener is set for Sunday, September 8 at Cleveland.