Category: Sports

Sounds Game Against Storm Chasers Suspended Due to Rain

The Nashville Sounds game against the Omaha Storm Chasers was suspended due to rain with the Sounds on top 6-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. The game will be resumed on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. and will be a full nine-inning game. Sunday’s regularly scheduled game will be a seven-inning game and will begin approximately 30 minutes after the completion of Saturday’s suspended game.
The Sounds jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to some savvy base running by Jorge Mateo. The speedster led off with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball and to third on a fly ball to center field. Omaha starter Andres Machado then threw a pitch in the dirt that skipped away from catcher Nick Dini just enough for Mateo to be able to slide across home plate safely.
Aside from allowing two runs in the third inning, Sounds starter Brett Anderson was dominant. He struck out eight batters in his four innings of work.
Nashville added three runs in the second inning as Machado issued three walks in the frame and all three came home to roost. BJ Boyd hit a chopper back through the middle to drive in a pair of runs. Mateo then tapped one to third baseman Humberto Arteaga who fired home to cut down Steve Lombardozzi who was racing home but the ball was dropped by Dini allowing Lombardozzi to sneak in and touch home.
Omaha cut the lead in half with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning as Frank Schwindel laced a two-run double into the gap in left center field.
Renato Núñez squeaked a two-run single past the shortstop in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 6-2 before the umpires called for the tarp to be placed on the field. The game will be resumed with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning with Fowler at second base and Núñez at first. Anthony Garcia will be at the plate.
Tickets for Saturday’s game can be exchanged for any remaining 2018 regular season home game and may be exchanged at the First Tennessee Park box office for a ticket of equal or lesser value, subject to availability.
The Sounds continue their four-game series with the Storm Chasers Sunday afternoon at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander James Naile (2-0, 0.00) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Heath Fillmyer (0-1, 37.80) for the Storm Chasers.
Post-Game Notes
• Saturday night’s game was the first game affected by rain this season
• Renato Núñez extended his hitting streak to seven games with his fourth inning single. He has now hit safely in all seven games he has played in.

The 2018 season is the Sounds’ 41st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

Shutout Streak Ends as Nashville SC Falls to Indy

Two first half goals by Indy Eleven ended Nashville SC’s shutout streak and run of points as Indy beat Nashville at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, 2-1.

90 in a nutshell

Indy got on the board early with a goal by forward Soony Saad on a breakaway in the 15’ minute. Saad doubled his total and the lead with a 35-yard strike in the 34’ minute that curled into the side of the net.

Nashville SC forward Ropapa Mensah pulled Nashville back within one in the 45’ minute with a touch off a Lebo Moloto cross. Mensah almost had a second just before the halftime whistle but his shot went high and Indy led 2-1 at the half. While Nashville brought pressure in the second half, it ultimately wasn’t enough to pull even.

Goals

15’ IND – Soony Saad assisted by Ayoze

34’ IND – Soony Saad assisted by Jack McInerney

45’ NSH – Ropapa Mensah assisted by Lebo Moloto

Key Stat

Saad – 2 goals. Soony Saad’s second goal, which ultimately proved to be the game-winner, was an absolute strike. Off a free kick taken by Jack McInerney, Saad ran up on a McInerney touch and hammered the winner past Nashville SC keeper Matt Pickens.

Quotables

Nashville SC head coach Gary Smith

“For Ropapa, it was a good 90 minutes, and I think it was his only 90 minutes throughout the preseason. He looked strong, he looked a problem for them. Forwards are those type of guys when it goes into their feet or the final third, you know you have a decent forward on your hand when you think ‘Something might happen.’ I thought there were plenty of occasions [with him] where I thought ‘Something is going to happen.’”

Standings Update

Being the first game of the day, Nashville will have to wait for other games to finish on Saturday to see if it stays in the top of the Eastern Conference after the loss. For now, the team sits in 6th with 7 points through five matches.

Next Up

Nashville will be off next weekend, but will have its first midweek contest on Tuesday, April 24 at Penn FC.

Friday Prep Results

Friday Prep Results
> CCMS Tennis and Westwood tennis SPLIT – CCMS Girls won 4 to 3, WMS Boys won 7 to 0 – See Story HERE
> CHS Baseball vs. Marshall Co
– 4 to 2 – See Story HERE
> CHS Softball defeated Greenwood, KY – 6 to 3 – See Story HERE
> CHS Softball beat Allen County, KY – 6 to 0 – See Story HERE
> CHS Softball lost to Franklin-Simpson, KY – 6 to 5 – See Story HERE

Sounds Blanked by Storm Chasers 5-0

The Nashville Sounds’ offense did not live up to the Friday Fireworks mantra and were shutout by the Omaha Storm Chasers 5-0 in front of a sellout crowd of 10,481 at First Tennessee Park. It was the second time in the 2018 campaign the Sounds have been shutout.

Sounds starter Eric Jokisch cruised through the first three innings, allowing just two hits before Omaha broke through in the fourth inning. Hunter Dozier collected a one-out double and came around to score when Frank Schwindel squeaked a triple just fair inside the first base bag that trickled down into the right field corner. Schwindel was brought home on a sacrifice ground out by Ryan O’Hearn.

O’Hearn came up big again for the Storm Chasers in the top of the sixth as the Omaha took advantage of a pair of two-out walks from Jokisch. O’Hearn smacked a two-out, two-run triple into the gap in right center field over the outstretched mit of BJ Boyd. Nick Dini followed that triple up with an RBI double to extend Omaha’s lead to 5-0.

Dustin Fowler and Josh Phegley each collected a pair of hits to lead the Sounds offensively.

The closest the Sounds came to lighting up the scoreboard came in the third inning when they loaded the bases. Fowler’s single was sandwiched between a pair of doubles but Omaha starter Scott Barlow induced an inning ending ground ball to Phegley.

The Sounds continue their four-game series with the Storm Chasers Saturday night at First Tennessee Park. Left-hander Brett Anderson (0-1, 0.00) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Andres Machado (0-0, 6.00) for the Storm Chasers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

Post-Game Notes

  • The Sounds dropped to 3-6 on the season.
  • The Sounds are now 1-6 in games played on Friday the 13th since 2010.
  • Anthony Garcia failed to reach base for the first time this season, ending his team-long six-game streak.
  • Nashville’s bullpen continued its dominance as Bobby Wahl and Josh Lucas combined to throw three shutout innings and strikeout four. On the season the bullpen has a 0.90 ERA (40.0 IP/4 ER). The relievers have allowed just 17 hits while recording 38 strikeouts.
  • 10,481 fans came out to the ballpark for First Tennessee Park’s first sellout of 2018. It was the 56th shutout in ballpark history.

The 2018 season is the Sounds’ 41st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

Forsberg Leads Preds to Game 1 Win Over Avalanche

Filip Forsberg

Filip Forsberg scored once. And then he brought the house down.

The Swedish star tallied twice and the Nashville Predators came back to defeat the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 by a 5-2 final to take a 1-0 lead in their opening round series.

It took the Predators until the third period to collect their first lead of the game, but once they did, there was no looking back. And in a game that wasn’t always in favor of the home team, Nashville delivered when it mattered most.

“It’s always a little nervous going into the first game,” Forsberg said. “You wouldn’t be in your right mind if you didn’t feel nervous going into the first big playoff game. We got going in the third.”

“I felt that guys played with a lot of detail and a lot of purpose,” Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne said. “The beginning of the game didn’t have a lot going on, but we still were able to play with purpose and detail and execute until we got it going. It showed a lot of guts coming from behind first to 1-1, and then in a 2-1 game coming from behind to tie the game up. I thought that was awesome.”

Colorado had a 1-0 advantage after the opening period courtesy of a goal from Nikita Zadorov. Austin Watson scored the first Nashville goal of the playoffs just over three minutes into the second, but Blake Comeau gave the Avalanche the lead once more less than two minutes later.

On a power-play opportunity midway through the frame, Ryan Johansen fed Craig Smith, and the winger snapped a shot past Jonathan Bernier to even the score once more.

Before the second stanza was out, Rinne stoned Mikko Rantanen on a partial breakaway with a full extension of the right pad, setting the tone for what turned out to be a three-goal third, including two from Forsberg, the second of which is worth watching over and over again.

Colton Sissons finished it off with an empty-netter and the Predators took care of business behind their home-ice advantage in Game 1.

A lead in the series is undoubtedly an advantage, but the Avalanche, who clinched their spot on the final day of the regular season, aren’t about to go away. The Predators know that, and they fully intend on raising their level of play as well on Saturday.

“It’s going to be really tough,” Forsberg said. “Colorado has been playing good all year, and they played a good game tonight too. Obviously, Game 1 is ours, but we’ll keep working hard.”

“I don’t think any team is going to walk through the playoffs and say, ‘You know what? We played every minute just the way we wanted to,'” Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “Tonight, was Game 1. We know we can do better at some things and we’ll work on that. But again, I thought the guys hung in there for having to fight back a couple of times and push forward. I thought they did that. We’ll get ready for Game 2 now… Colorado is not going anywhere – they’re a good hockey club we’re going to have to be ready to play.”

Postseason Scoresberg:

Filip Forsberg is one of those elite players in the NHL who has the ability to bring an entire arena to its feet with moves other hockey players can only dream of pulling off.

And on Thursday night, he did just that. Talk about setting the tone for the series.

Forsberg gave the Preds their first lead of the evening early in the third, but the winger wasn’t done. Taking it by himself, Forsberg entered the Colorado end, dipsy-doodled his way around former Preds blueliner Samuel Girard and wired a shot past Jonathan Bernier for a tally that will be shown around the world for days, weeks, months – maybe even years – to come.

“What I really liked about it is it was a power move,” Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of Forsberg’s second goal. “It was not just a standing still move. He really picked up speed and did his best to drive. I always feel like he’s at his best when he’s a power forward first and then he brings his skill element into it, and that’s exactly what he did on that goal.”

“I see that kind of stuff in practice all the time,” goaltender Pekka Rinne laughed. “[It was a] beautiful goal. You think about the first game in the playoffs and he’s able to pull those moves off and finish the play. It was a great individual effort and obviously, to me, that was the goal that sealed the deal tonight.

With a pair of markers on the night, Forsberg is now tied for the Predators franchise lead with 28 postseason points to his name, a mark that could be broken on Saturday afternoon. And if No. 9 can provide more moves like that, the Preds will be in excellent shape.

“He just does unbelievable things all the time it seems for us in here,” Sissons said of Forsberg. “But to do it on this day, in an intense playoff game, is pretty unbelievable.”

Notes:

Calle Jarnkrok (upper-body, day-to-day) and Yannick Weber (upper-body, day-to-day) were among the Nashville scratches in Game 1.

Game 2 of the series comes Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. CT puck drop from Bridgestone Arena. The series then shifts to Colorado for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday nights, respectively.

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

Thursday Prep Results and Friday Prep Schedule

Thursday Prep Results
> CHS Tennis swept Cannon Co – Girls – 5 to 4, Boys 9 to 0 – See Story HERE
> CCMS Baseball lost to Middle Tenn Monarchs – 7 to 3 – See Story HERE
> WMS Softball beat Cannon Co – 9 to 1 – See Story HERE
> CHS Boys’ Soccer fell at Columbia – 3 to 2 – See Story HERE
> CHS Softball lost to Lawrence Co – 7 to 1 – See Story HERE

Friday Prep Schedule
4:00 PM – CCMS Tennis at Westwood – Fred Deadman Park
4:00 PM – WMS Tennis HOSTS Coffee County – Fred Deadman Park
4:00 PM – CHS Tennis at Tullahoma
4:30 PM – CCMS Track HOSTS Harris, North, South
6:20 PM – CHS Softball at Greenwood, KY – Greenwood Tournament, Bowling Green, KY
7:45 PM – CHS Baseball vs. Marshall Co at South Pittsburg – Grundy Co Tournament
7:55 PM – CHS Softball vs. Allen County, KY – Greenwood Tournament, Bowling Green, KY
9:30 PM – CHS Softball vs. Franklin-Simpson, KY – Greenwood Tournament, Bowling Green, KY

CHS Tennis Sweeps Cannon County

Jessica Barrera of CHS tennis

The Coffee County CHS tennis teams stepped out of district play on Thursday for a match at Cannon County. The Red Raiders shut out the Lions claiming a 9 to 0 win. The Lady Raiders edged Cannon County 5 to 4.
The Lady Raiders swept their 3 doubles matches to claim the win. The winning teams were: Jessica Barrera/Odalis Garcia(8-1), Esmeralda Lozoya/Wren Lawson(8-4) and Vanessa Pedroza/Emily Shelton(8-4). Barrera(8-4) and Lawson(8-5) got wins in singles play.
The Red Raiders won all 6 singles’ matches and all 3 doubles’ matches to get the win. Winning in singles were: Grey Riddle(8-3), Reid Lawrence(8-0), Jayden Talley(8-6), Jonah Rollman(8-3), Luke Irwin(8-1). In doubles, Coffee County got wins from the teams of” Riddle/Lawrence(8-1) and Talley/Rollman. The Red Raiders got forfeit wins in 1 singles and 1 doubles match.
The CHS netters hit the road again on Friday when they travel to Tullahoma to take on the Wildcats. First serve will be at 4 PM.

Westwood Softball Tames Cannon County Lady Lions

The Westwood softball team welcomed Cannon County to Lady Rocket Field on Thursday.  Coming off a shutout loss on Wednesday, the Westwood bats came alive with 11 hits against the visiting Lady Lions as Westwood won by a final score of 9 to 1.

Cannon County got on the scoreboard in the top of the 1st inning with a pair of walks and a wild pitch.  Westwood tied the game in the bottom of the 2nd inning on an RBI double from Brooklyn Blake.  A four run 4th inning for Westwood put the game out of reach.  Haidyn Campbell pitched 4 innings of relief to get the win for the Lady Rockets as she allowed no runs while striking out 9. Paisley Campbell had a single and a double and drove in 1 run.  Haidyn Campbell, Emmalise Raymer and Brooklyn Blake all finished with 2 singles.  Blake had 2 RBI.

Westwood will travel to Wartrace on Monday for an important conference game with Cascade.  First pitch is set for 5:30 PM.

CHS Softball Falls to Lawrence County

Lauren Tomberlin of CHS Softball (File Photo by John St. Clair, stclair-sports.com)

The Lady Raider softball team welcomed district leading Lawrence County to Terry Floyd Field on Thursday night.  In a game you heard right here on Thunder Radio, Coffee County had few answers for Lady Cats pitcher Macy Birdyshaw.  Birdyshaw held the Lady Raiders to 4 hits as Coffee County fell 7 to 1.

Coffee County got on the board first inning when Lauren Tomberlin hit a 2 out, solo home run to stake the Lady Raiders to a 1 to 0 lead.  Lawrence County took the lead in the game in the 3rd on a squeeze bunt and a double steal.  The Lady Cats blew the game open in the 4th when they scored 5 runs thanks in large part to a double and 3 straight bunts.  Coffee County could never muster more than 1 hit per inning against Birdyshaw.

Tomberlin was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game as she had the home run and Coffee County’s only RBI.  Sarah West finished with a double while Kasarah Scheller and Raven Rogers each added a single.

The Lady Raiders hit the road on Friday as they travel to Bowling Green to take part in the Greenwood Tournament.  Coffee County will play 3 games on Friday evening when they take on Greenwood, KY at 6:20 PM.  The Lady Raiders will then square off against Franklin-Simpson, KY at 7:55.  They close out the tournament at 9:30 PM with a game against Allen County, KY.  The Lady Raiders return home on Sunday for a makeup game with Tullahoma.  That game will get underway at 3 PM on Sunday afternoon at Terry Floyd Field and Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you all the action.

Download the broadcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

CHS Soccer Falls to Columbia

Tyler Walker of CHS soccer

The Coffee County CHS soccer team traveled to Columbia on Thursday night for a district matchup with the Lions of Columbia Central.  After being knotted at the half, the Lions got the lone goal of the second half to get the 3 to 2 win.

Coffee County got on the board first when Tyler Walker pushed a beautiful assist from Eric Randolph past the Lion keeper at the 20 minute mark.  Columbia knotted the game in the 26th minute but the Raiders answered in the 30th minute on a penalty kick from Briggs Haithcock.  Columbia tied the match one minute later and took the lead in the 69th minute off a header to grab the win.

The Lions and Raiders will square off again on Tuesday at the Raider Academy.  That district match will kick-off at 7 PM.