Category: Sports

History was put on hold in Giancarlo Stanton’s quest to reach 60 home runs on Sunday. Instead, it was a three-run homer by pinch-hitter Adonis Garcia and Kurt Suzuki’s two-run home run that helped propel the Braves to an 8-5 victory over the Marlins in the season finale at Marlins Park.

The main spotlight was on Stanton, who started in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career to guarantee as many at-bats as possible to assist his chances to hit his 60th home run. But Stanton ended up going 2-for-5 with an RBI single. His single in the third inning was clocked at 122.2 mph, which is the hardest base hit recorded since Statcast™ launched in 2015.
Stanton had one final chance in the ninth inning, facing closer Arodys Vizcaino. The slugger was greeted to a standing ovation and chants of “MVP!” But he struck out on four pitches, swinging through an 86.4-mph slider. On his way back to the dugout, the fans cheered loudly, and Stanton raised his right fist and put it over his heart in his curtain call.
The Marlins’ All-Star right fielder did not become the sixth player in MLB history to have at least 60 home runs, but he enhanced his National League MVP chances by finishing with the Major League lead in home runs (59) and RBIs (132).
Atlanta avoided a four-game sweep by rallying to victory in the season finale, which also marked the final game of Jeffrey Loria’s ownership in Miami. The group, headed by Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter, is expected to officially be announced early next week.
Dansby Swanson hit a go-ahead RBI single off Junichi Tazawa with two outs in the seventh inning, and Garcia blasted a three-run homer off lefty Justin Nicolino.
Marlins All-Star outfielder Marcell Ozuna belted a solo home run in the seventh inning, his 37th of the season. Ozuna finished with 123 RBIs. Stanton and Ozuna are the first teammates to finish among the Major League’s top three RBI leaders since 2005, when David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez did so with the Red Sox.
The Braves jumped in front in the third inning on Suzuki’s two-run homer, his 19th of the season.

Maggie Lashlee of CHS soccer

Traveling to Fayetteville on Thursday night, the Lady Raider soccer team took on Lincoln County.  Facing the Lady Falcons for the 2^nd time in a week, Coffee County was looking for a season split in the final regular season game of the year.  Unlike Monday’s loss, the Lady Raiders got off to a strong start in a 3 to 0 win.

Coffee County got the lone goal of the first half as Maggie Lashlee scored in the 33^rd minute to give the Lady Raiders a 1 to 0 halftime lead on an unassisted goal.  Samantha Ellison added Coffee County’s second goal in the 48^th minute off an assist from Maddy Jones.  Coffee County made the score 3 to 0 in the 58^th minute on an Allie Amado corner kick.  As the ball sailed into area in front of the goal, Lincoln County deflected the ball into the back of their net for an own goal.

Coffee County finishes the season with a record of 9-2-2 and a district record if 6-1-1.  Coffee County and Lincoln County will finish the season tied atop the district standings.  Next up will be the District 8AAA tournament for the Lady Raiders.  Each game will be hosted by the higher seeded team.  Coffee County’s opening game, time and opponent will be announced this weekend after Friday’s district meeting .  Thunder Radio will keep you updated on the district tournament schedule.

The Temple Baptist Christian School  varsity volleyball team visited Tunnel Hill, Georgia on Tuesday for a tri-match.  The Lady Eagles took on the home standing Lady Bulldogs of Dogwood Christian and Fairview Christian Academy from Athens, Tennessee.  Temple came home with a pair of wins on the night.

Against Dogwood, Temple won in straight sets 25 to 13 and 25 to 19 in the best of 3 format.  Rachel Butler led the team in spikes with 4 while Lexie Stewart had the hot serving hand for the Lady Eagles as she had 3 good serves.  Grace Butler led the team in digs.

Against the Falcons of Fairview, the Lady Eagles were pushed to a 3^rd and deciding set in a hotly contested contest.  Temple won by set scores of 25 to 18, 25 to 27 and 15 to 11.  Rachel Butler led the team in digs with 31 and spikes with 29.  Lexie Stewart led in passes with 26 good passes and Lauren Davis had the hot hand at the serving line with 12 good serves.

The Lady Eagles return home on Friday night for a pair of matches with Madison Baptist Academy.  There will be a junior varsity and varsity contest.  First serve is set for 4:30 PM.

P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators [Photo by nhl.com]

P.K. Subban, who is Canadian and plays for the Nashville Predators, was appearing at a fundraiser in Nashville, and said he would never take a knee for the anthem because he has too much respect for the American flag. Not only did two eyewitnesses claim he made the remarks, the Predators confirmed them later.

During the day Tuesday, the Predators announced that as a team, they would not protest during the national anthem. CEO Sean Henry told the Tennessean:

When this all came about, we wanted to get together with our team because everything we do is collaborative. When we say what we’re going to be doing, it really is a ‘we.’ Everyone had input on it. We are honoring the anthem and the flag and the country by standing during the anthem. We invite our fans to do so with us. “It is also our way of honoring what else it stands for, and it does provide for the freedom for others to express their views and protests in a manner in which they feel comfortable doing. We just think there’s proper forums for all. Our games have become this unifying celebration, so we have decided that we’re all going to stand together to honor the country and all that comes with it.

Eyewitness Seth Dean said Subban asserted “he will continue to stand, respect, and sing along with U.S. anthem.” Subban reportedly gestured to a friend of his who was a law enforcement officer from Boston.

Dean added:

He also addressed why he always shuffles his feet during anthem. He first said it could be ADD but he was never tested. Then he mentioned just being pumped up by crowd and excited to support USA even as a Canadian. He even jokingly suggested we should all stand and sing anthem there at Zanies (which didn’t happen). He obviously wasn’t going to go against Lavy’s proclamation that players were going to stay standing, especially with his coach in the room, but he made his support for the anthem as unequivocal as he possibly could.

Hailey, another attendee, emailed Yahoo Sports this version of events:

Tonight was a comedy fundraiser at Zanies in Nashville, for which Ryan Hamilton was the headliner. As my attendance was spontaneous, I was pretty excited when PK Subban was the first “comedian”. Much to my surprise, his allegedly “impromptu” set ended with a tense promise from PK that despite his previous dancing antics during the national anthem, he would NEVER kneel during the national anthem, followed by a long rant about his “respect” for the American flag.

In 2013, Subban won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, and tied with Kris Letang as the leading scorer among defensemen.

Story by Wayne Thomas, Tullahoma News

Tullahoma City Schools officials have confirmed that Kyle Shipley, the girls basketball coach for the past four months, has been relieved of his position with the team.
According to Director of Schools Dan Lawson, Shipley would no longer be coaching at Tullahoma High School and “the basketball position has been offered to and accepted by Dale Alsup.”
Lawson confirmed to The News on Wednesday, Sept. 20 that Shipley had been suspended from both his coaching and teaching position as of Monday, Sept. 11, pending a district investigation.
“Both the suspension and the investigation continue and we will have no further comments until our investigation is complete,” Lawson reported.
District investigations and suspensions may be sustained for up to 90 days, according to the Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA), chapter 49-5-511.
“Upon the close of that period, the employee may be exonerated or charged,” according to Lawson.
If charged, the employee in question “enjoys due process rights of appeal,” he said.
Alsup previously coached the Lady Wildcats basketball team for two seasons before leaving the position after the 2012-2013 season. He was succeeded by Keith Dean, who held the position until his dismissal following the 2016-2017 season, which is when Shipley took over.
In addition to coaching the Lady Wildcats, Shipley is also an educator at Tullahoma High School. He is currently listed as the criminal justice teacher on the school website.
However, as of Tuesday afternoon, Lawson reported to The News that Shipley was no longer teaching the criminal justice curriculum.
According to Lawson, Lieutenant Jason Kennedy, who works with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Department, “has been employed to teach criminal justice at THS.”
Kennedy’s effective start date will be Oct. 16, according to Lawson. In the meantime, THS Principal Kathy Rose has had substitute teachers leading the class, he said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Lawson said that Shipley was still employed by the district as an educator, but that he had spoken with counsel on both sides and he anticipated Shipley’s resignation that day.
By Thursday morning, however, no announcement of resignation on Shipley’s part had been made.
When contacted for comment, Shipley said that he was eager to “get my side of the story out there,” but he would need to check with his lawyer on a statement.

Keelie Hillis of CHS volleyball

The Lady Raider volleyball team traveled to Eagleville on Wednesday for an in-school game.   This was the second meeting of the year between these 2 teams as Eagleville visited Manchester on September 6^th for an exciting 5 set match in which the Lady Eagles outlasted the Lady Raiders.  The Lady Raiders continued their string of great play as they got the win over Eagleville in front of the student body for the first time ever.  Coffee County won in 4 sets by scores of 23-25, 25-22, 26-24 and 25-18.

Coffee County was led in kills by Keelie Hillis who had 8 kills while adding 7 blocks.  Odalis Garcia led the team in aces with 4.  Amada Mukai was the assist leader with 27 while Tyana Fenton led in digs with 21.

On Friday and Saturday, Coffee County will compete in the Middle Tennessee Classic Tournament at Franklin’s AGame SportsPlex. Coffee County plays pool games at 6 and 8 PM on Friday night before finishing up pool play on Saturday with games at 11 and noon.  The District 8AAA tournament begins next week as Coffee County will be the #1 seed.   The district tournament will be held at Lincoln County High School.

Alana Coker of Westwood soccer

The Westwood soccer team opened up play on Wednesday in the preliminary round of the Central Tennessee Soccer Conference tournament at St. Andrews-Sewanee.   Needing a win to advance, Westwood got a shutout from their defense led by keeper Alana Coker and a hat trick from Diana Ramirez.  Westwood won by a final of 3 to 0.

Diana Ramirez got Westwood on the board in the 7^th minute with a goal when she knocked down a goal kick and put it in the back of the net.  The Rockets carried that lead into the second half.  In the second half, Ramirez added unassisted goals in the 37^th and 47^th minutes.  Coker finished the match with 4 saves.

Westwood will advance to Friday’s semifinals where they take on Huntland at Huntland.  That match will get underway at 4 PM.  A win on Friday would advance the Lady Rockets to the finals which will be held on Saturday at Huntland.

Members of the Coffee County golf team with their region championship plaque. Pictured are: (left to right) head coach Mike Ray, Chase Hancock, Matthew Hale, Reid Lawrence, Samuel Prater, Josh Perry, Austin Farris and coach Lucky Knott [Photo by Demarco Moore, Manchester Times]

Juniors Austin Farris and Samuel Prater were named to the District 8AAA All District 1^st Team.  Reid Lawrence was selected to the 2^nd team.  Additionally, head coach Mike Ray was named the District 8AAA boys coach of the year.

Sean Newcomb has shown much promise in his first 3 ½ months in the major leagues, but the walks are something the hard-throwing Braves left-hander must get a handle on before he can expect to fully realize his potential.

Newcomb walked the leadoff hitter in the last three of his five innings of work Wednesday night against the Mets, including pitcher Robert Gsellman to start a two-run fifth inning that gave the Mets a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a 7-1 series-finale win at Citi Field.

They blew the game open with a Dominic Smith three-run homer off beleaguered Braves reliever Jim Johnson in a four-run seventh inning, all the runs unearned following a two-out fielding error by Freddie Freeman. Yes, it turned into an ugly night for the Bravos.

Johnson recorded two outs and was charged with four unearned runs, two hits and two walks, the last run on his ledger scored when Ian Krol gave up an RBI double to the first batter he faced, Jose Reyes.

The Mets took three of four in the series and 12 of 19 this season from the Braves, who need to split a season-ending four-game series against the Marlins that starts Thursday in Miami if they are to avoid a third consecutive 90-loss season.

Newcomb (4-9) gave up four hits, three runs and four walks with seven strikeouts in five innings, all the runs scoring in the fourth and fifth innings including the leadoff hitter he walked in each of those frames.

It was the final start of the season for Newcomb, who finishes with a 4.32 ERA and 108 strikeouts with an alarming 57 walks in 101 innings.

Ozzie Albies’ RBI single in the third gave the Braves a 1-0 lead, but the Mets tied it in the fourth after Newcomb walked Juan Lagares to start the inning. Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a single and Travis d’Arnaud drove in a run with a fielder’s choice grounder that shortstop Dansby Swanson botched, his error allowing Cabrera to reach second.

One ground-out and a strikeout later, Newcomb walked Travis Taijeron to load the bases, but Matt Reynolds flied out to strand three and keep the score tied.

The Braves returned the favor an inning later when Freeman struck out on an eight-pitch at-bat with bases loaded to end a scoreless inning and leave him 2-for-10 with bases full this season, with no walks, two strikeouts and four RBIs.

Newcomb worked out of a jam in the fourth inning but couldn’t pull it off in the fifth after walking Gsellman to start things off. Jose Reyes followed with a single and two outs later, d’Arnaud singled up the middle to drive in both runners. The Mets had a 3-1 lead after five innings despite being 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position at that juncture.

Gsellman (8-7) limited the Braves to six hits, one run and one walk in six innings. The Braves won five of Newcomb’s last seven starts before Wednesday and the big lefty was 3-1 with a respectable 3.96 ERA in that span, though he had an .383 opponents’ OBP that included 20 walks in 36 1/3 innings. Add his four walks Wednesday and the total climbed to 24 walks with 47 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings over his past eight starts, with Newcomb lasting 5 1/3 or fewer innings in each of his final seven games.

Odalis Garcia of CHS volleyball

The Lady Raider volleyball team traveled to Winchester on Tuesday with a chance to wrap up the District 8AAA regular season championship.  Building off the momentum of Monday’s non-district sweep of Tullahoma, Coffee County captured a 3 set win over the Rebelettes.  Coffee County won by set scores of 25 to 17, 25 to 23 and 25 to 23.

Coffee County was led in kills by the trio of Odalis Garcia, Keelie Hillis and Alliyah Williams who each had 7.  Garcia also led the team in aces as she scored 5.  Hillis also added 4 aces from the service line.  Amanda Mukai led the team in assists with 21 while Tyana Fenton led the Lady Raiders in digs with 15.

Coffee County travels to Eagleville on Wednesday for an in-school game.  First serve is set for 1:30 PM.   Coffee County will take part in the Middle Tennessee Classic Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Franklin.  The District 8AAA tournament begins next week as Coffee County will be the #1 seed.   The district tournament will be held at Lincoln County High School.