Category: Sports

The 2017 Red Raider football season opens on Friday night in Winchester as Coffee County travels to take on Franklin County.  Franklin County, under new head coach Mac McCurry, enters the season after a tie against Gallatin last week in a jamboree.  Emotions and optimism are sky high in Winchester and a big crowd is expected at the game.

When asked what his team needed to do to get the win on Friday night, Coach Ryan Sulkowski had this to say during Wednesday night’s Ryan Sulkowski Show heard here on Thunder:

The Ryan Sulkowski Show is broadcast each Wednesday night from 6 to 7 PM.  The show is broadcast LIVE from West Main Brick Oven and the public is welcomed to come out and join Coach Sulkowski.  The Ryan Sulkowski Show is heard exclusively here on Thunder Radio.  If you missed the interview, you can download a copy of the full interview at: www.wmsrradio.com/downloads

As always, Thunder Radio is your exclusive home for Coffee County football and Lucky Knott will bring you all the action on Friday night beginning at 6:45 PM.  Thunder Radio’s coverage begins at 6:00 PM with the Friday Night Thunder pregame show.  Following the game, the Friday Night Thunder scoreboard show continues until 11:00 PM.

The Westwood Middle School baseball team will be holding tryouts this Saturday at Fred Deadman Park’s Babe Ruth Field.  Interested student athletes who will be in grades 6 through 8 at Westwood this school year will need to try out.  Tryouts will begin at 10 AM and prospective players need to bring their own equipment.  If you need more information contact Coach Dustin Hereford at: dhereford@k12mcs.net

The Rockies’ bats woke up with a vengeance Wednesday night against the Braves.

After scoring three or fewer runs in eight straight games, the Rockies beat the Braves, 17-2, jumping on opposing starter Mike Foltynewicz, who allowed a career-high eight runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Every Rockies’ starting position player scored, Trevor Story homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs, DJ LeMahieu tallied four hits and four runs, and Gerardo Parra and Mark Reynolds each had four RBIs. It was the second time in franchise history that three Rockies drove in at least four runs. The only other time was Aug. 11, 1998, when Vinny Castilla, Todd Helton and Mike Lansing did it.
With the win, the Rockies took a one-game lead for the top National League Wild Card spot over the D-backs, who fell to the Astros 9-5 on Wednesday.
“We’d hit some homers, but they’d been solos,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “So today we saw the opposite of what we’ve seen the last week, where we really bunched hits together. Lot of baserunners, lot of traffic, some big hits, and really putting pressure on all their pitchers.”
“Hopefully tonight will snap us out of the little funk we’ve been in and we string some good at-bats together down the stretch here,” Reynolds said. “We’re gonna need every win we can get going into September and hopefully into October.”
Three runs were all the support Rockies starter Jon Gray needed though, as the righty tossed six innings and gave up two runs. Nick Markakis drove in the only Braves runs off Gray — a two-run single up the middle in the sixth.
“I don’t think there’s any excuses there, I just didn’t make the pitches,” Gray said of Markakis’ at-bat. “But I maybe slowed down a little bit too much, should’ve gotten right back on the mound and continued to power pitch.”
Foltynewicz issued three walks during the three-run second inning and seven of the nine hits he surrendered were recorded on two-strike pitches.
The Rockies scored six runs off Foltynewicz in the first three innings, but the Braves sent him out to start the fourth. He couldn’t seem to find anything, as two of the first three batters that inning reached base. The knockout punch came from Parra when he singled on Foltynewicz’s 97th and final pitch of the night. To make matters worse, Reynolds followed with a home run off the first pitch from reliever Luke Jackson.
“I was trying my hardest out there, things just weren’t working out for me,” Foltynewicz said. “I was just leaving balls out over the middle of the plate. I gave up some bloop hits and gappers and walking people doesn’t help either. Things were just running a little fast through the mind today.”
LeMahieu reached four hits for the fifth time this season, which leads the National League. More impressively, his hits all came in the first five innings. He knocked three singles and a double, scoring each time. LeMahieu grounded out in his fifth at-bat and was taken out of the game for Ryan McMahon in the seventh, leaving a potential career-high fifth hit on the table.
The Braves allowed at least 13 runs in three of six games played at Coors Field in 1996. Before Wednesday, they hadn’t allowed more than 13 runs in the offense-friendly stadium since then.
Lucas Sims will get his introduction to Coors Field when the finale of this four-game series begins Thursday at 2:10 p.m. CT. Sims has pitched into the sixth inning in each of his first three career starts..

The Nashville Sounds put together a late rally but it was not enough as they fell to the Memphis Redbirds 3-2 Wednesday night at AutoZone Park. The one-run game was the sixth of its kind in the season series between the two ball clubs.
Memphis starter Jack Flaherty put together a dominant performance on the mound while the Sounds had to piece together a ball game with its bullpen. Felix Doubront made a spot start for Zach Neal and lasted three innings before being replaced by fellow southpaw, Patrick Schuster. Corey Walter finished out the ball game, tossing the final 2 2/3 innings.
For the second straight night the Redbirds jumped out to an early advantage via the long ball. Rangel Ravelo scorched a double off the left field fence to lead off the frame. Then Patrick Wisdom crushed his 26th home run of the season to left center field to take a 2-0 lead.
The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning when once again the Redbirds used the home run to light up the scoreboard. Stephen Piscotty continued to terrorize Sounds pitching with his third home run in five games against Nashville. His solo home run to lead off the frame extended the Redbirds lead to 3-0.
Memphis starter, Jack Flaherty was outstanding on the night as he cruised through the first seven innings unscathed. The Sounds finally broke through on the young Redbirds hurler as Jaycob Brugman looped a run-scoring single into shallow right field. The single scored Yairo Muñoz who was aboard after yanking a one-out double into the left field corner. Renato Nuñez brought the Sounds within a run with an RBI single but that would be all the Sounds could muster against the division champions.
The two teams continue a four-game series tomorrow at AutoZone Park. Right-hander Daniel Gossett (3-4, 3.71) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Luke Weaver (10-2, 2.55) for the Redbirds. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Tyana Fenton of CHS volleyball

Attempting to bounce back from a tough loss on Monday night, the Lady Raider volleyball team welcomed district rival Shelbyville to “The Patch.”  In a match you heard here on Thunder Radio as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series, the Lady Raiders captured a hard fought 4 set win from Shelbyville.  Coffee County won by set scores of 25-18, 25-20, 16-25 and 25-17.

The much improved Eaglettes led in each set as they challenged Coffee County throughout the match.  Senior Tyana Fenton sparked Lady Raider rallies in the first and second sets as she served 5 straight service aces in the first set to give the Lady Raiders their first lead of the match.  In the second set, Fenton once again delivered at the service line as she had 4 consecutive aces to bring the Lady Raiders from 1 point down to a 3 point lead.  Fenton finished the match with 10 aces to lead a Lady Raider team that had 17 aces on the match.  Fenton added 5 kills, 7 digs and an assist on the night.  Amanda Mukai led the team in assists with 16 while adding 5 kills and 3 aces.  Alliyah Williams led Coffee County in digs with 11 while Sarah West led Coffee County in kills with 6.

The Lady Raiders hit the road on Thursday when they travel to McMinnville for a match against Warren County.  First serve is set for 6 PM.

You can download a podcast of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series broadcast, go to www.wmsrradio.com/downloads

Trenton Thompson of Westwood football

A late touchdown by Middle Tennessee Christian dropped the Westwood football team to 0 and 2 on the season after a 32 to 30 loss in Murfreesboro on Tuesday.  In a game that featured 3 ties and 6 lead changes, in was a Cougar touchdown with 4:20 left in the game that proved to be the deciding score.

After MTCS scored first, Westwood got on the board as Trenton Thompson scored the first of his 3 touchdowns on the night on a run of more than 40 yards and added the 2 point conversion.  The score stayed tied after heading to the second quarter before Thompson scored again on a 45 yard touchdown run to put the Rockets up 14 to 8.  After MTCS tied it 9 seconds later, Thompson got his 3^rd TD of the night on a run of about 50 yards.  The 2 point conversion made it 22 to 14.  MTCS scored with 8 seconds to go in the half but missed the extra point as the Rockets held a 22 to 20 lead at the half.

Ten seconds into the second half, the Cougars got a touchdown to take a 26 to 22 lead.  Blake Hale added a Westwood touchdown midway of the 3^rd period giving Westwood the 30 to 26 lead.  The game stayed knotted up for more than 8 minutes before a Cougar touchdown with 4:20 left in the game brought an end to the scoring.

The Rockets return home on Thursday as they welcome Cascade to Dyer-Bouldin Field.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you the broadcast as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  The opening kickoff is set for 6:30 PM.  Our broadcast will begin with the pregame show at 6:20.

CHS soccer player Allie Amado

The Coffee County Central High School soccer team traveled to Smyrna on Tuesday for their season opener.  Coming off a pair of high scoring wins in their last 2 scrimmages, the Lady Raiders needed a pair of late goals to escape with a 2 to 2 draw.

It was a match that was as even a matchup as can be with the shot total being 16 each per team.  After a scoreless first half, Smyrna got on the board first in the 45^th minute as they scored the first goal of the game.  Allie Amado drew Coffee County even in the 67^th minute as she scored on an assist from Emilee Roberson.  The Lady Dawgs went back on top 2 minutes later before Maddy Jones tied the match up in the 70^th minute off a feed from Amado.

Amado led the Lady Raiders in shots with 7 while Ashley Woods had 7 saves in net for Coffee County.  The Lady Raiders will return home on Thursday to host Riverdale in their 2017 home opener.  The varsity game is set to begin at 7 PM at the Raider Soccer Field behind the Raider Academy.

The red hot Red Raider golf team had their match at Sewanee rained out on Tuesday. That match will not be rescheduled.  The Raiders return home on Tuesday when they welcome district foes Shelbyville & Marshall County to Willowbrook.  That match will be an 18 hole match with the shotgun start getting underway at 1 PM.

The Rockies and Braves played a close game Tuesday night at Coors Field, and a rare sight was the difference — a Nolan Arenado error.

Arenado, who won a Gold Glove in each of his first four seasons, fielded a routine grounder at third base with two outs in the top of the eighth, but first baseman Mark Reynolds couldn’t pick the ball out of the dirt on the throw. The ball caromed away from Reynolds, as Brandon Phillips scored the winning run from second to lift the Braves to a 4-3 win over the Rockies.
“I don’t expect to make errors, but they happen, unfortunately. I’m human,” Arenado said. “It’s unacceptable, I’ve got to make that play at the end of the day. I feel like I do, for the most part, but I just didn’t this time, and we lost.”
Arenado said he didn’t rush the throw — he simply “short-armed” it. Reynolds added the ball caught him on an in-between hop, and that Arenado threw a “changeup.”
“You see me pick balls from [Rockies shortstop Trevor Story] and he throws 100 miles an hour, I can judge where that’s going to go,” Reynolds said. “But [Arenado’s] done that maybe once this year, you know? He’s the best over there, though, people mess up.”
The Rockies remain tied atop the National League Wild Card standings, as the D-backs fell to the Astros, 9-4, on Tuesday. With the Cardinals losing and the Brewers winning, the Rockies and D-backs are five games ahead of both teams.
Rockies rookie Kyle Freeland returned from the disabled list, giving up three runs on four hits over six innings, after missing just one start with a left groin injury. Freeland said he had no hesitations with his groin, and that he was so eager to come back that “there were a few times where I had to be told, or tell myself, that I had to calm down.”
Braves starter Sean Newcomb also allowed three runs — all on solo homers — over six innings, striking out eight.
“That’s sort of expected coming here, deep fly balls kind of turn into home runs,” Newcomb said. “I just put those behind me. I know they have a lot of good people in the lineup. So, I knew I had to just get right after the next guy.”
Dansby Swanson’s two-out, two-run double in the second provided an early lead for Newcomb, who pitched around three walks. Swanson notched his first multi-hit game since July 26, the same day he was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
“He’s been swinging the bat good since he’s come back,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s been making good contact, and I’ve seen some of them finding holes.”
Story led off the fifth with his 16th home run of the season, giving the Rockies a 3-2 lead after early back-and-forth runs. The Rockies had a chance to blow the game open later that inning. But with the bases loaded and two outs, Newcomb got Gerardo Parra to fly out to left. Stranding runners is becoming a troubling trend for the Rockies, who went 5-for-39 with runners in scoring position during their recent road trip through Cleveland and Miami.
After Parra left the bases loaded, Nick Markakis tied the game at 3 with a solo homer in the sixth. Markakis’ seventh home run of the season kept the game tied until Arenado’s error in the eighth. Freeland had allowed just two baserunners between the second inning and Markakis’ home run.
This was just the second time (in 17 games) that the Rockies have homered three times and lost. The other time was April 25 in a frigid, 15-12 loss to the Nationals.
The Braves snapped an 11-game losing streak at Coors Field that dated back to June 11, 2014. Freddie Freeman is the only player who was in the lineup for both of Atlanta’s two most recent wins in Denver.
Mike Foltynewicz will take the mound when this four-game series resumes Wednesday at 7:40 p.m. CT. Foltynewicz has struggled in two of his past three starts, including allowing six runs in just 2 2/3 innings against the Cardinals on Friday.

Chris Carter drove in five runs and scored a pair to propel the Nashville Sounds past the Memphis Redbirds 6-5 Tuesday night at AutoZone Park.
Carter put on his best performance of the season in a Sounds uniform. A two-run blast in the second inning clawed into the Redbirds lead, his RBI single in the fourth tied the game, and his eighth inning two-run triple secured the victory for the Sounds.
The Redbirds jumped on Ben Bracewell and the Sounds early, plating three runs in the opening inning. Tyler O’Neill drove in a pair of runs with a base hit while former Sound, Rangel Ravelo picked up a one-run single.
Bracewell lasted seven innings to set a new career-high while he yielded five runs on seven hits to go along with five walks on the night. The outing provided the Sounds bullpen with a bit of a break. Entering the night the Sounds bullpen had pitched more innings than the starting rotation since June 27th.
Nashville tried to jump on Memphis starter, Dakota Hudson early with seven of the first 11 batters to face him swinging at the first pitch. Of those 11, five put the ball in play and went 1-for-4 with a sacrifice bunt. The strategy of swinging early in counts did not continue as just five of the next 17 Sounds hitters to face Hudson took hacks on the first pitch.
In the top of the second inning Carter launched a towering two-run big fly to cut into the Redbirds lead. Renato Nuñez began the inning with a line drive single to right field and advanced to second on a Jaff Decker sacrifice bunt to set up Carter with a runner in scoring position. It turned out not to matter what base Nuñez was on as Carter deposited the baseball into the outfield berm.
Carter came through again for the Sounds two innings later. Nashville cashed in on a Redbird error, which allowed Nuñez to reach. With two outs and Nuñez standing on second base Carter lofted a base hit over the outstretched arm of Memphis shortstop, Wilfredo Tovar and into center field to draw even with the Redbirds 3-3.
Bracewell got into a little bit of a jam in the fourth inning. He retired the first two batters before walking Harrison Bader. The next batter, Alberto Rosario lunged at an 0-2 breaking ball and poked it out to the area vacated by Sounds second baseman Joey Wendle who was moving toward second base on a hit-and-run with Bader on the move. Two more walks from Bracewell loaded the bases but the right-hander was able to get Alex Mejia to fly out to right field to limit the damage.
The Sounds evened up the score in the seventh inning. Carter got the frame started by drawing a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Beau Taylor found a hole in the Redbirds infield as he hit a slow roller that trickled into right field to drive in Carter from second base.
One batter after Bracewell secured his longest career outing he hung a breaking ball over the heart of the plate that Stephen Piscotty laced over the left field fence to once again regain the lead for Memphis.
With the Sounds staring down a fourth consecutive loss to the Redbirds, Carter stepped to the plate in the eighth inning. He split the gap in right center field to bring home a pair of runs and put the Sounds up for good, 6-5.
Raul Alcantara tossed a pair of scoreless innings in relief for the Sounds to earn his third save of the campaign.
The two teams continue a four-game series tomorrow at AutoZone Park. Right-hander Zach Neal (3-7, 4.99) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Jack Flaherty (4-2, 2.86) for the Redbirds. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.