Category: Sports

Coffee County’s Breyer Taylor has been selected to play in the Tennessee Soccer Coaches Association All-Star game on Saturday in Hendersonville.  Taylor, who graduated last week as the career goal scoring leader at CHS, will be a member of the East team in the annual All-Star Showcase.  Taylor was honored in May as a member of the District 8AAA All-District team and the District 8AAA Forward of the Year.  Taylor joins 36 other recent graduates for the event to be held at Drakes Creek Park.  James Fee of Lincoln County will be a forward on the West team as the only other District 8AAA representative to the game.  The East squad will be coached by Ryan Radcliff of Bearden High School.  The game is set to get under way at 7 PM.

The Manchester Youth Football League will be holding their last 2 signups for the 2017 season over the next 2 weekends.  Signups for football players AND cheerleaders will take place on Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM at Fred Deadman Park, Shelter #1  Signups are for boys and girls ages 5 to 12.  Signups will conclude on Saturday, June 10^th.  Everyone is asked to bring a copy of your child’s birth certificate to signups.  Each child signing up must also be present for uniform fitting. Cost to participate is $100 per child and there are discounts available for multiple kids from the same family.

The league is broken up in 4 age divisions – Pee Wee: ages 4 & 5 year; Division 1: ages 6 & 7 year; Division 2: ages 8 & 9; Division 3: ages 10 thru 12.  The league is expected to begin practices on July 10^th.  If you have questions, or need for information, you can email your questions to: manchesteryouthfootballleague@gmail.com or call 931-434-5386.  You can also visit the Manchester Youth Football League website at: www.MYFLRaiders.com or on Facebook at: Manchester Youth Football and Manchester Youth Cheerleading.

The Coffee County Central High School Red Raider and Lady Raider basketball teams are set to begin team camp play on Thursday.  The Red Raiders will open a team camp in Murfreesboro on Thursday.  The Lady Raiders will open up their summer camp season on Monday when they travel to a team camp at Crossville.

The Red Raiders will be taking part in a team camp at Oakland beginning this morning.  The Red Raiders will play 3 games on Thursday beginning at 10 AM.  Coffee County will also have games at 12 and 4.  On Friday, the Red Raiders open up play at 9 AM with additional games at 11 and 12.  Coffee County will travel to MTSU for a team camp on June 12^th thru the 15^th.

The Lady Raiders will participate in 3 team camps this summer beginning on Monday.  The Lady Raiders will travel to Crossville to take part in the Cumberland County play day on Monday and Tuesday.  The Lady Raiders open play on Monday at 2 PM against Grundy County before taking on Cleveland at 5.  The Coffee County JV team will play the Van Buren County JV team at 4 PM and Cleveland’s JV at 7 PM.  On Tuesday, the varsity team has games at 2 and 4 PM.  The JV team will be in action at 3 and 5 PM.  The Lady Raiders will also take part in team camps at Lebanon High School on June 12^th and 13^th and MTSU on June 19^th thru the 21^st.

A three-goal outburst to start the third period gave the Pittsburgh Penguins what they needed to defeat the Nashville Predators, 4-1, in Game Two and take a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

The two clubs entered the third period locked in a 1-1 tie, but Pittsburgh exploded for three goals in less than four minutes to start the final frame, leading the team to its second win in as many tries to begin the series.

As they did in Game One, Nashville had long stretches that saw them outplay the opposition, but an opportunistic Penguins team made the most of their chances once more, leading to Wednesday’s result.

“It seems every little breakdown we have, they come back and get something, so we just have to shore up our all around defense,” Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said. “The effort was there, the result wasn’t. We need to be tighter within our system.”

“They got one early in the third and got a little bit of life,” Preds Captain Mike Fisher said. “Similar to last game, they got just one stretch with three or four minutes that just killed us. We can’t have those stretches if we want to beat this team.”

The Predators threw 18 shots on the Pittsburgh net in the opening frame, including a few during a 5-on-3 man advantage, but the most impressive of the 18 came from Pontus Aberg to make it 1-0.

After taking a pass from Viktor Arvidsson in the Penguins zone, Aberg drove around Olli Maatta and to the net before roofing a shot past the outstretched Matt Murray for his second goal of the playoffs. Before the period was out, however, Jake Guentzel tallied his 11th of the postseason when he poked the puck past Pekka Rinne to even the score.

Nashville continued to control play for a majority of the second period, and with a pair of stellar penalty kills as well, held Pittsburgh off the score sheet while outshooting them 32-19 through 40 minutes.

A second goal from Guentzel only 10 seconds into the third period started a Penguins rally that saw them pot three early in the frame for a 4-1 lead, spelling the end of Rinne’s night in favor of Juuse Saros. The game settled back down after the outburst, but the score held to put the Preds in the loss column again, even though their play for most of the contest would suggest they deserved better.

“We’ve done some good things,” Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “For five and half periods we really liked things that we did, but there’s just a stretch where they gain some momentum and they are able to capitalize and be opportunistic. That swung two games in their favor. We just need more consistency, but certainly we’re happy to get home.”

“We have to be better defensively and find ways to beat Murray, so we’ll look at that, we’ll find ways and we’re going to get better, no question,” Fisher said. “We’ll clean that up and our focus now is Game Three and going home with a crowd that’s going to be electric. We’re going to feed off that energy, and we’re going to be ready.”

From here, the Predators will head home to host their first two Stanley Cup Final games in franchise history in search of their first victory and a chance to get back into the series, something they intend on doing.

“We’re looking at ourselves, and right away, the focus shifts to we don’t lose in our building,” Preds d-man P.K. Subban said. “We’re going back home, we’re going to win the next game and we’ll see what happens from there.”

Notes:

Nashville will now prepare to host its first two Stanley Cup Final games in franchise history as the series shifts to Tennessee. Game Three comes Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena while Game Four is set for Monday evening, both 7 p.m. CT starts in Music City.

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

Eric Young Jr. launched a go-ahead homer off Arodys Vizcaino in the eighth inning to lift the Angels to a 2-1 win on Wednesday night, clinching a series victory over the Braves at Angel Stadium.

With the game tied at 1, Young blasted a 2-1 fastball to right-center field for his first home run of the season. Young, who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday after Mike Trout was placed on the disabled list, had not homered in the Majors since May 12, 2014, when he was with the Mets. Young is batting .455 (5-for-11) with a homer, a double and two stolen bases since his call-up.
“At the plate, he’s a tough little out,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “He showed he can put a charge into a fastball tonight. Any time a player perseveres like EY does and they get an opportunity, it’s great to see them achieve. He gave us a big lift tonight.”
Matt Kemp’s one-out single off closer Bud Norris put the tying run on first for the Braves in the ninth, but Norris induced a groundout from Tyler Flowers and struck out Rio Ruiz swinging to earn his 10th of save the year.
Angels slugger Albert Pujols, who entered Wednesday with 599 career home runs, is still searching for No. 600, as he finished 1-for-4 with a bloop single to center field in the fourth. With his 2,874th career hit, Pujols moved past Babe Ruth to take sole possession of 44th place on the all-time list.
Both clubs were kept quiet for much of the night, as Braves left-hander Jaime Garcia and Angels right-hander Jesse Chavez engaged in a classic pitchers’ duel through seven innings. Garcia allowed one unearned run on five hits while walking three and striking out two, while Chavez yielded one run on five hits while walking one and striking out four. Both pitchers came away with no-decisions.
It was a bounceback outing for Chavez, who allowed five runs and lasted only 3 2/3 innings in his last start against the Marlins on Friday. The 33-year-old veteran said he studied video of his rocky start in Miami and made a series of minor adjustments, including altering his foot placement on the rubber, that he believed helped him get back on track on Wednesday.
“For me to miss spots that bad the last few starts up until today was really head-scratching, because that’s normally not me,” Chavez said. “I’m normally able to make that adjustment in between pitches and things like that. But we hammered out this last bullpen about placement and direction. Today was a good step.”
Garcia’s performance saw his run of scoreless innings finally come to an end after 18 2/3 frames, but Atlanta manager Brian Snitker thought the outing “was really good” despite the final outcome.
“[That’s] what I’d expect out of him,” he said. “Just been more consistent and throwing the ball really well.”
Kemp led off the second with his 10th homer of the season, putting the Braves ahead, 1-0. Kemp went ahead in the count, 2-0, before hammering a 92 mph fastball from Chavez to right field. The blast had an exit velocity of 105 mph and traveled a projected 396 feet, according to Statcast™. It was Kemp’s second homer in as many games. More >
After being shut out by Garcia over the first six innings, the Angels finally got on the board in the seventh with the help of a defensive miscue by third baseman Ruiz. With runners on first and second and one out, Shane Robinson bounced a grounder to Ruiz, who stepped on third for the forceout, but then uncorked a throw that skipped past first baseman Jace Peterson, allowing Danny Espinosa to score the tying run from first. Robinson advanced to third on the play, but Garcia coaxed a groundout from Cliff Pennington to end the inning, preserving the 1-1 tie.
Atlanta will begin the final series of its nine-game road trip when it visits the Reds. Right-hander Mike Foltynewicz (3-5, 4.44 ERA) will take the mound, seeking to bounce back from his latest outing against the Giants, in which he allowed five runs on seven hits, including two home runs, and a walk in four innings. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

Lebanon High School defender Shelby Grow recently signed a National Letter of Intent to continue her soccer career as a student-athlete at Motlow State Community College. Shelby was named All-District 9-AAA following both her junior and senior seasons.

The Lady Bucks are wrapping up recruiting leading up to the official beginning of practice on Aug. 1, 2017. Grow joins a near full 2017 recruiting class including Kinsli Houck of Stewarts Creek High School whose father Jeff is a resident of Manchester (Story Link) Motlow’s inaugural soccer season opens during the final week of August.  Motlow soccer coach Andy Lyon will be a guest on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show to talk about the upcoming season.

Nashville Sounds pitcher Daniel Gossett has been named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for his efforts from May 22-28, the league announced Monday.

Gossett, 24, pitched eight shutout innings in Nashville’s 9-3 win over the Sacramento River Cats on May 22nd – his only start of the week. He limited the River Cats to four hits and did not issue any walks. It’s the longest outing by a Sounds pitcher this season.

The Pitcher of the Week award is the first for a Sounds player in 2017. The last Nashville hurler to garner the acknowledgment was Jharel Cotton for his performance from August 8-14, 2016.

It’s the second weekly award in Gossett’s career. The right-hander earned California League Pitcher of the Week for May 16-22, 2016.

On the season, Gossett is 2-2 with a 3.59 ERA in nine starts. He has a pair of quality starts and has allowed three earned runs or less in eight of his nine outings. The 3.59 ERA is 10th-lowest in the Pacific Coast League among qualified starters.

Parker Bridwell fired six solid innings and the Angels capitalized on the Braves’ sloppy infield defense in a wild nine-run third, giving the Halos a 9-3 victory on Tuesday night and evening their Interleague series at Angel Stadium. Albert Pujols ignited the huge inning with his 599th career homer, a three-run shot off Bartolo Colon that gave the Angels a 3-2 lead.

Bridwell, who was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday to make a spot start in place of the injured Alex Meyer, allowed three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out four to earn the win in his first career Major League start. He experienced only two blips in his Angels debut, surrendering a two-run homer run to Matt Kemp in the third and a solo shot to Tyler Flowers in the seventh.
“I don’t know if it’s hit me yet, honestly,” Bridwell said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of for 25 years, to pitch in the big leagues, and to get a win just kind of tops it. I’m thankful for the offense that I had tonight and the run support. I can’t say enough about the team and a great W.”
Bridwell fell into some trouble in the first after yielding three consecutive one-out singles to the Braves, though he emerged from the inning unscathed after right fielder Kole Calhoun saved a run by throwing out Nick Markakis at home.
The 44-year-old Colon wasn’t sure how to describe his club’s unwinding.
“To be honest, I just felt like that third inning was just a weird inning for all of us,” he said through an interpreter. “I wouldn’t even be able to tell you how to explain it.”
Pujols’ homer left him one shy of 600, and he got his first chance to reach the exclusive milestone later in that inning, but he drew a walk off reliever Luke Jackson. The 37-year-old slugger then flied out in the fifth and struck out in the eighth, keeping his historic pursuit alive for at least one more night.
The Angels erased a two-run deficit and seized the lead after Pujols pummeled a 3-2 fastball from Colon to left field for a go-ahead, three-run homer. An error by Atlanta second baseman Jace Peterson helped set up the homer. With a runner on first and one out, Calhoun hit a potential double-play ball to second that could have ended the inning, but Peterson botched the transfer, allowing Calhoun to reach first. Pujols followed with his eighth homer of the season, a 410-foot shot that flew off the bat at 106 mph, according to Statcast™. With one more homer, the slugger will become the ninth player in Major League history to join the 600-homer club.
“Numbers are numbers, but my main goal is to try to win a championship and to try to do whatever I can to help this ballclub day in and day out,” Pujols said.
Peterson’s error proved to be the first of many defensive gaffes in Atlanta’s disastrous third, cracking the door open for the Angels, who tacked on six more runs. Luis Valbuena followed Pujols’ homer with a single, and Andrelton Simmons reached on an error by shortstop Dansby Swanson. Ben Revere then chopped a grounder to first baseman Matt Adams, who fielded the ball but didn’t throw it, allowing a run to score and Revere to reach on a fielder’s choice. Colon induced a comebacker from Cliff Pennington, but he slipped on the mound while making the play and could not throw home in time to get Simmons. That brought up Danny Espinosa, who lined an RBI single to center field to extend the Halos’ lead to 6-2. Juan Graterol, who led off the inning with a single, tapped another comebacker to Colon in his second plate appearance, but the veteran pitcher made an errant throw to second while trying to get the forceout, allowing Pennington to score. Eric Young Jr. and Calhoun capped the outburst with back-to-back RBI hits before Jackson finally ended the inning by coaxing a double play from Valbuena. All nine Halos batters scored in the third.
Jaime Garcia (2-3, 3.58 ERA) takes the mound for Atlanta looking to follow up his masterful outing against San Francisco. He won in his lone career start against the Angels, when he allowed two runs (none earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out eight batters in seven innings on May 11, 2016, as a member of the Cardinals. First pitch is scheduled for 9:07 p.m. CT.

The Nashville Sounds won a pair of games over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox Tuesday night at First Tennessee Park. A big first inning and Daniel Gossett’s gem led to an 8-3 win in game one, and Renato Nunez’s homer sparked a rally to send Nashville to a 3-1 win in game two.

A six-run first inning paved the way for Nashville in game one that was completed Tuesday night after being suspended in the first inning Saturday night.

Against three different Colorado Springs pitchers, the Sounds sent 10 batters to the plate and came away with their third-largest inning of the season. The first run came in on Renato Nuñez’s RBI single, and was followed by another base hit by Joey Wendle.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Jaff Decker lined a base hit up the middle to score Matt Olson. Center fielder Brett Phillips’ throw sailed over the head of the catcher to allow Nuñez to trot home to make it 3-0. The final play of Saturday night before the rain came was Matt McBride’s ground-rule double down the left field line to give the Sounds a 5-0 lead.

When play resumed Tuesday night, right-hander Taylor Jungmann took the mound and promptly allowed a run-scoring single to Ryan LaMarre to extend the lead to 6-0.

LaMarre added to the lead with a run-scoring double in the third, and Olson clubbed his 12th homer of the season to make it 8-0 in the sixth.

While the offense was churning, Sounds starter Daniel Gossett was dominating on the bump. The right-hander allowed only two hits in six shutout innings. He didn’t allow any walks and matched a season-high eight strikeouts in the win.

The Sounds faced a 1-0 deficit in the bottom of the fifth in game two when Nuñez launched his 13th homer of the season – a solo blast to deep left to make it 1-1.

They added a run on Chris Parmelee’s RBI single and tacked on an insurance run on Yadiel Rivera’s throwing error.

The bullpen combination of Tyler Sturdevant and Jake Sanchez tossed the final three frames to lock down the win.

The Sounds have a team off day Wednesday before beginning an 11-game road trip on Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa. Right-hander Michael Brady (2-1, 3.51) starts for Nashville against right-hander Aaron Brooks (3-4, 7.57) for Iowa. First pitch is scheduled for 7:08 p.m.