Category: Sports

The Motlow State Lady Bucks will look to get their offense going this coming weekend when they travel to Columbia after dropping a pair of low scoring, one-run games to Dyersburg State last weekend in Dyersburg.

The Lady Bucks (7-18, 4-10) only got to play two of the scheduled four games against the Lady Eagles, falling 1-0 and 3-2 on Friday. Saturday’s scheduled doubleheader was cancelled due to weather, and will only be made up if the outcome directly affects the TCCAA standings.

Motlow will hope to put together strong pitching, which it got in Dyersburg, with increased offensive production when it travels to Columbia to take on Columbia State this weekend. The Lady Bucks and Lady Chargers are scheduled for doubleheaders both Friday and Saturday, with Friday’s action starting at 4 p.m. and Saturday’s at noon.

Friday’s opener in Dyersburg was a splendid softball game halfway through the sixth inning, with neither team able to generate offense against outstanding pitching. Then came the bottom of the sixth, when Dyersburg scored the only run of the game due to a Motlow error, one of two in the game.

Sarah Wilson pitched well enough to win, allowing only three hits and two walks. Ashton Watkins had two of Motlow’s three hits, with Riley O’Neal getting the other.

Friday’s second game was just as painful for Motlow, as the Lady Eagles scored twice in the third inning and once more in the fourth to lead 3-0. The Lady Bucks finally generated a pair of runs in the fifth when Taylor Honea, who has been Motlow’s best hitter this season, hit a two-run homer after Taylor Mitchell had doubled.

The Lady Bucks couldn’t score again though, wasting another fine pitching performance. Breanna Owens tossed five innings, scattering seven hits and walking four, followed by Wilson allowing just one hit in the final inning.

After a disastrous inning led to a loss on Tuesday to Lawrence County, the Red Raider baseball team was more than ready to take the field on Wednesday when they welcomed the Wildcats to Powers Field.  On a game you heard here on Thunder Radio, Coffee County used 5 runs in the 1^st inning to set in motion a 14 to 4 win over Lawrence County.  The win lifts the Red Raiders to 4 and 2 in district play.

Lawrence County opened strong as they plated a pair of runs on 3 hits in the top of the first inning.  The Red Raiders bounced back in the bottom of the inning using 4 hits, including a pair of doubles, 2 walks and a Lawrence County error to plate 5 runs.  Coffee County added 4 runs in the 4^th inning and finished the game via the mercy rule with 5 runs in the 6^th.

Grant Sadler got the win for Coffee County as he went the distance striking out 2 and walking 1.  At the plate, Sadler added a single and 3 RBI.  Nathaniel Tate, Noah Anderson, Jacob Langham and Hayden Skipper all finished with 2 hits.  Anderson finished with a double, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI to earn the Crazy Daisies Player of the Game.

Coffee County will open play in the Warrior Classic on Thursday when they take on Central Magnet in Murfreesboro at StarPlex.  First pitch is set for 4:00 PM, weather permitting.  The Raiders return to action on Friday with a doubleheader at Stewarts Creek against Loretto and Stewarts Creek before concluding on Saturday taking on the Blaze of Blackman at Blackman High School.

You can download the broadcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

 

Coffee County Central High School softball team finished off the Gulf Shores Tournament with a 2 and 1 day on Wednesday to capture a top 10 finish in the tournament.  Coffee County opened the single elimination play on Wednesday morning with an 8 to 5 win over Gulf Shores, AL.  In the second round, the Lady Raiders rallied for a 10 to 2 win over Hoover, AL before falling in the 3^rd round to Lafayette, MS by a final score of 6 to 0.

After surrendering 5 runs in the first inning, the Lady Raiders rallied to defeat Gulf Shores in the tournament opener by an 8 to 5 score.  Coffee County scored runs in 4 of the 5 innings as they pounded out 10 hits.  Sarah West led the Lady Raiders in hitting with 2 hits, including a double, while collecting 2 RBI.  Katie Rutledge and Lauren Tomberlin each had a pair of hits while Haley Richardson had 2 RBI.

Against Hoover, Coffee County once again gave up 2 first inning runs before tying the game in the 3^rd inning and putting the game in the win column with 8 runs in the 4^th inning.  Coffee County finished with 9 hits and did not commit an error.  Tori Bell led the Lady Raiders in hitting with a pair of doubles and 2 RBI.  Ashlynn Morton had a pair of hits and Haley Hinshaw had a double and 3 RBI.

Against Lafayette, the Lady Raiders once again gave up runs in the 1^st inning but this time the “rally monkey” did not show up for Coffee County.  Lafayette held Coffee County to 3 hits on the game.  Rutledge, Hinshaw and Gracie Pippenger each had singles for the Lady Raiders.

The Lady Raiders will begin the trip home on Friday when they stop in Montgomery for a pair of games at Macon-East Academy.  The Lady Raiders will take on Macon-East at 3 PM(CDT) before tangling with Glenwood at 4:30 PM.  Both games will be 5 inning games.  Coffee County returns to Terry Floyd Field on Monday for a district game with Columbia.  That game will get underway at 5:30 PM.

Finally having a chance to host their first game on their home field, the Westwood Rocket baseball team welcomed Cascade to Looney Riddle Field at Fred Deadman Park on Wednesday night.  After field vandalism forced Westwood to move games to CHS and CCMS, Westwood was able to host a game at their normal home field.  The Rockets plated 5 runs in the bottom of the 1^st inning and made those runs stand up in a 7 to 2 conference win.

The Rockets used 3 walks, 2 hits, a hit batter and a sacrifice fly in a first inning that saw 11 Westwood players come to bat and 5 runs score.  The Rockets tacked on their final 2 runs in the 6^th to improve their record to 5 and 3 on the season.

Wyatt Nugent led the Rockets in hitting as he had 3 singles and 1 run scored.  Luke Beachboard added a pair of singles, an RBI and a run scored.  Skylar Bratcher got the win for Westwood as he pitched 4 scoreless innings striking out 5.  Bratcher also had a 2 RBI double with a walk, a run scored and reached base in the first inning went he got hit by a pitch.

The Rockets are back at home on Thursday, weather permitting, as they play host to Middle Tennessee Christian.  That game will get underway at 5 PM.

Fewer errors and better hitting seemed to be the cure on Tuesday for the Coffee County Central High School softball team in Day #2 of the Gulf Shores Tournament.  The Lady Raiders bounced back with a pair of wins to level their record at 2 and 2 in the Alabama tournament.  Coffee County got 10 hits in an 8 to 5 win over Oneonta, AL in the first game on Tuesday morning.  The Lady Raiders followed that up with 11 hits and a 6 run inning in a 6 to 4 win over Alexandria, AL in their midday game.

Hitting the field for an 8 AM start on Tuesday morning, the Lady Raiders got 4 runs in the top of the 1^st inning to grab an early lead on the Lady Skins.  Oneonta rallied for 3 runs in the third, but Coffee County notched another 4 spot in the 4^th inning to put the outcome to rest.  Lauren Tomberlin led the way for Coffee County as the junior had 3 hits and 2 RBI.  Katie Rutledge added a triple and 3 RBI.  Raven Rogers got the win in the circle while Haley Richardson came on for the save for Coffee County.

In game #2, Alexandria notched a run early before adding 3 more in the 3^rd inning to capture a 4 to nothing lead over Coffee County.  Not to be deterred, the Lady Raiders rallied for 6 runs in the bottom of the 3^rd to grab the comeback win.  Coffee County sent 10 batters to the plate in the 3^rd while cracking 8 hits in the half inning eruption.  Lauren Tomberlin had a 2 RBI double and Kasarah Scheller had a 2 RBI triple in the frame for he Lady Raiders.  Raven Rogers finished the game with 3 hits in 3 plate appearances.  Katie Rutledge had a pair of hits and went the distance in the circle to get the win.

The tournament’s single elimination championship begins on Wednesday.  Coffee County will open tournament play on Wednesday morning at 9:30 AM against Gulf Shores High School.

After having Monday’s home game with South Franklin rained out, the CCMS baseball traveled Winchester on Tuesday for a conference doubleheader with the Trojans.  Coffee County brought out the whooping stick in the conference doubleheader.  In game #1, the Red Raiders banged out 12 hits in an 11 to 1 win.  In the nightcap, Coffee County blasted out 14 hits to sweep South 18 to 8.

In the first game, Coffee County rallied from a 1 to 0 deficit with a 5 run 2^nd inning to grab a lead they would not relinquish in the 11 to 1 win.  The Red Raiders batted around using 3 hits and 3 walks in the inning.  Kyle Farless and Nic Watkins each drove in 2 runs in the inning.  Farless finished with 4 hits while Watkins, Trey Rogers and Braxton White each got 2 hits.  Griffin Meeker got the win on the mound as he went 5 1/3 innings allowing a single run.

In game #2, Coffee County sent 17 hitters to the plate in the 4^th inning to plate 10 runs and take an 11 to 1 lead.  South responded for 6 runs in the 5^th forcing the game to a full 7 innings.  Coffee County added a run in the 6h and 5 in the seventh to complete the doubleheader sweep.  Griffin Meeker led the Raiders in hitting with 3 hits and 4 RBI. Trey Rogers had a pair of hits and an RBI and Ethan Baker added a 3 RBI triple.  Braden Brown got the win on the mound.

The Red Raiders are off until Tuesday, April 4^th when they travel to Fayetteville to take on Lincoln County in a non-conference game.  That game will get underway at 5 PM.

Juuse Saros stopped 24 of 25 shots and the Nashville Predators beat the Islanders 3-1 Monday evening in New York.

Saros playing the first half of back to back for Nashville was rock solid between the pipes earning his ninth victory of the season.

Nashville scored first in the first when Kevin Fiala whipped in a wrister from the slot for his ninth goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.

In the second period, it was the Predators first line getting together when Filip Forsberg fed Victor Arvidsson right in front of the net for his 29th of the season and a 2-0 lead.

Ryan Johansen added an empty netter with 20 seconds to play for the final margin.

The Predators are 7-1 in their last eight games and temporarily moved three points ahead of St. Louis for third in the Central Division, but the Blues can get two of those points back late Monday night in Arizona.

Nashville visits Boston Tuesday night.  Thunder Radio will bring you that broadcast as part of the Fifth Third Bank/Nashville Predators Radio Network beginning at 6 PM.

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report