The Coffee County Middle School softball team ran their record to 5 and 0 on Thursday night with a 9 to 6 win over Harris. Taking on the Eaglettes in a game cancelled earlier this week, the Lady Raiders had to rally from behind to get the win. A 4 run 4th inning capped off the hard fought comeback win.
Trailing by scores of 3 to 0 and 6 to 3 after the first 2 innings, the Lady Raiders rallied to get the score to 6 to 5 after the second inning. The Lady Raiders finally shut down the Harris offense before claiming the win with the 4th inning rally.
Katie Crosslin led the Lady Raiders in hitting as she was 3 for 3 on the day with 3 singles and 2 runs scored. Kiya Ferrell had a triple and a single and Jayden Scheller added a double and a single as Coffee County finished with 10 hits.
The Lady Raiders will travel to Harris on Friday for the second game in the series. First pitch is set for 5 PM.
The Westwood soccer team kept their perfect conference record in tact on Thursday night with a 5 to 2 win over Cascade. The Rockets were led in scoring by Eliiot Sain who notched a pair of goals. John Martinez, Lucas Workman and Conner Cravens all added goals as Westwood improved to 3 and 0 in conference play. John Martinez, Lucas Workman and Louie Frazier all had assists for Westwood.
The Rockets travel to Fayetteville on Monday to take on Riverside Christian. That match is set to kick off at 5 PM.
The Westwood tennis teams traveled to Shelbyville on Thursday night and came home with a split on the afternoon. The Lady Rockets won their match 5 to 2. The Rockets fell in their contest 5 to 2.
For the Lady Rockets, Lauren Perry, Luz Maria Basurto and Callie Roper got singles wins. Perry teamed up with Patricia Barrera for a doubles win while Basurto and Roper won their singles match.
The Rockets got a singles win from J.C. Crouch. In doubles play, Crouch teamed up with Jonathan Welch to get Westwood’s other win.
Westwood’s next match is scheduled for April 5th in Sewanee as the Rockets and Lady Rockets take on St. Andrews-Sewanee. First serve is set for 4 PM.
The goaltender made 22 saves and Viktor Arvidsson scored the winner in overtime to give the Nashville Predators a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night at Verizon Center. The victory is Nashville third consecutive in the win column – and second straight in overtime – and gives them the season sweep over Washington. The Preds now possess 35 wins and 81 points overall on the season.
Rinne starred throughout the night, and after a slow start from the Preds, they regrouped to shut down one of the League’s top teams in their own building and collect a solid road win.
“There weren’t a lot of chances and just a tight hockey game,” Rinne said. “You could tell that it meant a lot to us, and we needed these points. There’s been a lot of games the last couple years that haven’t gone our way in OT, and winning that game in OT, Arvi putting that in the back of the net. It was a huge one.”
“They were a little bit quicker than us in the first, and we were able to find a gear halfway through the second for the rest of the game,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “I thought we started to push the pace and control it a little bit better, but it was pretty solid game once we got going.”
Washington took a 1-0 lead at 11:41 of the first with a goal from Brett Connolly, but with just over a minute left to play in the second period, James Neal struck for the third time in his last three games, taking a Kevin Fiala pass and snapping his 21st of the season past Braden Holtby to even the score before the intermission.
The final frame solved nothing, leading to a 2-on-1 in overtime with Viktor Arvidsson picking his spot and beating Holtby for his 25th goal of the season and sending the visitors away with two more points on the ledger.
On the road, at this point in the season, to put forth an effort against a team such as Washington, it certainly builds self-assurance in the Nashville dressing room – and the Preds will take all they can get.
“It meant a lot, definitely gives us confidence going forward,” defenseman Roman Josi said. “One of the toughest buildings to play in this year on the road, and we really executed, especially from the second period on. We really executed our game plan, played really well defensively and capitalized on our chances. It was a great road win for us.”
500 Club:
When Pekka Rinne took up position in his crease to start Thursday’s contest in Washington, he became just the 67th goaltender in NHL history to appear in 500 career games.
And while he’s certainly had nights when he’s had to make more saves or play a larger role, it was still classic Rinne, doing what he’s done for the past nine seasons in the Nashville net, stopping shot after shot to lead his club.
“He was great,” Laviolette said of Rinne. “If you have a milestone game like that, it’s always good to be really sharp the way he was. It makes you feel good about it, so I’m happy for him.”
“He played a great game,” Josi said. “They’re a dangerous team and especially in the first they had a lot of chances. He made a lot of big saves and really deserved that win.”
Working Overtime:
An area of Nashville’s game that has been less than perfect over the past two seasons, the Predators have now won consecutive games in overtime. And even when the Preds have lost in the extra session as of late, they’ve noticed a change in their game when things go past regulation time.
It’s clearly working now.
“You get more comfortable and you learn from your mistakes,” Arvidsson said of OT play. “I think we’ve done that, and we play it safer and take advantage of their mistakes, but you learn every game, every time you get the chances to play 3-on-3.”
“We’ve been playing a lot of high-scoring games, scoring a lot of goals and giving up a lot of goals,” Rinne said. “Tonight, we showed that we can play against one of the top teams in the League and be really solid defensively and didn’t give them a lot. That gives us confidence moving forward.”
Notes:
Forward Colin Wilson missed Thursday’s game in Washington with a lower-body injury. Kevin Fiala entered the lineup in Wilson’s place, and defenseman Matt Irwin also skated for Nashville, taking the place of Anthony Bitetto.
Wilson, Bitetto, Brad Hunt, Harry Zolnierczyk and Vernon Fiddler (upper-body) were scratched for the Preds on Thursday.
James Neal has now scored at least 21 goals in each of his nine NHL seasons.
Nashville will now jet down to Carolina to face the Hurricanes on Saturday and finish off their two-game road trip.
The Westwood Rockets soccer team welcomed Webb to Dyer-Bouldin Field on Wednesday night for a conference match. The Rockets scored a pair of goals in each half as they raced past Webb 4 to 1.
Lucas Workman got a pair of goals in the 1st half to put the Rockets on top 2 nil at intermission. In the second half, John Martinez notched a pair of goals as Westwood ran their conference record to 2 and 0. Martinez and Kevin Peregrino had assists for the Rockets. Body Todd was clean in goal including turning away a penalty shot.
Westwood will be back at home on Thursday when they play host to Cascade at Dyer-Bouldin Field. Opening kick is set for 5:30 PM.
Motlow State sophomore Taylor Honea, pictured from a game earlier this season, slammed two home runs and had seven hits to help lead the Lady Bucks to a 3-1 series win over TCCAA rival Cleveland State over the weekend in Cleveland. Honea, from Tullahoma, is hitting .343 for the season.[Photo by Jeff Reed Photography]
The Motlow State Lady Bucks went on the road and won three out of four games against Cleveland State over the weekend, including a doubleheader sweep Saturday in frigid temperatures in Cleveland.
The Lady Bucks (6-13, 3-5) will return to their newly remodeled field to host TCCAA rival Roane State this weekend. Friday’s doubleheader begins at 1pm and Saturday’s starts at noon. There is no admission charge to Motlow home athletic contests.
Earlier in the week the Lady Bucks hosted powerful Wabash Valley College, dropping both games of a doubleheader 11-0 and 2-1. After falling in the opener against Cleveland 5-4 on Friday, the Lady Bucks swept the final three games 11-2, 9-1 and 3-2.
Friday’s opening loss to the Lady Cougars came after Motlow had taken a 4-0 lead with one run in the second inning and three more in the fourth. However, the home team tied it with four runs in the fourth and the winning run in bottom of the fifth.
Taylor Honea, who had seven hits over the weekend, slammed a home run and drove in two runs, while Riley O’Neal and Ciera Dobbins also had RBI. Breanna Owens took the loss, pitching five innings and allowing all five runs, while Sarah Wilson tossed the final inning.
Friday’s nightcap was all Motlow as the Lady Bucks scored one in the first inning, two in the second, four in the fourth, one in the fifth and three more in the seventh. Motlow had 19 hits for the game, including four by leadoff hitter Ashton Watkins and three by No. 9 hitter Taylor Mitchell.
Owens, Honea, O’Neal and Chelbie Gannon each added two hits, with Honea hitting a triple and another home run and Watkins a triple and two doubles. O’Neal drove in three runs, with Watkins and Gannon each driving in two. Wilson went the distance in the circle and got the win, allowing seven hits and a walk.
Saturday’s first game once again featured a potent Motlow offense and solid pitching. Owens bounced back nicely to grab the win, going the full seven innings and scattering 10 hits with three strikeouts.
Caroline Abernethy and Miranda Cooksey each had three hits, while Owens, O’Neal and Gannon had two each. Cooksey and Dobbins drove in two runs apiece and Abernethy hit a triple and stole two bases.
The series finale was a tightly contested game that saw Motlow score all three runs in the top of the third inning and the Lady Cougars score both of their runs in the bottom of the fourth. Wilson finished off an excellent weekend in the circle, going the distance and scattering nine hits with two strikeouts and no walks allowed.
O’Neal was the hero at the plate, slamming a three-run homer in the third with Owens and Honea on base. Honea and Gannon hit doubles and each had two hits on the day as did O’Neal.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at MotlowSports.com for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics on social media at MotlowSports.
The Motlow Bucks have an opportunity to catapult themselves into the top half of the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) standings this weekend when they host Roane State for a three-game series at the Driver Baseball Complex on Motlow’s Moore County campus.
The Bucks (11-15, 3-3) traveled to Decatur and beat non-conference opponent Calhoun Community College 5-2 in 10 innings on Tuesday. The previous weekend, Motlow won one out of three games at Cleveland State, winning the finale 7-3 after dropping the first two games 8-5 and 11-2.
Motlow is one of three teams tied for fourth place in the standings with 3-3 league records, including Roane State. Cleveland sits at 4-2 in the league and two other teams are 2-4, so the Bucks have a chance to really make a push when the Raiders come to town. Friday’s single nine-inning game begins at 2 p.m. and Saturday’s doubleheader starts at noon.
Designated hitter Lane Whitesell had himself quite a game in Friday’s opener in Cleveland. The redshirt freshman from Lewisburg hit a grand slam in the top of the first inning and a solo home run in the ninth to account for all of Motlow’s runs. Bryan Rosario (3-3) took the loss on the mound, allowing seven earned runs in 4.1 innings. Gavin Bedsole pitched well in relief with three strikeouts and three hits allowed in 3.2 innings.
Saturday’s first game was all Cougars as the home team scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning to take control after the Bucks had grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first on a leadoff home run by C.J. Brown. Whitesell drove in the other run with a single in the sixth inning. Camron Harper (1-6) took the loss on the mound for Motlow.
For the third straight game, Motlow scored in the top of the first inning in Saturday’s series finale. Finally the Bucks made it hold up though as Jake Fossick (3-0) got the win on the mound. He tossed 5.2 innings and allowed four hits and three runs with five strikeouts. Bedsole shut out the Cougars over the final 1.1 innings.
Leading 2-1, the Bucks blew the game open with five runs in the top of the sixth inning. Zach Ehrhart drove in two runs and Marlon Nava had two hits, including a double. Ehrhart also stole two bases as the Bucks had five steals during the win.
After this weekend’s series against Roane State, the Bucks will step back outside the conference to host the Martin Methodist JV team for a noon doubleheader on Monday. After that its back on the road for Motlow, with eight games scheduled over a seven day period from March 24 to April 1.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at MotlowSports.com for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics on social media at MotlowSports.
Tuesday’s Prep Results
CHS Tennis at Franklin Co – CANCELLED, Make-up is TBD
CCMS Tennis HOSTS Lewisburg – CANCELLED, Make-up is TBD
WMS Baseball at Huntland – PPD until March 15th
WMS Softball at Liberty – CANCELLED, Make-up is TBD
CHS Soccer HOSTS Marshall Co – PPD until April 17th
CCMS Baseball HOSTS Harris – PPD until March 18th
CCMS Softball HOSTS Harris – PPD until March 16th
CHS Baseball at Shelbyville – PPD until March 16th at 4 PM(DH)
Inclement weather forced a complete washout of the prep action scheduled for Tuesday night in Manchester and Coffee County.
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The Coffee County Central High School tennis teams had their match cancelled with Franklin County in Winchester. No make-up date has been set. The Raiders and Lady Raiders will be back in action on Thursday when they travel to Columbia.
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The Coffee County Middle School tennis team match at home against Lewisburg was cancelled on Tuesday. No make-up date has been set. The Raiders and Lady Raiders will be back in action on Monday when they travel to Shelbyville.
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The Coffee County Middle School baseball team was forced to postpone their series with Harris on Monday and Tuesday due to weather concerns. The Red Raiders, who were set to travel to Harris on Monday, will now visit Harris on Friday, March 17th. First pitch is set for 5 PM. The Red Raiders will make up Tuesday’s home game on Saturday, March 18th. First pitch time for Saturday will be announced at a later date.
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The Coffee County Middle School softball team was forced to postpone their series with Harris on Monday and Tuesday due to weather concerns. The Lady Raiders, who were set to travel to Harris on Monday, will now visit Harris on Friday, March 17th. The Lady Raiders will make up Tuesday’s home game on Thursday, March 16th. First pitch for each contest will be 5 PM.
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The Coffee County Central High School baseball team saw their second game in a row with Shelbyville get cancelled on Tuesday night. The Red Raiders will make up BOTH games on Thursday night when they host Shelbyville in a district doubleheader. First pitch will be at 4 PM.
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The Westwood baseball team’s away game with Huntland was cancelled on Tuesday.
That game will be made up tonight in Huntland. Monday’s home game between Westwood and Huntland will be made up on Friday at Fred Deadman Park. First pitch is set for 5:00 PM both nights.
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The Coffee County Middle School soccer match at Harris was cancelled on Monday. That match is scheduled to be made up on Monday, March 20th at Harris. Opening kick is set for 5 PM.
The Raiders’ next match will be at home on Thursday, March 23rd when North Franklin visits the Raiders’ home pitch. Opening kick is set for 5 PM.
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The Coffee County CHS softball Lady Raiders season opening game on Wednesday night against Tullahoma has been postponed. It will be made up on Sunday, April 9th at 3:30 PM.
The Lady Raiders will welcome Lawrence County to Terry Floyd Field on Thursday night for a season opening district matchup. Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you the broadcast as Lucky Knott will be on the call. First pitch is set for 6 PM; Thunder Radio begins live coverage with the pregame show at 5:50.
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The CCMS Track team has cancelled their opening meet of the year scheduled for Wednesday. The next meet will be on Wednesday, April 5th at Carden-Jarrell Field with North Franklin and South Franklin. Field events will get underway at 4 PM.
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The CHS soccer match with Marshall County on Tuesday night was cancelled. That match will be made up on April 17th at 6 PM at the Raider Soccer Field.
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The Westwood soccer team will play host to Webb tonight at Dyer-Bouldin Field in a game originally scheduled for Thursday night. On Thursday night, the Rockets will welcome Cascade to Dyer-Bouldin Field for a rematch of a game rained out on February 28th. Both games, both nights will get underway at 5:30 PM.
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The Westwood softball game at Community was cancelled on Tuesday night. Make-up for that game is still to be determined. Westwood will hold their home opener on Friday night when they welcome Cascade to Lady Rocket Field. First pitch is set for 5:30 PM.
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4:30 PM – CCMS Baseball (JV) HOSTS Stewarts Creek
5:00 PM – WMS Baseball at Huntland
5:30 PM – WMS Soccer HOSTS Webb
Remember, to keep up with cancellations as they happen, you can “Like” Thunder Radio on Facebook or follow us on Twitter as we will keep you updated. There you can also find special promotions and event announcements, so make Thunder Radio a part of your social media family.
The Motlow State Bucks men’s basketball team celebrates with its championship gold ball following a 91-67 win over Walters State Saturday in Morristown. With the victory the Bucks captured the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament championship and an automatic berth in the NJCAA national tournament. The tournament title was Motlow’s fifth in program history and this year’s team, with its 28 victories, has tied the school’s all-time record for a single season. [Photo provided]
The Motlow State Bucks played one of their best games of the season at the perfect time, beating Walters State 91-67 to win the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament Friday afternoon on Walters’ home court in Morristown, TN.
The Bucks (28-5) won both the conference regular season and tournament titles, and received a No. 14 seed in the upcoming NJCAA national tournament which begins March 20 in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Bucks will face No. 17 Coffeyville, Kansas, at 8:30 a.m. CDT on Tuesday. Motlow entered the week ranked No. 22 in the nation.
Motlow has made only one previous trip to the national tournament, coming in 2013 after the Bucks also won the regular season and tournament championship. Motlow’s previous tournament title teams; 1972-73, 1981-82 and 1983-84, did not advance to the national tournament. The Bucks won one game before being eliminated in 2013.
The championship game win came one day after the Bucks made one of the greatest comebacks in school history, overcoming a 24-point deficit in the final 16 minutes of the game to beat Roane State 75-66 in the semifinals. Motlow opened the tournament with a hard-fought 77-70 win over Jackson State.
Tournament Most Valuable Player Javion Hamlet was superb for the Bucks throughout the week, and the season for that matter, as he led the nation with an average of 8.7 assists per game. Motlow’s Rashawn Fredericks and Isaiah Hart we also named to the all-tournament team. Hamlet and Fredericks were named to the All-TCCAA first team for the regular season, while Hart received second team honors.
Motlow Head Coach J.T. Burton, who won this same tournament 20 years ago as a player at St. Catharine, Kentucky; was named Coach of the Year. Burton has compiled an outstanding 53-12 record in his two seasons at Motlow. The 28 wins thus far this season ties the school record for the most wins in a season, set by the 2007-08 team under then head coach Bobby Steinburg.
The Bucks were simply dominant in the title game from start to finish, leading 40-26 at halftime. Walters State closed the gap to 10 points a couple of times in the second half, but each time they did the Bucks quickly built the lead back to 14 or 16 points.
Motlow shot 62 percent from the field and hit 7-17 three pointers. The Bucks outrebounded the Senators 44-22 and Motlow dished out 21 assists on 31 made baskets. At the free throw line the Bucks had their best game of the year, connecting on 22 of 26 attempts.
Hamlet was brilliant, scoring 30 points on 9-14 field goal attempts and connecting on all 10 free throws. He added six assists, five rebounds and two steals. Fredericks, who averaged a double-double on the season, scored 14 points with 11 rebounds and had two assists.
Jalen Bell scored 12 points with seven rebounds, Dillon Smith had 10 points, Hart scored nine with eight assists and four steals, Aleks Zecevic had eight points and five boards, and Damarcus Williams scored seven with 11 rebounds.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at MotlowSports.com for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics on social media at MotlowSports.
