Category: Sports

Three Motlow State pitchers combined to allow only one hit and one run as the Bucks opened the 2017 baseball season with a 2-1 win over Wallace State-Hanceville Friday afternoon in Hanceville, Alabama.

The Bucks (1-3, 0-0) couldn’t match that performance the rest of the weekend, dropping the second game of the doubleheader with Wallace 10-0, then dropping a pair of games to Lawson State 8-3, 6-5 Saturday afternoon in Birmingham.

Motlow will open the home baseball schedule on Friday when Marshalltown, Iowa visits for a noon doubleheader. The same two teams are scheduled to play another twin bill at the same time on Saturday. All home baseball games are played at the Driver Baseball Complex on Motlow’s Moore County campus, and there is no admission charge.

The season opener was a thing of beauty for Motlow fans as freshman Bryan Rosario (1-0) tossed five innings of one-hit ball, striking out four and walking two, to get the first win of his career. Gavin Bedsole got two outs in the sixth before giving way to Camron Harper, who got the final four outs for his first save by allowing no hits and only one walk.

The game was scoreless until the fifth inning, when the Bucks plated both their runs. C.J. Brown drove in Luke Allison, who had two hits on the day, with an RBI double, followed by a single from Colin Guscoff that drove in Brown. Motlow had seven hits, two each by Allison and D’Marcus Guillory, who also added a stolen base.

Game two was not quite as memorable for the Bucks as the home team allowed Motlow only one hit, a single by Zach Ehrhart, in a 10-0 victory. Tyler Zak got the start for the Bucks, lasting 1.2 innings and allowing six runs on nine hits. Matt Westberry allowed four runs in 1.1 innings, followed by Alex Valcarcel who pitched an inning without allowing a hit.

Saturday in Birmingham, Motlow’s defense let down in the opener, committing four errors in an 8-3 loss. The Bucks scattered eight hits, with Ryan Hartigan driving in both Motlow runs. Jake Fossick (0-1) took the loss, allowing two earned runs and four walks in 2.1 innings. Harper was a victim of poor defense in his 2.2 innings pitched, as none of his four runs allowed were earned, although he did give up six hits. Valcarcel again pitched the final inning without allowing a hit.

In game two, the Bucks jumped out in front with three runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth to lead 5-0. Ehrhart, Guscoff and Brown each hit doubles, while Jacob Freeland and Brown each drove in two runs, with Freeland slamming the first home run of the season for the Bucks. JD Robertson had two hits for Motlow and drove in a run.

Lawson State scored five in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the score, with four of the runs being charged to starter Chandler Hardiman, who left with one out in the fourth inning. Bedsole (0-1) came on in relief and took the loss despite pitching pretty well, allowing only two hits and one earned run in 2.2 innings. Lawson State scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

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 State Lady Bucks reached the 20-win mark for the first time in over a decade with a pair of weekend wins over visiting Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) teams at Copperweld Arena.

The Lady Bucks (20-3, 11-1) remain tied with Walters State at the top of the TCCAA standings. The two teams will play this Friday in Morristown, with the winner holding the inside track on the No. 1 seed in the upcoming TCCAA/Region VII Tournament, to be held March 6-10 in Morristown. Motlow’s last 20-win season came in 2005-06, when the Lady Bucks finished the season with a 25-4 record.

Only the winner of the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament is guaranteed a spot in the national tournament in Lubbock, Texas in late March. However, Motlow’s sparkling won-loss record and its current No. 16 ranking in the national poll places the Lady Bucks in position to be considered for one of the eight at-large berths that will be awarded to the national tournament. Motlow has six regular season games remaining.

LADY BUCKS 68 CHATTANOOGA STATE 55

Friday night was a significant test for the Lady Bucks, as the Lady Tigers stormed into Copperweld Arena and took control, leading 18-11 after one quarter and 35-31 at the half. The Lady Bucks battled back in the second half, outscoring Chattanooga State 23-14 in the third quarter and 14-6 in the fourth, despite shooting only 37.9 percent from the floor for the game, including 3-11 from three-point range.

Kienya Jones led the Lady Bucks with 18 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots. Shalyn Washington played perhaps her best game of the season, notching 13 points with seven rebounds. Sara Vujacic scored 12 with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Tamiah Stanford scored 10 with seven assists and three steals. Ty Jones added five points while pulling down 10 rebounds and dishing out three assists.

LADY BUCKS 75 CLEVELAND STATE 56

Motlow shot the ball much better on Saturday, hitting 51 percent from the field, including 8-12 three pointers, and played unselfish basketball with 23 assists on 27 made shots while forcing 19 turnovers. The Lady Bucks led 24-15 after one quarter and 42-30 at the half. After only scoring seven points in the third quarter, the Lady Bucks outscored the Lady Cougars 26-16 in the final stanza.

Vujacic led the way with 21 points, connecting on 9-13 shots and 3-3 from behind the three-point line, and added four rebounds and two steals. Stanford scored 12 with eight assists, four steals and two blocked shots, and is second in the nation and first in the conference with an average of 7.1 assists per game. Kienya Jones had 11 points, five rebounds and three assists, Sydney Floyd scored nine with three rebounds and Miranda Boutwell scored eight.

Motlow’s next home game will be Wednesday, Feb. 15, when Southwest Tennessee comes to Copperweld Arena for a 5:30 p.m. tip. The final home date is Feb. 18, with Dyersburg State visiting for Sophomore Recognition Day at 2 p.m.

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.

Javion Hamlet and Rashawn Fredericks had double-doubles both Friday night and Saturday afternoon to lead the Motlow State Bucks to a sweep of visiting Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) opponents over the weekend at Copperweld Arena.

The Bucks (21-3, 10-2) have now won 15 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history and just one behind the all-time record of 16 set in 1987-88. Motlow travels to Morristown Friday to play Walters State, then visits Roane State in Harriman on Saturday.

The Bucks enjoy a three game lead over four other teams tied for second place in the TCCAA, each with five losses. With only six games remaining in the regular season, the Bucks are closing in on the school’s first trip to the nationals since 2012-13, and only the fifth conference title in school history. Every four years the TCCAA gets two men’s teams into the national tournament; the regular season champion and the tournament champion. If those two champions are the same team, then the tournament runner-up also goes to the nationals, held each year in Hutchinson, Kansas.

BUCKS 91 CHATTANOOGA STATE 69

Friday night the Bucks were able to avenge one of their three losses on the season, blowing out Chattanooga State behind 54.7 percent shooting, including 8-15 from behind the three-point line. Motlow started fast, building a 46-28 halftime advantage.

The Tigers closed the gap to 62-58 midway through the second half, but the Bucks’ 45-26 rebounding edge and the forcing of 21 Chattanooga State turnovers enabled Motlow to open the lead again and win going away.

Fredericks was dynamic, scoring 21 points and pulling down 18 rebounds, tied for the 12th most in a single game in school history. Hamlet, who leads the nation in assists with 8.7 per game, dished out 13 on Friday, tied for the eighth most in school history in a single game, and scored 17 points with three steals.

Aleks Zecevic had one of his best games of the season, scoring 17 points with seven rebounds, Isaiah Hart scored 18, including 3-4 three pointers, and added five steals. Damarcus Williams was strong off the bench with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals.

BUCKS 75 CLEVELAND STATE 56

Saturday’s homecoming contest against the visiting Cougars was very close through the first half and into the second, with the Bucks leading 34-29 at intermission. Motlow didn’t have one of its better shooting games, hitting only 45.9 percent from the field including 6-23 three pointers.

However, superior rebounding and a strong second half propelled the Bucks to their 15th consecutive win. Kevonte Corley grabbed the spotlight, hauling down 22 rebounds; the sixth most in a single game in Motlow history.

Hamlet and Fredericks notched their second double-double of the weekend. Javion scored 22 points on 8-12 shooting and added 10 assists and two steals. Rashawn scored 20 on 8-15 shooting and added 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Hart had 10 points and five steals, and Williams scored seven with 10 rebounds.

Motlow’s next home game will be Wednesday, Feb. 15, when Southwest Tennessee visits Copperweld Arena. Tip off for the men’s contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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 Nashville Sounds Baseball Club will host a job fair on Saturday, February 11 at First Tennessee Park in preparation for the 2017 season. The team is seeking outgoing, energetic and fan-friendly individuals to become part of the game-day staff.

The Sounds and Centerplate, the team’s food and beverage provider, will combine to hire between 250-300 part-time employees to operate First Tennessee Park in the Sounds’ 40th anniversary season.

Positions to be hired include fan hosts, ticket scanners, bag check, team store attendants, parking attendants, grounds crew, bat boys (ages 16-19) and cleaning staff. In addition, Centerplate positions include concessions, cooks, servers, cashiers and attendants.

“We’re proud to create nearly 300 part-time jobs at the ballpark this summer. Every season is special but the 40th anniversary campaign has extra meaning,” said Sounds General Manager Adam Nuse. “We’re looking for extraordinary individuals to build a team best suited to constantly improve the fan experience at First Tennessee Park.”

WHO: Nashville Sounds Baseball Club and Centerplate

WHAT: 2017 Seasonal Employee Job Fair

WHEN: Saturday, February 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: First Tennessee Park – Club Level. Attendees should enter through the glass Club Entrance doors adjacent to the ticket office on Junior Gilliam Way.

All positions offer flexible hours and schedules, shifts ranging from four to six hours in length, and hourly wages varying by position.

Interested applicants should come prepared to interview with a Sounds or Centerplate staff member and should bring two forms of government issued identification (one with a picture).

The 2017 season will be the Sounds’ 40th in franchise history and their third as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Season ticket memberships are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

The Coffee County Central High School basketball teams welcomed Franklin County to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Friday night for a crucial District 8AAA match-up.  With all 4 teams battling to secure a home court advantage in the opening round of the district tournament, Coffee County was looking for a series sweep over their Winchester rivals.  The Lady Raiders were up to the task as they won 54 to 48 while the Red Raiders came up short in a 55 to 52 loss.

The Lady Raiders led the entire game as they jumped out to an 8 to 0 lead in the first 4 minutes of the game.  Turnovers by each team slowed the pace down before Coffee County was able to pull out to a 10 point lead in the 2^nd quarter and hold off the Rebelettes in the second half.

The Lady Raiders were led in scoring by Aerial Williams who had 17 points as she was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Holli Smithson, Jacey Vaughn and Abby Morgan all added 7 points.  The win improves the Lady Raiders record to 17 and 6 overall and 7 and 4 in district play.  The win also guarantees a 3^rd place finish for the Lady Raiders in the district standings.

The Red Raiders and Rebels once again engaged in another exciting back and forth nail biter.  Coffee County opened up strong as they grabbed a 1^st quarter lead before a trio of Franklin County 3 pointers in the 2^nd quarter gave the Rebels a 24 to 23 lead at the half.  In the second half, Franklin County opened up the half on a 10 to 0 run.  Coffee County managed to battle back to pull even in the 4^th quarter but a last second shot would not fall for the Raiders to force an overtime period.

The Red Raiders were led in scoring by Grant Sadler who had 14 points as he was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Stephen Sullivan added 13 points while Tyrese McGee and Darius Rozier each finished with 7.  The loss drops Coffee County to 19 and 7 overall and 6 and 5 in district play.  It also sets up a 3 way tie at third place in the standings between Lincoln County, Coffee County and Franklin County with 1 week remaining in the regular season.

Coffee County is back at home on Tuesday night when they host Grundy County at the Patch.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM; Thunder Radio will bring you all the action beginning at 5:50 with the Powers Storage pregame show.

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Petr Mrazek made 42 saves to halt the Nashville Predators and give the Detroit Red Wings a 1-0 win on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result ends Nashville’s home point streak at six games while keeping them at 58 points overall on the season.

Saturday marked one of those nights that happen over the course of a long season – chance after chance, yet nothing to show for it. Nashville’s effort was there against the Wings, but Mrazek was solid all night long and the Preds were unable to solve the Detroit netminder.

“He stood on his head,” Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne said. “He played a great game. We had some good looks and couldn’t get one by him. I feel like he stole the game tonight. I have to say we played a really good game. I think we gave everything we had. At least we had enough chances to win the game.”

In the dying minutes of a back-and-forth first period, Mike Green’s shot through traffic found a way past Rinne to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead after one. That was all Detroit needed, as Nashville registered 16 shots in the second and 17 more in the third as they tried to even the score, but to no avail.

“A lot of quality looks tonight and a lot of good chances for us,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “We have to give their goalie some credit. He played well, we had a lot of looks and opportunities. I thought both of the goalies played well. Pekka played well, too.”

After missing nine games with an upper-body injury, defenseman Roman Josi returned to the Preds lineup, logging more than 20 minutes of ice time and sharing the team lead in shots with five on the night.

“It’s good to come back,” Josi said. “You want to come back slowly then hopefully get into it as soon as possible and work it up.”

“Roman coming back in there, it’s not easy sometimes when you miss [more than a few games],” Laviolette said. “You jump back into a game that’s paced and tight checking like that, it’s not easy, but I thought he looked good. We tried to control his minutes for him and situational play, I thought all the D were good, including Roman.”

Nashville has one more to go on their current home stand when the Vancouver Canucks come to town on Tuesday night.

Prior to Saturday’s game, the Predators made a trade, acquiring forward Vernon Fiddler from New Jersey in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. Originally signed by Nashville in 2002 as an undrafted free agent, Fiddler spent six seasons with the Predators from 2002-09, totaling 93 points (45g-48a) in 305 games. He earned a career-high 32 points (11g-21a) with the Preds in 2007-08.

Pekka Rinne – who played with Fiddler briefly at the beginning of his career – and Captain Mike Fisher spoke on their new teammate after the game.

“Big-time faceoff guy, really reliable guy,” Rinne said. “Great team player, one of those guys that is a good leader in the locker room. Obviously with his experience, he brings a lot of leadership and he has those qualities. I’m excited to have him back here.”

“I think we’re all excited to have him,” Fisher said. “He’s been here before, and he’s a good hockey player and he can do a lot of things well. I think he’s going to fit into our line up really, really well and we’re happy to have him.”

Pete Weber’s Post game Report

 

They have their number.

Pekka Rinne stopped all 31 shots he faced, and the Nashville Predators defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 2-0, at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night to give the Preds their eighth consecutive victory over the Oilers.

Nashville now has points in six consecutive home contests, collecting their 25th win of the season and their eighth in their last 11 tries.

“Whatever your decision was on the ice, [you had] to be accountable,” defenseman Ryan Ellis said. “Whether you think you should pinch, or [do] this or that, [we] had to be accountable. We came out, and guys were backchecking hard. I loved our game from start to finish. It’s great to see.”

A scoreless first opened up in the second with both teams registering chances, but it was Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen who converted for the Preds, first at 1:26 and then 19:21 of the middle frame for a 2-0 lead.

That was all the scoring the Preds needed, with Rinne backstopping the club, while recording his second shutout of the season.

“He was unbelievable tonight,” Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of his goaltender. “As good as it feels to walk away with a shutout, we still gave up a lot of chances to a very good team and a very talented team… the fact that it remained at zero has an awful lot to do with how he played tonight. He was outstanding.”

Nashville’s top line of Ryan Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg combined for a skillful showcase with less than a minute to play in the second stanza to give their club a two-goal cushion. A play that was easy on the eyes.

After juking around the Edmonton defense in the high slot, Forsberg found Arvidsson on the right side of the ice, drawing all of the attention and leaving Johansen wide open in the left circle for a one-time shot that left Cam Talbot with no chance.

“It was awesome,” Rinne said of the goal. “I thought that those guys were buzzing all night. They were skating, they were making plays, they were dangerous every time they were out there. Arvi’s first goal for sure was a huge one. And then that nice passing play, and then Joey scoring the goal… that was beautiful. I was sure Arvi was going to shoot it, but he made a nice pass.”

“I have never tried that in my whole NHL career, so for a guy to have that kind of confidence going up against NHL defensemen and being able to pull that stuff off… it’s impressive,” Johansen said of Forsberg’s move on the play. “Even as his linemate watching that… he really does have an elite level of talent.”

When the question was posed of why the line of Johansen, Arvidsson and Forsberg has seen so much success as of late, the answer was quite simple.

“We’re all really good looking,” Johansen quipped.

So maybe there’s more to it than that, but the top line was responsible for both Nashville goals on the night. The trio continues to force the issue in the offensive zone and create chances each night.

“All of us bring something different to the table,” Johansen said. “Me and Filip [have] the big size and like to hold onto pucks and protect pucks. We use that. [With] Arvi, we know how fast he is, and he creates space with his work ethic and his legs moving… It’s a lot of fun playing with them.”

Johansen and Arvidsson both registered a goal and an assist, with the pair getting back on the scoresheet after a two-game drought.

“They’re building some chemistry,” Ellis said of the line. “That second goal was a beauty. Arvi [had] a great shot on the second one, too. They’re starting to make plays with each other and know where each other are. It’s a good sign for our team when you can find some chemistry.”

Pekka Rinne turned aside 31 Edmonton shots on Thursday for his eighth consecutive victory against the Oilers and his third shutout during that span.

“I’ve seen the stats… I haven’t really thought about it; it’s funny how it goes,” Rinne said of his play against Edmonton. “Sometimes, you have a lot of success against one team and for me, it seems to be that team. But I try not to pay attention to those things too much. Every [game], it’s a new game and new challenge and this year they have a totally different team. A lot of skill and talent in their group. It was a good game by us, though.”

It was indeed, as Nashville bounced back from a loss on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh and put forth an effort good enough to collect two more points and start off the first of nine home games in the month exactly how they wanted.

“Pittsburgh is one of the better teams we’ve seen so far, and then tonight, obviously getting back on track and getting the two points against a really good team, it’s a big thing,” Rinne said. “We’ve had a really good few weeks here. This is the time of the year where you try to make some separation and then also catch up on other teams, so it’s a huge two points for us.”

Thursday night against Edmonton marked Matt Irwin’s 200th NHL game.

In Nashville’s eight consecutive wins over Edmonton, they haven’t allowed more than two goals in any game. The Preds have outscored the Oilers 21-8 during that span.

Nashville continues their three-game home stand on Saturday night when the Detroit Red Wings come to town before finishing up on Tuesday against Vancouver.

 

In addition to being your local sports leader, Thunder Radio has been the broadcast home of Tennessee Titans football since 1999 as a proud member of the Titans Radio Network.   Our partnership with our advertising sponsors has also allowed us to bring you selected NFL games during weeks that the Titans are not in action.  This is why we at Thunder Radio have teamed up with Al White Ford/Lincoln and are pleased to once again bring you the Super Bowl 51 this Sunday from Houston

Thunder Radio and Al White Ford/Lincoln will bring you Westwood One’s coverage of the Super Bowl beginning with the pregame show at 1 PM.  Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 PM and we will bring you all the action through the post game show.  The Westwood One broadcast team of Kevin Harlan, Boomer Esiason, James Lofton, Tony Boselli and Jim Gray will call all the action as New England takes on Atlanta.

Keep your dial tuned right here to Thunder Radio for more than complete sports coverage and visit Al White Ford/Lincoln and discover why for nearly 62 years, people have been trading right with Al White.