Category: Sports

The Coffee County Youth Bass Club participated in the first Tennessee BASS Nation(TBN) High School Bass Trail event of the fall season on Saturday. The CCYBC entered 5 boats with 10 Coffee County anglers in the tournament held on Nickajack Lake. Top finishing boat for the Coffee County anglers was Braeden Thurmond and Colby Thurmond who finished in 12th place out of 93 boats with a stringer weighing in at 5.25 pounds.
Also participating were the boats of Hogan Scott and Jacob Garms; Issac Turner and Cam Rutledge; Blake Mangrum and Taylor Fletcher; and Hunter Sanders and Brayden Majors. These 4 boats tied for 48th place. The next TBN trail event is set for October 1st on Cherokee Lake. The next CCYB club fishing tournament is scheduled for October 15th at Tims Ford. For more information about the Coffee County Youth Bass Club, you can check out their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Coffee-County-Youth-Bass-Club-1227052340639230/?fref=ts

The Braves offense scored early and often and Aaron Blair did his part, as the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets, 7-3, on Monday night at Citi Field.

Blair hurled six quality innings, as he notched his first career big league win (1-6 on the year). He allowed just two runs — both on a T.J. Rivera home run in the fourth inning — on four hits in his first start since August 28.

The Braves gave Blair about three weeks off to focus on his mechanics with pitching coach Roger McDowell, and the obvious change was the drastic reduction in his pivot and coil before pushing off the mound. Before, he turned his back almost completely to the hitter. On Monday, that turned had been reduced by at least half.

Whatever it was worked, and the offense took the pressure off him early, scoring a pair of runs in the second inning, one in the third, and two more in the fourth, as it knocked young flamethrower Noah Syndergaard out of the game after just 3 2⁄3 innings.

Syndergaard piled up 99 pitches in that limited frame of work.

Atlanta loaded the bases in the second inning, and rookie Dansby Swanson capitalized, getting the Braves on the board first with an opposite-field single. Ender Inciarte did something similar two batters later, fighting off a pitch to left to plate another run.

Freddie Freeman blasted his 31st home run of the season to left field in the third inning to make the score 3-0 and extend his impressive hitting streak to 23 games, playing in his first game as a new father. He made it 5-0 after a two-run double the following inning. Freeman finished the night 4-for-5.

Swanson had a three-hit night, and drove in two more runs in the seventh inning on a hit to left. The rookie looked impressive at the plate, showing the versatility to hit the ball to all fields.

Matt Kemp went 2-for-5, but most impressive were his consecutive outstanding diving catches in left field in the seventh inning. Nick Markakis also had a multi-hit evening.

Mauricio Cabrera, Jose Ramirez, and Jim Johnson each hurled an inning out of the Braves’ bullpen in relief of Blair.

For the Mets, Curtis Granderson went 3-for-4 and James Loney registered three hits, including an RBI double in the ninth.

Both teams play again Tuesday night. First pitch is 6:10 p.m. CT.  You will be able to hear that game right here on Thunder Radio as part of the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.

Once again, a disastrous 2nd quarter put the Red Raider football team in a hole on Friday night they could not escape as Coffee County fell to Riverdale 51 to 13. After holding Riverdale and getting a field goal in their first possession, Coffee County was able to take some early momentum. The Raiders gave up a couple of scores and trailed 10 to 3 entering the 2nd period. Riverdale’s Marqwell Odom scored 3 touchdowns in the 2nd quarter to put Coffee County in a 31 to 3 hole just before the half. Pablo Sanz came on as time expired to drill a 47 yard field goal to send the game to the half at 31 to 6.
Sanz had field goals of 40 and 47 yards and Deaaron Rozier added a touchdown run in the 3rd quarter to account for Coffee County’s points. Rozier finished the night with 23 carries for 62 yards. Alontae Taylor added 20 carries for 92 yards and Colton Prater came off the bench to rush 11 times for 67 yards. For his effort, Prater was named the Thunder Radio/Crazy Daisies’ Player of the Game.
Coffee County returns home on Friday as they play host to Oakland in a 7 PM contest at Carden-Jarrell Field. Kickoff is set for 7 PM, Thunder Radio begins live coverage at 6 PM with the Friday Night Thunder Pregame Show.

You can download a podcast of the broadcast at” http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

 

Out-shooting Wilson Central 30 to 6, Coffee County got an 8 to 2 non-district soccer win on the road on Saturday. Another Caitlyn Moore hat trick and a pair of goals from freshman Beatris Barrera highlighted the dominant performance for the Lady Raiders. The win capped off a week that saw Coffee County get 3 wins after scoring 20 goals.
Moore got Coffee County on the board first and early as she put a pass from Makenzie Anderson into the back of the net in the first minute. Moore scored again in the 6th minute off an assist from Allie Amado. In the 13th minute, Amado sent a corner kick into the box that Eliza Masters punched into the back of the net. In the 32nd minute, Anna Gann added an unassisted goal to give Coffee County a 4 to 0 lead at the half.
Moore got her 3rd goal in the 46th minute off an assist from Samantha Ellison. Barrera added her unassisted goals in the 55th and 61st minutes before assisting fellow freshman Ellie Graham on her goal in the 63rd minute to close out Coffee County’s scoring. Wilson Central added a pair of goals of no consequence in the 68th and 77th minutes. The win lifts Coffee County’s record to 9-2-1 on the season. Coffee County returns to district action on Tuesday night as they travel to Fayetteville to take on defending district champion Lincoln County. That match will kick off at 6:30.

Hosting the largest field ever in the history of the tournament, the Coffee County CHS volleyball team played host to Southern Slam Volleyball tournament on Saturday. The Lady Raiders finished in a 5th place tie in the gold bracket with a 3 and 2 record on the day. Eagleville was crowned the gold bracket champion while Lawrence County won the silver bracket championship.
Coffee County opened pool play on Saturday morning with a 2 set win over St. Andrew’s – Sewanee by set scores of 25-18 and 25-17. Tyana Fenton led the Lady Raiders in aces with 3. In the 2nd match, Coffee County fought to a 2 to 1 win over McEwen by set scores of 25-11, 21-25 and 15-5. Alliyah Williams led the Lady Raiders in kills with 8. Coffee County suffered their first loss of the day in their 3rd match to Chattanooga Central. The Lady Raiders lost in 3 sets 13-25, 26-24 and 13-15. Aerial Williams led Coffee County in kills with 10 and blocks with 4. The Lady Raiders closed out pool play with a 3 set win over Grundy County. Coffee County won by set scores of 21-25, 25-21 and 15-8. Kaylee Skipper led the Lady Raiders in aces with 4 and kills with 5.
In the opening round of the gold bracket finals, Coffee County was eliminated by Chattanooga Christian. Three kills each by Laneva Bell and Baylee Nester were the highlights of a straight set loss for Coffee County. The Lady Raiders lost by set scores of 18-25 and 13-25. Coffee County was led in aces by Kaylee Skipper with 11, in kills by Baylee Nester with 24, in blocks by Aerial Williams with 10. Bailey Morgan led Coffee County in assists with 43 and Tyana Fenton led the Lady Raiders in digs with 35.
Coffee County returns to district action on Tuesday night as they travel to Fayetteville to take on defending district champion Lincoln County. That match will get underway at 6:00.

Adonis Garcia went 3-for -4 with three RBIs to help the Braves defeat the Nationals, 6-2, on Sunday at Turner Field. Washington’s magic number to clinch the National League East remained at six as the second-place Mets edged the Twins, 3-2.

The rubber game was called because of rain with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. There were two rain delays that each lasted more than an hour — one in the top of the sixth and the one in the seventh.
“The grounds crew did what they could to save the field and then they called me out,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. “… I went outside and for the safety of my players, the infield was like quicksand. It had a bunch of diamond dry on it and we can’t afford to get anybody hurt, so we called the game.”
The Braves were able to get to right-hander Joe Ross in the second, when Matt Kemp scored on a single by Jace Peterson. Ross was gone by the fourth, when Atlanta scored two more runs off Reynaldo Lopez on hits by Dansby Swanson and Garcia.
The Nationals made it a one-run game by the sixth before the Braves pulled away with a three-run sixth. Garcia highlighted the scoring, driving in two runs with a single to left.
“They’re fighting to try to close the thing out,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker about clinching the series. “So it’s real good any time you beat them guys because we’ve had troubles the last couple of years with that club. It’s good to go out and play two really good ballgames like we did to beat them in that series.”
Matt Wisler retired 16 of the first 19 batters he faced and held the Nationals scoreless through the first five innings with the assistance of a few timely ground balls. Swanson ranged to his right to begin a double play after Clint Robinson opened the second inning with a single. Wilson Ramos’ fifth-inning leadoff single was negated when Ben Revere followed by grounding into a double play.
“Dansby made a couple [of nice plays],” Snitker said. “The one short-hop ball that he made a [play on], my God, that was unbelievable really that he’s got the wherewithal to make that play like that. So it was good. It’s always good when you keep it on the ground and give yourself a chance.”
Ross pitched his first game since July 2 against the Reds. After missing more than two months because of shoulder inflammation, he went three innings and allowed one run on six hits. His best inning was the first, when he struck out two. His sinker to strike out Freddie Freeman was clocked at 95 mph. Ross also escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the third.
“I thought [Ross] was pretty good. We were contemplating taking him another inning, but we said, ‘That’s enough in his first time out,'” Baker said. “It’s a welcome sight to see him back. … He looked sharp. His command was good. The Braves loaded up the lineup with left-handers and they found quite a few holes [for hits].”
Though Lopez possesses nasty stuff, the Braves showed some patience as they got to him during a two-run fourth. Peterson drew a seven-pitch walk to begin the frame and Swanson did not blink when he was pushed off the plate with a 2-2, 96-mph fastball. The rookie shortstop stayed alive by fouling the next pitch — a 95-mph low-and-away fastball — and then tomahawked an elevated 96-mph fastball over Bryce Harper’s head for an RBI double.
“[Lopez] has good stuff and he throws very hard,” Swanson said. “You’ve just got to match his aggressiveness and be on time. He’s had some success and he’s obviously going to be a good pitcher here for a while.”
The Nationals made it a 3-2 game in the sixth. After hitting a triple with two outs, Trea Turner scored on a double by Jayson Werth, who would later score on a single by Harper.
Atlanta will begin a three-game series against the Mets at Citi Field on Monday at 6:10 p.m. CT. Aaron Blair will make his first start in more than a month for the Braves. Blair has allowed at least five runs in three of his past four big league starts, but he pitched effectively for Triple-A Gwinnett during the International League playoffs.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast beginning at 6 PM on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.

The Nationals continue to inch closer to the National League East title.

With an early flurry, some sparkling defense and an astonishing four-hit, four-run effort from Trea Turner, the Nats defeated the Braves, 7-2, at Turner Field on Friday night. With the victory, Washington’s magic number to clinch the National League East crown dwindled to six games after the second-place Mets blanked the Twins, 3-0, at Citi Field.
The Nationals scored five runs over the first two innings against Braves rookie starter John Gant. Anthony Rendon drove in the first two runs with a single in the first. In the following inning, Turner belted a two-run homer, his fifth career dinger against Atlanta, before Daniel Murphy added an RBI double for his first of two RBIs.
Gant lasted 1 2/3 innings, becoming the seventh Braves starter to last fewer than five innings within the past 10 games, but Ryan Weber nearly shut down Washington for 4 2/3 innings of relief, allowing one run and fanning five — with all five strikeouts coming during a five-batter stretch from the third into the fifth innings.
“We had opportunities to score runs, and we just didn’t do it tonight,” Braves left fielder Matt Kemp said.
Max Scherzer won his 17th game of the season by pitching seven solid innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out eight. It marked the third time in his career he’s won that many games in a season, including 21 in 2013 and 18 in ’14.
“He was great. He ran out of gas a little bit. He gave us all he had in the seventh,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. “He gave us all we needed. That was big. He won his 17th. That’s huge.”
Winning his 17th game wasn’t the first thing on Scherzer’s mind. He looked at the total team victory.
“Trea has his fingers all over it again,” Scherzer said. “Big hits out of everybody. Rendon in the first. The defense tonight. Murphy made two great diving plays to get guys out at first. Those balls could have snuck up there. … When you have your defense going for you like that, it makes it easy to pitch like that.”
Turner’s homer had an exit velocity of 104 mph and traveled a projected 408 feet from home plate, according to Statcast™. He also stole second and third base in the seventh inning to set up Murphy’s sacrifice fly. The rookie has produced at least three hits in five of the 11 games played against the Braves this season.
“I couldn’t tell you [why I have success against the Braves],” Turner said. “I don’t know, luck on my part. I had some bad games before when I faced them, and I figured out the adjustment I needed to make.” More >
The Braves recorded three extra-base hits through the first four innings, but the only one that led to a run was Kemp’s leadoff double in the second inning. The two-bagger was the 1,500th career hit for Kemp, who also singled ahead of Tyler Flowers’ sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
“[Scherzer] is one of those guys who knows what he is doing,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You see when he gets in trouble, that velocity spikes and it’s tough. You kind of want to stay even against a guy like that and give yourself a chance. But when he gets a lead like that, he’s really good.”
Murphy shines at plate, in field: In addition to his pair of hits, Murphy made two outstanding defensive plays, each saving a run. In the fourth inning, the second baseman made a nice diving play to throw out Blake Lalli after Dansby Swanson doubled, ending the inning.
Two innings later, Murphy made a lunging, backhanded snag of Swanson’s grounder and threw him out at first to end the inning with a runner on second.
After Gant retired just four of the 13 batters he faced, Weber proceeded to retire 13 of 16 and keep the Braves within striking distance. The right-handed reliever struck out five consecutive batters, including each of Washington’s first four batters, and was not charged with a run until Turner singled and stole his two bases before scoring on Murphy’s sacrifice fly off Ian Krol in the seventh. Flowers has thrown out just one of 57 opponents who have attempted to steal against him this year.
“Weber did a great job of covering the innings in that game,” Snitker said. “He got kind of locked in there, banging with strikes and hitting everything. That was good. We had a day off [on Thursday], but that’s the kind of game you can blow your bullpen up for the next three or four days down the road. So, that was huge what he did.”
Gio Gonzalez looks to win his 12th game of the season as the Nats continue their three-game series vs. the Braves on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. CT. In 11 of Gonzalez’s last 13 starts, the left-hander has allowed three earned runs or fewer, posting a 7-2 record in that span.
Josh Collmenter will make his Braves debut Saturday. Collmenter was acquired in exchange for cash from the Cubs earlier this week. The Braves are trying to find a temporary fix in their rotation while Mike Foltynewicz recovers from a bruised left calf.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast as part of the Atlanta Braves Radio Network beginning at noon..

Trailing 3 to 1 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half, it appeared that the Coffee County Central High School soccer team would suffer their first district loss of the year to Shelbyville on Thursday night. But the Lady Raiders responded to score 5 unanswered goals to escape with the 6 to 3 win.
Shelbyville was the clear aggressor in the first half outplaying the Lady Raiders in the first 29 minutes. The Eaglettes got goals in the 16th, 25th and 29th minutes to build a cushion that seemed insurmountable. A Sam Ellison goal in the 22nd minute was the lone tally for Coffee County until the 34th minute when Caitlyn Moore found the back of the net off an assist from Jenna Garretson. The Lady Raiders leveled the score in the 36th minute when Garretson punched a rebound in off a corner kick from Allie Amado.
In the second half, Moore added her 2nd goal in the 47th minute off a feed from Makenzie Anderson. Karson Young punched in a rebounded corner kick from Amado in the 62nd minute and Young buried a penalty kick in the 70th minute after Garretson was taken down inside the 18 yard box to close out the scoring.
The win improves the Lady Raiders record to 8-2-1 overall and 3 and 0 in district play. Coffee County travels to Gladeville on Saturday to take on Wilson Central in a non-district match. That match is set to get underway at 11 AM.

The Coffee County Red Raider golf team eclipsed the 50 win total for the season on Thursday at Bear Trace in a 4 team match. The Lady Raiders captured their 38th straight win as they stopped Franklin County in the district matchup held at Tims Ford State Park.
The Red Raiders fired a team score of 307 to outdistance Franklin County and Lawrence County. Tullahoma shot a 6 over 290 to win the 4 team match. John Parigger led Coffee County with a 1 over par round of 72 followed by Reid Lawrence who carded a 75. Samuel Prater fired a 77 and Austin Farris came in at 83. The Red Raiders record now stands at 51 and 14.
The Lady Raiders got a 74 from Ashley Gilliam and a 77 from Savannah Quick to beat Franklin County 151 to 172. Malia Stovall of Franklin County had the low round for the ladies as she carded a 70. The Lady Raiders record now stands at 45 and 3 on the season.
The Raider golfers travel to Murfreesboro on Tuesday for a match with Riverdale and Oakland at Indian Hills. That match was originally scheduled for Monday.

The Coffee County Middle School volleyball team rallied after dropping the opening set to stun White County on Tuesday in a 3 set thriller. The Lady Raiders won by set scores of 21-25, 25-23 and 15-13. The win is the 6th straight for Coffee County. The win avenges an earlier straight set loss to the Warriorettes in Sparta on August 23rd.
After dropping the 1st set, the Lady Raiders strung together 7 straight points during the 2nd set to build a 9 point lead. Coffee County held off a White County rally to win the 2nd set on an ace by Maci Head. In the 3rd and deciding set, Coffee County rallied from a 12 to 11 deficit to win four of the last 5 points to capture the match.
Kiya Ferrell led Coffee County in winners with 4. Head led in aces with 4 and added 2 winners. Maddie Husted had 3 winners and added 2 aces. The win improves the Lady Raiders record to 6 and 3 overall and 4 and 2 in conference play.