Category: Sports

Franklin Barreto’s RBI triple scored Josh Rodriguez in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Nashville Sounds a 6-5 walk-off win over the Iowa Cubs in front of 8,002 fans Thursday night at First Tennessee Park.

With the game tied 5-5 going to the bottom of the ninth, Rodriguez lined a base hit up the middle to start the rally against Iowa reliever Gerardo Concepcion. After a failed bunt attempt, the 20-year-old Barreto lined a 0-2 pitch to the gap in right-center. Rodriguez raced around from first to score the winning run.

The Sounds finished the regular season with a home record of 36-36 and improved their overall mark to 83-57. The 83 wins are tied for fifth-most in Sounds history.

The 8,002 fans brought the 2016 regular season attendance to 504,060 – the second consecutive season the Sounds have had 500,000+ through the gates of First Tennessee Park. It’s the first time the franchise has hit those numbers in consecutive seasons since 1982 and 1983.

Both starters – Jharel Cotton for Nashville and Stephen Fife for Iowa – pitched well in the early part of the game. Cotton tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the Sounds and Fife threw four shutout frames for the Cubs.

The Sounds got on the board first when they plated four runs in the sixth. Colin Walsh’s two-run double gave Nashville a 2-0 lead and Bryan Anderson’s two-run triple extended the advantage to 4-0.

Iowa bounced back as the Sounds’ bullpen faltered. The Cubs got two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to even the game at 4-4. Bobby Wahl and Ryan Brasier allowed the four runs and combined to issue six walks in two innings.

Nashville took a 5-4 lead in the eighth when Iowa’s Lane Adams dropped a fly ball with two outs allowing Walsh to race around from first.

Iowa got the run back in the ninth on a sacrifice fly from Logan Watkins.

It set up the 11th walk-off win of the season for Nashville and the first game-winner for Barreto who was playing in his second game since being promoted from Double-A Midland.

Barreto went 3-for-5 and Walsh went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored.

The Sounds travel to New Orleans for the final four-game series of the regular season scheduled to begin Friday night at Zephyrs Park. Left-hander Dillon Overton (13-5, 3.29) starts for the Sounds. New Orleans has not announced a starter. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Tickets for the 2016 Pacific Coast League playoff dates at First Tennessee Park are now available for purchase at the Nashville Sounds box office and online at www.nashvillesounds.com. The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate.

Victorious CHS Lady Raider golf team on Wednesday after the SunDrop Golden Classic Invitational Championship(Photo Provided)

The Coffee County Central High School golf teams hosted the 2016 Sundrop Golden Classic Invitational at Willowbrook on Wednesday as a packed field of talented golfers and teams attacked the 18 hole course. The Lady Raiders kept their hot streak alive as they won the girls’ division 11 strokes ahead of Signal Mountain. The Red Raiders used their familiar consistency to nab 3rd place behind Cookeville and Tullahoma.

Girls’ Team Standings
1st – Coffee County – 146
2nd – Signal Mountain – 157
3rd – Oakland – 162
Individually, Coffee County’s Ashley Gilliam shot a 2 under 70 to win the singles title. Savannah Quick added a 76 to finish 3rd and Sophie Vinson carded an 83 on the day. The girls’ record is now 37-3 on the year

CHS Red Raider golf team on Wednesday after the SunDrop Golden Classic Invitational (Photo Provided)

Boys’ Team Standings
1st – Tullahoma – 295
2nd – Cookeville – 301
3rd – Coffee County – 303
Individually, the Red Raiders were led by John Parigger who fired a 1 over par 73 to finish 4th. Austin Farris had a 75, Josh Perry shot 77, Reid Lawrence carded a 78 and Samuel Prater got around in 88. The boys record is now 42-9 on the year.
The golf teams will travel to McMinnville on Tuesday for the Keith Maxwell Invitational at the McMinnville Country Club. The shotgun is set for 9 AM.

Emily St John(left) and Sarah Pearson(right) of Coffee County CHS XC (Photo by Pascal Randolph)

The Coffee County Central High School and Coffee County Middle School cross country teams opened their season on Tuesday in McMinnville at the Warren County meet. Boasting bigger numbers this fall, the Red Raider and Lady Raider teams fared exceptionally well in their first meet of the season. Unofficially, the Red Raiders won the meet as they placed 4 runners in the top 10 and all 6 scoring runners finished in the top 30. The Lady Raiders, competing with a full complement of 6 runners, placed 2 in the Top 10 and all 6 scoring runners were in the Top 31. The CCMS boys team placed 2 runners in the top 10.
Individual finishing places were as followed (Times have not been released yet):
Coffee County Middle School girls:
31st – Shelbi Watkins
33rd – Jasie Willis
Coffee County Middle School boys:
5th – Ethan Welch
6th – Jacob Rutledge
27th – Jaylen Selvage

James Lynn of Coffee County CHS XC(Photo by Pascal Randolph)

CHS girls
4th – Sarah Pearson
7th – Emily St. John
19th – Byanka Woods
26th – Kelsey Selvage
27th – Jesse Moore
31st – Shyanna Rader
CHS boys:
2nd – James Lynn
4th – Andrew Godwin
6th – Bradley Kishpaugh
7th – Andres Cavalie
17th – Renato Ayala
30th – Reuben Chaput
Coffee County will host a home meet on Tuesday, September 13th on the campus of the Raider Academy. That meet will be open to middle and high school teams and will get underway at 4 PM.

Patricia Barrera of Westwood XC

The Westwood cross country teams once again had strong performances as they visited Warren County on Tuesday afternoon for their second races of the season. The Lady Rockets placed 4 runners in the Top 20 and 6 runners in the top 25 in a crowded field. The Rockets placed 5 runners in the Top 25.
Top 6 finishers (with times) for the Lady Rockets were:
1st – Patricia Barrera 15:24
11th – Lizabeth Martinez 18:17
18th – Sunshine Mai 19:42
19th – Kasen Holt 19:49
22nd – Kennedy Norman-Young 20:14
25th – Marisol Moreno 20: 24

Luke Beachboard of Westwood XC(Photo by Pascal Randolph)

Top 6 finishers (times were unavailable) for the Rockets were:
8th – Bodey Todd
12th – Lukas Workman
17th – Louis Frasier
18th – Luke Beachboard
23rd – John Dobson
32nd – Jackson Warren
Westwood travels to Murfreesboro for their toughest test of the season on Saturday as they look to participate in the Warrior Invitational at Riverdale. The girls’ race is set to get underway at 11 AM with the boys to follow at 11:30.

For much of the season, Braves manager Brian Snitker has reiterated the phrase that it often takes a step back to take a step forward. And after flirting with a no-hitter in his first start back from Triple-A, Matt Wisler stayed true to that progression as he struck out a career-high 10 batters in Wednesday’s 8-1 win over the Padres at Turner Field.

Oswaldo Arcia was the only San Diego batter to break through against Wisler, cutting Atlanta’s lead to 2-1 with a solo homer in the fourth inning. The blast marked Arcia’s second of the series, but Wisler bounced back from his lone hiccup to strike out six of the next 10 batters he faced and pass his previous career-high of nine, which he set vs. the Indians on June 28.
The Braves’ offense, meanwhile, struggled to capitalize on its scoring chances in the early going, stranding eight runners through the first five innings. But after loading the bases with one out in the sixth, Gordon Beckham helped provide some much-needed breathing room when he sparked a four-run frame with his pinch-hit two-run double.
With its win tonight, Atlanta has now clinched a series vs. the Padres for just the second time since the 2012 campaign.
When the Braves optioned Wisler to Gwinnett in July, they hoped the right-hander would be able to regain the aggression he showed in the first two months of the season, when he posted a 3.16 ERA in 11 games (10 starts). Against the Padres, Wisler came after opposing hitters, throwing first-pitch strikes to 15 of the 25 batters he faced and confidently throwing his slider. Eight of the 23-year-old’s 10 strikeouts came on the pitch.
Once again, the Padres used the double play to their advantage Wednesday night, racking up one in the third, fourth and sixth innings. They also recorded three on Tuesday — after notching a team-record six twin killings on Sunday. It’s only the second time in franchise history — and the first since 2008 — that the Padres induced at least three double-play grounders in three straight games.
In both the third and fourth innings, the Braves failed to score with the bases loaded, as Matt Kemp grounded into a double play in the third before Wisler followed his lead in the following inning. But with the bases loaded once again in the sixth, Beckham entered the game as a pinch-hitter and improved to 3-for-6 on the season in such situations with his two-run double. Atlanta ultimately finished the game 1-for-4 with the bases loaded after Dansby Swanson popped up to first base to end the seventh. The team is now hitting .202 (21-for-104) with the bases loaded this season.
Arcia hit his first homer as a Padre on Tuesday night, but said afterward that he wasn’t sure he got all of it. The newest Friar left no doubt on Wednesday, as he crushed a 408-foot, 107-mph blast into the right-field seats with one out in the fourth. Since being claimed off waivers on Saturday, Arcia is now 4-for-11 with a walk — and all four of the Padres RBIs this series.
The Padres wrap up their three-game set in Atlanta on Wednesday when Jarred Cosart takes the hill with first pitch slated for 11:10 a.m. CT. In five starts for the Padres, Cosart owns a 2.88 ERA — less than half his mark in his four prior starts this season with Miami.
Atlanta will counter with Mike Foltynewicz, who is coming off perhaps his best start of the second half vs. the Giants on Saturday. The 24-year-old kept his emotions in check after giving up a second-inning homer to Brandon Crawford and retired 18 of the next 21 batters he faced before exiting the game after 7 2/3 solid innings.

The Iowa Cubs pounded out 17 hits on their way to a 10-1 win over the Nashville Sounds Wednesday afternoon at First Tennessee Park.

It was a rare misstep for the Sounds who lost for just the second time in 12 games to fall to 82-57. The Sounds’ regular season home finale is scheduled for Thursday night at First Tennessee Park.

The Cubs got on the board in the first inning with a pair of runs and never looked back. Matt Murton started the scoring when he drew a bases loaded walk off starter Jesse Hahn to make it 1-0. Logan Watkins followed with a sacrifice fly and Iowa was out to a 2-0 lead.

Nashville’s Matt Chapman cut the lead in half when he launched a solo homer to left field in the bottom half of the first. It was Chapman’s fourth home run since being promoted to Nashville and 33rd of the season between the Sounds and Double-A Midland.

The 2-1 deficit is as close as it would get the rest of the day. Iowa added a pair of runs in the third, and three in the fourth to extend the lead to 7-1.

Hahn was finished after just 3 2/3 innings. The right-hander allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits and suffered his seventh loss of the season.

Iowa tacked on two runs in the sixth and another run in the seventh to extend the lead to 10-1 through seven.

It was more than enough offense for Cubs’ starter Jordan Pries who limited the Sounds to one run on three hits in seven innings. He didn’t walk anybody and struck out seven in the win.

Going into Wednesday’s matinee, the Sounds were 23-2 in games decided by 6+ runs.

Shortstop Franklin Barreto went 0-for-4 in his Sounds and Triple-A debut. The top prospect in the Oakland A’s organization, according to MLB Pipeline, was transferred to Nashville prior to the game.

The series finale between the two teams is scheduled for Thursday night at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Jharel Cotton (11-6, 4.50) starts for the Sounds. The Cubs have not announced a starter. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

Tickets for the 2016 Pacific Coast League playoff dates at First Tennessee Park are now available for purchase at the Nashville Sounds box office and online at www.nashvillesounds.com. The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate.

Bailey Morgan

Facing their 3rd straight tough matchup, the Coffee County CHS volleyball team welcomed the Columbia Lady Lions to the Joe Frank Patch on Tuesday night for a pivotal district matchup. In a match heard here on Thunder Radio, the Lady Raiders battled back from an early deficit to claim a 5 set win over Columbia. The Lady Raiders won by set scores of 26-24, 17-25, 21-25, 25-23 and 15-12.
Coffee County had to rally from a 5 point deficit in the first set to take that initial set and that seemed to wake up the Lady Lions. Columbia kept the pressure on in the 2nd and 3rd sets as Coffee County had 7 service errors and double digit hitting errors in those 2 sets to put the match in limbo. After Coffee County rallied to win the 4th set, the Lady Raiders led the tiebreaker set from wire to wire to get their 7th win on the season and their 3rd district win.
Coffee County got a huge game at the middle hitter position from Aerial Williams as she had 4 blocks, 13 kills and 2 service aces. Kaylee Skipper had 5 aces on the match to go with team highs in kills(14) and digs(14). Tyana Fenton also had 14 digs for the Lady Raiders. Bailey Morgan showed her versatility by finishing the game with 24 assists, 5 kills, 3 aces and 3 blocks. Baylee Nester added 8 kills, 12 digs and a pair of blocks.
The Lady Raiders record in the district now stands at 3 and 1 as the Lady Raiders will travel to Franklin County on Thursday night. That district match will get underway at 6 PM. You can download the podcast of last night’s broadcast by visiting our website at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

Caitlyn Moore of CHS Soccer

The Coffee County Lady Raider soccer team traveled to McMinnville to take on Warren County on Tuesday and came home with a 4 to 0 win. The Lady Raiders outshot the Lady Pioneers 19 to 5 on the match as they controlled play for the majority of the game.
Caitlyn Moore opened the scoring for Coffee County as she scored in the 15th minute on an assist from Allie Amado. Jenna Garretson rattled home a rebound in front of the net in the 38th minute to give the Lady Raiders a 2 to 0 halftime lead. Moore added an unassisted goal in the 43rd minute and then found Makenzie Anderson on a cross in the 46th minute to close out the scoring for the Lady Raiders.
The win improves Coffee County to 3 and 1 on the season. Coffee County returns home on Thursday to take on Tullahoma in a 7 PM game at the Raider Soccer Field behind the Raider Academy.

Reagan Ellison of CCMS Soccer

The Coffee County Middle School soccer teams stepped out of conference action on Tuesday as they played host to Algood at the CCMS pitch. A Reagan Ellison hat trick lifted the Lady Raiders to a 5 to 2 win.
Ellison got the scoring started for Coffee County as she notched an unassisted goal in the 5th minute. Algood leveled the score in the 10th minute before Kyleigh Harner put the Lady Raiders back on top 2 minutes later with her own unassisted goal. The Lady Raiders took that 2 to 1 advantage into the intermission. Ellison added goals in the 33rd and 40th minutes and Harner found the back of the net in the 53rd minute to make it a 5 to 1 game.  Algood added a goal in the 55th minute, but it was not enough to give Coffee County their first loss of the season.
With the win, Coffee County is now 3-0-1 on the season. Coffee County is back in action on Thursday when North Franklin comes to town for a conference matchup. That match is set to get underway at 4:30 PM.

Maci Head of CCMS Volleyball

The Coffee County Middle School volleyball hosted South Lincoln on Tuesday night in a non-conference volleyball match at the Coffee County Middle School gym. In a hard fought battle, the Lady Raiders showed their grit and determination to claw out a straight set win. After winning the first set 25 to 20, Coffee County had to battle South Lincoln point for point before winning the second set 32 to 30.
Maci Head led the Lady Raiders in kills with 4 and aces with 3. The Lady Raiders travel to Decherd on Thursday to take on North Franklin in a conference match. First serve is set for 4:30 PM.