Category: Sports

The Nashville Sounds held off a late Colorado Springs rally for a 5-4 win Thursday night at Security Service Field.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, Sounds reliever Eduard Santos worked himself out of a jam. Santos got Sky Sox Andrew Susac to hit a ground ball to Chad Pinder who stepped on second to preserve the 5-4 Sounds win.

J.B. Wendelken started the Sounds ninth as he came on with two outs in the eighth inning to replace Angel Castro as the Sounds lead 5-2. Josmil Pinto led off the ninth with a walk to start the Sky Sox rally. Wendelken then settled himself and promptly struck out the next two batters in Michael Reed and Yadiel Rivera.

Then a late two-out ninth inning rally surged as Kyle Wren roped a single into left advancing Pinto to third. Wendleken then plunked Nate Orf to load the bases for Lewis Brinson. Brinson last night’s hero for the Sky Sox then sent a two-out two-run single to score Pinto and Wren to make the score 5-4.

Santos was then summoned from the Sounds bullpen to try to record the final out. Santos walked Garret Cooper to load the bases and eventually got Susac to hit the ball to Pinder to end the game.

Sounds starter Jharel Cotton who was recently acquired as part of the trade that sent Josh Reddick and Rich Hill to the Dodgers in exchange for three prospects dominated in his Sounds debut. The right-hander scattered six hits over six innings and gave up just one run on a Michael Reed fifth inning home run.
Cotton picked up his ninth win of the season in his Sounds debut as he struck out five Sky Sox.

The Sounds got out to an early lead thanks to a two-run double from Renato Nunez in the second inning. Back-to-back singles from Matt Olson and Brett Eibner set the table for Nunez’s 58th and 59th RBI of the season. Nunez quickly added to his season RBI total again in the fourth inning as he launched a two-run home run to left to put the Sounds on top 4-0. The home run was the 22-year-olds 18th of the season.

Reed put the only damper on Cotton’s stellar Sounds debut when he sent a solo home run to left field to put the Sky Sox on the board as they trailed 4-1 after five.

With two outs in the seventh inning, the Sounds loaded the bases after Sky Sox reliever Michael Kirkman took over for Drew Gagnon. With Matt McBride already on first with a lead-off singe, Jaycob Brugman then singled as well to put runners at first and second. Chad Pinder then walked to load the bases for Matt Olson.

With Olson batting, a wild pitch from Kirkman allowed McBride to score from third to give the Sounds a 5-1 lead.

Cotton’s night was done with a 5-1 lead in hand as Ryan Brasier took over and struck out the side in order in the seventh.

The win keeps the Sounds division lead at 10 games with just 31games left to play in the season.

Game three of the series is set for Friday night at Security Service Field. Left-hander Ross Detwiler (3-0, 2.60) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Wily Peralta (1-3, 6.34) for the Sky Sox. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. CST.

The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

Hunter Haley(left) and Garrett Fellers(right) show off their tournament winning fish from Saturday night’s CCYBC tournament(photo provided)

The Coffee County Youth Bass Club held their final night fishing event on Saturday evening on Tims Ford Lake. The tournament used a “Big Fish” format where the largest bass in the boat was the only fish weighed. The tournament participants launched their boats at Devil’s Step Boat Ramp and the boats were released at 6 PM. Fishing continued until the 1 AM weigh-in.
The boat of Hunter Haley and Garrett Fellers won the tournament with a catch of 2.98 pounds. Their boat was captained by Jeff Haley. Coming in 2nd place was the team of Clayton Lowell and Colton Pruitt with a catch of 1.77 pounds. Their boat was captained by Billy Lowell. The 3rd place angler was Hunter Sanders who landed a 1.59 pound bass in the boat captained by Travis Sanders.

Clayton Lowell(left) and Colton Pruitt(right) show off their 2nd place fish from Saturday night’s CCYBC tournament(photo provided)

The tournament ended the summer season for the Coffee County Youth Bass Club. The anglers will take off until September when they return to the water. Members of the club will compete in local club tournaments on area lakes beginning on September 10th. These tournaments will begin the start of the CCYBC anglers building points toward the state tournament and the scholarship points system. Additionally, the national trail for B.A.S.S. will begin their high school tournaments in this region on September 17th. Several members of the local club will also compete on the national trail series. The coach for the Coffee County Youth Bass Club is Phil Petty. 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

Though they sit just two games back in the National League Wild Card standings, the Pirates have far too often felt the frustration that consumed them again at Turner Field on Wednesday night, when Rob Whalen struggled mightily through the first inning of his career and then held steady as the Braves erupted against Jeff Locke en route to an 8-4 victory.

After enduring a four-run first inning that included Matt Joyce’s three-run homer, Whalen blanked the Pirates over his final four innings and earned a win in his big league debut. The Braves took the lead as they chased Locke during a two-run fifth with Nick Markakis’ game-tying sacrifice fly and a go-ahead single recorded by Ender Inciarte, who ran his hit hitting streak to 14 games with a three-hit performance.
“Obviously, the game didn’t quite start the way we hoped it would, but the end result was exactly what we were looking for,” Braves catcher Anthony Recker said. “[Whalen] did a great job getting through that first inning and then bearing down and just making pitches.”
Locke allowed five earned runs over 4 1/3 innings, and in the process, he provided a reminder of why he’d been moved to the bullpen before being given a chance to make this spot start within Pittsburgh’s jumbled rotation. Erick Aybar also recorded three hits and Matt Kemp notched his first RBI for Atlanta as the Braves handed the Pirates their fifth loss in seven games.
“We’ve got to look at the big picture,” Joyce said. “We’re still three games out [of the second wild card]. I think we’ve just got to keep fighting, obviously. We still have a lot of baseball to be played, but it’s possible. If we get on a roll here and we start playing like we know we can, we can be in that spot, in that position we want to be in.”
The Braves’ bullpen was stirring as Whalen issued two walks, hit a batter, uncorked a wild pitch and surrendered three hits during the 36-pitch, four-run first inning. But the right-hander surrendered just one more hit (Jung Ho Kang’s two-out double in the second) and pitched around the consecutive walks issued to begin the third inning. He retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced during a 98-pitch, five-inning effort.
“Putting us in a hole in the first inning like I did was tough, but I was just trying to battle through it the best I could,” Whalen said. “What an amazing job by the offense to come through and pick me up. They kept chipping away. One run every inning makes it a little easier. My goal was to keep us in it the best I could, no matter how bad it was getting out there.”
Locke’s season-long struggles continued on Wednesday, as he surrendered five earned runs and nine hits after a hitless first inning. The left-hander has delivered some strong starts this year and has shown promise in two relief outings — allowing no runs and six hits across 4 1/3 innings. But inconsistency continues to plague him and could send him to a permanent bullpen role once Tyler Glasnow returns from the disabled list.
“It would be nice to be on a little bit better scheduling, but that stuff is out of your control,” Locke said. “I’m just trying to put something good together, however that may be. Tonight, I didn’t know if I could go 50 pitches or 100 pitches. I really didn’t know the case because I haven’t started in a long time … I’ve just got to get back on track here some way, somehow.”
Playing his second game since being acquired from the Padres, Kemp fueled the two-run fifth inning with a double (his first hit with the Braves) and then added a sacrifice fly during a two-run sixth against Juan Nicasio. Each of Atlanta’s starting position players recorded at least one hit. Inciarte, who has batted .370 during his 14-game hitting streak, singled and scored on Recker’s RBI double in the fourth inning.
“We gave up a bunch of runs, but then scored a run here and a run there and then a couple there,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “(Jace Peterson) did a good job to lead off the sixth with a single and then score a run. We just kept working it and adding on.”
On a night when the Pirates’ offense struggled mightily, Matt Joyce celebrated his 32nd birthday with his three-run homer in the first inning. The homer marked his 11th in 153 at-bats this year and his third over his past nine games. During that stretch, the outfielder is batting .400 (6-for-15) with 10 RBIs and seven runs scored. A primary bench player, Joyce has made the most of his recent starts, hitting safely in eight of his past 10 and batting .303 (10-for-33) with three homers and 11 RBIs.
In his first game since being being hit in the face by a pitch from Rockies pitcher Jordan Lyles on May 23, Ryan Vogelsong takes the hill for the Pirates in the final game of their six-game road trip. The 39-year-old is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three games (two starts) at Turner Field during his career. First pitch is set for 6:10 p.m. CT.  Atlanta will send Tyrell Jenkins to the mound for Thursday’s series finale against Pittsburgh. Jenkins bounced back from a rough start at Coors Field and provided six strong innings against the Phillies on Sunday to record his first big league win.

Thunder Radio’s next broadcast of Atlanta Braves baseball will be on Friday night when the Braves open a weekend series with St. Louis.  We will have that broadcast at 6 PM on Friday as part of the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.

Lewis Brinson hit a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Colorado Springs Sky Sox to a 4-1 win over the Nashville Sounds Wednesday night at Security Service Field.

With the Sounds (63-49) leading 1-0 in the seventh, Brinson clobbered a 2-1 pitch from reliever Tucker Healy over the left field wall for the slam.

The long ball came after two singles and a walk to load the bases. Brinson was just acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers in a deadline deal with the Texas Rangers.

Healy came on for Chris Smith who started for Nashville and turned in six shutout innings. He scattered five hits, walked one and struck out four.

Over the last eight games, Nashville starters have a 6-1 record and a 1.08 ERA in 50 innings.

Smith and Sky Sox (54-54) starter Josh Hader were locked in a pitcher’s duel early in the game. Neither team scored in the first five innings as both starters were on their game.

The Sounds got to Hader in the sixth with some timely hitting. After Hader retired the first two batters in the inning, Chad Pinder singled up the middle to put a runner on.

Brett Eibner came through with a fly ball to the gap in right-center that fell and went to the wall. Pinder scored from first on the double by Eibner to give the Sounds a 1-0 lead.

Smith worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the bottom half of the sixth to finish his night.

He gave way for Healy who allowed the go-ahead slam to Brinson in the seventh.

Two Colorado Springs relievers kept the Sounds off the board the rest of the way. Sam Freeman tossed a scoreless seventh and Damien Magnifico notched a six-out save.

The Sounds collected eight hits on the night but went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Game two of the series is set for Thursday night at Security Service Field. Right-hander Jharel Cotton (8-5, 4.90) makes his Sounds debut against right-hander Hiram Burgos (5-8, 5.06) for the Sky Sox. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. CST.

The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

CHS senior golfer Savannah Quick strikes a putt in preseason action from July

The 2016-2017 prep sports season got underway on Tuesday with a pair of strong performances from the Coffee County Central High School golf teams in Cookeville. The two time defending state tournament qualifying Lady Raiders outdistanced the Lady Cavaliers 153 to 175 at the Cookeville Golf Club. The Red Raiders got 4 strong individual rounds but were edged out by the home standing Cookeville boys.
In girls’ action, senior Savannah Quick shot a 4 over par 74 while fellow senior Sophie Vinson carded a 79 as Coffee County had the two lowest girls’ scores of the day. Cookeville was paced by Josie Ross who got around in 85.
For the Red Raiders, 4 scores of 76 and below were not enough to upset the Cavaliers 292 to 295. Sophomore Austin Farris led the Raiders with a 1 over par 71 while senior John Parigger fired a 73, junior Reid Lawrence carded a 75 and sophomore Samuel Prater scored an impressive 76 on the day. Cookeville had 4 scores below 75 led by Ryan Bradshaw whose 70 was the low round of the day. Josh Perry shot a 91 and Matthew Hale added a 92 for the 18 hole match.
The Raider linksters return to action on Thursday when they travel to Eagleville to participate in the Murfreesboro Invitational. The Murfreesboro Invitational will be held at Champions Run. Opening tee time is set for 9 AM.

After being swept by the Brewers last weekend, the Pirates turned to Gerrit Cole and rewarded their ace’s latest strong effort with a sixth-inning offensive flurry that provided a much-needed 5-3 over win the Braves on Tuesday night at Turner Field.

The Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak and began what they hope will evolve into a successful playoff surge with the assistance of the four-run sixth, ending Mike Foltynewicz’s once-promising night. Cole won his second straight start, allowing two runs — one earned — and seven hits over five innings. The right-hander has produced a 1.35 ERA over his past three starts.
“I think I’ve just kind of stayed within myself and tried to help the young guys out when the opportunity presents itself,” Cole said of his role in the rotation. “I’ll just continue to try to do that and just keep trying to do my job. I think one of the best ways to lead is by example.”
Jung Ho Kang’s RBI double and Adam Frazier’s two-run single highlighted the four-run sixth produced against Foltynewicz, who might have gained a better fate had Jace Peterson not bobbled Gregory Polanco’s potential double-play grounder in the decisive frame. Matt Kemp went hitless in his debut for the Braves, who received a solo home run and RBI single from fellow outfielder Nick Markakis.
“The big thing for these guys is getting through that sixth inning, that third time through the order,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Foltynewicz, who has now made 28 career starts. “That’s kind of the growth spurt kind of thing we’re going through right now. He was throwing the ball really well.”
After his team failed to record a hit through the first four innings, Frazier stepped into the box with one out and a runner on first in the fifth and worked a 13-pitch at-bat, where he fouled off nine pitches before doubling to right. The hit set the table for Jordy Mercer’s RBI groundout in the next at-bat. An inning later, the Pirates utility man, and Georgia native, hit a two-out, two-run double down the third-base line to give Pittsburgh a comfortable 5-2 lead. Over his past 11 games, Frazier is hitting .379 (11-for-29) with six extra-base hits.
“I missed a couple of pitches to hit early, and from then on I was in a hole and just trying to battle,” said Frazier about the 13-pitch at-bat. “Finally, I don’t know after how many pitches, I got the barrel to it. It was a tough at-bat, and I was just trying to fight. Being down 1-0 right there and no-hit at the time, needed that for the team.”
Foltynewicz didn’t allow a hit to the first 15 Pirates he faced, but he faltered after hitting Francisco Cervelli on the side of the batting helmet with a 82.8 mph changeup in the fifth. After Cervelli exited, Frazier followed with his 13-pitch at-bat, which resulted in the first of the four hits the Braves right-hander allowed within a span of the final eight batters faced. Kang’s RBI double ended Foltynewicz’s 103-pitch night.
“I did a good job of controlling that fifth inning, but the sixth inning came around and things kind of got out of control,” Foltynewicz said. “They were actually, finally hitting me in the sixth inning and putting the ball in play. Next time around, I’ll try to stay confident and stay aggressive.”
After being acquired from the Mets on Monday in exchange for Jonathon Niese, Antonio Bastardo pitched a perfect sixth in his return to the Pirates. The lefty was the first of three relievers that bridged the gap between Cole and newly minted closer Tony Watson. In his first save opportunity since Mark Melancon was traded to the Nationals on Saturday, Watson navigated a leadoff walk to Gordon Beckham in the ninth to earn his first save since April 22, 2015, and the sixth of his Major League career.
“There was the clean inning from Bastardo, and then everybody else had to work at least a little bit out of the stretch. But they’ve done it,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “It was good to see Bastardo get involved right away. He was efficient with his outing. … I thought it was very important to get Watson out there with a clean start, and he picked up his first save as the closer. All four of them posted up extremely well for us.”
Playing for the first time since the Braves acquired him from the Padres on Saturday, Kemp went hitless in four at-bats and struck out to end the game. The veteran outfielder drew a two-out walk ahead of Markakis’ two-out single in the fifth inning, but he also stranded runners at second and third base when he struck out against Neftali Feliz to end the seventh inning.
Jeff Locke will make his first start for Pittsburgh since giving up five runs on seven hits and five walks over just three innings vs. the Brewers on July 20. The left-hander pitched two innings of scoreless relief against the Mariners on July 26 and will look to translate what he learned in the bullpen to his return to the rotation. First pitch is set for 6:10 p.m. CT.
Atlanta will counter with Rob Whalen in the middle game of this three-game set against Pittsburgh. Whalen, who was acquired from the Mets last year, will be making his Major League debut. He has posted a 2.40 ERA while combining to make 21 starts for Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett this year.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast as we join the Atlanta Braves Radio Network at 6 PM.

The Nashville Sounds swept the New Orleans Zephyrs with a 5-1 win Tuesday night at Zephyrs field.

The Sounds have now won four consecutive games pushing their record to 15 games over .500 at 63-48. The record matches the team’s high-water mark of 15 games over for the season.

Since being called up from Double-A Midland, Sounds starter Raul Alcantara had not allowed an earned run in 20 2/3 innings. That was until a two-out RBI single from Isacc Galloway plated Tomas Telis in the seventh inning.

Raul Alcantara had only allowed three hits in his first six innings of work; however, the Zephyrs tagged three hits on the right-hander in the seventh to plate their first run.

Alcantara (2-0, 0.44) racked up six strikeouts and picked up his second win in his third start as a Sound.

He gave way to Sounds reliever Eduard Santos after the right-hander gave up the two-out RBI single to Galloway. Santos then retired the final batter of the Zephyrs seventh to preserve the Sounds 2-1 lead.

The Sounds scored their only two runs in the fifth inning, as the two runs would be enough. After Joey Wendle walked to lead off the Sounds fifth, back-to-back singles from Matt McBride and Colin Walsh put the Sounds in front 1-0 with Walsh getting the RBI. Arismendy Alcantara then grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored McBride to put the Sounds up 2-0.

Three insurance runs were added by the Sounds in the ninth to stretch their lead to 5-1 over the Zephyrs. Chad Pinder led off the inning with a single to right, he was quickly followed by a single to right by Matt Olson and Pinder advanced to third on a fielding error by Destin Hood. With Wendle batting, Pinder scored on a Cody Ege wild pitch to put the Sounds up 3-1.

Wendle walked to put runners at first and second, and Matt McBride then singled to load the bases for Colin Walsh. Walsh would walk and plate Olson to up the Sounds lead to 4-1 in the ninth. Rangel Ravelo then scored Wendle on a fielder’s choice to put the Sounds up 5-1.

Sounds Manager Steve Scarsone then gave the ball to Patrick Schuster to pitch the ninth in a non-save opportunity. Schuster made quick work of the Zephyrs retiring them in order to give the Sounds the sweep of New Orleans.

The Sounds now travel to Colorado Springs for their second four-game series in their 12-game road trip. Right-hander Chris Smith (6-8, 4.11) starts for the Sounds against left-handed pitcher Josh Hader (0-3, 6.05) for the Zephyrs. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. CST at Security Service Field.

The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

Coffee County Junior Golf Association Vice-President David Vinson(left) presents a check to CHS golf coach Mike Ray as teh Raider teams and CCJGA President Chad Reed(pink shirt) look on.

After a break of more than 2 months, prep sports teams and athletes return to action on Tuesday as the 2016-2017 high school sports season begins. The prep season tees off….literally..at 1 PM in Cookeville as the Coffee County Red Raider and Lady Raider golf teams open the season at Cookeville. The match marks the first regular season matchup of the school year as the members of those 2 teams attempt to return to the state tournament.
Also on Tuesday, the CHS Lady Raider soccer team will travel to Murfreesboro for a 7 PM scrimmage game with Oakland. The Lady Raiders will also travel to Ooltewah on Thursday for a scrimmage before hosting a scrimmage play day on Saturday. Coach David Amado and 3 of his Lady Raider seniors were guests on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show. You can hear our interview with them by downloading the podcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/
The CHS Golf team was recognized and honored on Monday night at Willowbrook by the Coffee County Junior Golf Association. Members of the team were treated to dinner at Boskey’s as part of the CCJGA Summer Celebration banquet celebrating a successful summer of junior golf in Coffee County. President Carl Reed, Vice-President David Vinson and Willowbrook golf pro Barry Bishop presided over the activities as the CCJGA presented a donation to the Coffee County Golf Team. Coach Mike Ray remarked that the junior golf program has contributed greatly to his team’s success as all of his current players have learned and competed in the CCJGA.
When interviewed, Coach Ray had this to say about the importance of the role of the Coffee County Junior Golf Association:

To learn more about junior golf, visit the CCJGA Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Coffee-County-Junior-Golf-102421059808150/

or you can call Willowbrook Golf Club for more information.

The Westwood Rockets football team will be holding their annual Blue/White game on Thursday at Dyer-Bouldin Field at 7 PM.  This intersquad scrimmage game is open to the public and all proceeds go to benefit the football team.  Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students and concessions will be available.

The Rockets will travel to Wartrace on Friday night for the Cascade jamboree as they will take on Middle Tennessee Christian.  That jamboree session is set to begin at 5:30 PM.  The Rockets open their regular season on Thursday night when the play host to Forrest at Dyer-Bouldin Field.  Kick-off is set for 6:30 PM and Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast as part of our First National Bank Hometown Sports series.