Category: Sports

Daniel Mengden continued his torrid stretch and delivered seven stellar innings to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 2-1 win over the Sacramento River Cats in front of 5,492 fans Friday night at First Tennessee Park.

It’s the sixth consecutive win for the Sounds who are now three games above .500 at 22-19 and sit in first place in the American South Division. They’ve won eight of their last nine games at home.

Mengden’s last three outings have been seven inning starts. Since being promoted from Double-A Midland on May 2, he has allowed two earned runs in 27 innings. Between Midland and Nashville, he has allowed a total of four earned runs in 50 innings.

He dealt with two base runners in each of the first two innings but used three strikeouts to escape with no damage.

Nashville jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Josh Rodriguez drew a bases loaded walk against Sacramento starter Chris Heston in the second.

In the fourth, Rangel Ravelo boosted the lead to 2-0 when he launched a solo homer to left-center. It was Ravelo’s second home run of the season.

It was more than enough offense for Mengden who retired seven straight in the middle innings before Ryan Lollis started the sixth with a base hit to right field. Two batters later, Mac Williamson lined a double down the left field line that chased Lollis all the way around to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Mengden bounced back and retired the final five batters he faced after the double. He finished his night with back-to-back strikeouts to close the top of the seventh.

Patrick Schuster took over for Mengden in the eighth and delivered a 10-pitch, 1-2-3 inning to preserve the 2-1 lead.

Schuster handed over to J.B. Wendelken in the ninth and the right-hander made quick work of the River Cats. He retired the side in order and pumped a fastball past Mitch Delfino to end it.

Game three of the four-game series is set for Saturday night at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Chris Smith (2-5, 4.40) starts for the Sounds against left-hander Ty Blach (5-3, 3.57) for the River Cats. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

Haidyn Campbell & Hallie Wimberley with their All-Conference team medals

The Westwood Lady Rockets softball team held their end of season banquet on Thursday night at the Coffee Café. Outgoing Head Coach Angela Houck presided over the festivities as a pair of Lady Rockets were recognized as members of the Duck River Valley Conference All- Conference team. Haidyn Campbell and Hallie Wimberley were named to the All-Conference Team as selected by the conference coaches.

Tryouts for the 2016-17 Coffee County Central High School Lady Raider Softball team will be May 31 and June 2 at 6:00 pm. Everyone must have an up to date physical form with them to try out. If you have any questions please contact coach Steve Wilder at: wilders@k12coffee.net

 
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Tryouts for the 2016-17 Coffee County Central High School Baseball team will be May 31 and June 2nd from 12 to 2.
Everyone must have an up to date physical form with them to try out. If you have any questions please contact coach David Martin at: martindavid@k12coffee.net
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Coffee County Middle School Baseball tryouts for next school year will be held on Saturday, June 4th at the following times:
Incoming 6th & 7th grade from 10:00am to 1:00pm
Incoming 8th grade from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Players trying out must have a copy of a current physical.
If you have any questions please contact Rodney Meeker 409-6958

Left-hander Jeff Locke threw seven strong innings, Gregory Polanco led another complete performance by the Pirates’ lineup and the Bucs beat the Braves, 8-2, on Thursday night to clinch a victory in their four-game series at PNC Park.

Locke bounced back from a rough start against the Cubs and worked seven full innings for the second time in his last four starts, holding the Braves to two runs on six hits while striking out six. Unlike Wednesday night, Pittsburgh’s bats backed up their starter, pounding out eight runs on 11 hits — including three from leadoff man John Jaso and Jordy Mercer and two from Polanco.
Polanco flashed rarely seen power in the second inning, launching an 80-mph curveball over the left-center-field wall off Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz — who gave up five runs (four earned) in three innings. The two-run homer, Polanco’s fifth of the season, traveled 409 feet from home plate the opposite way and into the stands with an exit velocity of 105 mph, according to Statcast™.
Polanco’s barrage against Atlanta’s pitching staff continued in the fifth, when he smashed a leadoff triple high off the right-field wall and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jung Ho Kang.
Fresh off the paternity list following the birth of his daughter, Tiana, Pirates left fielder Starling Marte knocked a two-run single to right field in the first inning against Foltynewicz to open the scoring. One of the Pirates’ most productive hitters thus far this season, Marte missed the first three games of this series to be with his family.
Foltynewicz retired two of the first three batters he faced before hitting Kang with a 1-2 fastball. The first of Tyler Flowers’ two passed balls set the stage for Marte to spark Pittsburgh’s two-run first with a bloop single to shallow right. Then in the second inning, the Braves right-hander allowed three consecutive two-out hits, including Polanco’s two-run homer. Foltynewicz had allowed two earned runs in 15 innings over his two previous starts.
After making three quick trips in and out of Pittsburgh last season without throwing a pitch, reliever Wilfredo Boscan finally got on the mound at PNC Park. Called up Thursday afternoon to replace left-hander Cory Luebke in the bullpen, Boscan tossed a perfect eighth inning and a scoreless ninth to seal the victory.
Jeff Francoeur notched the first of the two consecutive doubles surrendered by Locke to begin the fourth inning and then opened the sixth inning with his second home run of the season and of the series. The six home runs the Braves hit during this four-game series matched the total they have compiled over 19 games at Turner Field this season.
Matt Wisler will take the mound when Atlanta begins a three-game series in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park on Friday at 6:05 p.m. CT. Wisler has pitched into the eighth inning in each of his past three starts, including his May 10 loss to the Phillies.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast of the game as part of the Braves Radio Network beginning at 6 PM.

Jake Smolinski hit a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning and Chad Pinder had a perfect night to guide the Nashville Sounds to a thrilling 6-5 win over the Sacramento River Cats in front of 7,407 fans Thursday night at First Tennessee Park.

With the scored tied 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, Smolinski hit the third pitch of the inning from Steven Okert over the center field wall to give the Sounds (21-19) a 6-5 lead.

The blast came just moments after the River Cats (16-25) plated two runs on three consecutive two-out hits in the top of the inning to even the game.

It was a back-and-forth game all night as the River Cats jumped out to an early lead on Mac Williamson’s solo homer in the top of the second.

Their lead didn’t last long as the Sounds scored three runs in the third to take a 3-1 lead. Rangel Ravelo and Pinder were on base when Renato Nunez smashed a double off the center field wall to score two. Smolinski followed with his own two-bagger to the gap in right-center to make it 3-1.

Sacramento scored runs off Nashville starter Eric Surkamp in the fourth and fifth innings to even the game at 3-3. Jarrett Parker belted a solo homer in the fourth and Mitch Delfino doubled in a run in the fifth.

It remained tied until Pinder came through with his fourth hit of the night in the seventh. With Ravelo at third and Joey Wendle at second following a double, Pinder lined a base hit to left field to score both runners giving the Sounds a 5-3 lead.

Sacramento bounced back with two-out magic of their own. Parker, Williamson and Grant Green produced three straight hits off Aaron Kurcz to square the game at 5-5.

Kurcz struck out Miguel Olivo to end the inning and escape the jam without further damage.

That set up Smolinski who wasted little time getting the lead back for Nashville. It was the third home run of the season for Smolinski who finished 3-for-4 with a pair of runs knocked in. Pinder finished 4-for-4 – his second four-hit game of the homestand.

Kurcz picked up the win in relief and Steve Okert was charged with the loss. Tucker Healy worked a perfect ninth to earn his second save of the season.

Game two of the four-game series is set for Friday night at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Daniel Mengden (1-0, 0.45) starts for Nashville against right-hander Chris Heston (0-3, 4.94) for Sacramento. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

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.

Mill Harner(center) celebrates his signing with Sewanee surrounded by his family and coaches. Front Row(left to right) Sonya Harner, Mill Harner, Patrick Harner, Kyleigh Harner. Back Row(left to right) Brandon McWhorter, Ryan Sulkowski and Randy Horn.

Senior linebacker and fullback Mill Harner of Coffee County celebrated the signing of a scholarship offer to the University of the South to continue his football career in a ceremony at CHS on Wednesday. Harner, who played on both sides of the ball this past season, looks forward to the opportunity to play as a linebacker at the Sewanee university.
Harner has yet to decide on a major in college but does know that he wants to minor in business. “They gave me a good offer as far as financial aid and it’s such a good academic school you just can’t turn that down” added Harner when asked what attracted him to Sewanee. When asked what he would miss most after leaving Coffee County, Harner had this to say:

Coffee County head coach Ryan Sulkowski praised Harner for his contributions to the football program. “He is the foundation, he is the one we built everything around” said Sulkowski. “Most of my thoughts over the past 2 years, I can picture him in those memories” added Sulkowski. When asked what particular memory about Mill that he will keep with him forever, Sulkowski had this to say:

The University of the South competes in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Southern Athletic Association. The Tigers football team is coached by Tommy Laurendine.

Gavin Husted(center) celebrates his signing with Shorter surrounded by his family and coaches. Front Row(left to right) Maddie Husted, Michelle Husted, Gavin Husted, Brian Husted and Katelynn Husted. Back Row(left to right) Ryan Sulkowski, Jon Spears, David Martin, Adam Floid, Mark Yother and Dr. Joey Vaughn

Senior baseball player Gavin Husted of the Coffee County Red Raider baseball team signed as a preferred walk-on with Shorter University on Wednesday at a ceremony at the school. Husted, a first baseman and catcher on this season’s team, looks forward to having the opportunity to catch and work as an outfielder for the Rome, Georgia university.
Husted, who maintains an excellent GPA, looks to study pre-med at Shorter. “They have an 86% acceptance rate into medical school” said Husted. He also liked the fact that it was a small school. Here is what Husted had to say about Shorter University:

CHS baseball coach David Martin was quick to heap praise on Husted saying that he was “everything we want this program to be about.” Martin went on to say that he appreciated the combination of athleticism and work ethic which contributed to Gavin’s success. “Gavin always led by example and always took care of the small things” added Martin. When asked about what would make Gavin successful at the college level, Martin had this to say:

Shorter University is located in Rome, Georgia and competes in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Gulf South Conference. The Hawks are coached by Wes Timmons.

Backed by Freddie Freeman’s RBI single and Tyler Flowers’ home run, right-hander Julio Teheran snapped his eight-start winless streak in a 3-1 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday night at PNC Park.

Teheran shut out the Pirates for 7 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and striking out three without a walk. Despite entering the night with a 3.17 ERA, and ending it with a 2.73 mark, Teheran had lost a career-high-tying four straight decisions. On Wednesday, he shut out a Pirates lineup that put up 12 runs on 21 hits the previous night.
“He changed speeds so well,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “He hit the locations he wanted to all night long.”
Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano returned to form after a rough outing in Chicago, holding the Braves to two runs. Liriano walked only two batters, inducing soft contact from Atlanta’s lineup and efficiently working seven innings on 94 pitches.
“What I wanted to do today was attack the strike zone and make something happen with three pitches or less,” Liriano said. “Make them put the ball in play, try to go deep into the game. I was just hitting my spots and executing my pitches.”
But the Braves took their first lead of the series in the third inning, when Daniel Castro came home on Freeman’s single to center field. Flowers padded the Braves’ lead in the sixth, launching his first homer of the season into the bushes beyond the center-field fence. That was enough for Teheran, who snapped Atlanta’s three-game losing streak and delivered interim manager Brian Snitker his first win.
“It was a good team win all the way around,” Snitker said. “We caught the ball well and Julio just fed off all the runs he got and just did a great job.”
Teheran had retired 17 of the past 20 batters he had faced before surrendering consecutive one-out singles in the eighth. Though his starter’s pitch count was at 91 with two outs in the inning, Snitker called upon Arodys Vizcaino, who stranded a pair of runners with Andrew McCutchen’s flyout to end the frame, then completed a four-out save despite surrendering Jung Ho Kang’s solo homer in the ninth.
“They’ve got a good lineup over there and I was just trying not to make mistakes,” said Teheran, who has posted a 1.15 ERA over his past six starts. “I was able to do it the whole game.”
With Nick Markakis on first base and the Pirates’ defense shifted in the first, Freeman knocked a ground ball up the middle. Jordy Mercer fielded it cleanly and flipped the ball to Kang, who fired to first baseman John Jaso for the inning-ending double play. It was the first time Kang had attempted to turn a double play at second base since the Sept. 17 collision with the Cubs’ Chris Coghlan that ended his rookie season.
Kang contributed on the other side of the ball, too, ripping a solo shot into the left-field seats in the ninth inning. Kang’s fifth homer in 10 games put the Pirates on the board, keeping them from being shut out for the first time this season.
“It feels good to hit a home run,” Kang said, “but it feels better when we win.”
Freeman had been hitless in his past 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position before he notched an RBI single with two outs in the third inning. Flowers’ sixth-inning solo shot highlighted his three-hit night and was the fifth homer the Braves have hit during the first three games of this series. They came to Pittsburgh with just nine homers through their first 36 games.
“Actually, the catching part is way more fun than hitting home runs and contributing [offensively],” said Flowers, who has guided Teheran to a 0.42 ERA over three starts. “We were prepared. We executed and we had some really good results. That’s much more satisfying than any hit I’ll get.”
Teheran ended the seventh inning by picking Matt Joyce off first base. He is now tied with Clayton Kershaw for the most pickoffs (21) since the start of 2013. No other right-handed pitcher entered Wednesday with more than 11.
Mike Foltynewicz will attempt to complete a third consecutive impressive start when this four-game series concludes on Thursday at 6:05 p.m. CT. Since surrendering three home runs during the first inning of his season debut, the hard-throwing right-hander has allowed two runs over the 18 innings that have followed.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast of the game as part of the Braves Radio Network beginning at 6 PM.

Lady Raider state track qualifiers (left to right) Sarah Pearson, Karson Young and Diana Davis

After a season of amazing performances, the Coffee County Lady Raider track team added another chapter in the remarkable success story of 2016 on Tuesday at the Sectional Meet at Riverdale. After the dust settled and the points were tallied, the Lady Raiders finished the meet in a 3rd place tie in the team standings with Oakland at 62 points, 1 point behind 2nd place Blackman. What makes the performance so remarkable is that Coffee County was only represented by 7 athletes at the Sectional and competed against 27 teams from Section 2.
More importantly, 3 Lady Raiders have qualified to compete at the state track meet in a total of 7 different events. This makes the 25th consecutive year that Coffee County will be represented at the state meet. Coffee County, who already had Sarah Pearson qualified in the Pentathlon, competed in 7 different events on Tuesday and claimed qualification scores in 6 of those events. Coach Stan Jarrell was ecstatic with the performance saying “I am so proud of our kids this year.”
Pearson and Karson Young each qualified in 3 individual events as Young will compete in the triple jump, the long jump and the 100M hurdles. Pearson qualified on Tuesday for the high jump, the 100M hurdles and the 300M hurdles. Additionally, Pearson qualified last month for the pentathlon. “I don’t know that we’ve ever had 2 people qualify in 3 individual events. Awesome effort on their part” added Coach Jarrell. Diana Davis also advanced to the state meet as she qualified in the pole vault.
Young finished with three 2nd place finishes and 2 new personal bests on the day. In the 100M hurdles, Young posted a time of 16.26. She also jumped personal records of 16’ 6” in the long jump and 34’10” in the triple jump. Pearson came in 4th place in the 100M hurdles with a time of 16.83. She also finished in 3rd place in the 300M hurdles and the high jump with personal record performances. Pearson ran the 300M hurdles in 48.29 and cleared 4’10” in the high jump. Davis finished in 3rd place in the pole vault with a jump of 9’6”.
The girls’ 4x800M relay team was the only non-qualifier for the Lady Raiders, but they also ran a season best time on 12:11.43. The relay team consisted of Renee Martin, Emily St. John, Makenzie Webb and Byanka Woods. For the Red Raiders, Reece Pratt threw a personal best of 111’ 5” to finish in 8th place.
The Spring Fling State Track Meet will take place all next week at MTSU’s Dean Hays Stadium. Pearson will be the first competitor for Coffee County as she will compete in the pentathlon on Monday(May 23rd) beginning at 10:30 AM. Davis will compete in the pole vault on Wednesday(May 25th) at 2 PM. Pearson and Young will compete on Thursday(May 26th) as Young will take part in the long jump at 9 AM. Young comes back for the triple jump at 10:15 and will compete in the 100M hurdles around 3:30 PM. Pearson takes part in the high jump at 12 PM, the 100M hurdles around 3:30 PM and the 300M hurdles sometime after 4 PM.

After starting the night with a nine-run lead, the Pirates wound up needing the back end of their bullpen to close out a 12-9 win over the Braves on Tuesday at PNC Park.

The Pirates’ lineup did its part with a season-high 21 hits and a season-high-tying 12 runs. Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco and Francisco Cervelli powered the offense with three hits apiece. But starter Juan Nicasio permitted five runs (three earned) in five innings, Ryan Vogelsong was charged with three runs and Arquimedes Caminero gave up a homer to Mallex Smith, the only batter he faced in the seventh.
That led the Pirates to summon their top three relievers — Neftali Feliz, Tony Watson and closer Mark Melancon — to finish a game they once led 9-0.
In his first inning on the job, Braves interim manager Brian Snitker watched the Pirates pound out seven runs on seven hits off rookie right-hander Aaron Blair. Pittsburgh added two more runs in the second inning, but Atlanta began to climb back in the game. Smith hit the first of his two homers, both two-run shots to right field, in a three-run third inning. The Braves and Pirates each put up a pair of runs in the fifth; Atlanta tacked on another in the sixth and three more in the seventh against Pittsburgh’s bullpen.

The Braves will take on the Pirates on Wednesday night in Game #3 of this 4 game series.  First pitch is set for 6:05 PM and Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast beginning at 6 PM as part of the Braves Radio Network.