Category: Sports

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

Viktor Arvidsson of the Nashville Predators

Game Seven is indeed necessary.

Viktor Arvidsson scored at 2:03 of the first overtime to give the Nashville Predators a 4-3 victory in Game Six over the San Jose Sharks to even the series at 3-3. The result forces a Game Seven for the second time in as many rounds for the Preds, officially the furthest they’ve ever advanced in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Nashville has played their best hockey when it’s mattered most in these playoffs. Monday night was no exception.

“We have really good leadership in the room – I’ve said that all along,” Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “Ultimately, those are the guys that pull the rope. When you’re down like that, it can be frustrating. We were a little slow getting off the mark, they had that redirect, then a rebound goal, and then were able to jump up 2-0. You never know what’s going to happen at that point. I think [Josi’s] goal, with five minutes or so left to go in the first period, was really important. It injected some life into us.

“After that [goal], we came out in the second period and really put our foot on the gas pedal.”

Chris Tierney got the Sharks out in front with not one, but two goals, less than two minutes apart from each other midway through the first for a 2-0 lead. The Preds needed a bounce, and they received one, courtesy of Roman Josi. The defenseman came down the slot and threw a puck toward the net that deflected off a Sharks defender and behind Martin Jones at 15:27 to get the Predators on the board before the opening frame was out.

Once the second stanza commenced, it took only 1:25 for Ryan Johansen to even the score. Defenseman Ryan Ellis found Johansen down low, and the centerman walked around Justin Braun on his way to the net, before sneaking a backhander through Jones for a 2-2 draw heading into the third period.

In the final frame, it was Logan Couture who scored on the power play to give San Jose a lead once more, but as they’ve done before, the Preds refused to quit and put together a nifty passing play when it mattered most. Mike Ribeiro found James Neal at the right circle, who found Colin Wilson waiting at the side of the net for his fifth goal of the playoffs, giving the Preds a 3-3 tie and sending the home crowd into a frenzy. And for the second time in three games, overtime was a necessity.

Just over two minutes into the extra session, Miikka Salomaki found Arvidsson streaking up the ice. The speedy winger hit the left circle and roofed a shot to the top right corner of the twine, sealing one more date in San Jose on Thursday night.

“It felt really good, awesome,” Arvidsson said of his first career Stanley Cup Playoffs goal. “It was a great feeling to see the puck go in the net. It was awesome.”

The belief in the Nashville locker room has never wavered in these playoffs. The club has found a way to keep their dream alive, in both Games Six and Seven against Anaheim in the First Round, before a Mike Fisher goal in triple overtime of Game Four against San Jose put one more exclamation point on the run.

“We believe in each other, and we believe in our game plan,” Arvidsson said. “I think we really hung in there today and just kept playing our game, and the result was good.”

“A lot of character,” Josi said of his team’s resolve in Game Six. “I thought after that first period, everybody was going and everybody was playing well. We had a lot of chances in the third or the second period, and it’s just a lot of character. We’ve been through a lot of adversity this year, and I think that definitely helps us now.”

As they’ve reaffirmed throughout the postseason, they haven’t accomplished anything just yet, but the Preds know that each small triumph has the potential to ultimately lead to something much greater. Another Game Seven now awaits.

“This is our journey, and of course I believe in that,” Rinne said. “I believe this is our year, and you’ve got to take ownership. You try to do everything you can to make it happen, and obviously we aren’t even halfway yet; but we’ve been playing a lot of hockey, and hopefully it continues.”

Peter Laviolette on the Preds fans in Game Six:  “I have to tell you, the fans tonight were just incredible. The building was unbelievable, and when you come down from elimination games, last round and this round, and you have a building like we do… the energy that we draw from that, that we pull from that, I can’t even tell you how important that is for our group. It was a great environment.”

Viktor Arvidsson is the first Preds player in franchise history to score his first career playoff goal in overtime.

Colin Wilson is on a seven-game point streak, adding to his postseason, franchise record. James Neal is on a four-game point streak.

The Preds are 4-7 all-time in postseason overtime and are 2-0 in these playoffs.

This is the first time the Preds have ever advanced past Game Six of the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This will also be the latest the Predators have ever played on the calendar. Nashville has also set a franchise record with seven playoff victories.

A decisive Game Seven between the Preds and the Sharks comes Thursday night in San Jose at the SAP Center. A start time is yet to be announced.

The Memphis Redbirds shut out the Nashville Sounds 5-0 in front of 4,894 fans at First Tennessee Park Monday night.

Nashville managed just six hits on the night as they were shut out for the second time this year. The scoring opportunities were never there as they went just 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position.

Patrick Wisdom got the Redbirds on the board in a hurry when he belted a solo homer off Sounds starter Chris Smith in the second.

He was back at it again in the fourth when he knocked in David Washington with a base hit to left field to make it a 2-0 game.

Smith worked into the sixth inning where most of the damage was done. Tommy Pham drew a lead-off walk and moved to second when Nick Martini hit a routine bouncer to short. Instead of going to first, Nashville shortstop Josh Rodriguez shoveled to second but it was late and everybody was safe.

Wisdom then walked to load the bases, ending Smith’s night after 5 1/3 innings. Manager Steve Scarsone turned to Daniel Coulombe who struck out Dean Anna for the second out.

He got Jacob Wilson to hit a groundball to third, but Renato Nunez’s throw was in the dirt at first and two runs crossed on the E-5. Alberto Rosario made it 5-0 with a run-scoring single before the inning came to a close.

The closest the Sounds got to pushing a run across was in the sixth when they had runners at the corners with two outs but Nunez bounced out to third to end the threat.

Arturo Reyes pitched the first 6 2/3 innings and earned his second win of the season. He allowed six hits, did not walk a batter and recorded five strikeouts. Ryan Sheriff and Juan Gonzalez worked the final 2 1/3 frames to close out the shutout.

The Sounds hit the road for a four-game series against the Iowa Cubs set to begin Tuesday night. Right-hander Henderson Alvarez (0-0, 1.35) makes another MLB rehab start for Nashville against right-hander Stephen Perakslis (0-0, 1.93) for the Cubs. 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.

Davis Green

Good situational hitting and a command performance from junior pitcher Davis Green lifted the Coffee County baseball team to a 5 to 3 win over Shelbyville on Saturday in an elimination game at the District 8AAA tournament in Columbia.
Coffee County, who was held to just 3 hits on the game, showed patience at the plate in getting runners in scoring position in 5 of the 7 innings. “We have made an improvement in shortening up our swings and putting the ball in play” said coach David Martin. “That allowed us to cut down on our strikeouts and put pressure on their defense and it paid off for us(on Saturday)” added Martin.
The Raiders drew first blood in the 2nd inning when Gavin Husted got a 1 out walk and stole 2nd base. Jacob Langham drove an outside pitch to the right side of the infield that allowed Husted to advance to 3rd and, when the 2nd baseman misplayed the ball, score on the play. A walk and a stolen base in the 3rd put Zack Wise at 2nd base as Wyatt Day hit behind the runner to advance him to 3rd and Noah Anderson brought Wise home on a sacrifice fly.
In the 4th inning, a pair of singles and 3 Shelbyville errors added the final 3 runs to the scoreboard for Coffee County as again, the Raiders used a pair of sacrifices to put pressure on the Eagles defense.
Shelbyville was able to get base runners on board in every inning against Green, but the junior right-hander pitched out of every jam. “Davis is such a tough competitor. I did not intend for him to pitch (a complete game), but he would not have wanted to come out of there” said Martin. “He attacks the strike zone and stays ahead in the count, which allows him to be successful every time he takes the mound” added Martin. For his complete game win, Green was named the Ascend Federal Credit Union player of the game.
The Raiders will take on Columbia on Monday in a 6:30 PM elimination game at Columbia with a “next man up” mentality. The Red Raiders’ pitching staff has been stretched thin and several players are playing through injuries. “We have a lot of guys that are banged up right now but do not want to come out(of the lineup). I am proud of them to have that grit about them” said Martin. A win on Monday advances the Raiders to Tuesday’s semifinals.

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

David Fernandez

After struggling with the Lawrence County defensive game plan in the 1st half, the Coffee County soccer team notched four 2nd half goals to open the District 8AAA soccer tournament with a 4 to 0 win. After implementing their halftime adjustments, the Raiders were able to counter the stingy Wildcat defense to advance to Wednesday’s semifinal which will be held at home at 7 PM against either Tullahoma or Columbia at the Raider Soccer Field.
“(Lawrence County) had an obvious game plan to just keep the ball out of the net, with their back line never coming off the 18 yard line in the first half and their four midfielders about ten yards in front” said Raider head coach Robert Harper following the game. “We did a good job the first half of being patient and possessing the ball, but at halftime we made an adjustment and started taking more shots from distance and playing crosses earlier in the possession” added Harper.
In the second half, David Fernandez opened the scoring in the 47th minute when he collected a rebound of his own missed shot and found the back of the net. Paco Barrera added a goal in the 57th minute off a pass from Breyer Taylor before Taylor added a goal 2 minutes later on an assist from Victor Ramirez. Ben Reid closed out the scoring for Coffee County in the 75th minute when he nailed a free kick from 40 yards out.
The Raiders now advance to Wednesday’s semifinal where they will face a stern task against either Tullahoma or Columbia. Coach Harper was very pleased with his team’s continuing improvement in ball possession and stressed that it will be important in the next round. “We need to continue to posses the ball and make sharp passes to be successful” said Harper.
The final quarterfinal game takes place on Monday at Tullahoma as Columbia takes on the Wildcats. That winner will visit the Raider Soccer Field at 7 PM on Wednesday. The Raider Soccer Field is located behind the Raider Academy on the McMinnville Highway in Manchester.

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

The San Jose Sharks are one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Final after a 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators in Game Five on Saturday night at SAP Center. The Sharks now lead the Round Two series 3-2, with an elimination Game Six coming Monday night in Nashville.

The home team struck first, and although the Preds tied the game, San Jose continued to push, something Nashville wasn’t able to overcome.

“We weren’t ready to go,” forward James Neal said. “They came out strong, good push, scored, but I thought we settled down a bit and got one back and started playing a little better. But not good enough out of our group.”

San Jose made it 1-0 when Patrick Marleau fired a shot past Pekka Rinne at the 10:47 mark of the opening period to give the Sharks a lead. Nashville responded, and Mike Fisher tallied his team-leading fifth of the postseason – and third in two games – when he beat Martin Jones at the side of the net to even things at 1-1. Neal and Colin Wilson assisted on the Fisher marker, the fifth consecutive goal scored by the line. Joe Pavelski finished off the first-period scoring to give the Sharks the lead at the end of one.

Logan Couture made it 3-1 less than a minute into the second stanza, while Pavelski got his second of the night on a power play in the period’s final minutes for a three-goal San Jose lead after two. Melker Karlsson recorded the fifth Sharks’ goal as time wound down in regulation.

The Preds are now on the brink of elimination, something they faced in Round One against Anaheim. Down 3-2 heading into Game Six, the Predators won in Nashville before taking a deciding Game Seven against the Ducks. Now, they have to do the same again.

“I think anytime you’re in playoff hockey, experiences that you gain, good and bad, you learn from them,” Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “Just because we did something last round, we have to put the work in and make sure that we’re playing the game with the attitude that we need to be successful. We can take things from that, but we have to change our mindset here.”

“We’ve been in this position before; backs against the wall, and it usually brings out the best in people,” defenseman Ryan Ellis said. “It did last series, hopefully it does for us this time.”

With an assist on Mike Fisher’s goal, Colin Wilson has a point in six-straight games, setting a Preds franchise record for points in consecutive playoff games. Joel Ward held the previous record at five games.

Center Mike Ribeiro returned to the lineup in Game Five after being scratched for the previous two contests. Pontus Aberg, who made his NHL debut in Game Three, did not play on Saturday.

Game Six is set for Monday night in Nashville, an 8 p.m. (CT) start. If necessary, Game Seven will be back in San Jose on Thursday.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast as part of the Fifth Third Bank.Nashville Predators Radio Network

Sounds left fielder Andrew Lambo hit a two-out single to right field to score Jake Smolinski with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Sounds a 3-2 walk-off win before 6,031 fans Sunday afternoon at First Tennessee Park.

Smolinski sparked the two-out rally when Miguel Socolovich hit him with a pitch. With Lambo batting, he swiped second base for his third stolen base of the game. Lambo swatted a 3-2 offering from Socolovich into shallow right field and Smolinski scored just in front of the throw to the plate.

The rally came just moments after Redbirds right fielder David Washington tied the game with a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth off Sounds reliever Tucker Healy. The blast cost starter Daniel Mengden his second win in as many outings after a brilliant performance.

Mengden matched a career-high seven innings and kept Memphis off the scoreboard while limiting them to just four hits. He didn’t walk a batter and racked up eight strikeouts in the process. The eight punchouts fell just one shy of tying his career-high. Over his first two Triple-A starts, Mengden has combined to throw 13 shutout innings.

The scoring began with a Jake Smolinski two-out RBI single to right that scored Tyler Ladendorf to give Nashville an early 1-0 lead.

The Sounds doubled their lead in the bottom of the fourth when Joey Wendle sent a sacrifice fly to left field to score Renato Nunez to give Nashville a 2-0 lead.

Mengden was terrific after he allowed a leadoff triple to Charlie Tilson. He buckled in and got the next three hitters while keeping Tilson at third.

One game after Zach Neal retired the final 16 batters he faced, Mengden retired the final 11 he saw.

He gave way to the bullpen as Angel Castro kept the 2-0 lead with a 1-2-3 eighth inning.

The Sounds turned to Healy in the ninth who allowed the game-tying homer to Washington on a 1-1 pitch before the heroics in the home half of the ninth.

The series will conclude Monday night at First Tennessee Park. The Sounds send right-hander Chris Smith (1-4, 5.51) to the mound and the Redbirds will counter with right-hander Arturo Reyes (1-2, 5.73). 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.

Chris Herrmann capped the first two-homer game of his career in timely fashion and allowed the D-backs to complete a three-game sweep with Sunday afternoon’s 5-3, 11-inning win over the Braves at Turner Field.

Herrmann’s two-run homer off Jim Johnson sunk the Braves, who had tied the game with a three-run eighth inning. Atlanta has lost 15 of its first 16 home games. The D-backs entered this series having lost six straight games and eight of their past nine.
D-backs starter Patrick Corbin scattered five hits over seven scoreless innings and exited with a 3-0 lead. But Jeff Francoeur produced a game-tying, two-run double off Jake Barrett, who entered after Tyler Flowers’ RBI single accounted for one of the three hits left-hander Andrew Chafin surrendered in the eighth.
Coming off a start in which he allowed the Mets three first-inning homers, Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz matched a career high with eight strikeouts and surrendered just two runs over seven innings. Corbin delivered an RBI triple after Erick Aybar’s defensive miscue extended the fifth inning, and Herrmann further marred Foltynewicz’s impressive outing when he drilled an 0-2 fastball off the right-field foul pole with two outs in the seventh.
Nick Markakis highlighted his three-hit game by beginning Atlanta’s three-run eighth with one of the three hits surrendered by Chafin within a span of four batters. Flowers chased Chafin with a RBI single and Francoeur followed by greeting Barrett with a two-run double that traveled down the left-field line far enough to allow pinch-runner Mallex Smith to easily score from first and tie the game at 3.
Power surge: After starting the season with just one hit in his first 20 at-bats, Herrmann’s bat has come alive. He has homered in three of his last five starts and is 9-for-19 over that span.
Foltynewicz recorded three strikeouts during a perfect fourth inning and had retired 11 straight batters before Brandon Drury opened the fifth with a single. Corbin would not have been given a chance to score Drury with his triple had Aybar not fumbled Chris Owings’ potential inning-ending double-play grounder. Aybar’s defensive woes continue to haunt the Braves, but he has continued to play shortstop, even when Daniel Castro is in the lineup.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was unsuccessful when he challenged whether Paul Goldschmidt violated the slide rule when he was forced out at second base in the 11th inning. Goldschmidt seemed to get his feet tangled as he slid awkwardly, but he never lost touch of the second-base bag.
Matt Wisler will take the mound when Atlanta opens a three-game series against Philadelphia on Tuesday at 6:10 p.m. CT. Wisler will be making a second straight start with two extra days of rest. He limited the Mets to one hit over eight scoreless innings during his most recent outing.

Brandon Drury was essentially a throw-in portion of the package that brought Justin Upton from Arizona to Atlanta before the 2013 season. But the D-backs have certainly come to realize the tremendous potential possessed by Drury, who delivered a decisive sixth-inning double in Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Braves at Turner Field.

Drury’s RBI double off Bud Norris enabled Shelby Miller to notch his first win since the D-backs acquired him via the blockbuster trade completed with the Braves in December. Miller halted his early-season woes while limiting his former team to two runs and four hits over six innings.
Freddie Freeman drilled a two-out, solo homer in the first inning and the Braves provided Julio Teheran another run of support in the second inning. But Erick Aybar’s error helped the D-backs complete a game-tying two-run second inning against Teheran, who surrendered one earned run over five innings but was not nearly as sharp in this 101-pitch effort as he had been in his past two outings. The Braves have now lost 14 of their first 15 home games.

The Braves wrap up the series with the Diamondbacks on Sunday at Noon (CT) and Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast on the Braves Radio Network