Category: Sports

The Nashville Sounds dropped the first game of their eight-game homestand 4-1 to the New Orleans Zephyrs on Friday night.

The Sounds fell behind 1-0 in the third inning when Zephyrs catcher Jhonatan Solano took advantage of a hanging breaking ball from Nashville starter Cody Martin, pulling the ball down the left field line for his third home run of the season.

The score remained that way till the fifth inning when Sounds catcher Bryan Anderson matched his positional counterpart’s feat with his third home run of the season.

With the game still knotted at one, Jordany Valdespin reached on a bunt single and then scored on a two-run homer by Issac Galloway. The outfielder’s blast traveled at least 400 feet and was the first ball to hit First Tennessee Park’s batter’s eye.

The Zephyrs added a run in the eighth off Sounds reliever Brock Huntzinger, but thanks to Joey Wendle did not get more. With the infield in and runners on the corners, Wendle dove to his right on a sharply hit one-hopper and flipped to shortstop Andy Parrino, who threw to first to complete the inning-ending double play.

Despite registering a quality start, Martin fell to 0-3 on the season as the Nashville offense was stymied all night long, going just 0-for-1 with RISP. Kendry Flores improved to 3-2 with the win.

The Sounds and Zephyrs will play again Saturday night at First Tennessee Park. A pair of southpaws will match up against one another as Sounds starter Brad Mills (4-9, 4.09) duels with Justin Nicolino (5-6, 3.62). Gates open at 5:35, with first pitch set for exactly an hour later.

The Nashville Sounds led nearly the entire game but Colorado Springs rallied in their final at bat to win 2-1 at Security Service Field on Thursday night.

Zach Neal was the story once again for Nashville. The right-hander turned in his fourth straight outing of seven innings or more, this time going seven scoreless. He pitched to contact to perfection on this night, inducing four double plays. With his recent hot streak, the former Oklahoma Sooner has catapulted himself into a top-10 ERA (3.22) in the PCL.

The Sounds went up 1-0 in the first without even registering a hit. Craig Gentry walked and swiped his team-leading 16th base. The speedy outfielder then tagged up on two separate fly balls to give the Sounds the lead. Jason Pridie recorded the sac fly, tallying his team-leading 67th RBI.

Phil Coke threw a scoreless eighth, but ran into trouble in the ninth as he aimed to complete the two-inning save. Logan Schaefer led off the frame with a single and next batter Jason Rogers walked. Matt Clark then singled to plate Schaefer, knocking Coke from the game and tying the score up.

R.J. Alvarez entered the game with runners on the corners and zero outs. He would strike out Matt Dominguez before Juan Centeno singled to drive in the winning run. Both runs were charged to Coke who suffered his first loss of the season.

The Sounds return home to First Tennessee Park on Friday night to host the New Orleans Zephyrs in the first game of an eight-game homestand. Cody Martin (0-2, 10.03) will get the ball for the Sounds. He will be opposed by Kendry Flores (2-2, 2.66). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

CHS Lady Raider golfers with their 2nd place trophy from Tuesday’s Lakewood preseason tournament. (L-R) Sophie Vinson, Savannah Quick & Teagan Perry (Photo provided)

The Coffee County golf teams opened their season on Thursday with a preseason tournament at Tullahoma. The Lady Raiders had another strong showing as the team finished 2nd on the day and Savannah Quick got the 2nd lowest score of the day. Quick blistered the course shooting a 2 over par 74 including even par on the back nine. Sophie Vinson and Teagan Perry each shot an 86 to lift the team to a second place finish behind Warren County.
Hayden Proffitt and John Parrigger shared the the low scorer honors for the Red Raiders as each shot a 7 over par 79 to lead the team to a 5th place finish. Freshman Austin Farris carded an 85 while fellow freshman Samuel Prater got around in 87.
The Raider golf teams will open the season on Tuesday as they travel to Fayetteville to take on Lincoln County. The match is set to tee off at 9:00 AM.

CHS junior hitter Baylee Nester goes up for a spike in scrimmage action on Thursday (Photo by John St. Clair – JohnStClairPhoto.com)

The Lady Raider volleyball team worked their way to a hard fought 3 and 1 record on Thursday in their own scrimmage play day at the Joe Frank Patch Gym. The Lady Raiders, coming off a District 8AAA championship last year, opened the day with a 2 set win over district rival Tullahoma. Coffee County won the match 25-12 and 25-22. The lone loss came in the noon match with Warren County as the Lady Raiders dropped a hard fought 25-22 & 26-24 straight set decision. Coffee County rebounded to close the day out with a pair of sweeps against Fayetteville(25-11 & 25-12) and Grundy County(25-22 & 25-21). The Lady Raiders, who graduated 8 seniors that provided most of the minutes last year, will host their annual Alumni game on Friday, July 31st before traveling to another play day on August 1st in Chattanooga. Coffee County will open the regular season on August 18th at home as they host Shelbyville.

The Nashville Sounds open the gates to First Tennessee Park for an eight-game homestand against the New Orleans Zephyrs (Triple-A Marlins) and Iowa Cubs (Triple-A Cubs) beginning Friday, July 24. The Sounds are welcoming fans to the park with a pair of Fox 17 Friday Night Firework shows, Christmas in July and a fleece blanket giveaway.

Friday, July 24 vs. New Orleans Zephyrs @ 7:05 p.m. (Gates Open at 6:05 p.m.)
• Christmas in July: The Sounds are decking the halls of First Tennessee Park with Christmas cheer a bit early. Come and be a part of a night filled with Christmas music, fun games and a Sounds ornament giveaway for the first 4,000 fans, presented by First Tennessee Bank
• Fox 17 Friday Night Fireworks: After the final out is recorded, the fun has just begun. Following the game, fans can enjoy the 10th of 13 firework shows presented by Fox 17

Saturday, July 25 vs. New Orleans Zephyrs @ 6:35 p.m. (Gates Open at 5:35 p.m.)
• Boy Scout Night: The Boy Scouts of America will be camping out at First Tennessee Park following the game and each Scout sleeping over will receive a commemorative Scout Patch. For those interested in purchasing tickets for the special night, call 615-515-1109

Sunday, July 26 vs. New Orleans Zephyrs @ 6:35 p.m. (Gates Open at 5:35 p.m.)
• Autograph Day: Fans can stop by the First Tennessee Park concourse before the game to snap a picture and grab an autograph from their favorite Sounds players
• Piedmont Natural Gas Military Sunday: The Sounds will don camouflage jerseys every Sunday home game and offer special military discounts for Military Sundays presented by Tennessee 811 and WSMV Channel 4. Active and veteran military men, women and families can purchase tickets as low as $6 in select seating areas with a valid military I.D.
• Kids Run The Bases: Kids 12 and under can take a lap around the bases following every Sunday home game, presented by First Tennessee Bank

Monday, July 27 vs. New Orleans Zephyrs @ 7:05 p.m. (Gates Open at 6:05 p.m.)
• Social Media Monday: Follow the Sounds on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to score specials on merchandise, tickets and in-game contests
• Military Discount: Active and veteran military men, women and families can purchase tickets as low as $6 in select seating areas with a valid military I.D.

Tuesday, July 28 vs. Iowa Cubs @ 7:05 p.m. (Gates Open at 6:05 p.m.)
• The Tennessean T-Shirt Tuesday: Tuesdays are all about t-shirts at First Tennessee Park. The first 2,000 fans will receive a t-shirt with the Sounds new logo, presented by Ashley Furniture Homestore

Wednesday, July 29 vs. Iowa Cubs @ 7:05 p.m. (Gates Open at 6:05 p.m.)
• Principal Financial Dreams Tour: Former Braves hero Sid Bream will be on hand to sign autographs and 2,000 fans will leave with an extra large copy of his baseball card, presented by Principal Financial
• Kroger Plus Wednesday: The Sounds and Kroger are teaming up to offer fans the chance to purchase a “Family 4-Pack” of four (4) Bullpen section tickets for $36 when they show their Kroger Plus Card and purchase tickets at participating Kroger Ticketmaster outlets
• Senior Discount: All seniors over the age of 60 can purchase tickets in selected areas for $8 presented by Hippie Radio 94.5. Limit one ticket per I.D.

Thursday, July 30 vs. Iowa Cubs @ 7:05 p.m. (Gates Open at 6:05 p.m.)
• Throwback Thursday: Everyone’s favorite day is back! Every Thursday the Sounds are reaching back into the rich baseball history at Sulphur Dell to honor the 1940 Nashville Vols as this season’s uniform style. Fans are also able to purchase select beer and soft drinks for $2 all night, presented by iHeart Media

Friday, July 31 vs. Iowa Cubs @ 7:05 p.m. (Gates Open at 6:05 p.m.)
• Fox 17 Friday Night Fireworks: After the final out is recorded, the fun has just begun. Following the game, fans can enjoy the 11th of 13 firework shows presented by Fox 17
• Fleece Blanket Giveaway: Arrive early because the Sounds are giving away 2,000 fleece blankets, presented by Twice Daily

Following the homestand, the Sounds travel to Werner Park for the first time this season to play the Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple-A Royals). Nashville is back in action at First Tennessee Park on Wednesday, August 5 to conclude The Tennessee Lottery I-40 Cup Series against the cross-state rival Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A Cardinals).

Ticket packages are currently on sale. Fans can visit First Tennessee Park, open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., call (615) 690-HITS, or visit www.nashvillesounds.com for information.

The Coffee County Central High School freshman volleyball team took part in a JV scrimmage play day on Wednesday at Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro.  The Lady Raiders, gained some valuable experience in their 5 matches taking Central Magnet and Stewarts Creek to 3 sets before falling in the first 2 games of the day.  The afternoon matches saw the freshmen Lady Raiders battle against Central Magnet’s “A” squad, Blackman and Lebanon as they fell in straight sets to those perennially strong programs.  Freshman head coach Jon Spears was complimentary of his squad as they handled the challenge well and grew and matured as a team.  The varsity Lady Raider volleyball team will play in their 2^nd play day of the year on Thursday as they host a play day at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym.   The Lady Raiders will play games at 9 AM, Noon, 3 and 4:30 PM.

Beth Keylon, head softball coach from Chattanooga State, is coming to Coffee County Central High School to do a softball skills clinic on Saturday, August 22nd at 9 AM. The four hour long clinic is open to girls of all ages. Coach Keylon will work on fielding, hitting, catching, pitching and all fundamental softball skills. If you have questions, or need more information, contact Ashley Harrell Jernigan at (931)273-1597. The camp is being sponsored by the Coffee County Fastpitch Association.

The Coffee County Middle School baseball team will hold a makeup tryout session on Saturday, July 25th at the CCMS field. If you, or your student athlete, would like to participate on the 2015-2016 CCMS Baseball team, and have not tried out this summer, then mark your calendar. 6th & 7th graders will tryout from 9am to 11am while 8th graders will tryout from 11am to 1pm. If you have questions, please call Rodney Meeker 409-6958
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The Coffee County Central High School softball team will hold a makeup tryout session on July 27-28. Time for both sessions is 7 PM to – 9 PM. Student athletes will to bring with them their own softball equipment plus the completed & signed physical/consent forms are REQUIRED. You can download the forms at: http://images.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/TN/CoffeeCountySchools/CoffeeCountyCentralHighSchool/Uploads/Forms/tssaa_med_form.pdf
For more information, contact Steve Wilder at: 731-445-4896.
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The Coffee County Middle School softball team will hold tryouts on July 27th and 28th at the CCMS Field. 6th and 7th graders will tryout on July 27th AND 28th from 4:30 to 6:00 PM. Any 8th graders wishing to try out will only need to attend the July 28th session, also from 4:30 to 6:00 PM. Students wishing to tryout should bring their own softball gear and a copy of their current physical. Parents will need to be prepared to drop off their kids, and then pick them up again at 6:00 PM as this will be a closed tryout session.

Julio Teheran (6-5) struck out seven of the first 10 batters and had the Dodgers off balance through the fourth before struggling with his command in the fifth.  The Dodgers Mike Bolsinger pitched seven strong innings and Los Angeles scored three runs in the fifth inning to beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Wednesday.

Alberto Callaspo, Jimmy Rollins and Joc Pederson each drove in a run for Los Angeles, which avoided its first three-game losing streak since June 15-17 against Texas.

Bolsinger (5-3) commanded his curveball well enough to retire 14 straight batters before a two-out walk of A.J. Pierzynski in the seventh. The right-hander allowed three hits and a run with a walk with four strikeouts.

Kenley Jansen pitched around a leadoff walk to Cameron Maybin in the ninth for his 17th save in 18 chances, getting strikeouts of Kelly Johnson and pinch-hitter Juan Uribe to end the game.

The Braves, despite having won 10 of 15 at Turner Field, have dropped eight of 11 overall.

With Teheran elevating his pitches, Yasmani Grandal led off with a double that right fielder Nick Markakis appeared to misjudge. Grandal came home from third on a single by Callaspo, who scored the go-ahead run on a double from Rollins. Pederson’s single made it 3-1.

Teheran dropped to 0-4 with a 6.07 ERA in four career starts against the Dodgers. The right-hander lost at Turner Field for the first time in 10 home starts this season despite matching a career high with 11 strikeouts. He allowed six hits, three runs and three walks in seven innings.

Teheran picked off Grandal at second base to end the second after Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez successfully challenged to have the play overturned. Second-base umpire John Hirschbeck initially ruled that Grandal beat shortstop Andrelton Simmons’ tag. The review lasted just 56 seconds.

Braves 1B Freddie Freeman, on the disabled list with a right wrist contusion, has arrived at the team’s spring training facility in Florida to continue taking live batting practice. Freeman has missed 29 games with the injury. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said that Freeman might be ready to return during the four-game series that begins July 30 at Philadelphia.

After an off day on Thursday, Braves LHP Manny Banuelos (1-0) will make his third career start when Atlanta visits St. Louis on Friday. You can listen to that game here on Thunder Radio as we will bring you the broadcast on Friday night beginning at 6:00 PM.

The Sounds and Sky Sox went back-and-forth on Wednesday afternoon, but Colorado Springs collected a walk-off win and downed Nashville at Security Service Field with a 4-3 victory.

The Sounds got on the board first in the two games to begin the series and continued the trend with a tally in the opening frame. The strike came off the bat of Jason Pridie, whose solo home run gave Nashville the 1-0 lead. The outfielder has homered in all three games this series against his former team.

Colorado Springs eventually responded, finally putting a few runs up in the fourth. Matt Dominguez and Pete Orr both posted doubles in the frame, capping the three-run inning off Barry Zito.

Wednesday’s outing against the Sky Sox was Zito’s fourth this season. The left-hander continued his hot streak on the mound, posting his 12th quality start by allowing two earned runs over six innings. His pitch count escalated quickly, as he walk four batters and allowed nine hits. Colorado Springs had a base runner in every inning against Zito, but the veteran used his craftiness to escape several jams.

Nashville evened things up for its starter by scoring a pair in the sixth. Joey Wendle led off with an infield single and scored when Pridie slammed a triple to center. The outfielder scored later in the frame when Dayan Viciedo drove him in with a single. The Sounds loaded the bases with one away later in the inning, but came up empty.

Both offenses saw limited opportunities after the sixth inning. Aaron Kurcz was cruising along in relief of Zito but the Sky Sox finally broke through during the right-hander’s third inning of work. They loaded the bases with two singles and a walk before Nevin Ashley collected the line drive single up the middle to give the home team a walk-off victory in the ninth. It was the fifth time an opponent has posted a win against Nashville in the last at-bat this season. Kurcz suffered the loss, his first as a Sound, and Jaye Chapman, who threw two scoreless innings, improved to 2-1 with the win.

The Sounds were outhit in the game, 13-9, but Pridie continued his torrid month of July. In 18 games, the 31-year-old is hitting .364 (24-for-66) with eight home runs, 13 extra-base hits, 20 RBIs, and 14 runs scored. His two hits today helped move his road on-base streak to 17 games, tying Anthony Aliotti for the longest by a Sound this season.

The Sounds conclude their four-game road trip on Thursday against the Sky Sox at Security Service Field. Nashville is scheduled to send out Zach Neal (7-3, 3.53) for the start while Colorado Springs has yet to name a starter. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. CST.