Category: Sports

Members of the victorious CATS swim team on Saturday (Photo provided)

Members of the Manchester Makos swim team took home the 2nd straight Race League Championship on Saturday at the Race League Championship in Sewanee. The Makos, combined with the Tullahoma swim club, to form CATS(Coffee and Tullahoma Swim) won 9 relay races in route to the championship win capping an undefeated summer season. The CATS won both the boys and girls championships in addition to the overall team title over 8 other competitors from Middle and East Tennessee. Coaches for the Makos are Shawn Daniels, Rebekah Buchanan, Sharon Slayton and Chesleigh Lee.
In addition to the relay wins, 5 Mako swimmers earned High Point honors for their age divisions. Earning High Point honors were Caitlyn Slayton, Ashley Slayton, Jack Beachboard, Emma Peterson and Ben Sweeton.
Individual event winners were:
Samiah Wooten – Girls 8 & Under 25M Freestyle & 25M Backstroke
Sarie Hoffner – Girls 8 & Under 25M Butterfly
Lauren Lee – Girls 11-12 50M Free
Ashley Slayton – Girls 13-14 50M Free, 50M Backstroke & 100M IM
Sara Farmer – Girls 15 & Over 50M Free, 50M Butterfly & 50M Backstroke
Ben Sweeton – Boys 15 & Over 50M Free & 50M Backstroke
Kailee Williams – Girls 11-12 50M Breaststroke
Jackson Everett – Boys 11-12 50M Breaststroke
Amanda Farmer – Girls 13-14 50M Breaststroke
Jack Beachboard – Boys 13-14 50M Breaststroke & 100M IM
Caitlyn Slayton – Girls 11-12 100M IM, 50M Butterfly & 50M Backstroke
Clay Bailey – Boys 13-14 50M Butterfly
Relay team winners were:
Boys 15 & over 100M Free – Micah Hauge, Bradley Holmes, Ben Sweeton & Hayden Everett
Girls 15 & over 100M Free – Emma Peterson, Hannah Wright, Alexa Fults & Sara Farmer
Boys 13-14 100M Free – Jack Beachboard, Ethan Sherrer, Jackson Everett & Clay Bailey
Girls 13-14 100M Free – Amanda Farmer, Katie Hauge, Anna O’Connor & Ashley Slayton
Boys 11-12 100M Free – Nicholas Bogle, Mathias Buchanan, William Tobitt & Andres Cavalie
Girls 11-12 100M Free – Lauren Lee, Kailee Williams, Madeline DeWolfe & Caitlyn Slayton
Mixed 15 & Over 100M Medley – Emma Peterson, Micah Hauge, Hayden Everette & Sara Farmer
Mixed 13-14 100M Medley – Ashley Slayton, Jack Beachborad, Clay Bailey & Amanda farmer
Mixed 11-12 100M Medley – Andres cavalie, Jackson Everett, Caitlyn Slayton & Lauren Lee
The Makos are a year round competitive swim team which trains at the Manchester Recreation Complex. For more information, visit their website at: http://www.manchestermakosswimteam.com

The Nashville Sounds return from the All-Star Break to open a four-game series against the Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple-A Royals) on Thursday, July 16. The weekend series will include a tote bag giveaway, Fox 17 Friday Night Fireworks and the third Faith Night of the season.

Thursday, July 16 vs. Omaha Storm Chasers @ 7:05 p.m. (Gates Open at 6:05 p.m.)

• Jersey Salt and Pepper Shakers Giveaway: Spice up your kitchen as the Sounds give away salt and pepper shakers to the first 4,000 fans presented by Coca-Cola

• 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 17 vs. Omaha Storm Chasers @ 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 will enjoy the ninth of 13 firework shows presented by Fox 17

• Apron Giveaway: The first 1,500 fans can claim their very own Sounds cooking apron presented by the Tennessee Beef Council

Saturday, July 18 vs. Omaha Storm Chasers @ 6:35 p.m. (Gates Open at 5:35 p.m.)

• Tote Bag Giveaway: Fans can carry the Sounds with them everywhere, as the first 4,000 fans will be given a Sounds tote bag presented by Vanderbilt University

Sunday, July 19 vs. Omaha Storm Chasers @ 6:35 p.m. (Gates Open at 5:05 p.m.)

• Faith Night: Head to First Tennessee Park for a night of fellowship and fun presented by Trevecca Nazarene University. In addition to special group pricing, fans can enjoy a pre-game worship concert featuring Christian recording artist Plumb.

• 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 game

After the series, Nashville heads out west for a quick four-game series with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Triple-A Brewers) at Security Service Field. The Sounds open an eight-game homestand against the New Orleans Zephyrs (Triple-A Marlins) and Iowa Cubs (Triple-A Cubs) beginning on Friday, July 24.

Individual tickets and group 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 more information.

Manchester Yankees – 17 & Under TYBA State Champions (Photo Provided)

A pair of Manchester Youth Baseball League teams claimed state titles on Sunday in the Tennessee Youth Baseball Association State Tournament being held in Murfreesboro. The Yankees won the 17U “Open” Division with a win over Tullahoma’s “T-Town” team. The Yankees, who finished 2nd in pool play to Tullahoma, came back to get the revenge win in the championship.

Manchester TurfWorks – 8 & Under TYBA State Champions (Photo Provided)

In the 8U division, TurfWorks won the 8U “Rec” Division with a victory over the Unionville Vikings in the championship game. TurfWorks was a perfect 6 and 0 for the tournament and outscored their opponents 95 to 18 for the week-end.

Manchester Wild Bunch – 12 & Under TYBA State Finalists (Photo Provided)

In the 12U “Rec” Division, the Wild Bunch from Manchester fell in the championship game to the Mudcats of Rockvale. In the 10U “Open” Division, the Manchester Raiders finished pool play on Saturday in first place but were knocked out in the semifinals by the eventual state champion Warriors of Buchanan.
The 2nd round of state tournament games is slated for July 24th thru the 26th at Murfreesboro’s Barfield-Cresent Park. Some of these same MYBL teams, plus others from Manchester, will be competing in that tournament as well.

A Winnign Attitude – Coffee County Fastpitch Association 8U Champions

The Coffee County Fastpitch Association held their closing ceremonies on Monday night at Terry Floyd Field at Coffee County Central High School. A capacity crowd was on hand to recognize the players from all 18 teams in 4 age divisions. Former CHS softball coach Terry Floyd and new CHS softball coach Steve Wilder were guests of honor for the night and handed out trophies to each of the players.

Elite Conditioning – Coffee County Fastpitch Association 10U Champions

Champions were crowned in the 3 oldest age divisions of the league. A Winning Attitude won the 8 and Under division title. In the 10 and Under division, Elite Conditioning captured the title and in the 14 and under division, Burks Insurance won the title with a perfect 12 and 0 record.

Burks Insurance – Coffee County Fastpitch Association 14U Champions

With the beginning of the fall sports season right around the corner, the Coffee County CHS volleyball team has begun preseason practice looking to repeat as District 8AAA champions.  The Lady Raiders, coming off a skills camp last week, will travel to Unionville of Wednesday through Friday for a team camp hosted by Eagleville High School.  The Lady Raiders will play 3 games on Wednesday as they take on Middle Tennessee Christian at noon, Stewart’s Creek at 1:30 and Columbia Academy at 4:30.  All 3 of those games will take place at Community Middle School.  On Thursday, the pools will be shuffled and they will play 3 more pools games before being seeded into a double elimination bracket for Friday.

The CHS golf team will hold tryouts for the 2015-16 Golf team on Monday, July 13th beginning at 9 AM at Willowbrook Golf Course. Student athletes will to bring with them their own golf 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 Head Coach Mike Ray at: 931-247-4156 OR 723-5159

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The Coffee County CHS basketball team will hold a skills camp for children in grades 3 thru 8 on July 13th thru 16th at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym. Cost for the 4 day camp is $50 and camp sessions will go from 9:00 AM to noon each day. Campers will grouped by age and skill level and will receive daily instruction from the Red Raider basketball team and coaches. There will be games and contests and each camper will receive a free camp T-Shirt. If you have questions, you can contact head coach Micah Williams at: williamsm@k12coffee.net or call him at: 931-492-2123.

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The Coffee County Central High School boys soccer team will have tryouts for incoming freshmen and new players on Monday and Tuesday, July 13 and 14, from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM.
Summer practice for returning players and new players who make the team will be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, July 27, 28, and 30, from 7:00 to 9:30 PM.

Players from last year…either middle school or high school…who had a valid physical, that physical is still valid. Those who did not have a valid physical for the 2014-2015 school year will need to get a physical before coming to tryouts. Dr. Trussler will do physicals for any soccer player needing them on Wednesday, July 22, beginning at 1:30. There will be no charge for the physical. The TSSAA forms should be downloaded and the paperwork should be completed before the physical. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Harper.

Charlie Blackmon drove in four runs and All-Star Troy Tulowitzki cracked a three-run homer as the Rockies beat the Braves, 11-3, on Sunday at Coors Field. The Rockies completed a four-game sweep — their first home sweep this season.

Blackmon delivered a two-run, bases-loaded single in the second and another two-run single in the sixth — both in left-on-left confrontations with losing pitcher Alex Wood (6-6). Tulowitzki followed Blackmon’s sixth-inning single with his 10th homer this season. Drew Stubbs added his fifth homer — a two-run shot — in the eighth off David Carpenter.

“We’ll try to get hot, stay hot,” said Tulowitzki, who will join third baseman Nolan Arenado and second baseman DJ LeMahieu in Tuesday’s All-Star Game presented by T-Mobile in Cincinnati. “We haven’t gone on quite a streak yet. This could be the start of something.”
The hit in the sixth broke a 3-3 tie and made a winner of Rockies starting pitcher Chad Bettis (5-4). Coming off his worst career start (10 runs, eight hits in 2 1/3 innings against the Angels), Bettis went six innings and gave up three runs — on RBI singles by Kelly Johnson and A.J. Pierzynski and an RBI double by Jonny Gomes, all in the sixth — on six hits. Bettis struck out eight and walked five.

“We just didn’t pitch very well or play very well for four days,” Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. ” After the way we played in Milwaukee for the first two days and then to come in here and play like that, it’s baseball.”
Blackmon, whose tie-breaking single came with two outs and a 1-2 count, went 9-for-18 (.500) during the just-completed 4-2 homestand. Since June 13, Blackmon is hitting .336 (36-for-107).

After Gomes highlighted Atlanta’s three-run sixth with a game-tying double, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez elected to allow Wood to hit with one out and the bases loaded. Wood struck out and then surrendered three hits, including Blackmon’s two-run single in the bottom half of the inning. The Atlanta lefty allowed 10 hits for the third time in his past four starts and was charged with a career-high seven earned runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Bettis struggled with his delivery in his last two starts, but despite the walks (one was intentional), was better Sunday. But he was at his best when the game nearly slipped away in the sixth. But after Gomes’ one-out double tied the game, Bettis intentionally walked Andrelton Simmons, fanned Wood, and forced Jace Peterson into a grounder to short.
“I wasn’t ready to hand the ball over,” Bettis said. “I needed to make pitches. I knew they weren’t necessarily hitting them too well except for Gomes. I knew I had them right where I wanted.”

The Braves, who have lost five straight, tallied runs in just five of the 36 innings they batted during this four-game series. They had a chance to set the tone on Sunday when Eury Perez doubled in the first inning and Nick Markakis followed with a one-out walk. But Bettis escaped by recording consecutive strikeouts of Johnson and Juan Uribe.

Julio Teheran will take the mound when the Braves come out of the All-Star break on Friday to begin a three-game series against the Cubs at Turner Field. Teheran endured a rough first half, but he went 5-0 with a 2.04 ERA in eight home starts.  First pitch is set for 6:35 PM and you will be able to hear that broadcast here on Thunder Radio.

Atlanta Braves closer Jason Grilli

Braves closer Jason Grilli suffered a season-ending left Achillies injury as he attempted to cover first base during the ninth inning of Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field.

As Grilli fell in the infield grass and remained there until being carted off the field while holding his head between his hands, it was immediately apparent that he had suffered a significant injury. The Braves confirmed the news approximately 30 minutes later, announcing that the 38-year-old closer had ruptured his left Achilles tendon and would miss the remainder of this season.
“[Grilli] is a grinder,” Braves left fielder Jonny Gomes said. “The guy is a nomad who has been around. Everything he is about is about hard work and health. That is what has got him here. We just have to hope for the be

st.”
When Drew Stubbs opened the bottom of the ninth inning with a grounder to first baseman Chris Johnson, Grilli took a few strides toward first base before crumpling to the ground in obvious pain.
“I was about to throw him the ball and I saw the look on his face as he was going down,” Johnson said. “I was like, ‘Oh man, that’s not good at all. He just started screaming. It looked pretty darn painful.”
Shortly after racing on the field to attend to Grilli as he remained on the ground writhing in pain, Braves head athletic trainer Jeff Porter signaled for the Rockies to bring a cart on the field.
Even after Stubbs ended up scoring the winning run on a Carlos Gonzalez bloop single that fell between Andrelton Simmons and Cameron Maybin in shallow center field, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said his thoughts were with Grilli.
“Him laying on the ground out there like that, it didn’t look good,” the Braves skipper said. “You could see what kind of pain he was feeling as he was out there on the field.”
According to mayoclinic.org, “surgery is often the best option to repair an Achilles tendon rupture. For many people, however, nonsurgical treatment works just as well.” It was not immediately known what course of treatment Grilli would undergo.
This unfortunate development literally added injury to insult for the Braves, who have lost four straight games. They will now spend the rest of the season without a closer who had converted 24 of his 26 save opportunities, and approach the non-waiver Trade Deadline without what might have been their best trade chip.
Since assuming the closer’s role when Craig Kimbrel was traded the day before Opening Day, Grilli had become the strong leader Atlanta’s bullpen needed. Jim Johnson will likely now handle the closing duties, but he might now also stand as the Braves’ most attractive trade piece leading into the Trade Deadline.

The Memphis Redbirds legged out 13 hits, including six for extra bases, during a 12-3 rout of the Nashville Sounds on Sunday afternoon at AutoZone Park in the final game before the All-Star break.

With the loss, the Sounds (41-50) dropped three of five to their cross-state rivals in the series and finished the road trip with a 4-5 record.

Memphis left-hander Tyler Lyons (6-4) picked up the victory by twirling his seventh quality start of the year, holding Nashville to two runs on five hits while fanning six over his seven innings of work.

Max Muncy opened the day’s scoring when he homered for the second straight day, crushing a two-run homer to right off Lyons in the top of the second inning. Dayan Viciedo (2-for-3), who preceded Muncy with a single and has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, also scored on the longball, Muncy’s fourth of the year as a Sound.

Nashville finished with 12 home runs on their nine-game road trip and have belted 14 big flies in July, the club’s best monthly total of the year (with 16 games left to play before August).

Memphis jumped out to a 4-2 lead with a four-run third against Sounds starter Nate Long. After the Redbirds pieced together three consecutive one-out singles to etch across the first run, right fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker smashed a two-out, three-run homer to right off the Nashville right-hander to put the home team on top, a lead they would never relinquish.

The Redbirds stretched their lead to 6-2 in the fourth on a two-run Travis Tartamella single off Long (1-2), who was tagged with the loss after surrendering six runs on seven hits over his five frames of work.

Memphis shortstop Greg Garcia plated Rafael Ortega with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly against Sounds reliever Aaron Kurcz, which extended the ‘Birds advantage to 7-2.

After Alex Mejia’s two-out RBI double in the seventh inning chased Kurcz from the contest, Memphis tacked on four more runs against Ryan Cook in the eighth. Stephen Piscotty mashed a two-run homer to left-center, the infielder’s 11th roundtripper of the season, and Nick Martini added a two-run double.

The Sounds closed out the scoring in the top of the ninth against an inefficient Keith Butler, who issued four walks in the frame including a four-pitch, bases-loaded free pass to Craig Gentry with two outs to force in the afternoon’s final run.

The Sounds enjoy the next three days off during the Triple-A All-Star break before resuming play with a 7:05 p.m. home contest at First Tennessee Park on Thursday evening, when they welcome the Omaha Storm Chasers (AAA-Royals) to Music City. Left-hander Barry Zito (6-7, 3.60) will toe the slab for the Sounds in Thursday’s opener of a four-game series. Omaha has not announced its starting pitcher for the contest.

Outfielder Jason Pridie will represent Nashville and the Pacific Coast League during Wednesday’s Triple-A All-Star Game at Werner Park in Papillion, Neb. The 7:00 p.m. CT contest will air nationally on the MLB Network.

Behind a pieced-together pitching performance and just enough offense, the Rockies picked up a 5-3 victory over the Braves on Friday night at Coors Field.

Right-hander Gonzalez Germen and left-hander Aaron Laffey (1-0) — both called up before Friday’s game — combined to throw 5 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and three runs with two walks and one strikeout. Kelly Johnson did launch a three-run homer off Laffey, but LaTroy Hawkins, Boone Logan, Tommy Kahnle and John Axford finished off the victory.
“It’s kind of like Spring Training, and this is not a familiar team either,” Johnson said in reference to the Braves facing 11 different pitchers while losing the first two games of this series. “They don’t have a lot of guys we have history with, and we haven’t face them this year at all. That is actually harder than you might think.”
The Rockies’ offense, meanwhile, did its part. The catalyst was a three-run fourth, during which Colorado banged out five hits in a six-batter span, including RBI knocks from Daniel Descalso, Brandon Barnes and DJ LeMahieu. Carlos Gonzalez put on the final touches with a long solo homer in the fifth. All that damage came off Braves All-Star Shelby Miller (5-5), who gave up five runs and a season-high 11 hits over five innings, and is winless in last 10 starts.
Throwing out of the stretch the entire way, Germen was effective in his first career Major League start. He was on a pitch limit and threw just 34 in three innings, but Germen limited the Braves to just two baserunners. After Jace Peterson singled to lead off the game, the right-hander retired the next seven batters before walking Miller. Germen was called up in a pinch after David Hale — Colorado’s originally scheduled Friday starter — pitched in relief on Thursday.
“I wasn’t nervous — that’s just baseball,” said Germen, who has moved from the Mets to the Cubs to the Rockies over the last two seasons. “From one team to another team. New team. New guys. There were no nerves because last year was the same.”
Shelby loses his cool: After limiting the Rockies to one run and four hits through the first three innings, Shelby Miller surrendered two singles and a Descalso triple before recording his first out in the three-run fourth. But his emotions seemed to truly turn when left fielder Jonny Gomes was not able to get to a Charlie Blackmon fly ball that resulted in a triple. Miller stared into his dugout after the Blackmon triple and slammed the rosin bag when LeMahieu followed with a fly ball that eluded a sliding Cameron Maybin and bounced over the wall for a double.
“I really didn’t have anything that was sharp,” Miller said. “Nothing was really there tonight at all.”
After Logan gave up a pair of two-out singles in the eighth to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, Weiss called on Kahnle to face Chris Johnson. The hard-throwing right-hander quickly got ahead 0-2 on a 96-mph fastball and an 89-mph changeup but then missed with two fastballs. Kahnle, however, showed why Weiss continues to use him in late-game situations, getting Johnson to chase on another 89-mph changeup.
Kelly Johnson’s three-run homer in the sixth inning snapped the Braves’ 36-inning scoreless streak while Miller was the pitcher of record. The drought extended back to Freddie Freeman’s first-inning home run at Citi Field on June 13.
“I kind of got out of whack a little bit just rushing toward the plate and not sitting on my back side,” Laffey said. “The ball Johnson hit was just a cutter that kind of got side to side on me, and he stayed on it well and put a good swing on it.”
Kelly Johnson clubs a three-run shot into the seats in left, pulling the Braves within two runs in the 6th
Miller has posted a 3.32 ERA while going winless in his past 10 starts, the Braves have totaled 10 runs while he has been the pitcher of record in those outings. Friday night marked just the second time during this span that the offense scored at least three runs while he was in the game.
With no outs in the seventh, the Rockies appeared to have a strike-’em-out-throw-’em out double play, but Jonny Gomes was called safe at second. Manager Walt Weiss challenged the play, and video evidence showed LeMahieu tagged Gomes on the arm before his left foot reached the base.
Matt Wisler will make his fifth career start when Atlanta and Colorado resume their four-game series on Saturday at 3:10 p.m. CT.  Thunder Radio will have that broadcast beginning at 2:00 PM.