Newspaper Page Text
6B
TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2006
Journal/Matthew Brown
/f was a hot Friday afternoon for softball practice this past week. The giant fan gives
some relief to Warner Robins High junior varsity players in the dugout.
Warner Robins
2006-07 softball schedule
Opponent Time Site
Perry (junior varsity only) 5:45 p.m. Perry
JV Tourney TBD Warner Robins
Rutland (JV & varsity) 3:30 p.m. WRHS
Gwinnett Tourney (varsity) TBD Road
Coffee (JV & varsity) 4 p.m. Coffee
Colquitt (JV & varsity 4 p.m. Colquitt
HoCo (JV & varsity) 3:45 p.m. Warner Robins
Evans Tourney (varsity) TBD Patriots Park
Coffee (JV & varsity) 4 p.m. Warner Robins
Lowndes (varsity) 6 p.m. Warner Robins
Tift (JV & varsity 4 p.m. Tift
Lowndes (JV) TBA
Colquitt (JV & varsity) 4 p.m. Warner Robins
Valdosta (varsity) 11a.m. Warner Robins
Tift (JV & varsity) 4 p.m. Warner Robins
Rutland (JV & varsity 3:30 p.m. Rutland
Lowndes (varsity) 11a.m. Lowndes
HoCo (JV & varsity) 3:45 p.m. Houston County
Date
Aug. 16
Aug. 18-19
Aug. 22
Aug. 25-26
Aug. 29
Sept. 1
Sept. 5
Sept. 8-9
Sept. 14
Sept. 15
Sept. 19
Sept. 21
Sept. 22
Sept. 23
Sept. 26
Sept. 27
Oct. 7
Oct. 10
SEASON
From page 1B
from Columbus. “Every year
I see improvement. This year
I expect even more improve
ment.”
Improvement would be in
order for the Demonettes
in 2006 as Warner Robins
High School is now in the 5-A
classification. It means some
new challenges against some
different competition, not to
mention an increase in travel
time for games in Region 1-
AAAAA.
“That’s going to be fun,
to play people we haven’t
played,” said Arnette. “We
have five seniors. I lost two
seniors from last year and I
had one move on me, so I’ve
only lost three (players).' We
have a lot coming back with
some experience. We have a
lot of things we can do, a lot
of changes we can make on
defense. Offensively I’m hop
ing we’ll hit the ball better
than we did in the past.”
Most of the momentum for
a high school season is gen
erated during the summer
time. “Summer” teams actu
ally begin playing together
in January. Some of the
Demonettes just returned
from a trip to South Carolina
where, as a part of the Middle
Georgia Shockers, they won
the ISA national champion
ship.
Also, Arnette’s players
were working out voluntari
ly three days a week to get
in playing shape, work on
timing and other skills and
get accustomed to the hot
weather.
“I can tell it’s paid off
some,” said Arnette. “Most
of them played summer ball.
If you don’t play summer
ball, you go from October to
August or July before you
play again. That’s too much
of a spread when you’re not
doing anything. If they play
summer ball, they don’t have
a whole lot of break.”
Among the strengths
Arnette sees in this year’s
Demonette club is quick
ness. The coach also had a
good turnout when practice
opened up last week. Her
varsity roster has 13 players
with 11 more to make up the
junior varsity team.
At the pitcher’s spot,
Amber Conlon returns for her
senior season. Arnette said
she has “a lot of pop” from
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the circle. What the coach is
most concerned about is not
so much the quality of her
pitcher’s stuff, but what they
do when good pitches need to
be made.
“She’s a lot faster than
people think she is,” said
Arnette. “She has some
movement. And I have a
junior, Kristin Graham, who
does a good job. She has more
speed, probably.
“When we get runners on
base with no outs or one
out, and the pressure’s put
on them a little bit more,
it’s going to make a differ
ence. We have got to get men
tally tougher. And we have
to make those plays when
there’s a little pressure on
us. In the past, we’ve kind
of panicked. Hopefully, going
further last year helped us
get stronger.”
The same principle of
mental toughness applies
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Building lives, families, and communities
There’s some
time for a little
fun at softball
practice as
Warner Robins
High’s Kittery
Maine tries a
little juggling.
Journal/Matthew
Brown
when Warner Robins is bat
ting with runners on base.
Arnette hopes,.with some new
techniques and approaches
to hitting, the Demonettes
surprise people and put more
runs on the board.
The Warner Robins season
begins Aug. 16 at Perry High
School. The first home game
is Aug. 22 against Rutland
High of Macon. Part of the
schedule has the Demonettes
playing in tournaments in
Gwinnett County and at
Evans High School near
Augusta.
The Region 1-AAAAA slate
begins Aug. 29 at Coffee
County High.
People Pleasing!
(We will delight you!)
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SPORTS
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Submitted
Team Perry Country Club recently won first place for the regular season of the
Central Chapter Georgia PGA Inner-Club Junior Tour. The squad also finished sec
ond at the tournament championship held at the Landings. They are, front: Pruitt
Maddow, Trevor Maddox, Hunter Red and Parker Lee. Back: Mike Baker, Chris Baker,
Daniel Crovo, Brandon Bailey and Joseph Rossi.
Francoeur comes through
Braves right fielder Jeff
Francoeur occupied • the
NOTEBOOK
R. Travis Haney
Morris News
Service
the spectrum to the other
in the two moments in front
of his locker at Cincinnati’s
Great American Ball Park.
He was his typically
jovial self Sunday following
Atlanta’s 6-4 victory against
the Reds. Francoeur’s two
run triple in the eighth tied
the game.
He scored the winning
run on Adam Laßoche’s sac
rifice fly.
“Everybody needs a boost
every now and then,” man
ager Bobby Cox said. “That
was a big one.”
That comment was rooted
in Francoeur’s recent gloom.
In particular, Friday, when
Francoeur said he was as
down as he’s ever been.
Realizing the potential of
gaining a game on the NL
wild-card leaders, Francoeur
hit into a game-ending
double play with the bases
loaded in a one-run loss to
the Reds. Fifteen minutes
after the game, Francoeur
sulked in his chair, still in
full uniform.
“I didn’t know what to
think. I was lost,” he said.
“I would have stayed here
in my full uniform until the
next day.”
Francoeur, despondent,
asked the teamJs PR direc
tor if he could duck report
ers for the evening.
His brother and dad sur
prised Francoeur by coming
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WARNER ROBINS
SUPPLY
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Regular-season champs
same exact
spot both late
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and late
Sunday after
noon.
And the
2 2-year-old’s
,
demeanor
reached from
one end of
to town and cheering him
up. Cox was also supportive
Saturday of the Atlanta-area
native that’s come through
more often than not in those
spots his whole life, some
thing he admitted makes
it more difficult when he
doesn’t.
“To let the team down,
it was tough on me,” said
Francoeur, who also fought
through an 0-for-12 start to
the road trip. “The biggest
thing for me is, you’ve got
to love to be in those situ
ations. You’ve got to love it
that the manager wants you
to be in those situations.”
RUNNING GAME: Cox didn’t
go ballistic, as you might
expect, when third baseman
Willy Aybar was called out
on an appeal after he missed
second base with none out
in the sixth. Why’d Cox stay
quiet in the dugout?
“I knew he missed it from
the dugout,” he said. “Yup,
they miss them once in a
while.”
Cox said Aybar, acquired
recently from the Dodgers,
felt awful about the play,
which appeared crucial with
the Braves still trailing by
two runs.
“How would you feel?” Cox
said. “It’s rough. Anybody
misses a bag, it’s a horrible
feeling.”
MAC STILL ATTACKING: Brian
McCann went 7-for-14 in
the series, including a 4-for
-4 day Saturday, to boost his
average to .343.
The 22-year-old catcher
would be among the league
leaders if not for missing a
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Wade Turner
Vice President/Investments
Lisa Rodney
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(478) 953-1313
(866) 639-0254 Toll-Free
321 Margie Drive, Suite B
Warner Robins, Georgia 31088
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'You've got a better chance of winning
the lottery than him legging one out'
- Braves manager Bobby Cox, joking about Brian McCann and
infield hits
THE HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
couple of weeks earlier in
the season with a sprained
ankle. He’s nearing the
required number of at-bats,
though, to again surface in
the top 10.
“It’d be an amazing story
if he could lead the league in
hitting,” Cox said.
Cox said earlier in the year
that it would be difficult for
McCann or any catcher to
lead their league because of
the position’s general lack of
speed. That’s something key
when it comes to running
out a few infield hits during
a season.
“You’ve got a better chance
of winning the lottery than
him legging one out,” Cox
joked.
NEW GUY: Left-handed
reliever Wayne Franklin
arrived during Sunday’s
game, and he’ll be available
beginning tonight.
Franklin, who came up for
optioned starter Jason Shiell,
was 2-3 with a 2.36 ERA
with Class AAA Richmond
in 35 appearances (53 1/3
innings).
Cox said he doesn’t know
if Franklin will be used
strictly as a situational lefty,
but that’s how the Yankees
employed the 32-year-old
last season. He struggled,
though, allowing 12 runs
(nine earned) in 12 2/3
innings.
UN DECK: Atlanta began a
three-game series Monday
against the streaking
Philadelphia Phillies, who
had won nine of 12 enter
ing Sunday’s game in New
York.