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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 ':f - : j§ '*3l BSLm - w BBr ' JHhISI i 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 DONATE TO LL. j ♦ 2209 Moody Road m ♦ 115 Margie Drive ■ M ♦ 1355 Sam Nunn Blvd M ♦ Galleria Mall - 2922 Watson Blvd www.goodwillworks.org m L m 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!) gnUr 1-75 136 • 987-8877 SPORTS (T .. .JijfcJß / 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 |f NASCAR This 1 K for the latest news. updat^M WARNER ROBINS SUPPLY mmm We Rent! M 2 Mall Si, Merry, GA 987-2334 w m jmeioOatatimeig Regular-season champs same exact spot both late Frida y ni s ht 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 STIFEL NICOLAUS is pleased to announce the opening of our 118th office Now Serving Warner Robins, Georgia Jack Witty Senior Vice President/Investments Wade Turner Vice President/Investments Lisa Rodney Operations Coordinator (478) 953-1313 (866) 639-0254 Toll-Free 321 Margie Drive, Suite B Warner Robins, Georgia 31088 C ( /n iwd/Hvn/ CFfewtceb (FTt/tw? 4530 STIFEL, NICOLAUS & COMPANY, INCORPORATED Member SIPC and New York Stock Exchange, Inc. '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.