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The Home Journal’s
SANDLOT
ON DECK
Today
Major League Baseball
■ Philadelphia at Atlanta,
7:35 p.m., Turner South
BRAVES CORNER
BRAVES 6, REDS 4
CINCINNATI -- The Atlanta
Braves won Sunday. Don’t lose
sight of that fact.
Because it'd be easy to after
hearing starter John Smoltz’s fiery
ire, rooted in disappointment of
an often-dismal season, following
Atlanta’s 6-4 come-from-behind
victory against Cincinnati at Great
American Ball Park.
Smoltz gave up all four Reds
runs in six innings before the
Braves' bats, after failing in sev
eral opportune situations this past
week, rallied in the eighth.
Jeff Francoeur hit a two-run
triple and scored the go-ahead
run on Adam Laßoche’s sacrifice
fly. Matt Diaz then homered for
the second time this week, and
fourth time this year, to tack on an
insurance run.
Both incoming Philadelphia
(53-56) and Milwaukee (52-59)
are among the eight teams ahead
of the Braves (51-59) in the wild
card jumble.
And they went 1-5 on their last
homestand, an “embarrassment,”
Smoltz said.
- By R. Travis Haney
Morris News Service
IN BRIEF
CGSA begins late
registration
Late registration for the Central
Georgia Soccer Association
began today. All children ages
4-19 are invited by the organiza
tion to, according to a release,
“join the ‘spectacular’ game of
soccer.”
Online registration can be
found at www.gasoccer.org/cgsa
or those interested can go by their
office during the hours of 11 a.m.-
3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Contact CGSA Association
Administrator Bette Dillon, at
478-987-2455 or email her 1 at
playcgsa@alltel.net for further
information.
Landings sets dates for
Linkup2golf program
The Landings golf course will
be holding its Linkup2golf pro
gram for new and re-newing golf
ers today-Aug. 31. The group will
meet Tuesdays and Thursdays
9:30-10:30 a.m. for early classes
and 5:30-6:30 p.m. for evening
classes.
The cost is $129 which
includes clubs. Call Bill Goggin
at 923-5222. Or e-mail him at
Bill@goggingolf.com. Check out
website at www.goggingolf.com.
Rec volleyball signups
set; cheerleaders needed
The Warner Robins Recreation
Department will begin registra
tion for volleyball Monday. It will
run from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and is
open to girls and boys 13-18.
The age control date is Aug.
31.
A birth certificate is required
upon registration unless it is cur
rently on file. Participants must
also have the required fee at the
time of registration.
Registration fees are as fol
lows: $25 for city of Warner
Robins residents, SSO for coun
ty residents and SBS for out of
county residents. Call 929-1916
for more information.
WR Rec Department sets
softball signup dates
The Warner Robins Recreation
Department will hold team regis
tration for the 2006 Fall Softball
League, through today.
Teams may register between
the hours of 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the
department, which is located at
800 Watson Blvd.
They will register the first
28 coed teams and the first 21
men’s teams. League play will be
Monday through Thursday for a
12-game season.
The entry fee is $348 per team.
The fall season will open Sept. 5.
Contact the department at 929-
1916 for any questions.
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 8, 2006
One not so lonely for HoCo's lone senior
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Between the end of the
2005 softball season and
the end of the school year,
it seemed like every other
day there was news coming
out of Houston County High
School of a Lady Bear ath-
vfcg&niA*' f I, '’WIMR
Journal/Matthew Brown
Houston County’s Bethany Crenshaw takes her swings at practice at the school Friday.
She is the only senior on a young Lady Bears team.
WR approaches season with optimism
SEASON
PREVIEW
WARNER ROBINS
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Warner Robins High
reached new heights in fast
pitch softball in 2005. The
Demonettes played in three
state sectional games, the
most in school history, with
the final game a 1-0 loss to
Eagle’s Landing decided in
the bottom of the seventh
inning.
“We’re getting better,” said
Warner Robins coach Brenda
Arnette as she looked back to
last fall, which alste includ
ed a first-ever win against
a strong Hardaway club
See SEASON, page 68
Wre getting
better. Every year
I see
improvement. This
year I expect even
more
improvement.'
- Warner Robins fast-pitch head
coach Brenda Arnett
Perry s Riley named to team Georgia;
to play in matchup against Florida
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Sports Editor
Mary Riley of Perry has been selected to
play for the Georgia team at the annual
Georgia versus Florida matches to be held
in Haines City, Fla., on the Southern Dunes
golf course. It is scheduled to be contended
Aug. 17 and 18.
“It’s great,” she said of the selection. “It’s
motivational. It let’s me know I’m playing
good. I can’t wait.”
She is one of 12 on the team, which includes
four seniors - she being one of them.
“Presently, I am the top points holder in
the state,” she said, adding it was also her
first time being selected for this particular
honor, “in the Senior Women’s category.”
Sports
SEASON
PREVIEW
HOUSTON COUNTY
lete earning a college schol
arship to continue her play
m -Sv*
- - - —a- * - ■< * -
Journal/Matthew Brown
Warner Robins’ Cherie White works on the technique of stepping forward in the batter’s box under the instructidn of
Warner Robins High softball coach Brenda Arnette.
Riley and company are slated to leave for
Florida Aug. 15 and play a practice round
the day following, prior to teeing off the day
after that for competition.
“The first day we’ll play a two-team mem
ber match play,” she said. “And the second
(day), we will play individual match play.”
Riley last played in the Yamaha tourney
in Newnan July 18-19 and finished “middle
of the pack.”
But, “I was in the championship flight,”
she added. “There were a bunch of great
players (in that particular flight).
“I did good,” she said. “The last day (of
competition) I picked up six strokes.”
Christy Cheek out of Eastman was also
selected to the Georgia team, Riley added.
ing career.
In actuality, three mem
bers of last fall’s Houston
County softball team signed
national letters-of-intent
for softball while one other
of Cristi Griffin’s starters
became a college basketball
player.
That’s a lot of talent to
lose in one off-season, and
in a dramatic reversal of for
tune only one of the Lady
Bears of 2006 is a member
of the senior class.
“We lost six seniors from
last year, ” said Griffin dur
ing preparations for the new
fastpitch season at Houston
County High. “We also lost
another one to injury, so
we’ve lost seven people from
the varsity team last year.
“We picked up quite a few
freshmen. I think we count
ed nine freshmen and sopho
mores. We are going to be
a real young team. We only
have one senior, Bethany
Crenshaw, and two juniors.
Our starting pitcher and
catcher last year were ninth
graders, so those positions
are going to be filled for a
while. Those are important
positions.
“We have a lot of talent.
The young players are real
ly good. We did have a lot
of scholarship players (in
2005). We have two return
ing infielders from last year’s
team. The whole outfield’s
’We lost six seniors from last year. We
also lost another one to injury, so we’ve
lost seven people from the
varsity team last year.’
- Houston County fast-pitch head coach Cristi Griffin
Warner Rollins Chamber ol Commerce
to hold Playday Classic golf tourney
Special to the Journal
The Warner Robins Chamber of Commerce presents
Playday Classic 2006 Sept. 14, at The Landings Golf
Club. The Playday Classic tournament is held in conjunc
tion with the Celebration & Food Festival, also at The
Landings.
Registration deadline for the golf tournament is Sept.
7. There are tee times available at 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The registration fee of SBS includes greens fees, a cart,
breakfast or lunch and admission to the Celebration &
Food Festival. Hole in one prizes include a Nissan thick
from Jeff Smith Nissan, a SIO,OOO CD from Sun Mark
Bank and a Rolex watch from Satterfield & Dempsey
Jewelers. There are cash prizes for finishing first and sec
ond in the tournament, and third place wins a complete
set of tires. For information on how to register, contact
the Warner Robins Chamber of Commerce at 328-7745.
SECTION
B
pretty much going to be new
and probably going to be
freshmen and sophomores.”
Just to review, Candace
Clark was a starting out
fielder in softball who would
later lead the Lady Bear
basketball team to a region
championship. She will play
basketball as a freshman at
Brewton-Parker College.
Kailie Matthews, Emily
Landree and Rikki Cornelius
all signed with Georgia
junior college teams.
That leaves Crenshaw as
the most experienced high
school player among the
Lady Bears. She is the lead
off batter in the order, which
puts her in the position of
catalyst of the offense.
“It’s a hard position* to be
the leadoff in every game,”
said Griffin. “Bethany’s a
good player, a good hitter
and a very hard worker.
She’s always the first run
ner, always stays latte and
practices harder. We’re going
to depend on her to be a
leader.”
See ONE, page 38