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i&msicrtt ißailg journal 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