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Today
Major League Baseball
■ Atlanta - off
BRAVES CORNER
Braves 3, Phillies 1
If the Braves manage to make
the playoffs again, Tuesday night’s
win over the Philadelphia Phillies
could provide a template for how
it’s done.
Tim Hudson pitched seven
scoreless innings, a bullpen by
committee held the Phillies in
check in the eighth, and closer
Bob Wickman shut them down
in the ninth to give the Braves a
3- victory.
The Braves, in danger of falling
out of the wild-card playoff race,
moved to within eight games of
.500 with a 52-60 record.
Hudson’s strikeout total was
the most he’s had since a May 16
start against the Florida Marlins.
Hudson, now 9-10, had strug
gled mightily of late, especially at
Turner Field, where he had not
won since May 31. He was 2-6
with a 7.60 in his last 10 starts
entering Tuesday night’s game.
Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels
took the loss, falling to 4-6.
Catcher Brian McCann and
left-fielder Matt Diaz were the
offensive stars for the Braves.
- By David Lundy
Morris News Sen/ice
IN BRIEF
CGSA begins late
registration
Late registration for the Central
Georgia Soccer Association has
begun. It is open to children ages
4- 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 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 now-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.
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.
Jim Herrin Memorial
Stampede set
The 2006 Jim Herrin Memorial
Stampede takes place Saturday.
The 5K and 10K runs start at
7:30 a.m., and the 1 Mile Fun
Run starts 8:15 at the Galleria
Mall in Centerville.
Warner Robins chamber
to hold Playday Classic
The Warner Robins Chamber
of Commerce will hold the
Playday Classic 2006 Sept.
14, at The Landings Golf Club.
Registration deadline is Sept. 7.
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 admis
sion to the Celebration & Food
Festival. Prizes include a set
of tires, a Nissan truck from
Jeff Smith Nissan, a SIO,OOO
CD from Sun Mark Bank and a
Rolex watch from Satterfield &
Dempsey Jewelers.
For information on how to reg
ister, call 328-7745.
THURSDAY,
AUGUST 10, 2006
NS rebuilds following 21 -win season
SEASON
PREVIEW
NORTHSIDE
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
No high school
softball team in
Georgia could pos
sibly feel worse when its
2005 season ended than the
Northside Eagles, 21-game
winners but shut out of
postseason play as victims of
a strong region.
And it was a senior-laden
bunch from pitcher to catch
er to the leadoff spot in the
batting order. But a 1-0 loss
to Hardaway in the region
tournament (3-AAAA)
denied Northside one of the
four region slots in the state
sectionals.
“It was a hard-working
bunch,” said head coach
Mitch Horton. “We lost five
seniors off that team, lost a
majority of the pitching and
the catcher, the shortstop
and the second baseman.
“It’s hard when you lose
about 200 innings on the
mound. We’re sort of start
ing all over in that respect.
We have some kids who
really worked hard over the
summer. They’ll be ready to
go hopefully.”
Yes, there was little time
for worrying when it came
to putting the 2005 softball
season aside and look ahead
to the 2006 fall campaign.
Horton got his new pitch
ers and catchers together as
the summer break began to
work on their communica-
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ENI Gary Harmon
Sam Winemans works on bunting.
Perry horseshoe club members to
contend at Summer Fun tourney
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Sports Editor
This could be some South Carolina
man or woman’s slick way to a sure win,
but it’s a sure bet you won’t hear anyone
from the Perry Horseshoe Pitcher’s Club
complain.
Per Buddy Ayer of the club, here’s how
things work for the Summer Fun tourney
several members of the club - including
him - will be competing in Aug. 18-20 in
Newberry S.C.
“We usually get up there at about 3
p.m.,” he said. “(Then) they take us over
to the (their) Grand ’Ol Opry House and
all the local restaurants bring us stuff to
eat.
“They treat us real good.”
Sure they do - just don’t read the fine
print: Horseshoe pitching starts at 6:30
p.m. that same day.
That means trying to toss ringers with
your belly resembling the outside curve
of a horseshoe (and filled in).
See? A South Carolina plot.
Sports
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Northside head fast-pitch softball coach Mitch Horton throws to Kristen Smith during practice at the school
Monday.
tion two days a week.
“We all started in April
lifting weights, trying to
get stronger,” said Horton.
“Hopefully it will pay off for
us during the season.
“Getting in shape is prob
ably the biggest thing.
Of course it didn’t work too well last
year - but it does explain why Ayer said
this is one of the club members’ “favor
ite” tournaments year after year.
Last year, Ayer, Shorty Johnson,
Maryann Gibbs, Dane Clark and Larry
Myers competed at the same venue.
Ayer finished third, Gibbs was second
- tied for first, Ayer believed, but lost in
a tiebreaker (not a pitch-ofD, Clark was
third and Myers was first.
This year, Ayer (competing in the M
Class), Clark (E Class) and Myers (F
Class) will be attending. Johnson is cur
rently rehabbing from knee surgery and
Tom Carter was on the list, Ayer said, but
he had to back out due to health problems
(keep him in your thoughts and prayers,
Ayer said he needs them).
Each, there are approximately 280 com
petitors in all, is slated to go up against
seven others in the same class.
And that statement would probably
apply to both horseshoes and who’s
going to get to the mashed potatoes
first.
Playing in the heat of the
summertime, you definitely
need to be in good qual
ity shape. Hopefully it will
add some pop while they’re
swinging the bat; maybe it
will turn singles into dou
bles. I think you perform
better when you are in the
best shape you can be.”
Brittany Wallace was
Northside’s ace pitcher, and
now she will try to earn that
same role at the college level
at Lander. Fdr 2006, Horton
has a trio of throwers bat
tling for varsity innings.
None of them, though, are in
the Northside senior class.
Becky Studstill, a sopho
more, has worked on devel
oping her pitches, accord
ing to Horton, and Mallory
Brigman is a junior with
two years of junior varsity
play under her belt. Horton
will designate freshman
Rachel Hubbard as the main
JV pitcher, but didn’t rule
out giving her some varsity
time.
“I know there will be a
lot of nervousness to begin
with,” said Horton about
the lack of varsity pitching
experience. “But I think the
'lfs hard when you lose about 200
innings on the mound. We’re sort of
starting all over in that respect. Wfe
have some kids who really worked hard
over the summer. They’ll be ready to go
hopefully"
- Northside head fast-pitch softball coach Mitch Horton
Membrila earns Armed Forces spot
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Sports Editor
Michael Membrila and
Chris Mcllwain, both rep
resenting Robins Air Force
Base, competed at the 2006
Air Force Golf Championship
this past week at Vandenberg
Air Force Base in Calif., and
on the Marshallia Ranch Golf
Course.
For Membrila, who is oh
by-the way the Robins AFB
golf course’s club champion,
that turned out to be a fourth
place finish. He shot a 74, 76,
75 and 77 - the last round
being played Friday. As a
result, he earned the honor of
representing the Air Force -
the top six did - at the Armed
Forces Golf Championship.
That tournament is slated to
also be held on the Marshallia
course and begin Tuesday.
For Mcllwain, who has been
nursing an injured wrist he
said for the better part of
a year - it acted up on him
MCE
6A
kids thrive on competition. I
think they’ll be fine. There
will be some nerves in the
first inning, the first game.”
In addition to her pitching
duties, Studstill looks to be
the new leadoff batter in the
Eagle order.
“I know we lost a lot, but
I think from top to bottom
this lineup will be able to
produce some runs,” said
Horton. “Hopefully we can
put up three or four in a
game and give ourselves a
chance to win.
“We have a good mix of
(speed and hitting). We have
some players who can run,
and I think the middle of
the lineup can produce some
power and drive them in
when they get on base. You
never know how it’s going
to work out, but I think it’s
a good blend.”
Rocky Hemmer was
See REBUILDS, page 10A
during the tourney, not that
he was making excuses - his
play resulted in a lOth-place
finish.
He shot 74, 82, 77 and 77,
respectively.
“It (the Vandenberg course)
was extremely hard,” he said.
“It had like four-to-seven-inch
roughs. If you left the fairway,
you were in trouble.”
The overall top flnishey
for the Air Force were two
Vandenberg-based golfers
- no doubt familiar with the
course. They were Georffrey
Mann and Howard Hall.
Mann shot an 81, 71, 71 and
71 for a four-day total of 295.
Hall shot 79, 72, 71 and 73 to
also card 295.
Jeffrey Schohy from Maxwell
AFB was third with an 80, 73,
72 and 72. Arnell Garza from
Fairchild was fifth - 77, 71,
76 and 80 and Mark Gardiner
from Scott AFB rounded out
the Air Force’s qualifiers. He
shot 80, 77, 71 and 77.