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Houston paity The Home Journal’s SANDLOT wwiwufr - ON DECK 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- ■a Hi l- r - ,V T-• ■ „ :'v - -v' , ' '.4■ ;■ " - . i - * • " . /. j- ••• * - . -f-v . 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 v . ■■^/- :iw-> nnn™ 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.