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WRALLII -12-year-olds shut out S.C.
Improve to 2-0 in Southeast Regional pool play
By JOE MA TTHEWS
Special to the Journal
Strong pitching, solid defense,
and timely hitting are what many
major league managers will say are
the keys to being a winning ball
team. All three were in evidence for
the Warner Robins American 11-
12-year-old Little Leaguers as they
continued play in the Southern
Regional in St. Petersburg Florida.
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Lady Hornet Audrey Clearman finds her way blocked while trying to score during the team’s Freedom Park
Invitational Tourney game against Stratford Saturday in Macon.
Freedom Park Invitational Tourney
Westfield goes 2-0 to open
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
The Westfield Hornets softball club
earned a “comeback kids” type reputa
tion at the 2006 state championships.
So it was only fitting that the 2007 start
with a come-from-behind victory.
The defending state champions erased
an early 3-0 deficit to defeat Stratford 6-
5 in the opening game of the Freedom
Park Invitational Tournament Saturday
in Macon. Westfield went on to defeat
Mt. de Sales 4-2 in six innings.
Though the Hornets won the tour
nament that really mattered at the
end of last season, Westfield stumbled
out of the proverbial starting block in
this same event when the 2006 cam
paign started. Ironically, it was First
Presbyterian Day that beat Tattnall
Square in the Freedom Park finals one
year ago before Westfield beat both
schools twice in the GISA AAA state
finals.
But Hornets head coach Rodney
Culverhouse was only interested in get
ting this new season off to a better start
and let his players know so off and on
during the two games Saturday.
In a shaky second inning against
Stratford, Westfield - down 1-0 - had
three errors on defense leading for two
runs for the Eagles and their head coach,
former Atlanta Brave Jeff Treadway.
Hornet pitcher Kelsey Gilliam only
gave up five hits in all seven innings,
and Stratford was never able to string
any of them together in one inning. That
was where the Westfield offense would
excel as Mason Moreland’s double and
singles by Darryl Ann Thompson and
Gilliam got their team back within one
run at 3-2.
With help from another Westfield error,
Stratford led 4-2 after four innings. The
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 7, 2007
The Georgia state
champs blanked
the South Carolina
champions from
Wren Little League
in Piedmont 6-0 in
the second game
of pool play.
First, the strong pitching: Dalton
Carriker pitcher, the winner in
relief in the opening win against
Inside
WRALL rallies
past Alabama
- page 10A
H | SB ■ —— ■ ——
EN I/Gary Harmon
The ball gets under the glove of Westfield third baseman Katelyn McClean.
Hornets then batted around on the bot
tom half for four runs to go ahead for
good 6-4. Jenni Grier led off with a hit,
Moreland ripped her second double, and
Audrey Clearman, Gilliam and Jennifer
Wiye had three hits in a row.
In the pitching circle, Gilliam had
seven strikeouts, walked one and hit
Sports
Alabama, tossed a complete game
shutout. He scattered six hits,
walked two, and had six strike
outs - including five of the last six
outs.
Second, the solid defense: This
started from first Wren batter, who
was robbed of extra bases on a div
ing catch by centerfielder David
Umphreyville. Leftfielder Keaton
Allen ended the first frame by
two batters. The Eagles would score
one more time in the bottom of the sev
enth as Westfield again had a defensive
miscue.
The Hornets came back to defeat
Mt. de Sales 4-2 despite giving up two
more unearned runs and leaving seven
See WESTFIELD, page 10A
snatching a foul fly ball against
the fence. Hunter Jackson made a
similar catch nearly in the South
Carolina dugout in the fourth
inning. And a defense is nothing
without a sure-handed shortstop
like WRALL’s Zane Conlon, who
handled six chances flawlessly.
Third, the timely hitting:
Carriker helped himself in the first
inning with a solo home run off
the top of the scoreboard in right
field to put the Americans up 1-
0. Controversy then ensued in
the second. After a Jackson single,
Soles second at
amateur venue
Gomes up short in 3-way playoff
By DONMONCRIEF
Journal Sports Editor
While Mary Riley of
Perry was busy attempt
ing to make a rally at the
Georgia Women’s Amateur
Championship, contest
ed Tuesday-Thursday at
Augusta Country Club,
there were three more
from Houston County
contending in the same
tourney, just from the for
ward tees. They were Lori
Soles and Fran Goody of
Perry and Joye Marshall
of Bonaire.
In fact, one of those,
Soles, found herself in the
heat of a playoff for first
before it was over.
Coody shot 89 and 90
the first two days - the
first two days were for
qualifying for flights Soles,
who qualified for the first
flight, said - then 101 the
third day to finish at 280.
Marshall carded 100 and
96 for day one and two,
respectively, and then 104
day three for a total of
300.
Soles on the other hand
shot 86 and 85 the first
two days, respectively.
That put her in third,
tied with Andrea Jackson.
Alice Richardson was first
with a two-day total of
Td never played in a playoff before.
Needless to say I was nervous. I bad
to be reminded to breath."
- Lori Soles of Perry
Juice snap Music win streak
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Sports Editor
Well, it was fun while it
lasted. Bradenton, with a
10-4 win, snapped Macon’s
Bradenton 10,
Macon 4
opponents 39-8 - includ
ing an 8-1 win Friday over
the visiting Juice - head
ing into Saturday.
But, they were unable
to solve left-hander Brian
Gartley, who came into the
contest with the league’s
lowest ERA at 2.15 and
struck out seven on the
night.
He also helped himself
at the plate with three hits
and three RBI.
South Coast League standings (as of Suntlay)
W L Pet. SB LsMO
South Georgia 15 7 .682 0.0 7-3
Macon 13 7 .650 1.0 8-2
Bradenton 10 10 .500 4.0 4-6
Anderson 11 12 .478 4.5 6-4
Aiken 9 14 .391 6.5 3-7
Charlotte County 6 14 .300 8.0 3-7
7A
Micah Wells lined one to left. The
South Carolina leftfielder made a
diving try, but the ball rolled out
of his glove as he hit the ground.
Seeing the ball out, Jackson took
second. However, the home plate
umpire ruled a catch, and in the
confusion the relay to first doubled
him off. The four umpires con
sulted at length, but despite the
ball on the ground the call stood.
It was particularly painful as Nick
Martens followed with a double.
Carriker and South Carolina’s
See WRALL, page ioA
166. On day three, Soles
and Jackson then shot 84
while Richardson carded
89. That put them in a
three-way tie for first and
into a three-hole playoff.
Soles’ results: Par, bogey,
bogey but ultimately that
enabled her to finish run
ner-up - Jackson was first
- and considering the cir
cumstances for Soles, it
was all the more impres
sive.
“I’d never played in a
playoff before,” she said.
“Needless to say I was ner
vous. I had to be reminded
to breath.”
As far as Riley, after a
first day 91 she rebounded
to shoot 81 and 85, respec
tively to finish in a tie for
30th.
The overall winner was
Laura Coble. She shot
1-under par 71 to finish 1
four strokes ahead of 2006 »•
champion Jean Reynolds,
who finished even par in
second place in the 54-hole
tournament.
The Georgia Women’s
Amateur Championship,
according to a release, “is
the state’s most presti
gious women’s golf event”
and was contested on the
5,902-yard Hill Course by
43 golfers.
Meanwhile for Macon,
starter Blake Rice got
rocked from the get-go.
He gave up a two-run
homer to the third batter
of the game and was only
able to hang around for
three and a third innings
- giving up seven runs on
seven hits and two walks
in all.
In Friday’s game, Macon
out-hit Bradenton 12-8
while taking a 4-1 lead
after one. It was 6-1 after
two and 7-1 after three. I
The Music added their I
final run in the sixth.
Dorian Rojas and Chris
Colton each had three hits
to pace the home squad.
Rojas was 3-5 and scored
three of Macon’s runs. He
also drove in one. Colton *
was also 3-5, scored one
run and drove in two.
seven-game
win streak
Saturday.
The Music,
up until that
point, had
outscored