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♦ SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2008
2B
Warner Robins powers past Perry
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Managing Editor
Just in time for Region
1-AAAAA play - Warner
Robins High School’s base
ball team
m next play this
past Friday
lifsl I Valdosta
- the Demons
added a new
dimension to
8 Parry 3 their already
’ potent
offense: The
long ball.
“We’ve struggled to hit
the ball,” said Head Coach
Bill Beatty after three
Warner Robins players had
hit home runs in an 8-3
win over Perry Tuesday at
home. “We’ve had to rely on
good defense. We’ve had to
get great pitching to keep
us in the game. But we’ve
struggled to hit the ball ...
we’ve had to manufacture
runs.
“Then,” he added, “the
other night we had 16 hits
and tonight they hit it really
good. I’m real proud of these
- --- -- * ’*.-** St' -"**
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Northside’s Kevin Gifford appliles a late tag as a Peach County player slides into second during the two teams’
game Thursday at Northside.
EDGES
From page iB
was 4-for-4 including a
long home run in the sixth
inning. Gifford led off the
home half of the eighth
with his fourth hit and
came around to score, but
it would be the only time
Northside could cross the
plate that inning.
After a wild pitch, catch
er Joe Scott reached on an
infield single. Gifford came
in on a sacrifice fly by Kyle
McArthur. Daniel Sandoval
kept the eighth going with
a two-out blooper to left,
but the game ended on an
infield pop.
Peach catcher Luke
Crowell swung a good bat
as the visiting No. 1 hit
ter. He started the game
with a single, and with two
outs Jordan Howell singled
to left for the game’s first
run.
Key would give up 10 hits
and walk two, but Peach
left eight runners on base
through seven innings. The
left-hander worked all eight
innings with three strike
outs.
Gifford, now playing sec
ond base, caught a pop
DEFENSE
From page iB
ball by Blake Mullis resulted in a Lee
error, scoring one. Chris Thompson’s
double to the wall then scored Roughton
and Mullis, putting the Bears up 3-0.
The Trojans scored a run in the sec
ond on a walk, a stolen base, and a sin
gle by Andrew Tharp. But when Tharp
later tried to advance from second on a
grounder to short, Chris Thompson
fired to third where Roughton applied
the tag for the out - ending that Trojan
scoring threat.
The Bears would get that run back
in the bottom of the inning. Kevin
Dees laid down a bunt that the Lee
third baseman threw awry for a two-
guys.”
The first Warner Robins
player to put the ball out of
the park was Zack Watson.
He stepped up to the plate
in the bottom of the third
with the Demons already up
2-0 and with Justin Burke
already on with a hit and
knocked a pitch high and
deep over the center field
fence. (It surely got the
attention of those Warner
Robins, Houston County
and Westside athletes busy
competing in a track meet
over at McConnnell-Talbert
Stadium.)
Rob Bailey followed him
and sent a shot over the left
center field fence. That put
the Demons up 5-0.
The Panthers climbed
back in it a bit in the top
of the fourth but didn’t do
nearly as much damage as
they could/should have.
Adam Nelson singled
to lead off and then Jeff
Stewart drew a walk off
Warner Robins starter Jesse
Scott. Following a strikeout,
Tyler Martens then drew
a free pass, too. The next
hitter then fanned and with
up with a backward role
as Peach had two runners
on but didn’t score in the
fourth.
The Northside offense had
just singles from Gifford
and Taylor Ham with seven
fly outs in its first three
tries. In Gifford’s second
at-bat, he doubled to the
left corner. After Scott’s
long fly to right moved him
to third, Gifford scored on
a McArthur single up the
middle (1-1).
The Eagles next caught a
bad break as Brian Wolfe’s
drive to left became a
ground rule double (because
it stuck in the fence). Peach
kept those runners on base
with a shallow fly to center
and a grounder.
Crowell put Peach back on
top 2-1 with a leadoff home
run to the left pole in the
fifth. Chris Layfield added
a double in the inning,
but the Trojans scored no
more as Key ended it with a
strikeout.
Gifford took the first
pitch thrown in the home
sixth deep over the center
field portion of the fence to
tie it at 2-2.
Both teams put a runner
on base in the seventh, but
neither could take the lead.
base error. Dees took third on a fly to
right, then scored on Davis’ sacrifice
fly to make it 4-1.
Lee County’s Jeremy Sheffield sin
gled to open the third and scored one
out later on a double by Taylor Howell.
Consecutive hit batters loaded the
bases. But on a fly ball to right field,
Blake Mullis’ strong throw home held
the runner at third. Dees then snagged
a line drive for the final out.
In the fourth inning, Tyler Gay
relieved Jeff Thompson and immedi
ately yielded a single. The next batter
grounded one hard down the third
base line. Roughton went to his knees
to knock the ball down, then from
his seat on the third base bag threw
to second to retire the lead runner.
A walk followed, but a pop-up and a
a 1-2 count against John
Randall Lasseter things
grew dim.
But, he fouled off the next
pitch and then sent a mild
bouncer to third. It was just
slow enough and he was just
fast enough to run it out.
Also, while he was doing
that, two of the leading
Panthers were busy scoring.
Warner Robins got one
of those back in the bot
tom of the inning when
Aaron Dobbs walked, stole
second and went to steal
third before the throw from
the catcher got away and
squirted away partially into
left field.
And by the way, just
because the Demons might
now have an extra weapon
in their arsenal in the long
ball, don’t think Beatty’s
abandoned the philosophy
that’s worked so well up
until this point - enabled
them to start out 6-1, the
best start in team history.
That is, being tenacious on
the basepaths.
“I think this team has
more team speed,” he said.
“We have several guys who
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Eagles pitcher Justin Key delivers to the plate.
SPORTS
are pretty quick. I told them
if it’s late and we’re still in
it, we’re going to be aggres
sive. I’d rather put the
pressure on their defense
and see how they respond
instead of putting the pres
sure on us.”
And speaking of aggres
sive, someone might have
been just that after the track
meet had finished - hitting
one too many “off” switches
and turning it pitch black
everywhere in the area.
After a somewhat lengthy
delay waiting for them to
come back on - the game
in the bottom of the fifth
at that point - the Demons
added their final two runs of
the night. Alex Fant reached
on a single before Dobbs hit
the team’s third and final
home run, this one going
out over left center as well.
The Panthers answered
back with their final run of
the contest in the top of the
sixth when Stewart walked,
eventually got pushed
around to third, where he
was able to score on Gordy
Grimm’s sacrifice fly to cen
ter.
running catch by Philip Knauer in
center retired the side. Gay threw
only four strikes in the inning, one for
the single and three for outs.
The visitors’ fifth started with
another leadoff single. One out later,
a walk and another single loaded
the bases. Once again though Gay
induced a ground ball to Roughton,
who stepped on the bag and fired to
first to complete the inning-ending
double play.
Lee’s leadoff runner reached on a
walk to start the seventh. But Gay’s
changeup produced another ground
ball to Dees, who threw to Thompson
to start another double play.
“The defense came up big tonight,”
said Head Coach Kenny Yanzetich.
“We just need to get the bats going.”
Warner Robins vs. Peach County tennis results
(Thursday at Peach County)
Girls
Singles No. 1
Roberta Robinson Peach County defeated Catherine Causey
WRHS 1-4
Singles No. 2
Monique Tobias WRHS defeated Jessica Rigdon Peach County 8-6
retired
Slnglos No. 3
Kendra Hill Peach County defeated Tracey Franco WRHS 10-8
Doubles No. 1
Amy Hutchinson/Brandyce Coes WRHS defeated Charlotte
Calloway/Marrisa Smith Peach County 10-0
Doubles No. 2
Allyson Rhodes/Colby Wilkason WRHS defeated Megan Keene/
Kori Patterson 10-1
O Warner Robins defeated Peach County 3-2. Demonettes * overall
record 5-3; 3-3 in Region 1-AAAAA
Boys
Singles No. 1
Kyle Yawn WRHS defeated Mark Barrett Peach County 10-7
Singles No. 2
Stanley Simmons WRHS defeated Jesse Kenney Peach County
10-0
Singles No. 3
Stephen Brunner won by forfeit
Doublos No. 1
Brannon Pool/Richard Skillen WRHS defeated James Banter/
Braxton Hill 10-0
Doubles No. 2
Scott Brainard/Skyler Holcomb WRHS defeated Thomas Harden/
Ryan Woodham 10-1
• Warner Robins defeated Peach County 5-0; Demons’overall
record 2-6; 0-6 in Region 1-AAAAA
Warner Robins vs. Coffee County tennis results
(Monday at home)
Girls
Singles No. 1
Catherine Causey WRHS defeated Maggie Thomas Coffee County
6-2, 6-2
Singles No. 2
Haley Sellers Coffee County defeated Monique Tobias WRHS 6-3,
6-4
Singles No. 3
Katie Causey WRHS defeated Jessica Burkhalter Coffee County
6-4, 6-1
Doubles No. 1
Emily Fowler/ Colby Wilkason WRHS defeated Hillary Barbaree
/Kimberly Edwards Coffee County 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
Doubles No. 2
Danielle Ricketson/Kara Shaw Coffee County defeated Amy
Hutchinson/Taylor Williams 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
• Warner Robins defeated Coffee County 3-2
Boys
Singles No. 1
Rashad Carson Coffee County defeated Yusuf Uddin WRHS 6-1,
6-1
Singles No. 2
Greg Schwartz Coffee County defeated 6-1,6-2
Singles No. 3
Kyle Yawn WRHS defeated Jacob Greene Coffee County 6-3, 7-6
(7-5)
Doubles No. 1
Johann Hoffman/Chris Goodman defeated Stanley Simmons/
Richard Skillen WRHS 6-4, 6-0
Doubles No. 2
Scott Brainard/Brannon Pool WRHS defeated Cohen Willis/Reese
Grantham Coffee County 1 -6, 6-2, 6-3
• Coffee County defeated Warner Robins 3-2
Warner Robins vs. Coffee County tennis results
(Monday at home)
Boys
Singles No. 1
Rashad Carson (C) defeated Titus Wongk (H) 6-3, 6-1
Singles No. 2
Chris Goodman (C) deeated Drew Bloser (H) 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4
Singles No. 3
Greg Schwartz (C) defeated John Akridge (H) 6-0, 6-4
Doubles No. 1
Chris Shumway/Frank Massicotte (H) defeated Johann Hoffman/
Jacob Greene (C) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Doubles No. 2
Joey Dillon/Kevin Dillon (H) defeated Cohen Wills / Reese
Grantham (C) 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6)
• Coffee County defeated HoCo 3-2; Bears' overall record 0-3; 0-2
in Region 1-AAAAA
Girls
Singles No. 1
Coffee County player defeated Jessica Lamothe (H) 6-0, 6-1
Singles No. 2
Coffee County player defeated Nicole Wongk (H) 6-0, 6-0
Singles No. 3
Coffee County player defeated Caroline Harrington (H) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles No. 1
Coffee County players defeated Kelly Brennan/Ravija Patel (H) 6-1,
6-2
Doubles No. 2
Coffee County players defeated Krystal Weaver/Bianca Farley (H)
6-0, 6-0
• Coffee County defeated HoCo 5-0; Lady Bears’ overall record 0-
4; 0-3 in Region 1-AAAAA
ENI/Gary Harmon
HORNETS
From page iB
2 and a 1/3 innings, and then
Rust came on in the seventh,
striking out one of the two
batters he faced for a save.
The Hornets and Lancers
traded runs in the first frame.
Weaver walked, moved to
second and third via walks
behind him and scored on
Tyler Brooks’ sacrifice fly.
The Lancers scored via a walk
and double by catcher Mark
Apple. The Hornets scored a
run in the third with Weaver
scoring again on a ground out
by Taylor. Four runs scored
in the fourth with Weaver,
sophomore Matt Coleman,
and junior Cody Pratt getting
RBI in the inning. Coleman
had an RBI in the seventh.
The Lancers made it inter
ENI/Gary Harmon
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
esting in the seventh by using
four Westfield errors in the
rain to plate three runs. Rust
struck out the last batter
“Tony did a great job, and
we are getting hits from dif
ferent places in the lineup
and right now I could not be
more pleased with our show
ing,” said head coach Billy
Sellers. “Against CFCA we
had a mental meltdown in
the seventh and we learned
that, we have to be focused on
every pitch and finish strong,
no matter what the score is.
We let down our guard a little
bit and CF did a good job of
getting runs in to make it
a closer score. Against FPD,
we had some great defensive
plays behind Tony and it all
added up to a big win for us. I
think we had lost six straight
to those guys over the span of
the last four years.”