Newspaper Page Text
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Lady Hornet GlHam notches ninth straight
By NIA TTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
In a tale of two run
downs, the lead heroine
for Westfield softball in the
final regular season chap
ter of 2008 remained senior
pitcher Kelsey Gilliam.
As the Hornets completed
a 6-0 GISA Region 3-AAA
championship year, Gilliam
threw seven more shutout
innings Tuesday in a 5-
0 win against Southland
Academy.
It was the ninth straight
shutout win for Westfield,
and for Gilliam she con
tinues a string of consecu
tive scoreless innings at
48 2/3 (the 2/3 represent
ing the last two outs of a
Sept. 2 home win against
Stratford, the last team to
score against the Hornets’
senior ace).
For the Westfield offense,
there was no run support
until the sixth inning when
WESTFIELD
From page iB
Late in the second quarter,
Westfield rushed for 38 yards and
passed for 46 only to see all 84 yards
negated by 45 yards in penalties.
Still, the ineffectual activity used
up time, and when Westfield was
finally forced to punt, Bulloch had
only 35 seconds left in the half.
Westfield used the halftime to
; *^fiEj^^^
k»,-..v J ». -„- .
®* Hz Jj| Bl
n
J§|k| «j-y- - ...
> « t * *>* **» * < * »» x l
, ' < <«*’ •“ r , .* . • ■ ”* 3? *-*jfs*- ‘'. ~?* *
- * „>,. !
; •■_.
* , <: >;; :! -' V:i .
3*f .. w ~, ~
;j.'3ji:r.':, .ii ■ -;. /.,»■*s
_ :
ENI/Gary Harmon
Westfield defensive end Ashton Leavengood stops a Bulloch Academy runner for no gain during the Hornets’
Homecoming win Friday at home.
THREE
From page iB
Coach Angela Crawford
said there was opportunity
after opportunity to score in
the first three times at-bat,
but nothing was cashed in.
Kourtny Thomas then led
off the fourth with a line
drive off the Tift pitcher’s
leg, and it woke up all the
others in the lineup. By the
time Thomas’ turn came up
again, she had another hit,
and Houston County led 7-0.
“In the fifth, our goal
was to execute for one,”
said Crawford. With that in
mind, Jessica Burroughs led
EDGE
From page iB
The game itself was pret
ty much a pitcher’s duel
between Purvis and Alexis
Boyd, although both relied
on solid defenses to keep the
hits down. Purvis also fanned
eight hitters while walking
one. Boyd struck out four and
also issued one free pass.
it erupted for five runs.
The rally was capped off
by freshman Christine
Campbell's three-run home
run. It began - at least
in the view of the visiting .
Southland Raiders - in a
controversial manner on
the base paths between
third and home plate.
As the Southland pitch
ing was retiring the first
nine Hornet batters in suc
cession, Gilliam was get
ting strong support from
her defense to keep the
shutout alive. She gave up
six hits and walked one
over the first five innings of
work, but it was in the first
inning that the Raiders
threatened to take an early
lead.
The Americus visitors
began play with a bunt
single and a successful sac
rifice bunt to second base.
With two outs, Southland
put a single to right field
get refocused, and it showed as the
Hornets John Lee took the hand off
on the first play from scrimmage
in the second and ran 62 yards to
Bulloch’s 10 yard line. Crook scored
his* first touchdown of the game on
the next play. Revis kicked he extra
point to give Westfield a 28-3 lead.
Revis did more than kick. He
also played defense and recovered
a Gators’ fumble. Bulloch coughed
up the ball twice, and each miscue
led to a Westfield touchdown. Crook
off with a hit, and Chelsea
Hodges bunted the runner to
second. Brianna Hancock’s
single ended the game.
Burroughs was the win
ning pitcher with two hits
allowed in five full innings.
The Bears went to 4-2 in
1-AAAAA with Friday’s trip
to Valdosta High remaining
to close out the regular sea
son. That outcome will help
determine whom Houston
plays in the tournament first
round at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
The remainder of this past
week was dedicated to non
region play, and on Tuesday
Crawford took the team to
Henry County to play Luella
The Lady Eagles did their
damage in the second.
Brooke Red led off with a
triple. Heather Langston fol
lowed with a double to bring
her home. Becky Studstill
sacrificed the runner over to
third before, with two outs
now on the board, Horne sin
gled her home. Boyd didn’t
allow a runner following but
the damage had obviously
been done.
and sent its runner on
home. But senior Daryl Ann
Thompson fired home to
catcher and fellow senior
Audrey Clearman in time
to end the frame.
Mason Moreland, another
senior, was the first Hornet
to reach as the infield
dropped her pop-up to start
the home fourth. She took
a quick steal of second and
was on third via freshman
Ellen Grier’s bunt. Senior
Hanna Jones put down a
squeeze bunt towards third,
but the Raider infielder
faked a throw to first and
thus caught Moreland off
the bag.
Moreland’s chance for
redemption came in the
sixth as she ripped a one
out triple. This time Grier
chopped the ball to third,
and it started an even lon
ger rundown. But after the
tag, the plate umpire ruled
one of the several Raiders
scored his second touchdown of the
game to improve Westfield’s lead to
35-3 after fourth extra point.
Bulloch scored midway through
the fourth quarter to make the
score 35-10, but Westfield answered
on its next possession when Tyler
Wainwright capped the game’s scor
ing with a two-yard run. Daniel
Montgomery kicked the extra point
as Westfield led 42-10.
With the win Westfield improved
to 5-1 while Bulloch fell to 4-2.
High. She said it was an
“ugly” game on the defensive
side with Luella scoring four
runs in one inning all due to
her team’s errors.
The Bears fell behind 2-0
in the first inning, but scored
three in the second. As was
the case in the Tift game,
Crawford said Houston left
several runners in scoring
position in every inning. Due
to the defensive breakdowns,
Luella led 6-3 going into the
seventh.
Among the key moments
in Houston’s last-inning
comeback, Katie Kratz led off
with a walk and advanced on
Lindsey Harman’s sacrifice.
DISH NETWORK SATELLITE TV
Free Installation - No sss Needed to Start
Service as low as $5 per week
No Bank Acct. Needed - No App. Refused
3 MONTHS FREE OF
HBO&SSE
on the play obstructed
Moreland’s path without
possession of the ball.
After protest from the
Southland bench, Moreland
stayed on third base, and
still stayed there on Jones’
grounder to short. The
shortstop looked Moreland
back, but had no play. With
the bases loaded, Clearman
drew a four-pitch walk to
break the deadlock.
Westfield tacked on four
more with Gilliam’s sacri
fice fly and the Campbell
home run.
Gilliam struck out six
and didn’t allow a baserun
ner after the fifth. Senior
Caroline Pfohl started in
centerfield and caught all
three of her chances.
The 20-2 Hornets next
look to GISA AAA first
round tournament action
on Monday at home. It is a
best-of-3 series with Mt. de
Sales that begins at 1 p.m.
With another rash of hitting,
Houston tied the game 6-6.
It was senior Sarah Gould’s
double to right center that
drove in the winning runs in
a 9-6 final.
On Wednesday, the Bears
had to fight from behind
again against Rutland High
of Macon. But when Kylie
Tierce, who plays right field
but yields to a designated
player in the batting order,
got her chance to swing, she
closed out home play with a
crushing two-run home run
to centerfield.
With that blow, the Bears
beat the Hurricanes 11-2 in
six. Hancock got the win in
866-385-7068
The 1* 100 customers also get
FREE IPOD! Call for Detailsl |
Perry girls win 3; set to
play for second place
From Staff Reports
Perry High’s trip to Cordele on Tuesday is now a battle for
second place in Region 1-AAA softball and favorable posi
tioning in the GHSA Class AAA south sectionals.
Both the Panthers and the Crisp County High Cougars are
10-3 in 1-AAA and face each other on Crisp’s ground for that
No. 2 slot. There is no region tournament, so the top four
teams in regular-season play earn the league’s positions in
the south sectional, which for AAA takes place in Dublin the
weekend of Oct. 17.
Worth County High won the region by beating fourth
place Cairo on Thursday. Perry High, which beat Crisp at
home on Monday 7-0, did its part with a tight 3-2 home
win Tuesday against Westover High and a 22-1 trouncing of
Monroe High in Albany Thursday.
“I was concerned about it, but we’ll take the win,” said
Tucker about the result against Westover, which came into
the game fifth in the region standings, but out of postseason
consideration. Tucker said the Panthers had a 3-0 lead, but
then Westover scored two late. He credited the work of Erica
Smith, his senior pitcher, as a game-saver both by throwing
the ball and catching it. The coach said Smith made one play
from her knees to get an out on a bunt, worked out of one
bases-loaded situation and dove to catch a pop-up.
At Monroe, Tayler Tucker had 13 strikeouts in five
innings. '
PERRY
From page iB
as Tevin Riley tripped up Yowe
for fourth down, but the ensu
ing punt stopped the bouncing
on the 5.
Perry’s next drive didn’t yield
much, and its punt - popped in
the air - traveled just 20 yards
to the Panther 38.
With Waters giving the team
a first down on the 21, Crisp
eventually set up for a field
goal try by Justin Richardson.
He put the ball through from
34 yards out for another lead
change, and this time it would
stick. The score was 11-9 late in
the third period.
At the start of the fourth quar
ter, the one and only Panther
turnover of the night would
prove as costly as if there were
many such giveaways. Perry
had bad field position thanks to
a foul on the kickoff, but a third
down fumble made it worse.
The Cougars recovered on the
15. Some second-effort running
by Waters got to the shadow
of the goal line, and despite a
procedure foul Waters scored
from four out at 10 minutes
remaining.
Richardson’s PAT made it a
two-possession game, 18-9.
With plenty of time, Perry
coaches continued to call Lane’s
number, and he found a seam
for a gain of 39 yards to the
Cougar 26. Brandon Grace
added some first-down yardage
to the 13, and from there Lane
went left tackle for the touch
down at 7:40.
Again, however, conversion
points did not follow, but it was
down to a three-point deficit at
18-15.
Perry, unfortunately, couldn’t
get that second possession until
Crisp ran more than six min
utes off the clock in 13 plays.
Even with Farms in the game at
nose guard to deal with the full-
STREAK .
From page iB
Northside was forced to punt again following where another
big run by Reid put the ball on the Eagles’ 11.
The defense pushed it back some but a 31-yard field goal made
it 24-7 and all but crushed Northside’s hope of a miracle.
the circle going five innings.
She gave up two runs on
two hits, a hit batter and an
error in the top of the first.
Afterwards, Hancock did not
give up a hit and walked one
while compiling eight strike
outs.
The Bears scored one in
the home first on Taylor
Fountain and Sarah Ling
singles. With two outs in the
second, Houston scored four
times to take the lead for
good. April Collins kept the
inning going with a flare that
eluded the Rutland left field
er, and then Harman - with
outfield playing as shallow as
it could - tripled to center for
Do you need your GED?
The Army National Guard will pay you to
get your GED when you enlist, plus...
■R l • a bonus of up to $20,000
I VkA * 100% tuition assistance
fji Job skills
miliary benefits
mrmrn if 3L
■6966^
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2008 ♦
back runs, Crisp converted both
third down and fourth down on
the drive, and Yowe was able to
find Carter despite Farms’ pur
suit for a 12-yard pass.
When the Panthers got it back
on downs, there was 1:32 left to
play. Lane’s big catch came as
Gentry felt the pressure and
needed to release the ball. Lane
had it, and with Farms’ help he
had a first down. The rest of it
was all Lame.
For Gentry, it gave him 113
passing yards.
But Perry would give it back
on downs with 38 seconds to
go.
The first quarter ended with
no scoring. Crisp had its big
gest play of that half of 20
yards when Yowe broke con
tainment up to the Panther 45.
But Ambrose Kendrick came up
with a sack, and Riley broke up
a screen pass for 4th-and-11.
On the first play of the second
quarter, the first Crisp punt to
die on the 5 set up the game’s
first points. It took two plays
for the Cougar defense to record
a safety.
Perry’s drive for Hall’s field
goal started on the Panther 42
after a late-hit on a punt return.
It was 3rd-and-12 when a
Gentry pass down the right side
was deflected into the hands
of intended receiver and tight
end Tyler Martens. The result
ing run gained 44 yards to the
Cougar 16.
Martens came up with anoth
er catch crossing the middle for
10 yards to the 5. Perry was also
pushed back some on a penalty,
so Hall kicked in three points
at 6:11.
The Panthers’ John Mathis
hit Waters for lost yards ended
Crisp’s last drive, and Lane
found a seam to add 25 yards
rushing into Cougar ground.
two RBI.
Ling went to center for a
two-run single after Fountain
drew a walk.
The score stayed 5-2 until
the fifth when Kratz dou
bled in a run. With two outs
Fountain’s single plated two
more. Tierce’s home run
capped a three-run sixth that
started with a Thomas hit.
The Bears had 14 hits total
for the game.
Prime Rib
Seasoned to Perfection
I-75 Exit 136» 987-8877
1 -800-GO-GUARD
www.l-800-OQ-GUARP.com
3B
169298
169662