Newspaper Page Text
Central
trips up
Elbert in
seventh
Majors' double
dooms Devils
By Travis M. Chaffin
Sports Editor
Trailing Elbert County 3-
2 with two outs in the bot
tom of the seventh inning,
Forsyth Central battled back
to win the game Brent
Majors slapping a two-RBI
double down the left-field
line for a 4-3 Bulldog victo
ry Wednesday night.
"I was so proud of them
just for sticking with it all
the way through.” said
Forsyth Central head coach
Jeff Heusing. “We didn’t hit
the ball real well, but we
had some key hits in key
places and that’s what it
takes."
Not only did Majors help
his team at the plate, but he
also earned the win on the
mound, moving from third
base in the top of the sev
enth and allowing just one
hit in one inning pitched.
Though he did not get
the win. Bulldog hurler Chip
Waits pitched six innings of
two-hit baseball, allowing
just one earned run while
walking three and striking
out four.
“He kind of struggled
early, finding the zone and
getting ahead of hitters.
[But], after the third inning,
he settled down right into
the groove.” said Heusing.
Elbert scored first, put
ting two runs on the board
in the second inning.
In the fourth inning.
Tyler Marzofka led off with
a walk, stole second, moved
to third on a wild pitch, then
scored on an RBI single by
catcher Ryan Stiede to pull
within a run. 2-1.
Central (7-5) scored
again in the fifth, when
Caleb Swann who got on
base on an error, then made
READY from 1C
White would later take
first on a walk to load the
bases. But South was unable
to capitalize as Jon Burruss
flew out to center field to end
the inning.
South struck again in the
third inning as White hit a
sacrifice fly to center field,
scoring Tom Morris for a 2-0
War Eagle lead.
After three solid innings
on the mound Boling
threw just 27 pitcher through
the third inning the South
Forsyth pitcher showed he
was human, allowing
McEachern's Jessie Stewart
to score from second on a
double by right fielder Ryan
Genovese, pulling the Indians
to within 2-1. But Boling got
out of the inning, even notch
ing his sixth strikeout to end
fourth.
With a narrow 2-1 lead
and one out in the bottom of
the fifth, Boling and Jonathan
Wages drew back-to-back
walks and White took Sparks
deep sending a three-run
blast over the fence in right
field for a 5-1 War Eagle lead.
If Fitness Classes
I®
Cardio, Sculpt, Yoga & Pilates
Starting April 12 • $32 Per Session
At Southside Church
Child Care Available
Call: 770-888-2788
I
I
1 w"
z i >
I RwHNHp i
Photo/David McGregor
Forsyth Central catcher Ryan Stiede, left, talks with
pitcher Chip Waits during the Bulldogs' 4-3 win against
Elbert County on Wednesday.
it to third as the ball trickled
into right field came
home on a Pat Belt RBI to
tie the game. 2-2.
But Elbert County quick
ly regained the upper hand,
scoring the go-ahead run in
the next frame to take a 3-2
advantage.
In the seventh inning,
Heusing brought Majors to
the pitcher's mound in relief
and called on senior Aaron
McKevitt to play third.
“McKevitt made an awe
some snag in the seventh
inning,'' said Heusing.
The senior also made an
impact offensively, drawing
a leadoff walk in the bottom
of the seventh to get the
Bulldog ball rolling.
Waits re-entered the
game as a courtesy runner
for McKevitt and Brandon
Zimmerman later drew a
walk, setting up the tying
“That's good for Joe,"
Strickland said. “He needed
that, and we needed that”
Facing new Indian pitcher
Alex Marchen, Burruss got a
base hit and David Collings
took first on the catcher's
interference. Burruss then
moved to third and Collings
was thrown out at second on a
fielder's choice that put Jamie
Benjamin at first base.
Next up, Tate drew a walk
to load the bases for Evan
Nissley.
With two outs, Nissley hit
to the McEachern third base
man who overthrew the
first baseman allowing
Burruss and Benjamin to
score for a 7-1 South Forsyth
advantage. Tate was then
thrown out at the plate for the
third out, but not before the
War Eagles had built a com
manding lead they would
carry to the end.
"He did a good job,” said
Strickland of Tate, who went
1 -for-2 with a double and two
walks. “He did what a leadoff
hitter is supposed to be
doing."
and winning runs for
Majors' double.
For the night. Central
could only muster three hits
—singles by Kyle Kinsey.
Stiede and a double by
Majors but they got them
when they counted most.
"We're playing well, but
we haven't done anything
yet. and that’s what I keep
telling them. We’re just try
ing to keep working toward
that region because we
know that’s where the goal
is."
That goal. Heusing said,
is to remain competitive
once Region 6-AAAA
games begin and make it to
the playoffs. Step one
begins tomorrow as Central
hosts St. Pius X. Monday at
5 p.m., before traveling to
Marist on Wednesday and
hosting South Forsyth on
Friday.
On Wednesday, South
Forsyth defeated the Harrison
Hoyas 6-5 White got the win,
allow ing just one run on four
hits while striking out four in
four innings pitched. David
Collings got the save, pitch
ing 2 1/3 innings and allow
ing one unearned run on two
hits while striking out three.
Wages led the Eagles with
his 2-for-3 performance at the
plate, highlighted by a homer.
Tate got South off to a good
start with a leadoff home run
in the first inning.
“We’ve got a long way to
go," said Strickland. “I think
that, in the long run. I like the
improvements that I’ve seen
over the past week and half or
two weeks. 1 think that we've
started to make some adjust
ments and we've started to do
a few of the little things bet
ter.
"For us, it’s going to be
able to concentrate on the
process each day and not get
caught up with what's far
away. But take advantage of
every opportunity that we’re
presented each day.”
NASCAR suffering from
invasion of ‘field fillers’
By Don Coble
Morris News Service
BRISTOL, Tenn. Kirk
Shelmerdine opened his wal
let and counted his cash. The
small stack of bills, mostly
ones and fives, was barely
enough to buy dinner, but
Shelmerdine was hoping to
find some blue-light specials
in the garage area.
“It’s time to go on our
weekly tire scavenger hunt,”
he said.
Shelmerdine, like others at
the tail-end of the starting
lineup each week, is willing to
use hand-me-downs. Every
part on his Tucson Ford, from
the engine to the tires to the
Ford logo on the hood used to
belong to another race team.
While teams at one end of the
garage area have the luxury of
running a $1,608 set of tires
for a few laps during practice,
then throwing them away,
Shelmerdine knows he can
buy the used tires for pennies
on the dollar. They won’t be
as fast as new tires, but they
will get him in the race.
“Money buys speed in this
business,” Shelmerdine said.
“You used to be able to get by
with being smarter than every
one else. Not any more. It’s
never been more impossible
for the guys in the back to get
to the front. The difference
between the haves and the
have-nots has never been
greater.”
Shelmerdine knows what
it’s like to be on both ends of
the garage area. He used to be
Dale Earnhardt's crew chief,
and together they won four
series championships. Now
he’s a struggling driver, a
“field filler” who relies on
provisional exemptions to
make the starting lineup and
last-place checks to stay in
business another week.
J.D. McDuffie spent a
career running in the back. So
did Dave Marcis. Buddy
QJfzipzoof/Tzenl
In April, The Forsyth County
MNews will publish it's Spring Home
Improvement Special Section.
Tltc special section will feature
fresh ideas and practical tips for "jump
starting" spring spruce-ups for the
home and garden, including down to
earth, easy ways to enhance home
decor and sensible, easy to follow
advice for adding a new flair of spring
to a tired looking winter landscape.
Tentative topics include:
• Gardening
• "Quicker Fixer Uppers" - How To's and
I Repair Tips
I - • Spring Maintenance
* • Decorating Details 3 •W*’ *
I • Household Organization Tips
B ■ hl r
Deadlines: | j h
Space Reservations:
Friday April 2
„ * I Materials: Tuesday, April 6
Publishing Sunday April 11 *
j/ ' I V j. ; -
I u Forsyth County News
» »*wr Afwr” Siner 190# *
. Bl Ww V I
Call your advertising representative at
. 770-887-3126 XX
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, March 28, 2004
J
1 L, is
Arrington and Jimmy Means.
But not until Joe Ruttman
showed up at the North
Carolina Speedway in
February without a pit crew
his plan was to run a few
laps, then quit to earn the
guaranteed $54,196 payoff
did anyone notice field fillers.
“All you’re trying to do is
get experience and land a
sponsor,” Ruttman said. "The
big dreams are at the other
end of the garage. All of us
are dreaming down here. How
else are we going to get bet
ter?"
Ruttman is unlike the other
struggling teams. His team’s
plan is clearly to take advan
tage of the economics in rac
ing. The lack of sponsorships
has run many teams away
from the Nextel Cup Series,
making it easier for fledgling
teams to make the race. In
three races. Ruttman has fin
ished last three times. He’s
completed 33 laps and collect
ed $158,481.
Shelmerdine isn’t looking
for an easy check. He hopes
to catch lightning in a bottle
with a couple of good finishes
that might lead to sponsorship
or a job with a high-profile
team.
“There's nothing easy
about this,” he said. “Every
dime we make goes right back
into the car. Normally we’re
obscure [at the back of the
PAGE 3C
Andy
Hillenburg,
seen here
at the
Carolina
Dodge
Dealers
400, is one
of a hand
ful of driv
ers known
as “field
fillers.”
Photo/File
pack). Sooner or later, we’re
going to run out of provision
als, so we have to get better.”
Derrike Cope represents
everything that drives field
fillers. He appeared in 18
races last year, finishing 40th
or worse 10 times. He failed
to finish 12 races, but he still
won $1.3 million.
In last week’s race at the
Darlington (S.C.) Raceway,
Andy Hillenburg and Jeff
Gordon crashed. Hillenburg,
another of the struggling field
fillers, was hit by Tony
Stewart before Gordon
slammed into his car.
Gordon argued loudly that
NASCAR needs to do some
thing about the slower cars.
He said NASCAR should be
more concerned about pro
moting a competitive race
than worrying about starting
fewer than 43 cars.
Andy Belmont is another
of the self-proclaimed field
fillers. He doesn’t offer any
apologies for trying to strike it
rich on a small budget.
“If you’ve never borrowed
your children’s college money
to buy tires, if you’ve never
got a second or third mort
gage to buy a used engine, if
you've never paid off one
credit card by getting a new
one, then you’d never under
stand," Belmont said. “We all
want to be at the other end of
the garage area, too.”