Newspaper Page Text
-— -
if aThe Houston Home m
Journal
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4,1990-Sect lon B
Hornets victimized by big hits in 6-3 loss
i
Senior third baseman Matt Perfect camps out underneath a high fly ball Tuesday
...The Hornets held an early lead, but two home runs gave the Raiders the win
Shawn Akers
HHJ Sports editor
Vitale and
I knew who
would win
It may not have been the boldest
prediction in the world, but it's one
that I finally got right.
After years of trying to predict
the NCAA college basketball
national champion, my forecast was
finally proven correct Monday night
when the University of Nevada-Las
Vegas literally embarassed Duke
University, 103-73, in the national
championship game at McNichols
Sports Arena in Denver.
Sure, the Runnin Rebels were
the No. 1 seed in the West and the
second favorite to win it next to
Oklahoma, but not many other
people believed in UNLV. Just me
and my buddy, Dick Vitale. I can
hear him now.
"Vitale and Akers, baby! What a
duo! We knew that Tark 'the
Shark's' bunch of prime time
stammers and jammers would end
up on top when the Big Dance was
done! Chalk one up for us in the
'W' column."
Now I'm not going to say that I
should be setting the odds out in
Las Vegas. I have been known to
predict some things right, but not
in the crazy world of college
basketball.
In fact, as you can remember
again, I picked a three-quarters Big
East Final Four with St. John’s,
Syracuse and Georgetown. None of
those even showed up for the Big
Dance in Denver.
Michigan was not my pick last
year, either. I felt that Oklahoma
would come out on top in last
year's finale. Wrong answer.
Kansas the year before, uh, no.
How about Indiana before that and
Villanova before that? Forget it.
But I did bet on Villanova to win
the final once the Wildcats got
there, and looked pretty good on
that.
Horse racing was more my sport
for predictions. I did pick Alysheba
out of the blue to win the Kentucky
Derby a couple of years ago. Lucky
guess, I guess.
So, it’s not very often that I'm
able to get one right in college
Please see AKERS, Page 4B
Panther boy netters are
dominating; girls struggle
By SHAWN AKERS
Sports Editor
ZEBULON - Perry High School
tennis Coach Mike Majors isn't at
all surprised that his boys' team is
2-0 after its first two matches.
What surprises Majdrs is the
way the Panthers have been
winning. After sweeping Harris
County last week 5-0, Perry made
it two in a row Tuesday with a 5-0
win over Pike County in a region
match at the Zebulon city courts.
The Lady Panther netters, how
ever, lost for the second straight
lime as the Lady Pirates beat them,
4-1.
All three Panther boys' singles
players won by scores of 8-1, and
the No. 2 doubles team of Tripp
Peake and Greg Winchester won big
as well.
Perry's No. 1 doubles' team of
Trent Malone and Lonnie Elwood
struggled, however, but beat Todd
Bower and Trey Thaxton, 9-8 (7-2)
in a tie-breaker.
Majors knew that his team
would be competitive going into
the season, but he didn't anticipate
that the Panthers would be this
dominating.
Perry rolls past
Lamar County 16-3
Panthers bounce back from loss
By SHAWN AKERS
Sports Editor
PERRY - The Perry High School baseball team may have felt as if
it had something to prove Monday afternoon after letting a game slip
away from it last Wednesday.
Lamar County got all the evidence it wanted. The Panthers bounced
back from that one-run loss last week by lashing out 10 hits in a 16-3
rout of the Trojans in a region game at "The Pit."
With the victory, Perry stayed in a tie for second in the region with
Harris County, one-half game behind Jackson. The Panthers improved
to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the region.
Perry's scheduled game with league-leading Jackson was postponed
last Friday due to rain.
The Panthers literally gave the Harris County game away last week,
allowing the Tigers to score three times in the bottom of the seventh
inning in a 5-4 loss. Perry wasn't about to let that happen again.
"I was pleased with the way the kids bounced back," said Perry
Coach Tim Simmons. "The attitude on the team has been pretty good.
This was a good game game for us to play and get over that loss
because it was such a heartbreaking loss."
"We needed a game like this," said winning pitcher Keith Ragin. "It
would have been really easy for us to get down after what happened last
; week, but we didn't and we're back to where we should be."
The Panthers jumped on Trojan starting and losing pitcher Larry
Fluellyn for two runs in the first inning inning and six more in the
| second.
The last three batters in the lineup, Ragin, Jimmy Dunlap and
■ Randy "Tater" Mizell, produced five of the Panthers' 11 RBI.
"The end of the lineup really came along and hit the ball well,"
Simmons said. "The middle of the lineup I was a little disappointed in,
and they’re going to have to start hitting again. But 1 know they'll come
Please see PERRY, Page 4B
"I really though we'd do well in
the region, but I'm really surprised
that we've dominated the way we
have this early in the season be
cause we lost a lot of people to
graduation last year," Majors said.
"But this is abdicated bunch
and they've worked hard over the
summer and up until now. They
didn't just put their rackets down
whenever the season was over last
year."
Allen Griffin, Perry's No. 1 sin
gles player, had virtually no trouble
in his match with Clifton Dukes.
"I played a lot better than I did
last week, except for the last two
games," Griffin said. "I guess I was
just overhitting or hitting the ball
too hard late in the match because I
wanted to get it over with, and
that's when he won the one game."
The Panthers' No. 2 player,
Chad Collins, put away Brett
Craine easily as well, as did Jeremy
Pruitt, Perry's No. 3 singles player,
who beat Pike County's Chris
Aughlman.
"That's the best I've seen Jeremy
play in a while," Majors said. "And
that's encouraging. Hopefully he
can keep that up."
Perry sports j
Complete coverage of Perry High, Westfield, Recreation leagues & Outdoor news \
Hornets stake Arrington to early lead, but
Raider round-trippers give Southland win
By J.J. COOPER
Staff Writer
AMERICUS- Two pitches proved
to be the Hornets downfall Tuesday
in Americus.
Shaync Arrington gave the Hor
nets a strong outing, except for two
home runs that gave the Raiders
what they needed to lake a 6-3 win
in both teams first region game of
the season.
The first came in the bottom of
the third, as Brock Powell sent an
Arrington fastball over the leflficld
wall for a two run homer.
In the sixth the Raiders took the
lead for good, as Michael Stubbs
drilled an Arrington offering over
the centerficld fence for a three run
homer, giving the Raiders a 6-3
lead.
"Shaync pitched a good game,"
said Hornet coach Mark Lewis.
"This team just hits inside fastballs
like they own them."
Both of the home run balls were
outside fastballs which got away
from Arrington and tailed inside,
said Lewis.
Despite the two gopher balls,
Arrington pitched a strong game,
going the distance while allowing
only nine hits.
Peake and Winchester, Perry's
No. 2 doubles' team, beat Glenn
Ivey and Sean Swcatman, 8-0.
Malone and Elwood won their sec
ond match, but Majors knows they
can play belter.
; "They just didn't very well
at all today," Majors said, "they
didn't hit the ball well and I know
that they're better than that."
A surprise on the girls' side was
that Susie Collins, Perry's No. 1
girls' player, was beaten by Pike
County's Charlotte Hankins, 8-6. It
was Collins' first loss in a team
match in two years.
"Susie didn't look like she was
ready to play," Majors said. "She's
under a lot of pressure team-wise,
and everybody expects her to win
every match. It seems like she's
worried about making a mistake
rather than attacking and trying to
win points."
Cassie Bisbee, the Lady Pan
thers’ No. 3 singles player, look the
only victory for Perry with an 8-4
win over Stephanie Harvey. Num
ber two Melanie Bowers lost to
Katie Hankins, 9-7.
The Lady Panthers' doubles
Please see NETS, Page 4B
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Toby Gilbert receives high fives after hitting a second
inning home run. Perry trounced Lamar County, 16-3.
Two thirds of Arrington's
pitches were strikes, but five of the
hits were for extra bases.
The Raiders bunched their hits
into several rallies, while the
Hornets scattered six hits over all
seven innings.
"When you have six hits you
have to pul them together," said
Lewis. "Their hits were clumped
together."
Westfield, usually a slow starter,
uncharacteristically broke out to an
early lead.
Michael Sullivan led off the
game with a walk, and Stephen
Gibbs followed with a single.
After Arrington fanned, Malt
Perfect singled, knocking in Sulli
van.
Chad Evans followed with a
walk.
Gibbs came around to score on a
wild pitch to pul the Hornets up 2-
0.
The Raiders then settled down to
end the inning on two quick outs.
Arrington sent the Raiders don
in order in the bottom of the in
ning.
The Hornets held the edge early,
but they were unable to add to their
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Perry’s Melanie Bowers serves a point in her match with
Pike County's Katie Hankins. Hankins beat Bowers, 9-7.
lead as they went scoreless in the
lop of the second.
Southland regained one of the
runs in the bottom of the second.
After Arrington struck out the
leadoff batter. Southland put to
gether a small raliy.
Arrington allowed a walk and a
double, pulling runners on second
and third.
Scott Lightner grounded to
Jamey Watson, who made a diving
grab and fired to first for an out, but
one run scored on the play, closing
the margin to 2-1.
The Raiders took the lead for the
first time in the third.
Justin Davidson led off the in
ning with a single.
Brock Powell then deposited an
Arrington fastball for a home run,
as Southland took a 3-2 lead.
Arrington continued to struggle
as Michael Stubbs ripped a double
to deep centerfield on the next
pilch.
Another batter was hit by a
pitch, to give the Raiders runners at
first and second with no out.
But Malt Perfect made a diving
slop to force Stubbs out at third,
Ragin is
settled on
the mound
By SHAWN AKERS
Sports Editor
PERRY - Admittedly, Keith
Ragin didn't have the best of
outings in his first pitching
performance this season.
The senior right hander
allowed three runs, including a
monsterous home run and four
hits in two and two-thirds
innings against Manchester
before being relieved.
Ragin didn’t get the loss, but
that was small consolation.
Against Lamar County
Monday, however, Ragin was a
man on a mission.
"I was determined I was going
to throw a good ballgamc and at
least get the win this time,”
Ragin said.
Ragin did in fact redeem
himself against Lamar County,
striking out six and allowing one
hit in four innings in a 16-3
romp over the Trojans at the
Panther "Pit."
It was Ragin's first victory
this season. He allowed a run in
the third inning, but it was
unearned.
Please see RAGIN, Page 4B