Newspaper Page Text
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1990
2B
Pike County rallies
late to beat Perry
By SHAWN AKERS
Sports Editor
<• ZEBULON - There arc faslball
iiilling teams, and then there arc
breaking hall-hitting teams.
Classify the Pike County High
School baseball team in the latter
category. The Pirates' patience at
the plate paid off Monday afternoon
as they rallied for a 6-5 victory over
Perry in a Region 4AA game at
Pike County High School.
The loss hurts the Panthers in
their quest for a regular-season
region championship, pulling them
two games behind front-running
Jackson. Perry is 8-3 overall and 6-
2 in the region.
"I felt that it was a game we
needed to win," said Perry interim
Coach Tim Simmons. "Now we're
going to have to buckle down and
play some ball.”
Pike County, on the other hand,
enhanced its chances for a region
playoff berth (the lop four teams
advance). The Pirates improved to
8-5 overall and 5-4 in the region.
Through five innings. Pike
County had been shut down by
Perry fireballcr Ken Sikes. Sikes
had struck out 12 before the top of
the sixth inning.
"We just couldn't hardly touch
him," said Pike County Coach
Brent Bramblctt. "He was pitching
a fantastic game, but I was proud of
rrsn
* ™
• «
Mark Blumen
HHJ Staff Writer
I felt right at
home driving
in the parade
I had a special honor this week
end for the Dogwood Festival pa
rade.
I drove Little Miss Dogwood,
Angela Pope, in the parade.
She was a really nice girl and
driving her made me feel like I was
back home in Atlanta.
It took almost an hour to drive
about two miles. I felt as if I was
in the middle of 1-285 at rush hour
or Jimmy Carter Blvd. at 8 a.m.
1 heard all the sirens and while
sitting bumper to bumper in traffic,
I thought about how much I miss
that. Right. You believe that and
I II tell you another one.
I saw all the people on the side
of the road and it made me think
how much of an honor it was to be
asked to do this.
Bobby Neil asked me to do this
favor and I really appreciate the fact
that he and Angela's mother, Mrs.
Long, trusted me enough to ask
me.
Thank you Mrs. Long and
Bobby because I enjoyed doing all I
could to help out with the parade as
well as the other Dogwood events.
* * *
Well, I'm getting another honor.
One of the girls senior league teams
down at Ochlahatchee needed a
coach. Well who did they ask. You
guessed it, Me.
I hope I do Okay. I've coached
four years of baseball in Atlanta and
compiled a 45-28-1 record. Not 100
shabby.
My teams have won two tour
nament championships and one
third place finish.
I'm hoping my team can do just
as well. I plan on working hard and
giving 100 percent. I just hope my
players do the same.
Coaches of the other teams bet
ter have their teams ready because I
plan on fielding a winner.
When 1 say a winner, I mean a
team that will be competitive
whether we win or lose. My main
emphasis for these girls will be to
teach them sportsmanship and for
them to have fun. Hopefully, in the
process, we will win our share of
games. Os course, that will make it
fun. We all know, it's no fun to
lose.
I do plan on giving my team
some exposure, but I will not omit
anybody from getting their teams
statistics printed.
* * *
Well, Tuesday afternoon coach
Randy Padgett called and told me
that Forrest Johnson was going to
ink his name on the dotted line
Wednesday to run track at the Uni
versity of Georgia. Congratulations
Forrest, and I hope you do as well
as that other Georgia track star.
What was his name. Herschel
somebody.
our hitters because they were pa
tient enough to wait on him."
Sikes had also allowed six
walks, and a walk to Joe Parks got
Pike County started on a five-run
rally in the bottom of the sixth in
ning.
After Dennis Gamer struck out,
Torin Beckham drew a walk and
Neal Blount, who had struck out
twice before against Sikes, bloopcd
a single on an off-speed delivery to
drive in Parks and cut the Perry lead
to 5-2.
Bramblctt remembered the last
time Perry and Pike County had
played. Sikes struck out 14 batters
in a 12-2 Panther win.
"We made up our minds this
lime that we were going to be a
little bit more selective," Bramblett
said. "We were going to sit back
and make him throw a strike, and
when we got ahead of him and he
had to throw a breaking ball, we
were going to jump on it."
Pinch-hitter Andre Owens fol
lowed with another bloop single to
score Beckham, and Josten Clark
was brought in to relieve Sikes.
Sikes finished with 13 strike
outs, but also walked eight baiters.
"1 thought that Ken did an out
standing job," Simmons said. "But
they were just getting bloop hits,
Tcxas-Leaguers. Maybe we were
Panthers will try
on track at home
By SHAWN AKERS
Sports Editor
The one thing that Perry High
School interim baseball Coach Tim
Simmons knows is that his team
has to hit to win.
Prior to Monday's game with
Pike County, the Panthers had
averaged 16 runs per game in their
last three games. Monday, however,
Pike County pitcher Dennis Gamer
held Perry to just four hits in a 6-5
loss.
"We're just going to have to get
our offense back on track," said
Simmons, whose team takes the
field at home at the Panther "Pit"
today at 4:30 p.m. against Manch
ester.
"We just had a bad day at the
plate, and we can't let that bother
us. We've got a good-hitting ball
club and we need to shake (Monday)
off."
With Monday’s loss, Perry fell
to 8-3 overall and 6-2 in the region.
Jackson is alone in first place at 7-0
in the region.
Manchester is virtually out of
the running for one of the four
region playoffs spots. The Blue
Devils arc 3-5 in the region going
into today's game.
Keith Newberry will get his first
start this season for Perry today.
Newberry pitched for the first time
in a big victory over Mary Persons
last Friday.
AAA POOL SUPPLY INC. I
SALES • SERVICE • INSTALLATIONS
"Central Georgia's Trusted Pool Builder Since 1974"
• SWIMMING POOLS • SPAS • HOT TUBS
- CHEMICALS • PUMPS & FILTERS J? "FREE \
• SUPPLIES • LINERS iw :lt or 1
• accessories • covers Testing^
• n OB — ————_ »um c
MBARGAIN ROAD
rnuUmm (HWY 247 9 BARGAIN HD)
iif rUi'J li r; l ••»§ mZSr~*
■ vt DctunTctun
BPBBaIiIEO eolidansJnc.
“Pp€S€Dtlngf
In store computerized lab.
Now with our new computerized lab, most glasses can
be made in only one hour. Stop by and visit us in our
new and larger showroom located five doors down
from old location.
Better
with 2 pain of glosses
Buy 1 Pair of Glasses And Get The Second Pair
FREE
the second pair. p«wepleii eteer pace, phase pee tone,
—i v.iw-s.y* .?y
We also make OSHA approved safety glasses, *
Ask about our scratch-proof plastic lenses
DotunTown €ptkiam r lnc.
International Square (formerly Williams Plaza)
Warner Robins
Our New* Hours:Mon-Sat 9:30 am-6:00 pm
Call 922-2020 or 923-2020
w X rin m IJrIFkW IXrJrJI I 11 J JmX I 1 ii'ndinaai I i y it I '}
IHtei v : -i IB f„ 1M VKmmwmmi&b-I 1 V|-v
jS • « *’■ a fpfliKfil Khi^
HI - -#•.
Perry's Keith Ragln connects for an RBI single in the second inning Monday. Perry lost to Pike County, 6-5.
playing too deep in outfield."
Marcus Hines then grounded out
to Sikes at first to drive in Blount,
and Tim Gamer's RBI bloop single
on another off-speed delivery scored
Owens to tie the game at 5-5.
John Hanson then delivered the
only solid hit of the inning, a dou
ble down the left field line that
"We've got all the confidence in
the world in Keith,” Simmons said.
"But we've got others ready, like
Keith Ragin or Robert Aitkens,
just in case he gets into trouble."
The game will mark the second
time the two teams have met this
year. Earlier in Manchester, Perry
scored an 11-5 victory in a five-in
ning game shortened by darkness.
That game marked Simmons'
first at the head of the Perry helm.
Josten Clark picked up the vic
tory for the Panthers in relief of
Ragin in that game.
"We showed that we could hit
the ball against them in Manch
ester, and we hope we can do the
same there,” said Manchester Coach
Larry Woodruff.
"They're a strong offensive team
and they've got great pitching, but
we feel that we can beat them as
long as our pitching holds them."
The Blue Devils will start Chip
Meddcrs, who was the losing
pitcher in the game at Manchester.
A key for Manchester could be
the hitting of catcher 800 Bishop.
Bishop had two hits, including a
two-run home run in the first
meeting between the two teams.
Bishop bats second in the Blue
Devil lineup.
"800 has to spark us offen
sively," Woodruff said. "We need
for him to get on base so our No. 3
scored Gamer and put Pike County
ahead.
Pirate pitcher Dennis Gamer set
down the Panthers in order in the
seventh inning to preserve the vic
tory.
Garner shut down the potent
Perry offense, which had averaged
16 runs a game in its last three
to get their offense back
; against Manchester
and 4 hitters can drive him in. We
need to get on top early."
Simmons now marks this game
as a must for Perry. The Panthers
also have games on Friday at home
against Harris County and on Sat
urday against Jackson at Jackson.
"We can't afford to lose this one
in my opinion," Simmons said.
"We've got six games left and we
need to win at least four of the six
if not six of six."
Annual Parking Lot Sale Clearance
% Lawn Mowers % Roto Tillers % Appliances % Boats
Motors 4-Wheeler Tool Boxes
EVERYTHING REDUCED
1 DAY ONLY - Saturday, April 14,1990
8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
"LOANS ON MOST ANYTHING OF VALUE"
< GRAND OPENING
HOUSTON MALI
nights, an
Over 100 locations nationwide
Maintenance Preel I
|| Mr, *
||| 11 Available i \ . Choose from Prepainted Steel
$u ’ n ~’B ‘ or Prefinished Masonite Siding
games. Gamer held the Panthers to
just four hits and set down the last
14 hitters to face him.
"What can you say, he pitched a
great game," Bramblett said. "He
kept the hitters offstride, he spotted
his fastball pretty well and made
only a couple of bad pitches. Great
game for Dennis."
Who: Manchester vs. Perry High School
Where: Perry High School, the "Pit"
When: Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.
Records: Manchester is 5-9 overall, 3-5 in Region
4AA; Perry is 8-3 overall, 6-2 in Region 4AA
Starting pitchers: Manchester - Chip Medders (4-4);
Perry - Keith Newberry (0-0, will be making his first
start)
"I thought wc were fortunate to
get the runs that wc did seeing as
how we didn't hit the ball," Sim
mons said. "Wc just had a bad day
at the plate."
The Panthers have one away
game left in the region, that being
at Jackson this Saturday.