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The Commerce News
Sports
CONTACT US: Brandon Reed / brandon@mainstreetnews.com / (706) 367-5233 or (706) 335-2927
IB
THE COMMERCE (GA.) NEWS
WEDNESDAY,
MARCH 12, 2008
CHS Baseball
Tigers Ready To Start Region Play On Friday
By Brandon Reed
The Commerce Tigers look
to turn their early season luck
around after losing games to
both Oglethorpe County and
Banks County last week. Their
next chance to score their first
win of the season will come on
Friday when they’ll host Towns
County in their first region
match-up of the year. The first
pitch in that game is scheduled
for 6 p.m.
Oglethorpe County
Last Wednesday the Tigers
traveled to Oglethorpe County
to face the Patriots, who entered
the game winless on the young
season. While the Tigers worked
well defensively they didn’t put
the ball in play often enough,
and came up on the short end of
a 5-2 score.
Commerce took a one run
lead in the first, and held the
Patriots at bay until the bottom
of the fifth, when Oglethorpe
put two runs across. The Tigers
tied the game in the top of the
fifth, and sent the game into
extra innings when the Patriots
couldn’t answer in the bottom of
the inning. But Oglethorpe put
the game away in the bottom of
the eighth with three runs.
Reuben Haynes went 2-for-3
on the day, with a single and
a double. Hunter Ward had a
single.
Cohen Cooke recorded the
loss, pitching three and a third
innings, giving up four hits while
striking out one. Haynes pitched
three and two-thirds innings,
striking out seven and giving up
three runs.
“Against Oglethorpe, we played
as well defensively as any team
I’ve had in three years,’’ said coach
Walt Massey. “Carl Allen had six
assists from his third base posi
tion. Reuben (Haynes) pitched
well, he just got a bit fatigued as
his pitch count approached 65.
If he contin
Coming up
► vs. Towns
Co., March 14,6
p.m.
vs. Tallulah
Falls, March 18,
5 p.m.
v vs. Social
Circle, March 20,
5 p.m.
ues to throw
that well and
gains a bit
more stamina
during his
next few bull
pen sessions,
I’m confident
he will win a
lot of games
for us this sea
son.
“We did a lot of things well
defensively, and strategically we
executed several bunts well. We
just weren’t able to put the ball
in play enough to win. With
eleven strikeouts and three hits,
we were actually fortunate to
have a chance to win.’’
Banks County
The Tigers went into Thursday’s
game against the Leopards hop
ing to exact a little revenge for
their season opening loss on
Feb. 27.
They didn’t get it, as Banks
County pummeled Commerce
20-3 in a game that went only
five innings.
The Leopards struck first in
the top of the second with four
runs, but Commerce answered
in the bottom of the inning by
putting two on the board. Banks
County put three more across
the plate in the third, while the
Tigers’ bats fell silent. Banks
added four runs in the top of
fourth, while Commerce could
only muster one run.
The nail in the coffin came in
the top of the fifth inning, as the
Leopards put nine runs across.
Cooke had a double for
Commerce, while Haynes went
1-2 and Allen got the other two
hits, both singles.
Allen recorded the loss on the
mound, surrendering six hits
while recording two strikeouts
in two innings.
“The Banks County game was
light years removed from the
effort and focus we showed
against Oglethorpe,’’ Massey
said. “We looked very uninter
ested and lethargic.
“We missed an opportunity to
jump ahead big with the bases
loaded in the first inning and
didn’t capitalize. From then on,
we were just trying to escape
with a semblance of our pride
intact. I’m not sure, yet, if we
did that or not. We did very few
things well on Thursday.
“People often say they’d rather
lose big than lose a heartbreaker,
well I can certainly tell you that I
would rather not lose at all.”
Carl Allen sends a pitch to the plate Thursday lose to the Leopards 20-3.
against Banks County. The Tigers went on to Photo by Chris Bridges
Up Next
The Tigers will try to recover
from the two losses in their first
region game Friday at home
against Towns County.
“If we have any fight about us
at all, we will use the two games
last week as motivation to get
back on the practice field to cor
rect the things that are prevent
ing us from being successful,”
Massey said. “This is the biggest
week of our season as we pre
pare for our first region contest.
Our season starts this week.”
EJCHS Girls Soccer
CHS Golf
Lady Eagles To Face Rabun Co. Friday
East Jackson Drops Games to North Oconee, Banks
By Brandon Reed
It’s been a rough last couple of
outings for the East Jackson girls’
soccer team, as the Lady Eagles
were shut out by North Oconee
and Banks County.
Next up for the Lady Eagles
is a trip to Rabun County on
Friday, with game time set to
start at 5:30 p.m.
North Oconee
The Lady Eagles played a
resched
Coming up
>■ @ Rabun
Co., March 14,
5:30 p.m.
* @ Franklin
Co., March 18,
5:30 p.m.
@ Oglethorpe
Co., March 20,5
p.m.
uled game
with North
Oconee last
Wednesday
that had been
postponed on
Feb. 21 due to
weather. The
results were
not what the
East Jackson
players had
hoped for, as they lost 4-0 to the
Titans.
“We played a tough game, but
were not able to score,” said
coach Emily Gunderson. “Several
of our starters were injured or
had relapses with prior injuries
during the game, which hurt us
as a team.”
Banks County
Next, the Lady Eagles trav
East Jackson’s Sadie Staples (6) crosses the match while
Brittany Blackwell watches at a recent match. The Lady Eagles will
travel to Rabun County for their next match on March 14.
eled to Banks County for their
third region match of the season.
The results weren’t any better
than before, however, as Banks
County also won 4-0.
“Midfielder Aubrey Cozzens
had several nice crosses while
bringing the ball down the field,”
Gunderson said. “Kassie Mull
and Jazmin Flores played a tough
offensive game with multiple runs
for the goal, but were unable to
complete them. Defensive play
ers Emily Sipes and Brittany
Blackwell played aggressive and
hustled to defend our goal.”
Commerce Teams Defeat East Jackson
The Lady Tigers’ golf team chose to wear pink uniforms this
year in support of cancer awareness. Team members are, left
to right, Camille Blair, Chelsey Cain, C.J. Wilkes, Callie Adams
and Anna Marie Hooper.
By Brandon Reed
The Commerce boys’ and girls’
golf teams handed East Jackson
losses last week at Deer Trail
Country Club.
For the boys, the Tigers defeat
ed the Eagles 169 to 266. The
top four scorers for Commerce
were Hamp Gary, who medaled
with a 39, Taylor Gary, who shot
a 40, Casey Drinkard with a 45,
and Adam Hanley with a 45.
Other scorers included Austin
Patterson with a 48,and Sam
Purcell with a 56.
“Hamp played very well,” said
Commerce golf coach David
Stephenson. “He would have
shot a 37, but he called a two
shot penalty on himself for tee
ing up in front of the tee mark
ers. I was very proud of him for
doing this.
“Taylor played well but did
not score as well as he played.
His putting was a little erratic. I
expect him to be in the 30s next
match. Adam Hanley played his
best round. I was proud for
him. Casey Drinkard played his
first match and did okay. Austin
and Sam are both swinging the
club well and I expect them to
score better soon. Overall, for
this time of year, it was a good
match.”
The girls also came away with
a win, defeating East Jackson
102 to 129.
C.J. Wilkes shot a 51, Chelsey
Cain shot a 52, Callie Adams
with a 54, and Camille Blair with
a 56.
“The girls played the best
match they have played in a
long time,” Stephenson said.
“They have practiced harder this
year and it is paying off in better
scores. All the girls played well.
Chelsey Cain has been our most
consistent this year. I am proud
of all the girls.”
Commerce was next sched
uled to play Oglethorpe County
on Tuesday. Results of that game
were unavailable at press time.
Up next is a pairing with Cedar
Shoals and Lakeview at Double
Oaks Golf Club on March 18.
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