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PAGE 3B — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. MARCH 26. 2009
Baseball
continued from page IB
17-1 romp over Monroe Area
March 18, followed by a 15-5
shelling of Franklin County
Friday.
The carnage continued Monday
as the Raiders routed Habersham
Central 13-0, extending their win
ning streak to seven games.
"A lot of it has to do with the
mental aspect," Griffeth said. "If
you get a few guys hitting, you
know, guys think I can hit this guy,
too ... It's contagious.”
But the coach wants to guard
against complacency.
Griffeth remembers one year in
particular when his Raiders run-
ruled every opponent during the
second half of the region schedule.
But the easy wins didn’t help
Madison County in the postseason.
"Then we got to the playoffs and
we lose two in a row because we
didn’t know how to play a tight
game," Griffeth said.
So Madison County continues to
simulate close games in practice,
even if they're not happening that
way on the field.
"We had a good practice Sunday,
trying to put some pressure in
situations, so that you stay sharp
so you are ready,” Griffeth said.
"Because there’s going to be a
game soon that we’re going to have
to fight and claw and win 3-2."
Madison County’s Monday
victory over Habersham Central
appeared to be heading in that
direction.
The Raiders led only 2-0 head
ing into the fifth inning before
unloading 11 runs to end the
game early.
A succession of Habersham
Central errors opened up the flood
gates for Madison County.
"It should have been 2-0 game
after that inning," Griffeth noted.
Seth Fleming, went l-for-2,
hitting a grand slam in the fifth
inning. Matt Kennison went 2-for-
3, and Bo Dalton and Ian Drake
each drove home two mns in
Madison County’s fifth region win.
Winning pitcher Jack May threw
four and two-thirds innings, allow
ing just one hit, hitting one batter
and striking out three. Matthew
Robinson threw one-third of an
inning, striking out one.
Madison County steamrolled
Franklin County 15-5 three days
earlier.
The Raiders pushed six mns
across the board in the first inning
— all with two outs — and six
more in the second en route to
another run-rule shortened victory
this year.
Dalton drove home five
mns to lead the Raiders offen
sively. Bracken Turner and Ethan
Seagraves collected two RBIs each.
Ben Morris started, working
three shutout innings for the vic
tory.
Dustin Roberts pitched a perfect
fourth inning, but the Lion bats
broke the shutout against Matt
Kennison in the fifth inning.
“It was good to get those guys
work," Griffeth said of his pitching
staff.
Prior to that win, Madison
County enjoyed an afternoon of
homemn derby in its 17-1 plaster
ing of Monroe Area March 18.
Roberts went 3-for-4 and hom-
ered twice while Robison, Drake,
Fleming, Dean, Seagraves all went
deep as well.
Griffeth was hard-pressed to
recall that many round-trippers in a
single game by one of his teams.
“I don’t know. It would have to
be "92 or ’93 if we ever did at all,"
Griffeth said.
Up 2-0, Madison county scored
four times in the third inning and
seven in the fourth to turn the game
into a rout.
Seagraves started and worked
four shutout innings for the win,
surrendering one hit and striking
out five. Robinson pitched the fifth
inning, allowing a hit, a walk and
an unearned mn.
Girls’ tennis .... continued from page IB
decisively against the Lady
Gladiators Tuesday as it shutout
another Region 8A-AAAA team.
“Our girls put the pressure on
early and took all the matches in
straight sets," Strickland said.
The Lady Raiders came into the
match following a non-region loss
a day earlier.
Madison County won at both
doubles positions, but fell in singles
play in a 3-2 loss to North Oconee
Monday.
“We had some really good play
from our doubles teams,” Strickland
said. "We knew going into this
match that they would be a very
tough team to beat."
Sarah Powers and Sam LaZear
won 6-3,6-3 at no. 1 doubles, while
Alexia Supakomdej and Kaitlyn
Hale prevailed in two tie-breakers
to win their match in straight sets at
no. 2 doubles.
Supakomdej and Hale have not
lost a set in the last seven matches.
Prior to that, Madison County
blanked Cedar Shoals 5-0 March
19 to move to 4-0 in the subregion.
The Lady Raiders won in straight
sets at four of five positions as they
dominated another 8A-AAAA foe.
‘ ‘The girls know the key is to make
the opponent remember the last
time you played them,” Strickland
said. "Winning the first match-up is
very important to establishing your
self as a player and a team.
No. 1 and 2 singles players Molly
Smith and Jeannie Bowen both
won in straight sets, while Audra
Minish’s match went to three sets.
"Our singles ladies go on the
court and know what their roles
are," Strickland said.
Both doubles teams won con
vincingly.
"Sarah Powers and Sam LaZear
have really gelled as a team,”
Strickland said. “They get bet
ter with every outing. Alexia
Supakomdej and Kaitlyn Hale
round out the depth that we have on
the girls' team.”
CORRECTION: It was incor
rectly reported last week that the
girls’ team was seeking its sec
ond-straight region title. Madison
County finished as runners-up to
Dacula last year.
Winners from recent action:
MCHS 5, Clarke Central 0
(March 24)
•No. 1 S Smith, W, 6-0, 6-0
•No. 2 S Bowen, W, 6-1, 6-1
•No. 3 S Minish, W, 6-4, 7-5
•No. 1 D Powers/LaZear, W, 6-0,
6-1
•No. 2 D Supakomdei/Hale, W,
6-0, 6-0
No. Oconee 3, MCHS 2 (March
23)
•No. 2 D Powers/LaZear, W, 6-3,
6- 3
•No. 3 D Supakomdei/Hale, W,
7- 6, 7-6
MCHS 5, Cedar Shoals 0 (March
19)
•No. 1 S Smith, W, 6-0, 6-0
•No. 2 S Bowen, W, 6-2, 6-1
•No. 3 S Minish, W, 6-3, 0-6, 6-4
•No. 1 D Powers/LaZear, W, 6-2,
6-0
•No. 2 D Supakomdei/Hale, W,
6-1, 6-0
—
Sports roundup
Lady Raider outburst breaks shutout streak
Madison Co. downs Elbert 7-2
The Madison County girls" soccer team (2-8-
2) scored over twice as many goals in one after
noon as it had all season in laying the wood to
Elbert County Friday.
The Lady Raiders won 7-2, snapping a three-
game losing skid.
"It was certainly nice to win for once," coach
Susanna Hawley said.
The onslaught of goals was a welcomed sight
for the Lady Raiders. The victory came on the
heels of three shutout losses by an aggregate
16-0 score. Madison County had scored just
three goals all season going into the game.
However, Jessie Cunningham helped change
that, scoring three goals followed by Abby
Atkinson, Renee Ellisor, Danielle Kindley and
Jenna Jansen who each added one.
With the game in hand, Madison County put
goalie Morgan Pierce in the field for the final
15 minutes, “which she enjoyed as a change of
pace from previous games of being constantly
under fire with shots,” Hawley said.
Madison County hoped for a second-straight
win when it faced Jefferson Tuesday, but the
Lady Raiders again tied the Lady Dragons.
A flat start led to an early 1-0 deficit, but
Madison County rebounded to tie the game off
a direct kick just outside their box, served in by
Maria DesJardines and put in the net by Jenna
Jansen.
Little takes second
at Lavonia
Comer’s Jimmy Little finished second in the
Stock Four Cylinder class on opening night at
Lavonia Speedway.
The Stock Four race would prove the most
dramatic of the night with Justin Lord powering
past Little and Kevin Kelley to win the event on
the last lap.
Raider golf team wins,
Wilmont is low medalist
Jake Wilmont earned low medalist honors as
Madison County got back into the win col
umn with a 186-212 victory over Clarke Central
Tuesday at Athens Country Club.
Wilmont carded a 43, followed by Matt Papp
(47), Jacob Fleming (48), Brody Dudley (48) and
Colton Phillips (48).
In junior varsity action, Nathan Bray shot a 48
and Daniel Townsend finished with a 49.
"Seven of the nine kids I took out there broke
50, so that was a good thing,” said coach Chris
Smith.
Smith noted that the teams played the north
course, which features a tighter, more difficult
layout.
Madison County has a match scheduled for
today (Thursday) with Elbert County before host
ing the annual event.
Last week, Madison County lost to Franklin
County 187-193 March 18 at Sunrise Golf
Course.
Madison County’s Brianna Dills is pic
tured here in recent action. The Lady
Raiders drilled Elbert County 7-2 Friday.
Ben Munro/staff
Jake Wilmont and Jacob Fleming shot 44, but
Matt Papp (48) was the only other Raider to
break 50.
Colton Phillips shot a 47 in JV action.
MCHS golfers to host tourney —
weather permitting
Nineteen teams are lined up to tee off in the
annual Madison County Invitational this week
end if Mother Nature sees fit.
The tournament is scheduled for Saturday
morning at 8 a.m. at Double Oaks Golf Course
if the course isn’t drenched with precipitation
by then.
"If it rains the next three days and we get any
kind of rain on Saturday morning, I don’t know
that we'll get it in,” Raider coach Chris Smith
said Tuesday.
With the other teams’ tournament schedules
pretty much set, he’s not sure the event could
be rescheduled.
"I'm not saying we won’t," Smith said. “We
could possibly reschedule.”
Defending champion Athens Academy is
among the field of teams, as is Peachtree Ridge,
which shot a collective four-under-par at the
Apple Mountain Invitational earlier this year.
"They're pretty strong,” Smith said.
Three region teams are also part of the lineup
— Clarke Central, Heritage and Habersham
Central, likely the top team in Region 8-AAAA,
according to Smith.
Madison County has a match scheduled for
today (Thursday) with Elbert County before
hosting the annual event.
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curbside limb removal on April 4,
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must be on roadside to be picked up.
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