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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
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HHJ 'Will Kiernan
Warner Robins East All-Stars' Jordan Beatty rounds third in the top of the third inning Tuesday
afternoon at Bloomfield Park. The East pushed the West into a second game with a 13-8 win.
Warner Robins American East
tops west to set up showdown
By Will Kiernan
HHJ Sports Writer
MACON The statement
“the lead changed five times”
sounds like one concerning
NASCAR but the lead changed
five times in the first game of
the District 5 Junior
Championship.
The Warner Robins East All
- Stars
1L
IX
£
Warner Robins
Little League
District V
tournament
Junior baseball
■ WRALL East 13,
WRALL West 8
closer game
than what the score showed,”
West head coach Mike McGee
stated.
“It was a hard fought game
but we made some mental
errors and mistakes. I expect
we’re going to play a good game
tomorrow.”
The East’s win pushes the
championship into the “if”
game.
The first time the East and
West met, the West emerged vic
torious and slid through the
winners’ bracket unscathed.
The East, however, played one
round in the losers’ bracket and
GOLFERS
From page 1B
coming in second place was a lot
more than what my goals were.
Now I just want to get out there
and go have some fun.”
Palmer shot at one-over 73 in
Hawkinsville, putting him into
a tie for fourth place and a spot
in the Amateur Championship.
The spot is extra sweet for
Palmer who, in his fourth year
of trying, has finally earned a
spot.
“I’ve been trying for a long
time,” Palmer said. “I’ve been
to quite a few quality sites,
missing it by one. Last year I
missed a playoff by one. I don’t
play as much as I should!”
Palmer is very familiar with
golf thanks to his day job, golf
course superintendent at
Houston Lake Country Club.
He believes that his experiences
laying out golf courses, more
specifically studying different
types of grass, will give him a
slight advantage over the rest of
the competition.
“(Being a superintendent
Palmer can) Understand the
way the course architect meant
for the golfer to play the hole,”
Palmer said. “I noticed one
thing at Pinetree. They had
taken and used Zoysia grass on
returned with a vengeance.
“They’ve got a good group of
boys and it’s not surprising,”
McGee said of the East.
The East benefited Tuesday
from nine hits and only two
errors committed by the West.
The East’s hit total was bol
stered, though, with five hits in
the seventh inning.
One of the five seventh-inning
hits was a three-run shot over
the centerfield wall by Billy
Fortenberry with Chris Munn
and Jordan Beatty on base.
Fortenberry also battled the
West from the mound. He
allowed just six hits and struck
out 11 batters, though the East
did commit four errors behind
him.
The West suffered from a
change at the mound late in the
game. Brandon Loy pitched six
innings and during that time,
allowed five hits and four runs
while striking out five. The
elder McGee brought in his son,
Mike, to finish the game after
Loy pitched to one batter in the
sixth.
“We had some good pitching
for us from Brandon,” McGee
said.
“We had a tight game at one
point in time there.”
The West led the East by a
score of 6-4 before McGee
entered the game. McGee
allowed nine runs, five hits and
struck out just two batters.
The East batted consistently
through the first three innings.
By the top of the third, the East
had a healthy 4-0 lead over the
West.
played a
scoreboard
tug-of-war
with the
West All-
Stars
Tuesday
evening at
Bloomfield
Park and
when the
dust set
tled, a sev
enth inning
rally saw
the East
win 13-8.
“It was a
fir-:-,
■Hr B .
■ <■*.
the collars and aprons of the
greens, well, your ball won’t run
through Zoysia grass as well. If
you were to pitch and run a ball
on Bermuda grass you would
pitch it up 30 yards and it would
run and roll for 15, but if you
pitch it up and you hit that
Zoysia it’s just going to hit and
pop straight up in the air.”
Both golfers have played
Pinetree and Houston Lake.
They believe their experience at
Houston Lake, a notoriously
tight, challenging course, will
give them a leg up on the more
spacious course in Kennesaw.
“I believe playing a tight
However, in the bottom of the
inning the West batted in four
runs to tie the game.
It was the bottom of the third
that saw the East commit their
first errors.
The West then scored two
more runs in the fifth to take a
6-4 lead. In the sixth inning,
The East outscored the West 3-
2 to trail 7-8. The East then bat
ted in six runs in the seventh
inning, including Fortenberry’s
three run homer.
“It’s anybody can win on any
given day,” McGee said.
SB
HHJ/WiU Kiernan
Warner Robins East All-Stars'
Jacob Vargas leans away from
an inside pitch Tuesday night
at Bloomfield Park. Vargas'
team rallied late in the game
to win 13-8 and force the "if"
game.
‘My goal is to
definitely make cut
and top 25 is what I'd
love to do. I am not
going to set a goal
that is unrealistic. A
lot ol these guys do
this every year, and
they don't want to be
disappointed.'
- Perry golfer Scott Palmer
course, often, makes it easier to
play an open course,” Palmer
said.
“But, when I was playing my
practice round, you could see
where the superintendent was
taking a paint gun and making
the fairways narrower.”
Both players will have to bat
tle undulation, a variety of ele
vation changes and relatively
small greens.
“You have to place your driver
off the tee to get a good second
shot,” Palmer said. “They
(Pinetree) have good par-3s as
well.”
Stephens’ goals simple.
SPORTS
WEST
From page 1B
East’s scoring at two runs by
getting on base with an error
in the second inning.
Kyle McArthur struck out
nine batters to Brooks’ seven,
while allowing four hits less.
The big hit potential of the
West reared its ugly, or hand
some depending on who you
pulled for, head with five hits
in the first. Three of those five
hits were deep into the out
field.
“That’s just the trademark
of this team. There’s been
many times that we’ve batted
around with two outs,” Scott
added.
Jacob Ezell, Blake Mullis,
Jesse Scott, Chad Rough ton,
Sam Kinmz and Cole Outz all
crossed home plate during the
top of the first.
“I knew it would come down
to the East and West.
“Scott and Bruce are the two
rTf
-r, A . "
BEARS
From page 1B
“But, he showed us a lot of
promise, he can pitch left
handed, too.”
Halstead was also impressed
with upcoming pitching/short
stop combination of ninth
grader Mark Irwin and new
catcher Casey Stewart.
“Casey’s backed up our var
sity for three years,” Halstead
said.
“In the first game versus
Perry, he threw out all four
people that tried to steal sec
ond base on him. He also com
mands the field, which is what
you want out of a catcher, it’s
his job.”
Halstead sang the praises of
his upcoming seniors as well,
both in the talent and dedica
tion as well as their numbers.
“The seniors will once
against be solid this year,”
Halstead said the four year
assistant. “This is the biggest
since I’ve been here.”
The success of the Bear’s
feeder programs could provide
depth in the years to come.
“My first goal is to get the ball
airborne on the number one
tee,” Stephens joked. “My goal
is to definitely make cut and top
25 is what I’d love to do. I am
not going to set a goal that is
unrealistic. A lot of these guys
do this every year, and they
don’t want to be disappointed.
I’ve already exceeded where I’m
at, I’m just going to give it my
best shot whether it be last or.
First. That’s all I can do.”
“My goals,” Palmer said, “I
hate to say to it but I just want
to make the cut. “But I believe I
can make it.
“Ultimately I would like to be
in the top 20, it seems like a fair
shot for me.”
Stephens and Palmer alike
are eager to tackle the challenge
that awaits them this weekend.
“I just have to go at the stick,
no holding back now,” Stephens
said. “I’ve been playing for 12
years now and I’ve got my game
at the best I’ve ever played.”
The winner of the tourna
ment received a trophy and,
according to Palmer, a few other
perks. But, for Palmer, the joy of
participating is enough satisfac
tion.
“I’ve been practicing quite a
bit and playing about twice a
of the best coaches in Warner
Robins Little League,” Black
said.
- ' *J!bb - ' sUf •
tii
HHJ Will Kiernan
Warner Robins American Little League West All-Stars proudly
display their district championship banner. The West defeated
the East 7-2 Tuesday afternoon at Bloomfield Park.
'Coach Jones did a great deal for our
program. Coach limner and Coach Jones
have similar philosophies. I don't feel like
we're going from bad to worse or from
good to better. I think the two philosophies
are very similar.'
- Houston County baseball assistant coach Fort Halstead
“Bonaire won the eighth
grade county championship,”
Halstead said. “I also here we
are getting three to four poten
tially good players from Feagan
Mill.”
To Halstead, perhaps the
biggest encouragement this
off-season is the addition of
new head coach Jim Turner.
Turner, who left FPD in Macon
to coach Bear baseball and
teach science, took to his new
club like a duck to water.
“Coach Turner was very
receptive,” Halstead said. “The
kids drew to him within the
first few hours. He showed up
week,” Palmer said. “That’s a
bunch for me. I’ve been using
every spare minute, putting a
club in my hand and I have two
kids and wife to maintain, do as
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THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2003
“I’m sure my guys are bro
ken hearted but we’re all
pulling for the (West).”
Warner Robins West All-
Stars' Kyle McArthur deliv
ers in the third inning
Tuesday afternoon at
Bloomfield Park as Chad
Roughton, first baseman,
and Brandon Black, runner,
look on. McArthur's team
utilized a high scoring first
inning to win 7-2 over the
East.
HHJ Will Kiernan
at the Perry tournament and
watched, then took some down
to the batting cages to start
working with them. He’s a big
motivator. He doesn’t like neg
ativity, and he likes positive
influences.
“Coach Jones did a great
deal for our program,”
Halstead said of now former,
retired head coach Bob Jones.
“Coach Turner and Coach
Jones have similar philoso
phies. I don’t feel like we’re
going from bad to worse or
from good to better. I think the
two philosophies are very simi
lar.”
much as I can.
“I’m excited about getting
nervous again and playing some
competition golf and doing the
best I can,” Palmer said.
3B
