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Delgado’s solid start powers Govs to series-clinching win over UT-Martin
 Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless ninth as the Govs defeated UT-Martin 4-0 Saturday at Raymond C. Hand Park. Clarksville, Tenn. – Entering his start against UT-Martin, Austin Peay pitcher Casey Delgado had struggled to piece together consistent quality outings. Turns out he was just waiting for the right time. Making his first start in 11 days, worked out of a pair of early jams while striking out a career-high seven batters as the Govs clinched their Ohio Valley Conference home opening series with a 4-0 win over the Skyhawks Saturday at Raymond C. Hand Park. Delgado had a few scary moments early, putting a pair of runners in scoring position in both the second and fourth innings. Solid defense from his infield, however, allowed Delgado to escape the innings unscathed. Then, after the early scares, Delgado was virtually unhittable, scattering five hits – none of which were of the extra-base variety – over seven innings in the win (4-2). “I felt like I was dialed in out there this afternoon,” Delgado said. “It was great to know my teammates had my back behind me as well as at the plate. Everyone is really playing well right now.” Despite allowing a pair of runners in scoring position in both early jams, Delgado showed great command of both his fastball as well as a slew of offspeed pitches. “That’s what Casey is capable of doing,” Govs head coach Gary McClure said. “That’s what we saw him do when we recruited him. He really pitched well. That might have been the best performance we’ve seen on the mound all season.” Govs reliever Zane Leffew came on to replace Delgado to start the eighth and closer Tyler Rogers came on in the ninth to extend the Govs perfect start to the OVC portion of their schedule and record their first shutout of the season. “It feels like everyone is just dialed in,” Delgado said. “We’ve got to take games one at a time, but we have been playing really well as of late.” Delgado’s counterpart, Skyhawks starter Willie Frederick, was equally as impressive early – taking a no-hitter through the game’s first four innings. In the fifth, however, the Govs parlayed their first hit of the afternoon into the game’s opening run when Reed Harper’s leadoff triple led to an RBI single for Govs catcher Matt Wollenzin. “I thought our guys hung in there really well,” McClure said. “Once we got going, we really started to bear down and getting confident with the way (Delgado) was pitching.” One inning later, Govs second baseman Jordan Hankins smashed his second home run of the weekend when he powered a 2-1 pitch from Frederick over the right field wall. After taking the mound for the seventh inning, Frederick would be pulled in favor of reliever Dan Tobik after issuing a leadoff walk – which ultimately led to the Govs third run of the afternoon.  Austin Peay clinched its ninth straight OVC series with Saturday's 4-0 win over UT-Martin. Despite the strong start, Frederick’s five hits and lone walk proved to be costly in the loss (1-4) for the Skyhawks (8-18, 2-3 OVC). “I thought (Frederick) did a really great job on the mound,” McClure said. “He did a great job of mixing his pitches up and keeping us off balance.” Harper and first baseman Tyler Childress led the way at the plate for the Govs, with each recording a pair of hits in the victory. Jon Clinard recorded the final insurance RBI for the Govs in the eighth, setting the stage for Rogers to close out the ninth. With the win, the Govs extended their school record ninth straight OVC series win – a record dating back their second series of the season in 2011. The win also marked the first nine-inning shutout for McClure and his ball club since a 7-0 win over Centenary on March 20, 2010. “Those things are nice,” McClure said. “But we’ve got to come out and play hard tomorrow. We’ve got to come out and try and finish this thing up. It won’t be easy. UT-Martin is a really good ball club.” Playing without the services of starter Zach Toney, who was listed as inactive this weekend due to an upper-body injury, McClure said reliever Mike Hebert is expected to make Sunday’s spot start. “I think he’s going to compete and throw strikes,” McClure said. “He’s going to battle for us tooth and nail. He started in junior college so it’s not like he hasn’t done it before. I think he’ll keep us in the ballgame and get it to relievers with a chance to win.” First pitch in Sunday’s series finale is set for 1 p.m. at Raymond C. Hand Park. APSU-UT Martin Photo Gallery
Sections: Austin Peay State University, Featured Story, NCAA, Ohio Valley Conference, Schools, Sports | 0 comments
Quick’s dominant start; Govs hot bats prove too much for UT-Martin Ryan Quick got off to a strong start as the opening pitcher. The Bat Govs won the first game of the series 10-2. Austin Peay starter Ryan Quick had struggled to receive quality run support at times this season. Turns out his teammates were just waiting for the right time. After a shaky first inning, Quick settled down and struck out a career-high nine batters while the Govs used two four-run innings to cruise to a 9-2 victory over UT-Martin in their Ohio Valley Conference home opener at Raymond C. Hand Park Friday night. A strike away from a perfect opening frame, Quick left a hanging slider that Skyhawks center fielder Jordan Owen put over the left-field wall for an early UT-Martin lead. The Skyhawks (8-17, 2-2 OVC) would add another run on a pair of hits to give UTM a 2-0 lead, but wouldn’t record a hit off of Quick for the next six innings. After the first inning miscues, the right-hander sat down 16 of his next 23 batters in the win (3-0) before giving way to Govs closer Tyler Rogers after 7 1/3 innings pitched. “He did an outstanding job,” Govs head coach Gary McClure said of Quick’s performance. “He got out of (the first) inning and then he settled in. He was outstanding tonight.” Plagued by a lack of run support in a few starts earlier this season, Quick seemed to pitch stronger after Rolando Gautier’s grand slam gave the sophomore a 4-2 lead entering the fifth inning. “I’d gotten some decent run support,” Quick said of his previous outings. “But my teammates really took the pressure off of me tonight. Especially after the first inning.” And while Quick’s effort was strong enough to earn a win, his teammates made sure to add a little insurance with a total of three homers – including Gauter’s bases-clearing homer. “I saw a fastball up and in,” Gautier said. “I put a good swing on it. It wasn’t a hard swing, just nice and easy.” The grand slam was the second in as many games for the Govs. On Tuesday, first baseman Tyler Childress’ round-tripper powered the Govs to a 19-4 win over Alabama A&M. On Friday, Childress got in the action again, sending a deep shot well over the wall in center field for a two-run insurance bomb. Second baseman Jordan Hankins also added a two-run homer of his own as part of a five-run Govs eighth inning that sealed the win for the Govs (16-10, 4-0 OVC) “The dugout and fans go crazy,” Gautier said. “It’s always good to see a couple of balls get out. Especially at this ballpark at nighttime when the ball doesn’t travel that well. You’ve got to hit it really well.” Quick’s counterpart, Skyhawks starter Alec Mills turned in a decent performance in front of a somewhat familiar crowd. The Skyhawks right-hander, who seven of the Govs 10 runs – starred at Montgomery Central. After posting a solid three innings of work, Mills appeared to get a bittle rattled in the fourth when fellow Montgomery County prep star Reed Harper avoided a tag at first base to extend the inning – setting up Gautier’s grand slam. “Things could have gone differently,” Mills said. “One pitch changes a whole game. But that’s baseball. I wish I could have that pitch back.” In all, the former MCHS standout pitched seven innings while allowing eight hits and striking out five Govs in the loss (2-1). And, despite the lopsided score, McClure said he was impressed with Mills’ performance. “He’s gotten better every year and he’s a great competitor,” McClure said. “I knew him when he was a little kid. He’s a tough guy to beat. The score was not indicative of what he did in the beginning and the middle innings of that ballgame.” With the win, the Govs moved to 4-0 in the conference for the first time since 2004 and moved within a win of clinching the school’s ninth straight OVC series. “It’s great to start off conference 4-0,” Quick said. “Hopefully we can come out tomorrow and just keep this momentum going.” APSU-UT Martin Photo Gallery
Sections: Austin Peay State University, Featured Story, NCAA, Ohio Valley Conference, Schools, Sports | 0 comments
Clarksville Academy’s second half pushes it past Cheatham CountyMarch 30, 2012 |
Clarksville Academy got one more goal than Cheatham County did in their District 10 A-AA soccer game Thursday at Clarksville Academy and won 2-1. Brandon Robinson scored two goals and Clay Goad had one for Clarksville Academy. Parker Toole had 16 saves in goal for the Cougars. The game was tied 1-1 at the end of the first half.  In the match-up between Clarksville Academy and Cheatham Co., Clarksville Academy took the win 3-2. Clarksville Academy 3, Cheatham County 2
Clarksville Academy Stats
 In the match-up between Clarksville Academy and Cheatham Co., Clarksville Academy took the win 3-2. Clarksville Academy-Cheatham County Photo Gallery
Clarksville High wins pair, Northwest loses two in high school baseball playClarksville High won a pair of games in Florida Thursday and lost one Wednesday, while Northwest dropped a couple of games Thursday at over in Mt. Juliet. Clarksville High is participating in the Northwest Florida PowerAde Classic at Crestview (FL) High. Clarksville High lost to Niceville Senior 8-7 on Wednesday and then Thursday beat Shoals Christian 7-6 and Northmont Senior 8-0 . Northwest is in the 2012 Warrior Spring Classic and played two games at Mt. Juliet Thursday, losing to Wilson Central 3-2 and Mt. Juliet 14-2.
Tournament Games Clarksville High – Sunday TBD Crestview HS (FL) Northwest Florida PowerAde Classic
Northwest – Saturday Houston Co. High School Independence 2012 Warrior Spring Classic Sunday MTCS MTCS 2012 Warrior Spring Classic
Thursday’s ScoresClarksville High 7, Shoals Christian 6 at Northwest Florida PowerAde Classic, Crestview HS (FL)
Clarksville High 7, Northmont Senior 0 at Northwest Florida PowerAde Classic, Crestview HS (FL)
Wilson Central 3, Northwest 3 at 2012 Warrior Spring Classic, Mt. Juliet
WP: Tyke Williams (W, 2-1) LP: Christian Dorthalina (L, 0-1) Mt. Juliet 14, Northwest 2 at 2012 Warrior Spring Classic, Mt. Juliet
WP: Caleb Chowbay LP: Herbie Dennis (L, 0-2) Wednesday’s scoreNiceville Senior 8, Clarksville High 7 at Northwest Florida PowerAde Classic, Crestview HS (FL)
LP: Brady Cook
The Final Horne: Never say never when it comes to TigerIt was hard for some people to see what happened last weekend.
It was hard because they had to swallow words many of them had so proudly uttered for the past two years in sentences like: ‘Tiger Woods is done.” or “Tiger Woods will never win again.” Well those prognostications were proven the be false and while it did take 30 months, Tiger roared to victory again by winning the Bay Hill Invitational by five strokes and it typical Tiger-dominating fashion. I just love how people are so quick to count someone out. It seems like we as a society don’t like to see people, rich or otherwise, succeed anymore and revel when they fail. And yes Tiger had some failures in his personal life and it in turn effected his professional life. He cheated on his wife, lost custody of his children and lost his mojo because of it for a long time because of it. But that was something that he as a man had to endure. It was his life and trouble he certainly brought on himself. I find it funny that, again, many of us are ready to kick someone when they are down, and particularly when they are famous celebrities. But through all that never did I think Tiger was never going to win a golf tournament again and certainly never judged him as less as a person because of his transgressions, because afterall he’s not perfect. Seriously, who is. All I ever wanted from Tiger was to see him dominate a golf course like no one ever has. All I ever want from Tiger is that he makes the field so nervous that most of them choke and fall by the wayside. All I ever want from Tiger are the performances like the one he had this past weekend in winning his first tournament in 30 months. Watching Tiger win never gets boring. Nashville Predators visit Detroit Red Wings
In Detroit’s final trip to the Music City on March 10, the Kostitsyn brothers stole the show as the Predators edged the Wings, 3-2. Andrei Kostitsyn notched two power-play goals on the night, including the game-winner at 4:34 of the final frame. Both of his goals were set up by Sergei Kostitsyn and David Legwand – who posted three helpers on the night. Patric Hornqvist opened the scoring for Nashville with his 21st goal of the season. Pekka Rinne has gone 10-5-3 in his career against the Wings with a 2.36 goals-against average and three shutouts … Legwand and Jordin Tootoo lead all Preds with four points (1g-3a) each against the Wings this season… Sergei Kostitsyn has 10 points (5g-5a) in his last 11 games against the Red Wings… Ryan Suter has seven points (1g-6a) in his last nine games against Detroit. The Predators open their 11th and final set of back-to-back games tonight after before facing Chicago in the Music City tomorrow. The Predators 11 sets of back-to-back contests this season were the lowest total in the team’s last four campaigns. Thus far, Nashville has posted a 7-3-0 record on the front end and a 5-5-0 record on the back half in 2011-12. A season ago, the Predators were 9-4-0 on the front end and 6-6-1 on the back end of two-games-in-two-nights scenarios.  Nashville Predators Forward Sergei Kostitsyn With San Jose’s loss to Anaheim on Wednesday night, the Predators clinched their seventh playoff berth in the last eight seasons, becoming one of just four teams – Detroit, Philadelphia, San Jose are the others (New Jersey will most likely join them) – to accomplish the feat. Nashville has posted a 44-25-8 record for 96 points through 77 games. The team’s 44 victories this season are the fourth-most in franchise history. A season ago, Nashville was 41-26-10 for 92 points through 77 games. It went 3-1-1 in its final five games to finish with 99 points, good for fifth in the West. This season, the Predators play three of their final five games against teams currently holding a playoff position. With its win over Detroit on March 10, Nashville became just the second team in the NHL to post at least 40 wins in seven consecutive seasons – the Red Wings are the only other team to do so. The team accomplished the feat in just 68 games – the third fastest in franchise history. The Predators are now just one win shy of the franchise’s 500th victory. Nashville has been one of the League’s best on home ice since the beginning of the 2005-06 season, compiling 179 home victories – ranking it third behind only Detroit (188) and San Jose (180) in that span. The Predators are the only team in the NHL to post 23 home victories in seven consecutive seasons. The Predators have also posted at least 20 road victories in three straight seasons. Their 20 wins this season are now tied for the second-highest road wins total in franchise history. Shea Weber, Nashville’s captain, has now topped the 40-point plateau for the fourth consecutive season and the fifth time in his career. The Sicamous, B.C., native ranks among the League’s Top 10 d-men with 46 points on the year (16g-20a), while his 16 goals rank second among blueliners. Weber is now plus-18 on the season – that ties him with Erik Karlsson for fourth among defensemen with at least 40 points this season. Weber has already posted a career-high 21 power-play points (9g-12a) this season – surpassing his previous mark of 20 power-play points (7g-13a) posted in 2009-10. Weber ranks among the Top 10 d-men in power-play points and leads all NHL d-men with nine PPGs on the year. Suter has surpassed the 40-point mark (7g-36a-43pts) for just the second time in his career. Those totals ranks 10th among NHL Weber and Suter are one of just three defensive tandems to post at least 40 points apiece this season. St. Louis’ Alex Pietrangelo (12g-37a-49pts) and Kevin Shattenkirk (9g-32a-41pts) and Vancouver’s Alexander Edler (11g-35a-46pts) and Kevin Bieksa (8g-34a-42pts) are the others. Former NFL quarterback Chad Pennington highlights Govs football clinic at Riverview Inn Former Jets and Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington was the keynote speaker at an Austin Peay football clinic Thursday at the Riverview Inn. For former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Penngington, Tennessee will always remain home. And that’s a good thing for Austin Peay head coach Rick Christophel. Nearly two decades after starring at Webb School, the Knoxville native returned to the Volunteer State as the keynote speaker at Austin Peay’s offensive football clinic held at the Riverview Inn Thursday night. Speaking to a meeting room full of high school and college coaches, Pennington delivered his offensive football clinic titled, “Forget Stats, Just Execute” while also sharing insight into his 11-year NFL career. “Quarterback is such a tough position to play,” Pennington said. “Ultimately you are purely judged on wins and losses. It takes a special type of player to be able to accept that challenge.”
In addition to tales and revelations about his background (Pennington’s first love was basketball and he was held back in the eighth grade), the two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year also offered some technical quarterback advice. (For instance, never line up on your toes to take a snap. It forces you to throw using nothing using your arm strength only – not your core – and could lead to arm or elbow injuries.) “There are lots of great throwers and even some great passers,” Pennington said. “We could find guys off the street that throw farther and harder than I can. But being a quarterback isn’t just about throwing hard.” Pennington’s appearance was set up in part because of the relationship his father – longtime Knoxville-area coach Elwood Pennington – shares with Govs linebackers coach Gary Shephard, who spent 11 seasons as head coach at Halls High School. “I’ve known Chad since he was a little kid,” Shephard said. “Both he and his father are two of the classiest individuals I’ve ever had the chance to work with.” After spending the 2011 season as an analyst for Fox Sports, the 35-year-old veteran spoke like he had been delivering speeches for years – despite Thursday’s offer being his first one. “Whenever the opportunity arises I try and jump on it,” Pennington said of his first foray into football seminars. “I’d worked a lot of camps before. If somebody’s looking for pointers or looking for me to share my experiences, I’m happy to do it.” In addition to his thoughts on mechanics, delivery and mentality of what goes into making a successful quarterback, Pennington also spoke of his times as a member of the Jets and the Dolphins. “Bill Parcells and the Jets drafted me in 2000,” Pennington said. “Eight years later, (Parcells) was the VP of Football Operations with the Dolphins. And he was still telling me to work on the same things he told me when I was with New York.”
And with recruiting sites like Rivals, Scout and 247Sports dramatically changing the prep and college football landscape, Pennington said quarterbacks must be able to be a leader both on and off the field now more than ever. “(A quarterback) has to have a different mindset both on and off the field,” Pennington said while reflecting back to one of Parcells’ speeches. “You can’t be out clowning around and causing trouble with your teammates. Clowns don’t lead football teams.” With his professional career essentially over, Pennington has begun to shift his focus more toward developing younger professionals (Most recently working with Chiefs quarterback Brady Quinn) and possible draft picks (LSU QB Jordan Jefferson and Monmouth QB Alex Tanney are among this year’s NFL Draft prospects that Pennington has worked with). And while he and his family still reside in southern Florida, Pennington said that he and his family (Pennington also doubles as a flag football coach for two of his three sons) ultimately plan on returning to the East Tennessee region – perhaps as a high school football coach. “I know the hours that the pro and high school guys put in,” Pennington said. “And with my boys I just don’t see that happening. Possibly one day at the high school level.” Fusing a rare mixture of technical advice and professional experience, Pennington appeared to be a tremendous hit among the coaches in attendance. “I thought he did an outstanding job,” Christophel said. “We could not have asked for a better speaker. When you’ve done what he’s done, you have to listen. We were really excited with our turnout.” Poythress scores 19 for East in McDonald’s All-American GameCHICAGO – Shabazz Muhammad scored 21 points for the West and Alex Poythress, a Kentucky signee, finished with 19 points for the East as the West beat the East 106-102 in the McDonald’s All-American game on Wednesday night.
Muhammad, who won the MVP award, is still weighing his college choices. He is considering Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, UNLV and UCLA. “When you come to every event you want to be known as the best player at the event,” Muhammad said. “This is the elite 24, the top 24 guys in the country, so just coming in knowing that and trying to compete and everybody is competing is a beautiful thing.”
With the possible addition of Muhammad, Kentucky could possibly replicate last year’s top-rated recruiting class. “It is going to be a blessing to play with Alex and hopefully Shabazz in the future,” Goodwin said. “Like I said in my (earlier) interviews, it will be another repeat of what they are going to do this year.” The East trailed by as many as 24 with 12:03 left, but it mounted an impressive comeback. Amile Jefferson had a dunk to make it 93-88 with 3:42 left, but Sulaimon answered with a 3. Rodney Purvis’ three-point play got the East within four with 1:19 left, but Sulaimon answered with a three-point play of his own. Purvis finished with 15 points. He is headed to North Carolina State, along with East teammates T.J. Warren and Tyler Lewis. Sections: Basketball (Men), Featured Story, NCAA, Schools, Southeastern Conference, University of Kentucky | 0 comments
Graves makes game-winning free throw in McDonald’s All-American GameCHICAGO — Bashaara Graves made a game-winning free throw with less than a second left and the East beat the West 79-78 in the McDonald’s All-American game on Wednesday. Baylor recruit Alexis Prince had 15 points and nine rebounds for the East to earn the MVP award.
“I was ready for it to be over, but I still wanted to play because it was great experience out there and it was fun playing on the court knowing a lot of greats already played on it,” Graves said. Player of the year Breanna Stewart scored seven of her nine points for the East in the final 4 minutes of the game at the United Center. Stewart is headed to Connecticut. Nirra Fields, who is committed to Washington, led the West with 20 points. Morgan Tuck, who is from the Chicago area, scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half for the West. Tuck is committed to Connecticut. “I was definitely nervous starting off and I think that was how everybody was,” she said. “Talking on the bench with my teammates, they got me nice and calm and we just had to go out there and play. I just think overall I was getting the ball where I can score.” Sections: Basketball (Women), Clarksville Academy, Featured Story, NCAA, Schools, Sports, University of Tennessee | 0 comments
Nashville Predators sign 2010 draft pick
Bitetto, 20 (7/15/90), recently completed his sophomore season at Northeastern University, where he paced all Husky defensemen in points and goals (4g-11a-15pts). As a freshman in 2011-12, the 6-1, 210-pounder finished seventh among Hockey East defensemen in points (3g-17a-20pts), and tied for eighth in Conference rookie scoring, being named to the 2010-11 Hockey East All-Rookie Team. The Island Park, N.Y., native did not miss a game during his two-year collegiate career, compiling 35 points (7g-28a) in 72 games. Nashville’s fourth choice, 168th overall (sixth round), in 2010 Entry Draft spent two seasons with the Indiana Ice from 2008-10, being named a 2010 All-USHL Second Team selection, and helping the Ice claim the 2009 Clark Cup as USHL champions.
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