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April 26, 2006 Sports LA Wildcats shut out Upperman Bees LA Wildcats shut out Upperman Bees
Leah Thomas/OCN Sports By DEWAIN E. PEEK, OCN Sports LA won 1-0 in eight innings behind the pitching of junior Andrew Neff. The defense committed just a single error in the game. In eight shutout innings pitched, Neff threw 109 pitches, 75 for strikes, struck out 4, walked 2, and hit 2 batters. LA Baseball Coach Pat Swallows said, "It was a great game. Andrew went the whole time and just kept them off-stride all night long. "He's really stepped up and he's done a great job. Andrew has been a pleasant addition to our team. "He's been instrumental in where we are right now." The only run of the game came across the plate when Upperman botched a rundown in the top of the eighth inning. "Joe Reynolds led off with an infield single, like he's done a ton of times this year," Coach Swallows said. "We were going to sacrifice him to second. "Andrew Dixon lays down a perfect bunt and actually gets on. So, we've got first and second with nobody out and Tyler Thrasher up. "Tyler hits a ground ball to the right side and moves the runner to third, but it's a force play, so we have first and third. "Then Kurt Gilbert hits a shot to third base that we thought was going through. Joe did as well, and got caught in a rundown, because he was breaking for the plate. But he did a great job in getting out of it and scored." Reynolds had a hit in the game along with the winning run. "Joe Reynolds is leading us in hitting, and he's done a great job," Coach Swallows said. Andrew Dixon also stole a base in the game. Andrew Neff helped his own cause by going 2 for 4 at the plate, Kurt Gilbert went 2 for 4 and stole a base, and Mark Barnett had a hit and stole a base. Six batters were hit by pitches in the game. Tyler Thrasher and Anthony Matthews were each hit by pitches twice. "We played just tremendous defense," Coach Swallows said. "We turned a couple of double-plays and made great plays all over the place. "It was really a great win for us. "We then turned right around on Tuesday night and did not look like the same team." This time against the Bees once more, on LA's field, Upperman jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning. "Josh Coffman hit his first home run and brought us back 3-2 in the second," Coach Swallows said. But the Bees plated 3 more runs in the third, 1 in the fourth, 2 in the fifth, and 2 in the sixth. LA managed a run in the bottom of the seventh to bring the final score to 3-11. The Cats committed 5 errors in the game. "We mentally took ourselves out of it, because we were so upset with ourselves, at the mistakes we were making," Coach Swallows said. "And we let it carry over to the plate and everything else. "Baseball is a mental game, and we have to handle the mental part of it. "On the physical part, we know we're going to make some mistakes and we've got to understand that's going to happen and we've got to battle back from it. We did not do that very well at all." Tyler Thrasher took the loss on the mound, pitching 6 innings and giving up only 3 earned runs on 15 hits, gave up a walk, and hit 3 batters. Clint Durham closed out the final inning. "Tyler deserved a whole lot better than what he got," Coach Swallows said. "He didn't pitch his best game, there's no doubt about it, but, that goes back to that mental part of it, when we're kicking the ball around behind him, it's tough on a pitcher to stay focused on what he's got to do. "We just struggled." Matt Lee had a hit and drove in LA's other run of the game. "Matt Lee has stepped in behind the plate and done a great job," Coach Swallows said. Kurt Gilbert went 2 for 2, scored 2 runs, stole a base, and was hit by pitches twice. Joe Reynolds went 3 for 4, Anthony Matthews went 2 for 3, including a double, and stole a base, Zach Ramsey had a hit and stole a base, Mark Barnett stole a base, and Clint Durham stole a base. On Wednesday, April 19, LA's Wildcats defeated Monterey's Wildcats 5-4. Monterey took the lead with a run in the bottom of the second inning, but LA responded with a run in the top of the third to tie the game. Monterey plated a run in the fourth inning and again in the fifth to lead 3-1 going into the sixth inning. Livingston Academy brought home 2 run in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 3-3. Neither team scored in the seventh, forcing extra innings. "Kurt Gilbert got a big 2-run double in the top of the eighth," Coach Swallows said. LA now led 5-3, but Monterey scored in the bottom of the inning to pull within a run. "Then Joe Reynolds made a great play in the bottom of the eighth to preserve it," Coach Swallows said. Griffin Lee started the game for LA. He pitched 5 and 2-3 innings, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, on 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batsmen. He struck out 6. Todd Smith got the win in relief. He pitched 2 innings, allowing a run on a hit, 2 walks, and 2 hit batsmen. He struck out 3. Andrew Neff earned a save by getting out the last batter. He threw 7 pitches and 4 were for strikes. "We certainly didn't play up to our ability, but we did what we had to do," Coach Swallows said. Joe Reynolds went 3 for 4, drove in a run, scored a run, and stole a base. Andrew Dixon went 2 for 4, scored 2 runs, and stole 2 bases. Kurt Gilbert had a hit and drove in 3 runs. Zach Ramsey went 2 for 4, Mark Barnett had a hit, scored a run, and stole a base, and Tyler Thrasher stole a base. The senior trip will diminish the Wildcats on Thursday, April 27 at Carthage in a District 7-AA game against Smith County's Owls. "We have basically 6 starters out of the lineup this week," Coach Swallows said. "It'll be a preview of next year." The seniors will return in time for the Marion County Tournament on Friday and Saturday, April 28 and 29. The season will be decided with the outcome of district games against Macon County on Monday and Tuesday, May 1 and 2. LA will host May 1, and travel to Lafayette the next day. The Wildcats are 6-3 in District 7-AA in a virtual dead heat with DeKalb County and Upperman.
Lady Cats take 2 district wins
.Leah Thomas/OCN Sports By DEWAIN E. PEEK, OCN Sports "It was a good week for us," LA Softball Coach Mike Johnson said. "We actually got two revenge games. Two teams who had beaten us before, we came back and beat them. That was good to see." The Lady Cats hit the road to Lafayette on Monday, April 17 to take on Macon County and came home with a 2-1 win. Kaylie Wilson took the mound for LA and struck out 4 while allowing 3 hits and a walk. "It was a pretty good pitching performance," Coach Johnson said. Macon's only run of the game came across the plate when, with a runner on third and two out, the umpire called an illegal pitch against Wilson. "She started her motion and stopped," Coach Johnson said. "It's the same thing as a balk." After the Lady Tiger runner scored, Wilson retired the batter. "So, she probably would not have scored," Coach Johnson said. "A small mental mistake on our part. "It was still a good pitching performance, and a good defensive performance. We made a lot of good plays. "Lisa Reeder made a lot of outstanding defensive plays, like she usually does. And Ashley Mitchell had a couple of catches out in right field for us. "We had a pretty good day defensively." On the hitting side, Kaylie Wilson helped her own cause with 3 hits, driving in a run, and also scoring a run. Liz Hall drove in the other run on a sacrifice. LA had 5 hits in the game, Katie Vaughn and Amanda Roberts accounted for the other 2, and Roberts scored LA's other run. "We did enough just to win, we kept them from scoring a lot, and produced enough to win. "So, that was a big game. We finally won a game by one run." Livingston Academy hosted Upperman's Lady Bees on Tuesday, April 18, another team LA had previously lost against. "We pounded the ball this time," Coach Johnson said. The Lady Cats won 12-2 in a 5-innings "run rule" shortened game. Wilson again took the mound for LA, and had 4-strikeouts. She gave up 2 walks and only 1 hit. Neither of the 2 runs scored by Upperman were earned runs. "We made a couple of bad errors and let them score when we shouldn't have," Coach Johnson said. "But only one earned run in two games, that's not too bad." Of LA's 9 players in the game, 8 had a hit. Kirstie Dillon led the hit parade with 4 hits, driving in 2 runs, and she scored 2 runs. Katie Vaughn and Liz Hall had 3 hits each. Hall scored 3 runs, and Vaughn scored 2 runs. Kaylie Wilson again helped her own cause, smacking 2 hits and scoring 2 runs. "A lot of people got on base," Coach Johnson said. "We had a lot of big hits at opportune times. That's when you want them, when you've got runners on base. "We played well in both games.Ó The scheduled district game against Smith County was rained out, as was a weekend tournament. LA's record is 3-6 in District 7-AA, and 9-11 overall. With the seniors gone on their trip, the Lady Cats will play only one game this week, a home tilt against White County on Thursday, April 27. "It will be a look at what the team will be like next year," Coach Johnson said. "A lot of younger girls will get to play. "With the seniors gone, we've got 11 players, and 2 of them have been injured recently. I just hope those injuries don't reappear Thursday. "We're going to try to play hard and win the game." But that will not be the only high school softball game played on Livingston Academy's field this week. "A strange occurrence will happen Friday. There will be a game on Livingston Academy's field, but it will not involve Livingston Academy," Coach Johnson said. "It will be York versus Macon County in a district contest. "They don't want to travel to each other's place, so they decided to meet in the middle, sort of." The Lady Wildcats will jump back into action next week with three district games to close out the regular season. The Lady Cats will travel to Jamestown on Monday, May 1 to take on the Lady Dragons of York Institute. The following day, Livingston Academy will host Cannon County. Seniors Jessica McDonald, Ashley Mitchell, Kirstie Dillon, and Lisa Reeder will be honored during Senior Night activities during the final home game. The regular season will end for the Lady Cats at Carthage when they take on Smith County's Owlettes on Wednesday, May 3. The District 7-AA Tournament will be held at Tennessee Tech, beginning Friday, May 5.
LA players named to All -UC Teams Livingston Academy basketball players have been named All-Upper Cumberland by the Herald-Citizen. Ashley Matthews of the Lady Wildcats was named to the 2006 Girls All-Upper Cumberland First Team. Matthews, a junior guard, averaged 16.6 points per game. Four Wildcats were named to the 2006 Boys All-Upper Cumberland Team. Justin Monday and Wilson Cates were named to the All-UC First Team. Monday, a senior, averaged 14.2 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game, and senior point guard Cates averaged 9.7 points per game and 4 rebounds per game. Brandon Matthews was named to the All-UC Second Team. The senior guard averaged 10.9 points per game. Chase Dunn was named Freshman of the Year. The guard averaged 10.2 points per game.
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