Warren, Carter, pitching lead to EC shutout over Pike County

HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

Lindsay Warren and Madison Carter had two hits and scored a run while Rachel Vaughn and Morgan Goree combined on a three-hitter as the East Coweta Lady Indians shutout the Pike County Lady Pirates 5-0 Monday in a non-region softball game played in Sharpsburg.

The win was the third in a row for the Lady Indians who improved to 15-2 while the Lady Pirates fell to 12-8.
The game was a scoreless duel between Vaughn and Goree of EC and Jenna Little of Pike County until the bottom of the fourth inning when EC scored a pair of runs to take the lead.
Carter opened the frame by reaching on a bunt single, stole second and moved to third on a single by Katey Lynch and came home on a single to left by Hailey Baswell.
After Lynch and courtesy runner Olivia Davis advanced to base on a sacrifice by Lauren Liebe, Vaughn followed by grounding out to second base allowing Lynch to come home with the second run of the inning.
The Lady Indians added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as Ashlyn Gunter led off with a walk and advanced to second on a single by Warren before moving to third on an errant throw into the infield.
Meanwhile, Warren stole second base ahead of a single by Shemiah Sanchez that scored Gunter before taking home on a throwing error.
The final run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning as Liebe reached on a leadoff single and pinch-runner Shyenne Bell moved on a sacrifice by Vaughn before coming home on Warren's two-out double to left field.
That was enough for Goree who retired the side in order to seal the win for the Lady Indians.
Meanwhile, EC was looking for a sweep as the junior varsity game between the two schools followed but the game was called off in the top of the second inning as several lightning strikes were seen nearby.
Next for the Lady Indians will be a key Region 3-AAAAAA contest at home against the Newnan Lady Cougars..

 

Williamson single keys victory for Newnan over EC

Marley Williamson hit a two-run single with two outs in the top of the sixth inning to give the Newnan Lady Cougars a 4-3 come-from-behind victory Monday over the East Coweta Lady Indians in Junior Varsity softball game played in Sharpsburg.

The victory improves the Newnan record to 8-1 while EC fell to 8-2-2 on the season.

The Lady Cougars trailed 3-1 going into the frame when Darby Keene reached on an infield error and Breanna Houston reached base on a walk giving Newnan a chance to rally.

However, EC starter Kelley Lynch appeared to be getting out of trouble and ending the game for the Lady Indians as she recorded a strikeout and managed to induce a force play.

The Lady Cougars continued to fight as Hailey Wagner reached on an infield error that allowed Houston to come home and cut the margin to 3-2 with Williamson coming to the plate.

Williamson came through for the Lady Cougars as she lined an 0-1 offering from Lynch into right center field to bring Danielle Curlee and Hailey Wagner home with the lead runs.

Addie Andrews finished what was a quality start for the Lady Cougars as she had little trouble in the bottom of the inning retiring three of the four batters she faced.

In six innings on the pitching rubber for the Lady Cougars, Andrews scattered six hits, allowing three runs and recording three strikeouts.

The Lady Indians took the early lead in the game as Shyenne Bell drilled an offering from Andrews over the left field fence in the bottom of the first inning and added to the lead in the bottom of the second inning as Brittany Ebert scored on an infield single by Olivia Davis with two outs in the frame.

The 2-0 margin seemed to be enough for Lynch who fired a no-hitter against Whitewater last Wednesday and was flirting with another as she held the Lady Cougars hitless retiring 10 of the first twelve batters she faced with all going down by strikeout and the only batters to reached were by walks.

In the top of the fourth inning, Lynch ran into trouble as she surrendered a one out walk to Allison Cobb and Keene ended the no-hitter with a single to left field and the chance for a shutout ended as Cobb scored on an infield error.

In six innings on the rubber for the Lady Indians, Lynch had another strong start allowing three hits, four walks and 16 strikeouts.

The Lady Indians got the run back in the bottom of the fifth inning as Bell reached on a leadoff single, stole second and reached third when Ebert singled before coming home when A.J. Estrada hit a sacrifice fly to center field.

Bell and Ebert were the leading hitters for the day for East Coweta as both had two hits while Williamson reached base three times and Wagner twice for Newnan.

Both JV squads will play games on Wednesday as part of JV/Varisty doubleheaders as Newnan will face Northgate while EC will host Heard County.

Lynch fires a no-hitter as EC takes care of Whitewater in Junior Varsity game

 
The East Coweta Lady Indians scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning Wednesday afternoon to support a no-hitter by pitcher Kelley Lynch as they defeated the Whitewater Lady Wildcats 10-1 in a Junior Varsity softball game played in Sharpsburg.
The five-inning win improved the Lady Indians record to 8-1-2 as they prepare to host the Newnan Lady Cougars in Monday afternoon affair scheduled to begin at 4:30.
East Coweta took the lead in the bottom of the first inning as Lynch reached on a one out walk and Shyenne Bell followed with triple to right field that brought home courtesy runner Carmen Prior with the first run of the game.
Bell gave the Lady Indians a 2-0 lead when she scored on a groundout to the pitcher by Jessica Barber.
Lynch struggled at the beginning of the top of the second inning as she walked the first two batters, threw a wild pitch and allowed the only Whitewater run on a groundout before getting in a groove that carried into the remainder of the game.
The Lady Indians got the run back after one out in the bottom of the third inning as Olivia Davis was hit by a pitch, stole second and raced around to the bases to score the run.
After a quick top of the fourth inning, the Lady Indians went to work in the bottom of the frame as 13 batters went to the plate and seven came home.
Barber reached on a single, Brittany Ebert reached on an infield error and A.J. Estrada was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Haley Young.
Young hit a groundball to shirt but he ball was mishandled and EC scored twice as Barber and Ebert crossed home on the play with courtesy runner Abby Bunn taking second.
Kaylyn Fairchild reached first on a force play and after a double steal, Kris Odum followed with a single that scored Young and Fairchild scored on the throw back to the infield and the lead was 7-1.
Davis reached after being hit by a pitch and after a pitching change, Lynch reached on an infield error that scored Odum and Bell followed with a run single with final run scoring as JoCee Barrett was hit by a pitch.
Lynch would breeze through the fifth inning of play as she retired the first two batters on strikeouts to give her nine for the day then closed the game by inducing a groundout to shirt.

A few whims on post #114 and working on #115

COMMENTARY

A couple of years ago I decided for a number of reasons that I would create a couple of blogs with one for sports and one for other news items.
As you can tell, I have put in a lot of work on this blog and very little on the other.
So far this one has 113 posts with the last one appearing on April 25 when East Coweta defeated Westlake in high school baseball.
I meant to add a few more but for some reason that didn't happen and I regret that because there was still a few events going on and issues in which I would comment about.
Since that last post, the Indians were eliminated from the state playoffs by a pretty good Luella team while the girls' soccer teams at Northgate and East Coweta advanced to the final four of the state playoffs.
Former Northgate baseball standout Will Smith came home and pitched a couple of games in relief for the Milwaukee Brewers at Turner Field against the Atlanta Braves while one time Lady Viking hoopster and tennis star Natalie Pluskota has been trying to find her niche in the world of professional tennis.
Over the past couple of weeks, Pluskota has been at Roland Garros during the French Open and adding to lessons of life while there.
Her mother Sherry, who nearly started a war with the French while there, has put together a blog that allows friends and family to keep up with our budding tennis star.
That site is called Pluskota Tennis and to geth there just hit this link
In the past couple of days, Tray Matthews must have hit his limit at the University of Georgia as he was excused from the Bulldogs by head football coach Mark Richt but good news also came through the news cycle as former East Coweta pitcher Cam Bedrosian finally got his call to the show by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
With papa Steve, brother Kyle and his wife as well as baby sister Katelyn in attendance, Cam made his debut as an Angel reliever in the sixth inning in Houston against the Astros.
He had a strikeout and induced a pair of groundouts and he wore number 68 as the excited males of the Bedrosian clan showed their pleasure. The Bedrosian women were calm but they were also pleased.
Cam and his Angel teammates will play in Turner Field the weekend of the 13th against the Braves.
Also, former Northgate softball star Ansley Smith and her Kentucky Wildcat teammates appeared in a regional in Los Angeles and gave the tournament a run before being eliminated in what was considered to be a very exciting but heartbreaking game.
So as you can see, I have missed a lot of things since the end of April and that is regrettable.
But I keep on keepin' on.
While I have missed a lot of opportunities, I like writing the blog but it provides little or no funds to the massive fortune.
Of course, my boyish good looks will not keep the lights on, gas in the car or allow for a new pair of shoes as well as a possible haircut (I have two brothers who are dying for that one).
The preceding sentence was not meant as a woe is me but a negative in writing this blog and statement of reality in my life.
The other is I am not that bright and it is tough to put something together as often as I did when I was writing on a regular basis at a local publication.
In other words, at this time I do not have a lot of story possibilties right now but I am trying to take care of that problem.
I plan to submit the 115th post soon but after that it is unknown what will happen as I try to get things together and hope for an inspiration.
Meanwhile, I will be in Princton, Kentucky for a few days as part of a four-man religious mission.
While there, I hope to convert the masses to become fans of the Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta's professional sport teams during the moments that I try to help my fellow man.
Highlights of the trip will be on a different blog that I have and has seen nothing posted in a long time.
That blog is called The Papercut which is a non-sports blog that never seemed to get off the ground and was to be used for the same purpose as this blog.
To access it, one simply needs to click here and viola!
My hope is to have something on Saturday with a few photos and maybe a little ditty about the ride on Interstates 75 and 24.
Until then, hopefully I will find answers to questions that remain in my head.

Gemmel perfect at the plate as EC closes regular season with win over Westlake

COLLEGE PARK-Bryce Gemmel went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored to lead the East Coweta Indians to a 15-4 six-inning victory Friday night over the Westlake Lions at Evans Field.
The Region 3-AAAAAA win was the 15th in a row for the Indians who will take a 19-5 overall record and the region's top seed into their first round state playoff series next Friday at home aginst the Colquitt County Packers.
The Packers are the fourth seed from Region 1-AAAAAA.
The Indians took the lead in the top of the first inning as Stephan Cruver was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a single by Nick Pippin who advanced to second on an error by the catcher and came home on a single to center by Gemmel.
Gemmel, who took second on the throw to the plate, came home on a two out single Jaquez Williams for the final run of the inning.
Cary Holloway gave the Indians a 4-0 lead as he led off the top of the second when he reached on an infield error, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball before eventually coming home on a wild pitch.
The Indians widened their lead in the top of the fourth inning as Devonte Brown reached on a one out single and stole second before Cruver reached on a walk.
An infield error allowed Brown to score then Gimmel struck again with a two run single to give the Indians a 6-0 lead.
Gimmel advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third then after a walk to Matthew Meyer came home on a passed ball while Meyer advanced to second.
Meyer came home with the fifth and final run of the inning when Austin Jones reached on a bloop single.
The Lions, who will finish with the region's fourth seed, cut into the lead with four runs due to a pair of walks, an infield error and a single but the rally was ended and the score was 9-4.
The Indians scored a run in the top of the fifth inning as Cruver reached with two outs after being hit by a pitch and scoring on a two out soingle by Gemmel.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Indians pulled away with five runs as several pinch hitters came into the game while Cruver had a two run double and that man Gemmel scored the final run of the game.

Top two spots of Region 3-AAAAAA baseball remain in Coweta County after Newnan sweeps Westlake

Mother Nature has been a thorn in the side of Marc Gilmore's first year as the head baseball coach at Newnan High School and tried to dig deeper Tuesday as the Cougars faced the Westlake Lions in a Region 3-AAAAAA double header at Joe Pope Field.
Her mission failed as the Cougars defeated the raindrops to sweep the Lions in the twinbill by scores of 6-0 and 11-0.
Including a 16-1 bludgeoning of the Langston Hughes Panthers Monday evening, the Cougars improve to 11-11 overall and are 8-3 in the region which is good for second place while the Lions fell into third place with an overall record of 11-12 and a region mark of 8-5.
The sweep means that the Cougars will finish no worse than third with a game against the Panthers scheduled for Wednesday night in Fairburn and three games afterward while the Lions will play in Sharpsburg against the East Coweta Indians,
As for the games, the opener was scoreless in the first inning but the Cougars took the lead in the bottom of the second with four runs off Lions starter and loser Tyler Wilcher.
Caleb McElwaney led off with a single, KD Satterwhite reached first after being hit by a pitch and Tyler Davis moved the duo into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt to first for Anthony Marion.
Marino lined a shot into right center field for a an RBI double as McElwaney and Satterwhite both came home.
A walk to Chase Davis followed and Drew Oldham singled to score Marino from third and the final run of the frame came after Brady Barnes hit into a fielders choice.
Newnan added to the lead in the bottom of the third inning as Connor Dunn and Jake Kniedel led off with back-to-back doubles that resulted in one run while an infield error allowed Kniedel to come home with the finally tally of the game.
While Mother Nature eventually conceded by stopping the rain, Cougars starter Sawyer Steele was working on six hit shutout in which he recorded four strikeouts which his team's defense was flawless in the field.
In the nightcap, which was played under partly cloudy skies without any rain, the Cougars were the visitors as the game was originally scheduled to be played in College Park.
The Cougars made for bad visitors as they scored a run in the top of the first as they loaded the bases with one out for Satterwhite who grounded out to the Lions' shortstop as Ty Herring crossed home plate.
Newnan added a single run in the top of the second inning as Justin Groover led off the frame by hitting a 1-1 offering from Lions pitcher Malcolm Boyce over the left field fence for a solo home run.
The "visitors" added a single run in the top of the third inning with two outs as Satterwhite doubled and reached third on a throwing error before coming home on a single by Marino.
In the top of the fourth, the Lions let Boyce down as Oldham and Barnes led off the frame by reaching on fielding errors and coming home when Kniedel grounded out to shortstop.
The top of the fifth became the undoing of the Lions as 11 batters went to the plate and six runs scored as three walks, two wild pitches and a fielding error contributed to the misfortune.
The Cougars accepted the problems of their opponent in the bottom of the frame as starter Tanner Snellgrove retired the side to end the game under the mercy rule.
In five innings Snellgrove held the Lions to two hits while allowing two walks and recording two strikeouts.

EC defeats Westlake, clinch tie for region title

COLLEGE PARK-Matthew Meyer was 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI while Austin Bellamy settled down on the mound to finish with a five-hitter Monday as the East Coweta Indians defeated the Westlake Lions 5-2 to claim at a share of the Region 3-AAAAAA title.
The win at Bill Evans Field was the 14th in a row for the Indians who improved to 18-5 overall and 12-0 in the region while the Lions fell to 8-3 in the region as they enter a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Newnan's Joe Pope Field against the Cougars.


Austin Jones' solo home run in the top of the first gave the Indians the lead.

The Indians took the lead with one out in the top of the first inning as Austin Jones hit a solo home run over the left field fence.
After Bryce Gemmel grounded out, Meyer reached on his first double of the game when he lined a shot into the left center gap and came home when Jaquez Williams had an RBI double.
Williams scored the third and final run of the game when he hit a single to left field.
The Lions threatened to come back in the bottom of the second inning as the first two batters reached but the threat looked like it would be brief as a line drive was hit to Devonte Brown at shortstop and the freshman was able to turn a double play as he caught the baserunner too far from third base.
However, three singles followed and the lead was cut to 3-2 in favor of the Indians.
The Indians managed to get one of the runs back with one out in the top of the third inning when Meyer lined a shot into the right center field gap for his second double of the game and eventually scored on an infield single by Makenzie Martin.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Indians scored their final run of the contest as Gemmel reached on an infield single, stole second and came home when Meyer singled to right field.

Austin Bellamy allowed five hits and recorded eight strikeouts in seven innings.

Meanwhile, Bellamy managed to settle down after a sluggish start as retired the final 10 batters of the game and 14 of 16 after the second inning with seven of his eight strikeouts and inducing six infield outs.
The second game of the series will be played Wednesday evening at 5:30 in Sharpsburg on Senior Night and the Indians will have an opportunity to clinch the region's top seed.

EC takes first game of Newnan series

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                8                                          1

Austin Bellamy allowed four hits over seven innings while the top of the batting order accounted for six runs Wednesday night to lead the East Coweta Indians to an 8-1 victory over the Newnan Cougars in the first of their Region 3-AAAAAA series played bat Sharpsburg.
The win was the 12^th straight for the Indians who improved to 16-5 overall and 10-0 in the region while the Cougars had their five-game winning streak snapped as they fell to 8-9, 5-2.
After Bellamy breezed through the top of the first inning, his Indians teammates gave him a lead as they scored three runs in the bottom of the frame.
Cam Smith, Nick Pippin and Bryce Gemmel received free passes from Cougars starter Sawyer Steele to load the bases and after Matthew Meyer hit a flyball to right field, Stephan Cruver hit a single that brought Smith home with the first run.
A sacrifice fly scored Pippin with the next run and the final run came home when a groundball hit by Jaquez Williams was mishandled.
The Cougars cut into the margin in the top of the third inning as Chase Davis led off with a single, moved to second on a groundout and came home on an infield error.
The Indians got the run back and added a couple more in the bottom of the fourth inning as Williams led off with a double, Cary Holloway reached on an error and Devonte Brown followed with a bunt single before Smith hit a sacrifice fly to center field allowing pinch-runner Grant Simon to score.
After Pippin reached on a fielders choice, Gemmel gave the Indians a 6-1 lead with a two-out, two-run single giving Bellamy some breathing room on the mound.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Cougars tried to rally as Chase Davis led off with a walk and Drew Oldham followed with a single, but a force play at third and a pair of groundouts ended the threat and got Bellamy out of trouble.
Davis was one of the few offensive bright spots for the Cougars as he went 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk.
With the exception of the third and fifth innings, Bellamy pitched with little difficulty in the outing as he tossed 14 first pitch strikes on the way to a six strikeout, two walk performance as he ran his personal record to 8-1.
The Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the sixth off reliever Hays Roman with two outs in the frame as Pippin was hit by a pitch and Gemmel reached after being hit by a pitch ahead of Meyer who laced a two-run double into center field.
Game two of the series will be played Thursday at 5:45 when the Cougars will host the Indians at Joe Pope Field.

Indians welcome former players with win over Tigers

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Friday night was alumni night for the East Coweta Indians as many former players returned Sharpsburg to past glory for one more game, but the current Indians had business with the Douglas County Tigers in the conclusion of their Region 3-AAAAAA series.
Thomas Leone delivered another solid outing in his young career on the mound while Jaquez Williams had a quality evening at the plate including a home run as the Indians were 12-1 winners in a game called in the bottom of the sixth.
The win was the 10th straight for the Indians who improved to 14-5 overall and 9-0 in region play while the Tigers dropped to 6-9, 0-5.
The Indians got on the board in the bottom of the first inning as Cam Smith led off with a single stole second and Nick Pippin followed by reaching on a walk.
A wild pitch advanced both runners into scoring position and eventually the duo would score on sacrifice flies by Bryce Gemmel and Austin Jones.
The Tigers cut the margin to 2-1 in the top of the second inning as David Ihrig reached on a one out double and scored on a single by Cousin.
The answer by EC was two more runs in the bottom of the third inning as Pippin doubled and scored on a single by Gemmel who would eventually come home on a one out double by Stephan Cruver.
The 4-1 advantage grew by a pair in the bottom of the fourth inning as Devonte Brown walked and advanced to second when Smith was hit by a pitch before the former scored on a single by Pippin.
Smith, who advanced to third on Pippin's hit, came home with the second run of the frame when Gemmel had his second sacrifice fly of the game.
Meanwhile, Leone was in control allowing five hits and the lone run while recording a walk and five strikeouts during his six-inning stint.
However, his teammates gave him more runs to play with as they added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as Cruver and Williams reached after being hit by pitches.
A passed ball allowed Cruver to eventually come home while a two out single by Devonte Brown brought pinch runner Austen Russell plateward.
The game came to an end in the bottom of the fifth inning as Pippin singled and eventually coming home by Jones then Williams hit the game ending blow with a three-run shot over the right center field fence.
After Williams' blast, Indians of years past took to the field with a good time had by all.
Among those participating were a number of players who were part of the 2003 and 2004 state runnersup including Brad Emaus (class of 2004) who had his number 27 retired prior to the game, Jamie Spear, Brett Butts, Jonathon Maxwell, Lee Heaberlin, Hank Askew, Taylor Walker, Brett Mitchell, Kieron Pope, Kyle Bedrosian and Josh Mitchell.
Other former EC players who participated were Joey Johnson (class of 1999), Kevin Stephenson (class of 1995), current assistant Mark Bowles (class of 1998), Joseph White (class of 2002), Brian Regan (class of 1986), Jake Smith (class of 1996 and draft choice of the Montreal Expos), Felton James (class of 2010), Ben Baugh (class of 2006), Cale Foster (class of 2010), Jordan Lewis (class of 2013), Tommy McCharge (class of 1999) and EC community coach Morris Milner (class of 2007).
Prior to the game, a former EC player was honored posthumously with a presentation of a jersey as well as other items to his widow and other family members.
Another former player was also honored as Coweta County Deputy Sheriff David Sepanski (class of 1999) was recognized for his military service.
Sepanski served in the Marine Corps for several years with tours of duty in Afghanistan.

Bellamy tosses no-hitter as EC defeats Douglas County in five

After pitching a one-hitter a year ago against Douglas County, East Coweta pitcher Austin Bellamy proved to be even more stingy as he flirted with a perfect game and still came away with a no-hitter as the Indians defeated the Tigers 11-0 in five innings.
The Region 3-AAAAAA victory was the Indians eighth straight overall as they improve to 12-5 and 7-0 in the region.
After Bellamy retired the Tigers in order with two by strikeout in the top of the first inning, his Indian teammates gave him the only runs he would need to seal his seventh win against one defeat with four runs in the bottom of the frame.
With one out, Nick Pippin reached on a single to left and advanced to third on a double by Bryce Gemmel before scoring on a sacrifice fly to center field by Matthew Meyer.
Gemmel stole third while Stephan Cruver at the plate and the latter reached after being hit by a pitch.
Austin Jones a flyball to center with what was to be the third out but the ball was dropped and both runners came home to give the Indians a 3-0 lead while Jones hustled to second.
The scoring of the inning ended as Jaquez Williams drilled a single to right field allowing courtesy runner Austen Russel to come home.
The Indians essentially put the game away in the top of the second inning when 10 batters came to the plate with five scoring and the lead was 9-0.
Devonte Brown led off by reaching first when he was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a sacrifcie bunt by Cam Smith.
Pippin was hit by a pitch and Gemmel followed with a walk to load the bases for Meyer who singled to left for two RBIs and Cruver followed with a run scoring single as well.
With Meyer and Cruver in scoring position, Jones came through for the Indians as he brought both home with a single.
Meanwhile, Bellamy was in complete control on the mound as he continued to send Tigers batters back to the dugout by either groundout or flyball as his defense played a solid game.
After a scoreless third inning, the Indians added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning as Cruver singled and Jones walked ahead of run scoring singles by Williams and Makenzie Martin.
In the top of the fifth, Bellamy retired the first batter but lost his perfect game bid as he walked the next, but the senior recovered to induce a groundout and a strikeout to win the game and earn his no-hitter.
The two teams will move their series to Douglasville on Thursday and will end it in Sharpsburg on Friday with the EC Alumni Game to follow.

Cougars get big win behind Kniedel, Jones and Oldham

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The Newnan Cougars picked up a much needed win Tuesday at Joe Pope Field with a 10-5 Region 3-AAAAAA victory over the Douglas County Tigers.
The young Cougars squad, who dropped four of their last five prior to the game, improved to 4-8 overall and evened their region record at 1-1 while the Tigers fell to 6-5, 0-1 in the region as the two teams will meet in Douglasville Thursday evening.
Newnan broke through in the bottom of the second inning as Justin Groover led off with a double, moved to third on a single by Caleb McElwaney and came home when Tyler Davis reached on a fielders choice as McElwaney was forced at second.
Davis stole second and after a strikeout, Chase Jones singled to center for the RBI and took second when the throw home was late to retire Davis.
Jones came home with the final run of the frame when Drew Oldham hit a bloop single to right field.
The Tigers gradually rallied against Cougars starter Tanner Snellgrove as Ricky Lindsey reached on a bloop single with two outs in the top of third and advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw by Snellgrove and eventually scored an unearned run on a single by David Ihrig.
Snellgrove struggled in the top of the fourth inning as he walked five of the sixth batters he faced in the frame with a pair of runs scoring before he was replaced by Chris Turner.
Turner retired the first batter on a strikeout but a pickoff attempt of the baserunner at first was errant and a run scored to give Douglas County a 4-3 lead.
The lead did not last long for the Tigers as the Cougars batted around, scored four runs and took a 7-4 lead.
McElwaney led off with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch before moving to third on a groundout.
KD Satterwhite was hit by a pitch then Jones had a bunt single that brought McElwaney home with the tying run.
Satterwhite advanced to third on the play and after Jones stole second, Oldham followed with a two-run single to left.
Brady Barnes was hit by a pitch and after a flyball Jake Kniedel provided the final run of the inning when he singled to left and Oldham scored easily.
The Tigers scored a run in the top of the fifth as Mike Wright led off with a double and scored on a two out single by Ryan Kone.
The Cougars answered in the bottom of the inning with some two out magic as Satterwhite was hit for the second time in the game and Jones reached on a walk ahead of a two-run triple to right by Oldham.
Newnan added one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning as Connor Dunn reached on an infield error, courtesy runner Tucker McKibbon advanced on a wild pitch then came home when Kniedel singled to center.
Douglas County tried to rally in the top of the seventh inning with two runners on base and one out, but after a pitching change the next two batters were retired on groundouts to end the game.
 

Indians score five runs in the sixth to defeat Trojans

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The East Coweta Indians scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning including Nick Pippin’s two-run single that led to a 7-4 come-from-behind victory over the Northside-Columbus Patriots in a non-region game played Monday night in Sharpsburg.

Improving to 8-5 on the season, the Indians will carry a four-game winning streak into their three-game Region 3-AAAAAA against Langston Hughes which begins Tuesday evening in Fairburn.
The Patriots, who fell to 9-5 on the season, took the lead in the top of the third inning as Zack Williams led off with a single and eventually scored on a two-out single by Cameron Hopkins who stole second and scored on a single by Jacob Hinson.
The Indians tied the game in the bottom of the frame as Cam Smith and Pippin led off with walks and after a single by Bryce Gemmel loaded the bases, Matthew Meyer hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Smith and allowed Pippin to move to third before scoring on a two out triple by Stephan Cruver.
After holding the Patriots scoreless for the next two innings, Indians starter Austin Bellamy got in and out of trouble after one out in the top of the sixth as Vic Ballesteros singled and scored on a triple by DJ Arroyo who would score after two outs on a single by Williams.
The Indians’ rally started in the bottom of the frame after one out when Cary Holloway and Devonte Brown reached on walks while Smith reached on an infield error that allowed Holloway to score and cut the deficit to 4-3.
Faced with a 2-1 count, Pippin became the hero for the Indians when he lined an offering from losing pitcher Jonathon Murphy between short and third allowing Brown and Smith to come home and give EC a 5-4 lead.
Pippin eventually advanced to third and came home on a wild pitch by reliever Brackston Buice before Cruver closed the scoring with double that was lined off the first base bag and allowed Meyer to come home with the final run of the frame.
After six innings, Bellamy (5-1) was relieved by Thomas Leone who retired the first batter on a flyball to right and after the next batter reached on an error was able to end the game and record the save with a 4-6-3 double play.

Cougars shut down by Trojans, Indians end losing skid

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The bats of the Newnan Cougars could not find an answer to Tucker Reynolds who combined with a pair of relievers to lead the Carrollton Trojans to a 5-1 victory Friday night at Joe Pope Field.
The loss drops the Cougars to 2-5 on the season with a home game Monday night against the Northside-Columbus Patriots at 5:30.
Carrollton took the lead after Newnan starter Tanner Snellgrove retired the first batter in the top of the first inning as Will Garrett reached on a single and reached base on an error in the outfield.
Will Hesterlee followed with a double that scored Garrett and Kade Crawford followed with a two-run single.
The Trojans added a run in the top of the fifth inning to take a 4-0 lead as Hesterlee scored on the front end of a double steal while a run in the top of the seventh accounted for the final tally.
After five innings in which he allowed one hit and recorded eight strikeout, Reynolds was relieved by Garrett who retired the Cougars in order in the bottom of the sixth.
The Cougars averted a shutout in the bottom of the seventh inning against Brandon Padillo as Caleb McElwaney reached on a one out single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and came home when stole third and the throw from the catcher went into left field.
In suffering the hard luck loss, Snellgrove pitched six and one-third innings allowing four hits, three earned runs, two walks, two hitbatters and recorded nine strikeouts.
In LaGrange, as the East Coweta Indians snapped a three-game losing streak with a 10-0 victory over the Troup County Tigers.
The Indians took control in the top of the second inning with a season-high seven runs.
as 10 batters went to the plate in the frame.
With Andrew Simms and Jaquez Williams on base with one out, Cary Holloway hit a double to center field that scored Simms and gave the Indians the early lead.
After Williams and Holloway advanced on a groundout, Cam Smith reached on a walk to load the bases and Stephan Cruver followed with a two-run single to center that gave EC a 3-0 lead.
A two-run single by Matthew Meyer was next and after Bryce Gemmel had an RBI triple, Austin Jones closed the scoring with a run-scoring single to left.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Indians added to the cushion as Austin Russell reached on an infield single, stole second and after a walk to Devonte Brown, the former came home on a Tiger error.
Meanwhile, Brown moved into scoring position and came home when Smith grounded out to short.
The final tally of the evening in the top of the seventh inning came when Makenzie Martin reached on a single and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt before coming home on a sacrifice fly by Nick Pippin.
Benefitting from the run support was starting pitcher Austin Bellamy who tossed the first six innings for the Indians allowing four hits and recording three strikeouts before turning the game over to Thomas Leone who allowed a single in his one inning of work.
The Indians (4-3) will travel to Tyrone on Tuesday evening for a non-region game with the Sandy Creek Patriots before hosting Chapel Hill on Thursday.

Indians take advantage of Trojans miscues to win 16-1 in four innings

The East Coweta Indians took advantage of 10 walks and a number of other forms of wildness Tuesday night by scoring in every inning of a 16-1 four-inning victory at home over the Lamar County Trojans.
The Indians improve to 3-0 on the season and will face the Whitewater Wildcats at Thursday at 5:30 in a game scheduled for Wednesday but has been moved due to expected rain .
After starter Austin Bellamy retired the Trojans in the top of the first inning, the Indians gave him a lead in the bottom of the frame as Cam Smith led off with a walk and scored on a throwing error by the Trojans.
The Indians added two more runs in the frame as Matthew Meyer reached on a walk and scored in front of a two-run home run hit to right field by Jaquez Williams.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Indians added two more runs as Cary Holloway reached on a leadoff walk, stole second and came home when Devonte Brown reached on an infield error.
Brown gave EC a 5-0 lead when he scored from third on a wild pitch.
The Trojans scored their lone run of the evening in the top of the third inning as Jacob Efird reached on an infield single and advanced around two bases on groundouts before coming home on a triple by Josh Heflin.
A response was quick as the Indians added four more runs in the bottom of the inning as three of the first four batters reached on walks then Smith followed with a with a two-run single and after a two-run double by Meyer, the home team was in business.
After three innings in which he allowed two hits and a walk while recording a pair of strikeouts, Bellamy was replaced in the top of the fourth inning by Graden Treadwell who allowed a walk and a single but managed to retire three batters on strikeouts.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Indians sent 11 batters including four pinch-hitters to the plate while the Trojans used three pitchers who were unable to stop a scoring binge that yielded seven runs and brought an end to the game.
Williams led off with a double before Smith, Garrett Bean and Holloway followed with consecutive singles that resulted in a pair of runs coming home.
After a walk to Brown, Smith followed with a run scoring single  and Gemmel hit a two-run double to left.
After the first out of the inning was recorded by a strikeout, Nick Pippin and Mackenzie Martin reached base after being hit by pitches which resulted in a run before Austin Clay was walked to bring Gemmel home with the game’s final tally.

Indians need one inning to defeat War eagles

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SHARPSBURG-In the first four innings of their game Thursday with the South Forsyth War Eagles, the East Coweta Indians could not find an answer for pitcher Will Foy.
In three innings, the junior hurler retired the Indians in order while Jaquez Williams kept him from a perfect game when he reached on a fourth inning walk as the bats of the latter were hitting balls at a fielder.
Foy's domination of the Indians disappeared in the bottom of the fifth inning as they scored all of their runs in a 6-2 come from behind victory for the Indians.
Foy and Indians starter Dalton Chocallo appeared to be locked in a pitching duel through the first two innings as neither team was able to get on the scoreboard.
That changed in the top of the third inning, as the Indians committed three errors which allowed both runs to score for the War Eagles and gave the team from Cumming a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Indians finally got to Foy as Williams reached on a bloop single and Austin Jones was hit by a pitch and with one out, Cary Holloway to the plate with a chance to put EC on the board.
The junior shortstop came through as lined a double to left field that scored pinchrunners Reagan Thomas and Graden Treadwell to tie the game at 2-2.
Holloway's heroics caused the War Eagles to make a pitching change and the move backfired as pinchhitter Makenzie Martin walked and Cameron Smith followed with a single that scored Holloway with the lead run for the Indians.
Gemmel followed with a two-run single amd Matthew Meyer completed the scoring with an RBI double to left field.
After five innings, Chocallo was lifted in favor of Mason Meyer who made his high school debut a success with two innings of solid relief despite hitting two batters in the seventh that didn;t get past second base.
The game came to an end when elder brother Matthew caught a foul popfly at third base.
A trio of games face the Indians in the coming week as they will host Lamar County on February 25 and will host Whitewater the following day before a February 28 game at Fayette County.

Meyer's two homers help lead Indians win season opener

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Matthew Meyer got the 2014 season started with a bang Wednesday afternoon for the East Coweta Indians with a pair of home runs while Jaquez Williams had two hits and four RBIs in an 9-5 victory on the road over the Northgate Vikings.

The Indians jumped on Vikings starter Armand Upshaw early as he walked three of the first batters he faced before Austin Jones reached on an error that scored Cameron Smith from third.
Williams followed with a two-run double to left that scored Bryce Gemmel and Stephan Cruver to give the Indians a 3-0 lead.
After EC starting pitcher Austin Bellamy held Northgate scoreless in the bottom of the first, his teammates gave him more of a cushion in the top of the second inning as Smith reached on a one out walk and after Upshaw retired Gemmel on strikes, Meyer hit a 3-2 offering from Upshaw over the center field fence for a two-run home run and a 5-0 lead.
The Vikings got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning as Angelo Rivera reached on an infield single and eventually scored on a two out single by James Poropatic.
Northgate, who lost 4-3 to the Troup Tigers on Monday, cut the deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning as Jordan Schmitts reached on a one out single and eventually scored with two outs in the frame on a wild pitch.
The Indians responded in the top of the fifth inning with four runs off reliever Andrew Simpson to take a 9-2 lead as Gemmel reached on a leadoff walk and Meyer followed with his second home run of the game.
After Cruver grounded out, Jones reached on an infield error and Williams followed with a flyball over the fence in right center field for a two-run home run and the Indians had a comfortable lead.
After four innings in which he surrendered five hits, two runs and recorded two strikeouts, Bellamy was relieved by Tyler Exley in the bottom of the fifth inning and the latter would have his struggles as would his fielders.
An error, a bloop single and miscommunication in the outfield caused a bases loaded situation with one out for Rivera who singled home Andrew Burden from third and Schmitts followed with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored another run in the frame and cut the margin to 9-4.
The Vikings scored the final run of the game as Rivera, who ironically is the son of East Coweta public address announcer Ernie, lined a solo home run over the center field fence for his third hit of the day.
The elder Rivera was in attendance to watch his son play.
The Indians will face the South Forsyth Eagles Thursday evening at 5:55 while the Vikings will host the Sandy Creek Patriots Friday at 5:30.

Griggs basket leads Newnan to win over Douglas County

REGION 3-AAAAAA BASKETBALL

 

Immanuel Griggs’ follow-up of a Doniel Dean miss with 20 seconds remaining in the game led the Newnan Cougars to a 66-64 Region 3-AAAAAA victory over the Douglas County Tigers at the Max Bass Athletic Center Wednesday night.

The win snapped a losing streak by the Cougars who improved to 16-6 on the season and 4-4 in the region while the Tigers fell to 17-5, 5-4.

After Diamond Jones converted a pair of free throws with 26.5 seconds remaining in regulation cut the Cougars’ deficit to 64-63, the Tigers committed turnover and the Cougars took possession with Dean looking to give the latter a come-from-behind win.

Dean, who scored 11 points in the game, drove from the right sideline through the lane and toward the basket with the potential winning shot but it would not fall.

However, the 6-foot-8 Griggs flew through the lane, took the rebound and banked the shot attempt off the glass to give Newnan a 65-64 lead.

Griggs led Newnan in scoring with 18 points.

Douglas County called timeout after the basket and after the inbound pass committed another turnover and Dean took possession with a foul by the visitors to follow.

With 5.2 seconds remaining Dean connected on his first free throw attempt but the second bounced off the rim and the Tigers took possession.

After a timeout, the Tigers inbounded the ball but it sailed past a player who had his back turned to the play and into the waiting arms of Griggs but he would be called for travelling giving the visitors one more chance at regaining the lead with 2.9 seconds remaining.

A Tiger player drove to the basket for the win, but the shot failed and went out of bounds to the Cougars who ran the final second out for the close victory.

In the first period, the Cougars trailed 8-4 with 3:40 remaining when Jones connected on a three-pointer that started a 9-0 run that gave Newnan a 13-8 lead at the end of the stanza.

The lead changed hands several times in the second period as the Tigers relied on the shooting of K’Ja Johnson and Malik Musgrove who combined to score 15 of Douglas County’s 22 points in the frame as they took a 30-26 lead at the half.

Johnson scored 17 points and Musgrove finished with 13 for the Tigers.

In the third period, Johnson had a different scoring partner in Justin Bridges as the duo combined for 14 of the Tigers’ 21 points that allowed them to take a 51-45 lead into the final period despite Griggs and Dean combining for 13 of 19 points scored by the Cougars in the frame.

Bridges led Douglas County with 18 points before fouling out.

In the fourth period, the Tigers continued to lead but turnovers and foul trouble plagued the visitors with the home team taking advantage by converting nine-of-13 free throws during the stanza while converting five field goals after several miscues.

Jannson Williams scored 13 points and Jones scored 10 to help lead the Cougars’ win.

In the girls’ game, the Lady Tigers broke open a close game in the third period as they were 56-31victors.

The Lady Tigers took a 9-2 after the first period, a 24-10 cushion at intermission and a 38-24 lead after three before an 18-7 fourth period sealed the win.

Three players finished in double figures for the Lady Tigers while Metryes Geter led the Lady Cougars with 10 points.

Newnan will host the East Coweta Indians in a region contest between the two county rivals Friday night in a varsity doubleheader.

 

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Newnan wins exciting varsity hoop doubleheader in closing seconds

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SHARPSBURG-Those in attendance at the John Thrower Gymnasium were not disappointed Friday night as Newnan needed late game heroics in gaining a Region 3-AAAAAA sweep of rival East Coweta in a varsity basketball doubleheader.

Chaycie Goggins hit a short jumper with less than a half-second remaining in regulation to give the Lady Cougars a 56-55 win over the Lady Indians while a basket by Doniel Dean and a free throw by Immanuel Griggs stood up to give the Cougars a 62-60 victory in the waning seconds.

The Lady Cougars improved to 5-11 overall and 1-0 in the region.with the thrilling victory while the Lady Indians fell to 6-6 overall and 1-1 in the region.

Trailing 54-53 with with 2.4 after Mekhia Freeman converted a pair of free throws, the Lady Indians took the lead as Brandi Sinkfield sped down court to steal the Lady Cougars' inbound pass and convert a short jumper with over a second remaining.

After the basket, the Lady Cougars inbounded the ball with a frenetic pace and it found its way to Goggins.

Goggins, who proved to be a thorn in the side of the Lady Indians during the 2013 softball season with several big hits, hurriedly tossed the ball toward the basket and the shot fell in as the buzzer sounded.  

Newnan took an early 6-0 lead before Quentina Roberts converted with five minutes remaining in the first period for EC that started a 15-6 run that gave them a 15-12 lead with 90 seconds remaining as Kiandrea Hall drilled a three-pointer.

The Lady Indians eventually took a 16-14 lead into the second period but lost it quickly as Goggins converted a basket that tied the game seconds into the stanza.

However, EC regained the lead when Eboni Williams converted a pair of free throws seconds later that started a 13-2 run to give the home team a 29-18 lead with less than a minute remaining in the half.

Trailing 31-22 at the half, the Lady Cougars began a comeback in the third period as went on a 14-3 run that gave them a 36-34 lead with 2:03 remaining as Nashara Baker converted a go ahead basket.

A basket by Bodecia Zackery gave Newnan a 38-36 lead then Shemiah Sanchez hit a three-pointer for EC that cut the margin to 38-37 with 90 seconds remaining.

However, Metryes Geter converted a three-pointer that gave the Lady Cougars a 41-37 after three periods.

In the fourth period, Freeman converted a pair of free throws and Sinkfield hit a basket that tied the game at 41-41 with the first of four ties in the stanza.

The period was also somewhat physical as evidenced by five players from the two teams leaving the game with five fouls while five players finished the game with four.

The Lady Cougars appeared to have the game won late in the period as they had a 54-51 lead with 24.8 seconds remaining after a free throw by Geter.

However, the joy would be short lived as Freeman converted the free throws and Sinkfield set off the one second rush to victory.

Williams led the Lady Indians with 21 points and Freeman followed with 12 while Geter led the Lady Cougars with 16 points and Goggins followed with 12 points,

 In the boys game, Zhakeer Jervey drilled the first of three three-pointers in the first period that keyed a 12-3 start for the Indians but a 10-4 finish to the stanza by the Cougars cut the Indians' lead to 16-13 after the period ended as Doniel Dean converted a basket in the waning seconds.

The basket by Dean, who led all scorers with 29 points, began an 8-0 run that gave the Cougars a 21-16 lead with 5:03 remaining before Jeremy Farmer converted a three-pointer seconds later.

The Farmer basket began a streak of 12-8 over the balance of the stanza that led to a 29-28 lead for Newnan at the half.

The Cougars opened the third period with five straight points to take a 34-28 lead with 7:14 remaining but after assuming a 41-32 lead with 4:47 remaining, the offense went silent for awhile.

The Indians took advantage of their rival's problem with 14-5 finish that tied the game at 46-46 as Sterling Tyson drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer from the backcourt.

A pair of free throws by Dean allowed the Cougars to take a 48-46 lead at the beginning of the final period, but five straight points by Zach Walker gave the Indians a 51-48 lead before a 7-0 streak gave the Cougars a 55-51 lead with 3:24 remaining.

The game was far from over as the Indians went on a 9-4 streak that gave them a 60-59 lead with 34.5 seconds remaining.

The Cougars regained the lead seconds later when Dean converted a basket and the Indians came down court with the ball but a pair of missed baskets allowed Immanuel Griggs to come away with a rebound with 8.7 seconds remaining.

After an Indians timeout, Griggs converted the first of two free throw attempts but he would miss the second and the Indians came away with the rebound looking for one last chance to take the victory but the home team was unable to do so as the ball was loose before Walker was able to get off a shot that went in after the buzzer sounded.    

Jervey led the Indians with 15 points, Tyson followed with 14 points, Framer scored 11 points and Walker scored nine points.

Griggs scored 14 points for the Cougars while Chris White scored seven and Tonaris Portress scored five points.