HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

THE HOPKINSVILLE TIGERS TOOK THE OUTRIGHT LEAD IN THE 8^TH DISTRICT BASEBALL RACE AGAINST CHRISTIAN COUNTY MONDAY NIGHT, BUT IT TOOK EXTRA INNINGS TO GET THE JOB DONE.

THE TIGERS DEFEATED THE COLONELS 6-5 IN NINE INNINGS.  THE TIGERS ARE NOW 2-0 IN THE DISTRICT RACE, WHILE CHRISTIAN COUNTY FALLS TO TWO AND TWO.

ELSEWHERE:  UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS EDGED CALDWELL COUNTY 6-5, RUSSELLVILLE OVER FORT CAMPBELL 7-2, MADISONVILLE OVER HENDERSON COUNTY 7-5, HOPKINS CENTRAL DEFEATED DAWSON SPRINGS 12-2, OWENSBORO OVER MUHLENBERG COUNTY 9-1, CRITTENDEN COUNTY OVER WEBSTER COUNTY 11-1 IN SIX INNINGS, CALLOWAY COUNTY SHUTOUT LIVINGSTON CENTRAL 15-0 IN FIVE INNINGS.

TODAY’S GAMES:  CHRISTIAN COUNTY PLAYS AT GREENWOOD, FORT CAMPBELL HOSTS CLARKSVILLE NORTHWEST, CALDWELL COUNTY AT DAWSON SPRINGS, TRIGG COUNTY AT LIVINGSTON CENTRAL, TODD CENTRAL AT RUSSELLVILLE, WEBSTER COUNTY HOSTS HENDERSON COUNTY, HOPKINS CENTRAL AT MUHLENBERG COUNTY.

HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

WARREN EAST DEFEATED HOPKINSVILLE 8-1, DAWSON SPRINGS EDGED TODD CENTRAL 1-0 IN EIGHT INNINGS, CALDWELL COUNTY OVER UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS 6-1, MADISONVILLE OVER UNION COUNTY 5-4, LYON COUNTY OVER TRIGG COUNTY 7-6, METCALFE COUNTY DEFEATED RUSSELLVILLE 20-0 IN THREE INNINGS, LIVINGSTON CENTRAL OVER CRITTENDEN COUNTY 12-0 IN FIVE INNINGS.

TODAY’S GAMES:  CHRISTIAN COUNTY HOSTS FORT CAMPBELL IN 8^TH DISTRICT ACTION, HOPKINSVILLE HOSTS MADISONVILLE.

ELSEWHERE:  TODD CENTRAL AT LOGAN COUNTY, MARSHALL COUNTY HOSTS MURRAY, HOPKINS CENTRAL WELCOMES CALDWELL COUNTY, HENDERSON COUNTY AT UNION COUNTY, RUSSELLVILLE HOSTS FRANKLIN SIMPSON, MUHLENBERG COUNTY AT OHIO COUNTY. 

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

FORMER WESTERN KENTUCKY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH STEVE SMALL IS GOING BACK TO THE SIDELINES. THE COURIER JOURNAL REPORTS SMALL HAS BEEN NAMED THE GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH AT LOUISVILLE ASSUMPTION.  SMALL SPENT 17 SEASONS AT WESTERN, 13 AS AN ASSISTANT.  SMALL WAS 88-40 IN FOUR SEASONS AS LADY TOPPER HEAD COACH BEFORE STEPPING DOWN IN 2001.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY ATHLETICS DIRECTOR MITCH BARNHART SHOT BACK MONDAY AT A REMARK MADE ABOUT THE PROGRAM OVER THE WEEKEND BY ESPN ANALYST AND FORMER INDIANA COACH BOB KNIGHT.

THE COURIER JOURNAL REPORTS IN A SPEECH MADE OVER THE WEEKEND, KNIGHT SAID KENTUCKY IN THE 2009-10 SEASON PLAYED FIVE PLAYERS IN THE NC-AA TOURNAMENT THAT HE SAID “HAD NOT BEEN TO CLASS ALL SEMESTER”. 

IN A RELEASED STATEMENT, BARNHART CALLED KNIGHT’S COMMENT BLATENTLY ERRONEOUS AND THAT ALL FIVE WERE IN GOOD ACADEMIC STANDING, WITH PATRICK PATTERSON GRADUATING IN THREE YEARS, DARIUS MILLER STILL ON THE TEAM AND DEMARCUS COUSINS, JOHN WALL AND ERIC BLEDSOE ONE AND DONE PLAYERS WHO ARE NOW IN THE NBA.

S-E-C COMMISSIONER MIKE SLIVE SAID MONDAY IT WAS TOUGH TO SEE BRUCE PEARL’S RUN AT TENNESSEE END AS IT DID WITH PEARL’S FIRING.

THE KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL SAYS SLIVE TOLD REPORTERS IN BIRMINGHAM AT AN ASSOCIATED PRESS SPORTS EDITORS CONFERENCE HE HAD TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS WITH PEARL BEFORE AND AFTER HIS FIRING.  SLIVE ADDED NO MEMBER OF THE S-E-C OFFICE TRIED TO INFLUENCE U-T’S DECISION TO FIRE PEARL.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

THE TENNESEEAN REPORTS THE FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITY BOWL WILL BE PLAYED FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30^TH AT 5:40 P-M AT L-P FIELD IN NASHVILLE.

THIS YEAR WILL MARK THE 6^TH TIME TEAMS FROM THE ATLANTIC COAST AND SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCES WILL PLAY.  LAST YEAR, A RECORD CROWD OF 69-THOUSAND 143 PEOPLE WATCHED NORTH CAROLINA EDGE TENNESSEE 30-27.

GOLF

CLARKSVILLE NATIVE MASON RUDOLPH DIED MONDAY AT THE AGE OF 76.  RUDOLPH HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED IN TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA SINCE LAST WEEKEND.

RUDOLPH WAS THE 1959 PGA TOUR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AND A MEMBER OF THE 1971 RYDER UP TEAM.  HE WON FIVE PGA TOUR EVENTS AND FINISHED FOURTH IN THE 1965 MASTERS.  AS AN AMATEUR, RUDOLPH WAS AN OUTSTANDING GOLFER FOR CLARKSVILLE HIGH AND HE WON THE TENNESSEE STATE OPEN FIVE TIMES.

BOSTON MARATHON

HOPKINSVILLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROFESSOR KEVIN FELTON RAN IN THE BOSTON MARATHON MONDAY.  FELTON RAN THE RACE IN THREE HOURS 49 MINUTES AND 57 SECONDS.  GEOFFREY MUTAI WON THE MEN’S DIVISION, WHILE CAROLINE KILEL WON THE WOMEN’S DIVISION.