SPORTS HEADLINES 5/6/13

High School Softball(WEATHER PERMITTING): Christian County and Hopkinsville are scheduled to meet for the second time this afternoon at Lady Tiger Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30, with the Heritage Bank pre game show airing at 5:15 on News/Talk WHOP and online at whopam.com.

Other games today have University Heights hosting Ohio County, Dawson Springs at Todd Central, Trigg County hosts Mayfield, Caldwell County goes to Lyon County, Logan County travels to Hart County, Hopkins Central at Henderson County, Madisonville at Daviess County, Webster County at Crittenden County, Muhlenberg County hosts McLean County, Calloway County is at Massac County, IL.

High School Baseball(WEATHER PERMITTING): Hopkinsville opens a two day 8^th district series at Fort Campbell, University Heights goes to Lyon County, Dawson Springs is at Madisonville, Hopkins Central hosts Ohio County, Union County hosts Livingston Central, Mayfield at Paducah Tilghman, Murray hosts Carlisle County, Marshall County at Heath.

High School Tennis: 2^nd region action begins for the girls today at Henderson County, with boys action to begin tomorrow.

Christian County student/athlete Kory Polley will sign a collegiate letter for wrestling today. The ceremony will take place at 2:30 at Christian County High School.

Golf: Former Hopkinsville High standout Dayton Jones fired an opening round 75 for Rend Lake Community College Sunday at the NJCAA Division Two Regional tournament in Bloomington, IL. Jones continues play today with hopes of making the national championship later this month in Scottsboro, AL.

College Football: University of Kentucky safety Ashley Lowery is hospitalized following a traffic accident early Saturday morning in White County, GA. The Georgia State Patrol says Lowery was not wearing a seat belt when he wrecked and was ejected from the vehicle.

A family friend tells the Courier Journal Lowery was responsive Sunday and recognized family members. Lowery started eight games as a sophomore in the 2012 season and ranked fifth on the team with 43 tackles.

College Baseball: Ohio Valley Conference action saw Austin Peay defeat Morehead State 9-3 Sunday, with Murray State dropping the series finale to Southeast Missouri 7-4.

Western Kentucky defeated Louisiana Monroe 9-1 and got a solid pitching performance from former Hopkinsville High hurler Justin Hageman. Hageman went seven innings, allowing one earned run on six hits. It was Hageman’s first Sun Belt Conference start of the season.

College Softball: Murray State swept a doubleheader from Austin Peay 6-4 and 10-9. Former Christian County standout Casey Castille was 0-3 in the opener, then went 2-4 in the nightcap with 3 rbi for Murray State.

Former Christian County standout Griffin Joiner tied a career high with four hits as Kentucky defeated 7th ranked Alabama 9-5 Sunday.  Joiner had a home run, two singles along with a double and an RBI.  Joiner went 4-5 in the game.

Minor League Baseball: The Bowling Green Hot Rods lost at the Clinton Lumberkings 5-2 Sunday. The two teams close out the series this evening.  The Nashville Sounds lost at Round Rock 5-1, with the teams playing the series finale this afternoon.

PGA Tour: Rookie Derek Ernst won the rain soaked Wells Fargo Championship Sunday in a playoff over David Lynn. Both finished regulation at eight under par. Phil Mickelson led most of the day before bogies at 15 and 16 cost him the tournament. Mickleson finished third.

Champions Tour: Esteban Toledo topped Mike Goodes and Gene Sauers in a three hole playoff to win the Insperity Open. Franklin’s Kenny Perry finished the three day event with a 221 total and collected $16,050. Paducah’s Russ Cochran finished the event at 10 over par.

SPORTS HEADLINES 5/4/13

The YMCA has announced that HCCYL t-ball, baseball, and softball games scheduled for Saturday, May 4, have been cancelled due to the high percentage chance of rain and low temperatures. Those games and pictures have been moved to Saturday, May 18, at the same time and field. Teams will need to show up one hour early on field 2 for pictures on Saturday, May 18.

High School Baseball-Friday scores: Christian County edged Caldwell County 3-2, Hopkinsville over Trigg County 10-4, University Heights got by Crittenden County 9-7, Union County blanked Madisonville 3-0, Logan County edged Muhlenberg County 4-3 in 9 innings, Hopkins Central shut out McLean County 4-0, Henderson County drilled Webster County 16-5.

High School Softball-Friday scores: Dawson Springs run ruled Hopkinsville 11-1 in 6 innings.

College Football: Austin Peay announced the signing of four players, including three junior college transfers Friday. They are quarterback Andrew Spivey from the College of San Francisco, wide receiver Earlzo Singleton from Rochester Community and Tech College, Derien Stephens out of Detroit—who did not play collegiately last fall and offensive lineman Travis Williams from Arizona Eastern Junior College.

Coach Kirby Cannon called the four signees a “mini” recruiting class and say that all four have the chance to earn a starting position for the Govenors this fall.

College Baseball: Austin Peay defeated Morehead State 9-8 in 10 innings, with Murray State getting a 4-0 victory over Southeast Missouri. Western Kentucky lost to Louisiana Monroe 3-2.

Minor League Baseball: The Bowling Green Hot Rods were swept in a doubleheader by Kane County 4-2 and 3-1. The Hot Rods open a three game series at Clinton this evening.  The Nashville Sounds lost at Round Rock 5-4 in 12 innings, with game two of the series this evening.

Major League Baseball: The Cincinnati Reds held off the Chicago Cubs 6-5 Friday, with the NY Mets defeating Atlanta 7-5 in 10 innings and St. Louis defeated Milwaukee 6-1.

The Reds and Cubs play game two of their weekend series this afternoon at Wrigley Field, with pre game coverage beginning at 11:35 this morning on News/Talk WHOP. St. Louis and Milwaukee also have an afternoon game, with Atlanta hosting New York this evening.

St. Louis right-hander Jason Motte will have season-ending Tommy John surgery next week.The Cardinals reliever was placed on the disabled list on March 29, and eventually diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right elbow. He had been rehabbing and playing catch in an effort to avoid surgery.
   
However, he had discomfort during a throwing session and it was decided that Motte would have the ligament replacement surgery.

Horse Racing: With four of the 10 horses entered in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs Friday, trainer Todd Pletcher had a good chance to win the race. One of his fillies did, as longshot Princess of Sylmar took the Run for the Lillies.

Meanwhile, Pletcher has five colts entered in the 20 horse field for today’s 139^th Kentucky Derby. Early betters are liking Revolutionary and Goldenscents, the horse whose ownership includes Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino. Orb was the morning line favorite when post positions were drawn earlier this week.

NFL: The Tennessee Titans brought their annual Titans Caravan to Paducah last night. Among those appearing at the visit was former Paducah Tilghman standout George Wilson, one of the Titans acquisitions in the off season after being released by the Buffalo Bills. The safety told WPSD he was excited about the opportunity to play for the Titans and expects an outstanding 2013 season.

NBA: All four teams leading their series in playoff action last night clinched berths to the next round. In Eastern Conference action, the NY Knicks defeated Boston 88-80, Indiana defeated Atlanta 81-73. Western Conference action saw Oklahoma City defeat Houston 103-94 and Memphis finish off the LA Clippers 118-105.

PGA Tour: Phil Mickelson isn't having too much trouble at all with the choppy greens at Quail Hollow. Mickelson opened with two birdies and made back-to-back birdies late in his second round for a 5-under 67 that gave him a two-shot lead going into the third round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

Nick Watney, playing alongside Mickelson, made a few key par putts for a 70 and was in the group two shots behind with George McNeill and 37-year-old tour rookie Scott Gardiner. Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood are another shot back.

Champions Tour: Mike Goodes shot a 3-under 69 in winds that gusted to 30 mph to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Champions Tour's Insperity Championship. Goodes birdied two of the last three holes.

Gene Sauers had the lead at 4 under going into the par 4 17th, but hit a 9-iron into the water for a double bogey and finished at 70. Brian Henninger, Mark Brooks, Hal Sutton, Michael Allen and Mark Bucek were two strokes back at 71.

Franklin’s Kenny Perry fired a two over par 74, while Paducah’s Russ Cochran had a seven over 79. Only seven players in the 81-man field broke par on an unseasonably cold and blustery day at The Woodlands Country Club near Houston.

SPORTS UPDATE 5/3/13

College Basketball: The Lexington Herald Leader reports longtime official John Cahill is retiring. The 60-year-old Cahill who has officiated games for 40 years, will still be involved with officiating as the supervisor of officials of the new Big East Conference. Cahill worked 11 Final Fours and was on the national championship game this year when Louisville defeated Michigan. The Albany, New York native is a lawyer by trade.

College Football: One of the newest members of the SEC is expanding its stadium. Texas A&M plans to expand Kyle Field from its current capacity of over 82,000 to 102,500, making it the largest stadium in the SEC and the third largest in the nation behind Michigan and Penn State. The expansion will begin following the 2013 season and be completed before the start of the 2015 season.

MLB: The Cincinnati Reds open a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs this afternoon at Wrigley Field, St. Louis continues its series at Milwaukee this evening, with Atlanta opening a weekend series with the NY Mets.

NBA: The playoff schedule features four possible closeout games, as four teams can all advance with Game 6 wins. 

In Eastern Conference play, the Pacers will visit Atlanta with a 3-2 lead while the Knicks are in Boston and will try for a third time to finish off the Celtics.

Western Conference action has the Thunder in the same position as the Knicks, having won the first three games of their West quarterfinal against Houston, only to see the Rockets win the last two. The Grizzlies have won three straight over the Clippers and will try to finish off LA in Memphis.

NHL: Tonight’s playoff schedule features four games. The Pittsburgh Penguins will
try to build a 2-0 lead on the New York Islanders following a Game 1 win on Wednesday. Also in the East, Ottawa will try to grab a 2-0 series lead against Montreal.

In the West, the Chicago Blackhawks take a 1-0 series advantage into a home game against the Minnesota Wild and the San Jose Sharks will try for another victory following a home win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1 on Wednesday

SPORTS HEADLINES 5/3/13

High School Softball-Thursday scores:   University Heights swept the season series with Hopkinsville by taking a 15-0, 6 inning victory. Home runs from Makenzi Hamby, Chelsea Cansler and a grand slam by Tyler Shemwell highlighted the game for the Lady Blazers, who got a four hit shutout from Lexie O’Daniel. University Heights improved to 17-6/3-1 with the win, while Hopkinsville fell to 1-19/1-3 in district play.

Other games saw Heath edge Christian County 5-4, Franklin Simpson run ruled Russellville 15-0 in 3 innings, Trigg County swept a pair from Todd Central 5-4 and 4-3, Madisonville shut out Caldwell County 8-0, Hopkins Central defeated Dawson Springs 3-1, Henderson County over Union County 6-4, Livingston Central shut out Crittenden County 8-0, Graves County edged Calloway County 2-1, Lone Oak swept Paducah Tilghman 11-0 and 11-1, and also defeated St. Mary 10-0, Marshall County blanked Reidland 4-0.

Today’s games(WEATHER PERMITTING): Hopkinsville hosts Dawson Springs, Caldwell County hosts Trigg County, Hopkins Central meets Hancock County and Central Hardin at the Sports Warehouse Classic in Owensboro, where Madisonville plays South Spencer, IN, Muhlenberg County meets Bowling Green, who also plays Marshall County, Heath takes on Allen County Scottsville and Lone Oak takes on Woodford County.

High School Baseball-Thursday scores: Logan County defeated Christian County 10-6, Caldwell County shut out University Heights 3-0, Lyon County blanked Fort Campbell 11-0, Trigg County defeated Marshall County 3-1, Russellville edged Barren County 4-3 in 8 innings, Madisonville run ruled Hopkins Central 10-0 in 6 innings, Livingston Central nipped Crittenden County 5-4, Union County defeated Henderson County 3-1, Lone Oak drilled Reidland 28-1, Paducah Tilghman over Heath 4-1.

Today’s games(WEATHER PERMITTING): Christian County hosts Russellville and Caldwell County in a doubleheader, Hopkinsville welcomes Trigg County, University Heights entertains Crittenden County, Dawson Springs hosts Fort Campbell, Logan County hosts Muhlenberg County, Hopkins Central welcomes McLean County, Madisonville at Union County, Webster County goes to Henderson County, Lyon County hosts Mayfield.

Two local student/athletes signed collegiate letters Thursday in the sport of baseball. Christian County’s Logan Patterson signed with Millsaps College, while Hopkinsville’s Gus Sholar signed to play with Berea College.

College Basketball: The Courier Journal reports John Hardin High School point guard Brandon Price accepted a preferred walk on Thursday night from Western Kentucky University. The 5-9 Price averaged 17.9 points per game last season for the Bulldogs.

The Southeastern Conference announced Thursday a 20-year agreement with ESPN to operate the SEC Network, which will hit the airwaves in August, 2014. SEC commissioner Mike Slive says the network will produce 1,000 live events each year and will carry approximately 45 football games and a depth of content across all sports each year.  Financial terms for the deal were not disclosed, but the contract goes through 2034.

The Kentucky Oaks takes place at Churchill Downs this afternoon, with trainer Todd Pletcher having four fillies in the 10 horse field. Pletcher trained Dreaming of Julia is the 3-1 favorite, with other Pletcher horses in the field including Unlimited Budget, Silisita and Princess of Sylmar.

Pletcher also have a record tying five horses running in the 139^th Kentucky Derby scheduled for tomorrow.

Golf: The Links at Novadell has cancelled this weekend’s scheduled Bud Light two man tournament because of the threat of inclement weather. The tournament has been rescheduled for June 15-16.

There’s a seven way tie for the lead after the opening round of the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship. Rory McIlroy, Nick Watney, Ryan Moore and Robert Garrigus are among the group at five under 67. Phil Mickelson, Boo Weekley, Zach Johnson and Lucas Glover are among a group of six players one shot back.

The Champions Tour’s Insperity Championship begins today with Paducah’s Russ Cochran and Franklin’s Kenny Perry both in the field.

Minor League Baseball: The Bowling Green Hot Rods were rained out at Kane County, with the two teams playing a doubleheader this evening.  The Nashville Sounds were swept by Oklahoma City, losing 9-1 Thursday night. The Sounds begin a four game series at Round Rock this evening.

SPORTS UPDATE 5/2/13

High School Softball: Christian County is ranked 10^th in the latest Kentucky Softball Coaches Association Top 25 poll, which has Greenwood ranked first again this week. Lone Oak is 4^th, Owensboro Catholic 5^th, Reidland 7^th, Bowling Green 13^th, Madisonville 14^th, Marshall County is 18^th and Livingston Central is 21^st.

MLB: While the Cincinnati Reds are off today, their weekend opponent, the Chicago Cubs close out a series with an afternoon game hosting San Diego, Atlanta closes out a series with Washington this evening, while St. Louis opens a weekend series with the Milwaukee Brewers.

NBA: Thursday's playoff schedule features a pair of crucial Game 6’s. In the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets will look  to avoid elimination again after earning a
19-point victory in Game 5 when they visit Chicago to take on the Bulls.

In the West, the Golden State Warriors will try to close out their series at home after
failing to do so in Game 5, when the Denver Nuggets muscled their way to a seven-point victory.

NHL: First round action resumes this evening with two games in the Eastern Conference and two in the Western Conference.

Action opens in Montreal, as the Northeast Division champion Canadiens host the Ottawa Senators in Game 1. The other contest will also see a series opener, as the New York Rangers head to the nation's capital to take on the Washington Capitals.

A pair of Game 2’s are on tap in the Western Conference, as the St. Louis Blues look to take a 2-0 series lead as they host the reigning Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. The other contest has the Detroit Red Wings hoping to bounce back from a Game 1 loss as they will play in Anaheim against the Ducks.