Tradewater rolls over Marion

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

DAWSON SPRINGS — The underdog Marion Bobcats came prepared to give the top-seeded Tradewater Pirates a tough game Tuesday night, but when Bobcat outfielder Dustin Kennon ran into the Riverside Park right-field fence chasing a fly ball, Marion became noticeably distracted and Tradewater pulled away for a 11-1 victory.

During the top half of the first inning the Bobcats scored after Pirate starter Justin Long allowed three consecutive runners to reach base, and Marion appeared poised to give Tradewater all it could handle in game one of the second round K.I.T. playoffs.

In the bottom half of the inning, however, Marion began to lose its focus when Kennon unknowingly ran full speed into the fence in right-center field trying to catch a fly ball off the bat of Nate Wright.

With one on and one out in the bottom of the first, Wright smacked a deep fly ball to the gap in right field. Kennon thought he had a chance, but ran into a vertical support section of the fence with his hip taking the brunt of the force.

Wright ended up on third with a triple; the hit tied the game at 1-1. After a 10-minute delay, Kennon was carried off the field by his teammates and coaches.

Marion escaped the inning without allowing any more runs, but as Kennon continued to sit in pain in the dugout, his teammates seemed to become more distracted over the next couple innings.

With two outs in the second inning, the Pirates took advantage of the distracted Bobcat bunch by scoring three runs on three walks, two errors, and one base hit.

Catcher Matt Kulbacki provided the big blow of the inning when with the bases loaded he reached on an infield RBI single that ended up scoring all three runners after an errant throw to first base.

The Bobcats continued to struggle during the third inning while two different ambulances came to administer to Kennon behind the third-base dugout.

While play continued on the field, Kennon was taken to Regional Medical Center in Madisonville to have X-rays taken of his hip, team officials said.

Marion pitcher Ethan Utley entered to stop the Tradewater offense, but only made things worse by walking four batters and hitting one. Another Bobcat error and a Pirate hit added to the Marion nightmare as Tradewater sent 10 players to the plate and scored five runs for a 9-1 advantage.

Long ran into some trouble of his own in the top half of the fourth inning, but succeeded in not allowing a run. After striking out the first two batters of the inning, Long loaded the bases on two walks and a single, but induced a flyout to the shortstop to end the inning and the threat.

Long left after the seventh inning with an eight-run lead intact. He allowed six hits in his time on the mound to earn the win and gave way to reliever Jonathan Lee, who retired the side in order.

Neither team put together a considerable threat after Long escaped the fourth inning and no team scored until the eighth when Tradewater added two more runs on a Payne Spence RBI single and another errant throw.

Pirate closer Eric Faint shut things down in the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning and gave Tradewater a victory in the series-opener.

In the other bracket of K.I.T. playoff action, the Owensboro Oilers led the Fulton Railroaders 4-3 in the sevnth inning at the time of press. Should Tradewater advance to the championship series, the Pirates will play the winner of the Owensboro-Fulton series beginning Friday.

Tradewater will return to action when the Pirates play game two of the best of three-game set at 7 p.m. today at Marion.

Pirates ready for title chase: Tradewater to battle Marion in series

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

With the regular season wrapped up, the Tradewater Pirates will maintain a “do or die” mentality as the team takes to the field tonight in the K.I.T. playoffs.

“We’ll do whatever it takes to win now,” Tradewater coach Kurt Elbin said. “The only way to keep playing is to get a ‘W’. That’s our mindset. We’re going to do everything we can to win.”

The Pirates finished in first place with a 35-15 record and will host Marion tonight in the first game of a best-of-three series. Marion beat Union City 4-3 Monday night in a one-game playoff. The series will be begin and end, if necessary, at Tradewater with the second game at the lower seed’s site.

Although the Pirates have struggled playing at Marion, Tradewater will be prepared for either team, Elbin said.

“We don’t match up well with Marion at their place for some reason,” he said. “I don’t know why we can’t win there, but it’s going to be a different story in the playoffs.

“As long as we have home-field advantage and we’re playing the majority of the games at our place, I feel confident against any of the teams.”

Elbin will send pitcher Justin Long to the mound in the series opener. Long ended the regular season with a 4-4 record and 1.40 earned-run average. Long pitched 702⁄3 innings and maintained a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (64:20), while allowing just 53 hits.

Following Long in the rotation will be Sean Mahley and George Hebert.

Hebert paced the league in wins at 8-0, and Elbin wants to use him as an ace up in his sleeve.

“I think we’re going to sit on George,” he said. “George is going to be our go-to guy throughout the playoffs. If we need a win, we’re going to give him the ball, but that’s how I feel about all our guys.”

Elbin might have a certain strategy in mind, but he asserted his confidence in each of his pitchers.

“I don’t care who we throw,” he said “We feel we have a chance to win.

“I think our pitching always gave us a chance to stay in the ballgame and they were consistently good.”

While Tradewater’s core of quality pitchers kept the Pirates in each game its hitters kept the team on top.

The Pirate batters picked up steam in the middle of the season and their improved play helped Tradewater separate itself from the rest of the league, Elbin said.

Tradewater’s hitting pushed the team over the top, but it was Elbin’s focus on pitching and strong defense that provided the foundation.

“I think from the very beginning that’s something I preached to the guys,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to pitch, throw strikes, and we have to be able to play defense.”

Elbin, an assistant coach at Thiel College (Pa.) during the school year, led the Pirates with his direction throughout the season, but the first-year Tradewater coach attributed the team’s success directly to his players.

“I think it’s definitely a reflection of the players that I got,” Elbin said. “Looking at what we’ve done throughout the summer, none of this would have been possible if I didn’t get quality players.”

Now that Tradewater is in the playoffs, Elbin will use his knowledge of his players’ talents and do whatever it takes to win.

“The biggest thing is we are going to remain aggressive in pitching, defensively and offensively and that’s how we got to where we are and we’re not going to change anything.”

Tradewater begins the first game of a best-of-three series against the winner of Marion/Union City at 7 p.m. today at Riverside Park.

The Pirates will avoid playing any of the league’s top three teams until the championship series.

In the other bracket the second-place Fulton Railroaders will play the winner of Monday night’s game between the last-place Farmington Firebirds and third-seed Owensboro Oilers. Although Farmington won just eight games during the regular season, the Firebirds swept Owensboro in a doubleheader on July 23.

Pitchers shut down Farmington

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Four Tradewater Pirate pitchers combined to shut out the Farmington Firebirds 1-0 and took a no-hitter into the final frame of a seven-inning game on Saturday night at Riverside Park.

Tradewater threw 61⁄3 no-hit innings, until pitcher George Hebert surrendered back-to-back singles in the seventh inning.

While the Pirate players knew about the possible impending feat, assistant coach Jason Belk, filling in for coach Kurt Elbin, said he was unaware until after the game.

“No, no, I don’t really pay attention to that,” he said. “I think that happened three or four times this year, and me and Kurt Elbin are too busy about the situations and winning the ballgame than focusing on no-hitters and perfect games. It’s just real funny how it happened.”

The Pirates appeared poised to wrap up the no-hitter without any objections from Farmington, as Tradewater sent one of its starting aces, Hebert to the mound in the seventh for a relief appearance.

Hebert induced a groundout from the first batter, but the next two batters ripped consecutive singles to right field, ending the no-hitter and threatening to tie or take the lead.

Mentally preparing for a relief role is different than starting a game and could have made it difficult for Hebert to settle in, Belk said.

“That might have been it, but as a pitcher the hardest thing is getting the final three outs,” he said. “Finishing the game is the hardest thing to do.”

With runners on first and second, Hebert recovered to retire the next batter, but walked shortstop Mitch Guemmer to load the bases. Hebert, however, refused to permit the comeback and struck out the next Firebird batter to end the game.

Starting pitcher Kevin Belk began the no-hit bid by tossing three innings. Kevin faced 10 batters, striking out four and walking one. Pitcher Payne Spence took the ball for the fourth inning and sent Farmington down in order.

Don Pugliese entered to pitch in the fifth inning, and although he and his teammates were conscious of the game’s developments no one spoke about it.

“Not at all,” Pugliese said. “ It’s a thing you’re not allowed to talk about.”

Pugliese walked the first two batters, and a wild pitch allowed the runners to advance to second and third. With Tradewater ahead just 1-0, Pugliese stopped the potential rally by striking out the next three Farmington batters to preserve the no-hit attempt.

During the sixth inning Pugliese skipped the drama and retired the side in order.

After the game, Pugliese said he found his groove once he became comfortable with his fastball.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit trying to find control,” he said. “It wasn’t too bad after those first batters, so luckily I found it.”

Tradewater scored its only run, the only one it needed, in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Logan Bawcom began the inning with a double to the left field fence. It looked as if the Pirates would waste the scoring opportunity when the next two batters both flew out to center field, but Tanner Hall succeeded in bringing Bawcom home. Hall smacked a double down the left-field line and gave Tradewater a 1-0 advantage.

The Pirates threatened again in the fifth inning when Sean Mahley hit a one-out triple and Andy Gerhartz reached after he was hit by a pitch. Belk put on the delayed steal in an effort to get Mahley home, but a great defensive play by Farmington nailed Mahley at the plate.

The lone run from the fourth inning, however, proved to be all the Pirates needed.

At the time of press Tradewater led Farmington 8-3 in the third inning of the night game. Mahley continued his hot hitting with a deep home run to right field.

The KIT regular season champion Pirates will be back in action Tuesday night against the winner between the fourth and fifth seeds in a game played Monday.

Lady Maroons have depth

Saturday, July 26, 2008

The Madisonville-North Hopkins girls’ soccer team may have lost five seniors from its 2007 team, which posted the school’s best season ever, but the Lady Maroons still have lofty aspirations for this year’s squad.

North finished last season 16-4-1 but returns with a deeper bench and two of the area’s most talented players in Heidi Clayton and Laura Rao.

“Last year where we had 11 and then we had two solid girls coming off the bench,” coach Steve Shepard said. “This year we have 11, and we do have more girls at that level (to sub-in).”

Clayton, a senior, said the much improved bench will prevent the team from fatiguing late in games.

“Last year we didn’t have a lot of subs, so we’ll be able to get some fresh legs in there,” she said. “(There are) a lot of new fresh players that will help us a lot.”

During the 2007 season Clayton and teammate Rao, a junior, finished the year as the team’s top two scorers on a team that placed fourth in scoring in the state.

Rao admits the players usually account for each other’s assists and said the duo’s friendship over the years allows them to work better together on the field.

“I know Heidi’s got my back,” she said. “ We’ve played together for a really long time. I know

where she’s going to be without even looking up so we have a lot of chemistry and that really helps during the game.”

Clayton, who collected 15 assists last year for 12th best in the state, said the pair just do what’s best for the team.

“It’s not a matter of who scores,” she said. “If she scores it’s great, if I score it’s great … a goal is a goal.”

As one of the area’s top soccer players, Clayton will typically draw multiple defenders, which gives her the opportunity to pass to open teammates.

“If the game doesn’t start with two people on her it won’t take long and they foul her constantly,” Shepard said. “That’s the only way they can stop her.”

Shepard went on to say that Clayton is a super athlete with the fastest first step of any soccer player he’s ever seen.

Besides Clayton and Rao, the Lady Maroons will also get a boost from first-year varsity player McKinsey Durham.

“We really expect (Durham) to make a difference in the middle of the field,” Shepard said. “Her speed is incredible. There’s no telling what she can do for us because she’s so versatile.”

As juniors, sisters Carli and Ellen Wittington will also be expected to be major contributors to the team’s success. Carli will step in as sweeper, anchoring the defense, while Ellen will play left or right wing and act as the corner kick server.

Fellow junior Lyndi Tedder will be making an adjustment this season, moving from a defending position to center midfield, but is anticipated to make a big impact, Shepard said.

While North appears to have strong players in many positions, the team’s determination will also be a big factor on its side.

Last year the Lady Maroons lost 5-0 to Ohio County during the first round of regionals, a team they defeated in the regular season, but this year the team returns ready to avenge the loss.

“You have to go as hard as you can all the time,” Rao said. “We can’t go into a game thinking we’re going to win. That was some problem last year.”

As one of the team’s captains, Rao understands the responsibilities of being a leader.

“You have to try your hardest,” she said. “During practice even, it’s almost as important as the game. You have to set the example, you have to lead by example for all the younger players, even the junior varsity players that look up to us.”

For Clayton, also a captain, the upcoming season is the last of her high-school career, and she wants to end it on a high note.

“I would love to win districts,” she said. “That’s big, we haven’t done it, but I feel like we’re so close … I think it’s looking really good this year.”

North will get its first test today in the Bluegrass State Games as the team prepares for the regular season.

“This weekend will be good,” Shepard said. “We’ll get a really good look at all the girls, in different positions. I’m excited. I’m ready for it to start. I like our chances.”

The Lady Maroons play at 9:30 a.m. today against Rowan County and Scott County at 5 p.m. North could could play Sunday also depending on their results.

North focusing on short game

Friday, July 25, 2008

If you ask Madisonville-North Hopkins girls’ golf coach Sam Westfall the key to a successful season this year, he will tell you two words, but he’ll be sure to repeat them.

“Short game,” Westfall asserted. “Short game, short game, short game, short game. That’s what we’re going to work on.”

North returns seven letter winners from last year’s group, including six-year letterwinner Lauren Mashburn, and the short game will be at the forefront of each golfer’s mind as they march toward regionals and possibly even state.

Mashburn and her cousin, senior Mikayla McKenzie, will be the team’s co-captains and will try, along with Westfall, to keep everyone in focus.

“I think we’ll be the team to beat,” McKenzie said. “If we do our very best and keep our heads straight, I think we’ll be the team to beat.”

Last season the Lady Maroons failed to qualify as a team for state, but Mashburn qualified individually by tying for the runner-up position at regional with a score of 83.

Although Mashburn has been away from practice, taking part in the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program, her presence as captain has been felt, nonetheless.

“She’s kind of Mother Hen,” Westfall said. “She hasn’t even been here, and she’s texting everybody. They better shape up Monday, because that’s when she comes back.”

Mashburn’s younger sister Ashley, a sophomore, is also on the team and feels Lauren and her cousin are more than capable of assuming the responsibilities as captains.

“They’re both really good examples to the other girls, and they encourage everybody to practice as much as they need to and can,” Ashley said.

Other returning members include junior Sydney Fredrick, sophomore Rose Ripa, freshman Tori Eddings and seventh-grader Miranda Robinson.

Despite her youth, Eddings will be looked to as a major contributor.

Eddings admitted there’s a certain amount of pressure on the younger players to pull through for the senior captains.

“Yeah because it’s their senior year and they have been on the team for so long,” she said. “I feel like we need to do really good, which I have no doubt that we will.”

Westfall also thinks Robinson, who shot a team-best 47 on the back nine at Lakeshore Country Club earlier in the week, will make a great impact despite being the team’s youngest golfer.

“She’s my secret weapon,” Westfall said. “She’ll be good for years to come. She can hit the ball a long ways.”

Joining the returning golfers will be freshmen Lyndsey Cullen and Megan Chumbley and eighth-grader Farris Milton.

With all members of the team all focused on the same goal, Westfall has no reason to doubt his girls will qualify for state.

“Anything less than that, I think, will be a disappointing season,” he said. “With the girls we got and the experience we got and the work they’ve put in and the work they’ll continue to put in, they’re going to be really crushed if they don’t go.”

Along with talent and determination, the team’s chemistry sets it apart, McKenzie said.

“We work as a team,” she said. “We don’t try to compete against each other score-wise. We’re like just do your best and beat yourself, beat the course, and I think that’s what’s going to make our year great is that we’re working together as a team.”

But in the end, Westfall pointed out as his golfers worked on their chipping and putting at the Lakeshore practice green, it all comes down to one of the game’s most fundamental elements, the short game.

“Hopefully this is going to be our strength right here,” he said. “This is what I preach. This is what wins it and loses it. This is all about golf right here.”

Central figures to rely on team concept

Thursday, July 24, 2008

If the Hopkins County Central boys’ golf team had a theme song for this season it might be “Lean on Me.”

The 2008 team returns just two golfers who saw significant time on the course last season, and instead will have to act as a cohesive unit to be successful.

“Last year, we had Mitch (Faulk), we had Richard (Moore), a couple other seniors that had been there awhile,” coach Daniel Kukahiko said. “They learned a lot from people when they were younger and they really took the role as leaders, helped out the younger guys, and this year it’s more of a collective effort.”

Along with their coach, this season senior Collin Farmer and junior Heath Williams will be charged as the upper classmen leaders who will bring together a youthful bunch at Central.

“I like it, it feels good,” Williams said. “I like the pressure, I like to see what I can shoot, go out there shoot as low as I can. I like it when they depend on me.”

Williams aims to shoot low and place high in the region in hopes to compete at state, he added.

Joining Williams and Farmer on the team will be senior Blake Nelson, junior Andrew Schniepp, sophomore Joey Watkins and freshman Landon Griffith.

Despite the loss of some key seniors, Nelson thinks this year’s team will be competitive.

“We did lose a lot,” he said. “There’s a lot to be gained though. We got some younger players, and we’re going to work our way up.”

Although the team does not return many regulars from last year’s group, Kukahiko said his golfers have come prepared to practice.

“I’ve seen definite improvement from last year,” he said. “I can tell they’ve been playing. We’re not starting from scratch.”

At the conclusion of the school year Kukahiko asked his players not to let their clubs sit abandoned.

“I ask the guys to play,” he said. “I know a lot of them have taken lessons at the country club from (golf professional) Jeff Howerton, and they usually help them out in a big way. I ask them just to play as much as possible.

“Most of them are members at one of the courses, whether it be Lakeshore, or the city park, or the country club in town. I just ask them to play as much as they can, hit on the range as much as they can, and there’s no substitute for hard work.”

Since official practice began, the Storm golfers have been working hard, preparing multiple times a week at Madisonville Golf and Country Club.

During practice Kukahiko relies on the more experienced golfers to provide tips to the younger group.

Williams has helped Watkins, Griffith, and first-year player Schniepp with hitting straighter drives off the tee, Watkins said.

Griffith believes that with the extra help from the upperclassmen, they may in turn bail each other out on bad days.

“We’re trying to keep the low scores so if somebody messes up on one round, we can help bring them back to the lower score,” he said.

The Storm golf team will finally come together as a whole next week when Farmer, who was unable to practice earlier, hooks up with the golfers.

“I think he’ll be a great aspect to the team,” Griffith said. “Last year he was shooting low 40s. We should have a really good two or three and other people should help bring in low scores, so we should be really competitive this season.”

The team’s youth might be an obstacle at first, but the goals will remain the same, Kukahiko said.

“I don’t think the goals should change,” he said. “I want to be competitive, and I want to let everybody know from last year that we’re still here. We’re still here and we’re still competitive, and we want to give as much competition as we can to the other teams.”

The team’s first test of the summer will come Monday during a junior varsity match at Daviess County. The following day the squad will travel to Owensboro for a scrimmage. On Aug. 4, the Storm begin the varsity season at the Christian County Invitational.

Sharks dive into tough competition

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

The Madisonville Golf and Country Club Sharks swim team dived into some tough competition Sunday at the South-Central Conference Championship but finished with satisfactory results.

The Sharks ended the meet tied with host club Greenville for third place out of the six participating teams.

“I would take that any day of the week because I know how difficult it is to do well in that conference,” Sharks coach Jason Clark said.

“This (conference) is very much more competitive than the country club conference,” Clark continued. “There are a lot of kids that swim year-round, swim in high school here in Kentucky, so we knew it was going to be tough coming in.”

Madisonville’s younger swimmers, however, were unfazed going up against some of the area’s strongest competitors.

“I was really pleased with our younger guys,” Clark said. “I can always count on my older kids to rack up points, but for this particular meet a lot of our younger guys actually got in there and got points. That allowed us to do as well as we did.”

For the first time all summer, the 8-U boys, 8-U girls and 10-U girls each competed in respective relays without encountering an illegal move or disqualification, Clark said.

“That may only be a few points, but in other meets we wouldn’t have those points, and we were able to get those points in time for third overall,” he said.

Another notable young swimmer that contributed was Hayden Reynolds. Reynolds won the 6-U boys’ freestyle during last week’s Country Club Championship in Mt. Vernon, Ind., and continued to perform well Sunday. Reynolds placed second in freestyle at Greenville and took third place in the backstroke.

“He was one point away from being the high-points winner in his age group,” Clark added.

While Reynolds performed among the best, Clark made sure to reserve some praise for another young talent, Nikko Quijano.

“I was impressed with (Quijano),” Clark said. “He was my lone 10-U boy who made it in the backstroke, and he got sixth place. But here’s the thing. That’s one point, and if he doesn’t get in, we don’t get tied for third, we get fourth place.”

For the older boys, John Hilkner continued to perform well in his second straight meet by winning a freestyle event and taking third place in the butterfly.

Although the Shark’s more youthful members surprised Clark with their performances, he was not so startled with the success of the club’s relay teams.

“Our open relays, both boys and girls, both smoked everybody, which is kind of what we were expecting and fortunately they did,” Clark said.

The relay events, which count for twice the points of an individual event, propelled the team into contention with the larger clubs. Most teams in the conference compete with 80-100 swimmers while Madisonville maintains 60-65.

Also at the meet were two clubs from Bowling Green and one from Hopkinsville that use facilities that are operated year-round.

“It’s very difficult because you’re going against kids and that’s their primary sport,” Clark said.

The Sharks also had to battle with a more difficult scoring compared to their other conference championship meet. Instead of advancing the top 12 swimmers to the final event, only six swimmers were given the chance to earn points in the championship round.

Taking the different scoring system and rigid competition into account, Clark lauded his club and its performance.

“Every swimmer, I felt, contributed in this meet more so than the last one,” he said. “Every swimmer dropped time in this last meet from their personal best... It makes me very proud of their efforts.”

K.I.T. falls to C.I.C.L. in All-Star matchup

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

HUNTINGBURG, Ind. — The Tradewater Pirates sent six players to the second annual K.I.T.-C.I.C.L. All-Star game Monday evening, but they posted mixed results in the 7-6 loss at League Stadium.

Tradewater pitcher George Hebert, with his league-best eight wins, started the game for the K.I.T. squad and turned in one of the more impressive pitching outings. Hebert made quick work of his competition and threw a seven-pitch first inning, striking out one batter.

“That’s just more of the same from Hebert,” K.I.T. All-Star and Tradewater coach Kurt Elbin said. “He just deals. He’s a little man that just does the job, and he throws strikes, that’s the biggest thing. I was pleased with his performance.”

Hebert’s only mistake came on a two-out single to right field, but he quickly recovered to retire the clean-up batter on the next pitch, a foul pop-up to the catcher.

Down 2-0, Pirate pitcher Don Pugliese took the mound in the third inning. Pugliese allowed two runs but escaped further damage in an inning that sported two defensive errors for K.I.T.

Pugliese, a typical starter, had to adjust to the reliever’s role in the all-star game.

“He’s a guy that really needs to throw a lot,” Elbin said. “He needs to get in the rhythm of the game and throwing just one inning is tough for him.”

Offensively, Nathan Wright sparked K.I.T. to its first runs in the top of the third inning. With one out, Wright walked, and the next batter, Union City Greyhound Justin Miller, belted a home run to deep left center field. The blast tied the game at 2-2. Wright finished the game 1-for-4 with a walk, and later in the third inning K.I.T. took a 3-2 lead on an error that allowed Trey Horn to score.

After a scoreless frame from each team in the fourth inning, both all-star squads struck again in the fifth.

K.I.T., the junior circuit, strung four consecutive singles together for three runs and a brief 6-4 advantage. The lead was brief because Phil Wunderlich of the DuPage Dragons hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth tie the game at 6-6.

Tradewater’s last pitcher on the roster, Justin Long, entered in the seventh inning. Although Long did not allow a hit, he surrendered one hit on two walks, a hit batter, and sacrifice fly giving the C.I.C.L. a 7-6 edge after six innings.

Long stepped up to lead off the top of the seventh and sliced a sharp single to center field. With one out, however, Long’s Pirate teammate Matt Kulbacki hit a grounder that forced him out at second base.

Kulbacki rebounded during the next half-inning though when he threw a bullet to second base to knab a would-be stolen bag.

After surrendering the lead, the K.I.T. stars struggled to muster any production on the offensive side, but threatened late.

With two outs and Kulbacki at first, Hunter Dawson singled to left field. Both runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch with Fulton Railroader Elliot Frey at the plate. Later in the at-bat, Dawson smashed the ball toward right field, but a diving second baseman tracked it down and threw to first for the final out, a 7-6 C.I.C.L. official victory.

Both teams agreed to play out the final half of the ninth inning and Tradewater took advantage by sending out its final player, Eric Faint, to the mound. Faint faced six batters and allowed two runs as C.I.C.L. led 9-6 after nine full innings.

Although some of Elbin’s pitchers struggled, he gave credit to both his players and the C.I.C.L. all-stars.

“That was a great hitting ball club,” Elbin said. “I thought for the most part we had some better arms, but they can hit. They’re a hitting league if you look at the stats.

“I was pleased with everybody. Everybody from the K.I.T. league represented the K.I.T. league well.”

Pirates' Long goes deep in All-Star Home Run Derby

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

HUNTINGBURG, Ind. — With a more favorable wind, Tradewater Pirates standout Justin Long might have come away victorious in the second annual K.I.T.-C.I.C.L. All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night, but instead he left a few on the warning track.

Long represented the Pirates in the derby and jacked one of the team’s four home runs, and he had a few of his outs fall just short of the left-field fence.

“I stopped and watched them,” Long said. “I thought I had a chance on them, but they just didn’t want to go out today. There was a little breeze blowing in, I’ll blame it on that.”

Paired with three other K.I.T. players, Long faced off against four selected batters from the C.I.C.L. Each batter received 10 outs in the first round, and those moving on got seven outs in the second round to determine the winner.

As the event’s first contestant, Long naturally felt a bit of anxiety.

“That’s tough going up and being the first guy,” Long said. “I would have liked that somebody else went first. But it’s OK, it’s all good fun.”

Long wasn’t the only one with reason to be nervous, though — delivering the pitches was Tradewater coach Kurt Elbin.

Elbin was charged with putting each pitch in Long’s wheelhouse.

“I just asked him where he wanted them and he told me high and tight, and that’s where I was putting them,” Elbin said. “I thought I gave him some pitches to hit. You could tell he was a little nervous, but he had a good time.”

Long began by hitting back-to-back line drives to left field and finally, with four outs, connected with one and sent a no-doubter over the fence. He appeared to make it a multiple-homer day, sending long fly balls through the evening air, but outs six and nine dropped harmlessly at the warning track.

After his at-bat, Long discussed his approach to his first career home-run derby.

“Just go out there and have fun,” Long said. “I told coach to leave it up high because I like the high pitches. He put it up there, but I missed a couple. I got a couple hits, got one out. It went well for me I guess.”

For Elbin, it was also his first derby, and he echoed Long’s enthusiasm about the event.

“It was a lot of fun, and that’s why we’re here,” Elbin said. “We’ve been having a lot of fun today, and that’s just part of the festivities.”

Once Long finished his turn, he watched as Michael Burgary hit two home runs and added a blast that went barely foul.

“This guy is going to take it from me I think,” Long said.

Long’s prediction proved to be true. Burgary and two other hitters tied with two home runs each after the first round. Burgary walked off with the trophy in the second round when he hit a home run after the first two contestants failed to do so.

Despite coming up short, Long said the experience was enjoyable.

“That was a blast, that was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was a little nervy out there, but high pitches got to me.”

Country Club 2nd at Indiana Meet

Sunday, July 20, 2008

The Madisonville Golf and Country Club Sharks swim team placed second in the first of two season championships earlier this week, but boasted many great individual showings.

Ten separate swimmers took home first-place honors in a well-balanced effort, but lost to Evansville Country Club at Mount Vernon, Ind. on Wednesday.

“We have a lot of new swimmers on the club this year so it was refreshing to see a lot of them being able to contribute to our success,” Sharks coach Jason Clark said.

Swimmer John Hilkner paced the club with three individual wins, including a new meet record, 27.10 seconds, in the boys 14-and-under 50 freestyle.

Hilkner, who participated in a swim camp at Auburn University this summer, continued to impress his coach with his progress.

“He’s really kind of come into his own,” Clark said. I think he realized that now this a sport in which he is really, really good.

“He’s really starting to realize that if he devotes his time and efforts to this that he could really be something special.”

This fall, Hilkner, a freshman, will begin his second year as a swimmer at Madisonville-North Hopkins High School under Clark.

“You’ll be seeing his name a lot this fall,” he said.

As Hilkner’s high school career just begins, Joseph and Stephen Porter’s came one step closer to ending after the meet.

The brothers, 2008 graduates from North, will both swim for Transylvania University in the fall.
“I’m just really happy for them,” Clark said. “I think now, at the end of it, before they enter their collegiate career, they realize they are good swimmers in their own right.”

Stephen took two individual top honors and the brothers combined with E.J. Quijano and Yunan Yang to set new meet records for the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay, a goal the group set earlier in the summer.

The girls’ side also made the meet a family affair. Sisters Carli and Ellen Wittington broke a meet record on the 200 medley relay by four seconds, but placed second.

Carli won the open 50 breaststroke and open 50 backstroke. Ellen broke another record in the open 50 fly, but came in second place. The sisters finished third and fourth in the open 50 freestyle, with Ellen edging Carli by less than two-tenths of a second.

“They’re just very driven girls,” Clark said. “I always know every time I put them in the water something special is going to happen and they don’t let me down.”

Kendall Atkins and Morgan P’Pool also stood out on the girls’ team as first-year swimmers, Clark said.

Individually, Atkins and P’Pool each made three appearances in final events. Atkins also reached the finals in five separate relays and P’Pool made two final relay teams.

The Sharks will be back in action today in the finals of the South-Central Conference Championships in Greenville.

Football prints being sold to help pay medical expenses

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Local residents may be able to display their athletic pride while also helping to off-set the medical expenses of a Madisonville-North Hopkins graduate.

That is just what Teresa Ball, MNHHS class of ’69 secretary, aims to do by selling prints produced in the 1960s depicting Maroon football gear and memorabilia.

Ball began the fundraising effort after Debbie Owen Ligon, one of her former classmates, recently had a surgical procedure that resulted in an enormous medical bill.

Ligon was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer in the orbit of her left eye in February 2006. The cancer finally caused her to undergo a 91⁄2 hour surgery that removed her left eye on June 5. The surgery, performed by M.D. Anderson’s in Houston, was out of her insurance’s network.

Following her most recent surgery, Ligon told Ball she expects to owe more than $100,000.

“I just can’t imagine having to come up with that kind of money,” Ball said. “We’re just trying to come up with whatever we can to raise money.”

As secretary for her class, Ball took it upon herself to e-mail her other classmates and ask for any donations and received a reply from former quarterback Robert “Buffer” Bayne Pride Jr.
Pride, along with his sister, inherited the collection of prints from his late father, Bayne Pride following his death last year.

“We’ve had these prints hanging around since he deceased,” Pride said. “Since he passed away, my sister and I have been waiting for the right occasion to do something with them. We just decided this would be a great opportunity to do that.”

Pride’s father graduated from Woodbury Art School (Calif.) after returning from WWII, and later as a member of the Maroons’ boosters club, produced the original print in the 1960s while Pride started as the school’s quarterback.

In 1968, Pride led the Maroons to a 9-2 record. For 15 years, Pride held the record for most touchdowns thrown in a game (four), until it was broken in 1983. Pride also believes he still holds the record for longest punt from the line of scrimmage at 76 yards.

With many years of tradition at North, Ball thinks there will be many interested in the prints.

“I know there are a lot of Maroon fans out there,” Ball said. “I went to the booster club meeting the other night. One guy approached me afterward and said he had been looking for that print for 15 years. He wanted to buy four of them.”

Many of the potential customers may not even know Ligon, but as a former member of the Maroon band and chorus, Pride remembers her well.

“She just had a very effervescent personality,” Pride said. “She was always charming and never met anybody but a friend-type person.”

To help Ligon with her bills, Pride donated the 857 remaining prints he had from the original 1,000 produced.

“We thought, with these prints, you know I would like to see all 800 (sell), all 857, if we could,” Ball said. “I don’t know that we can, but as many as we can.”

Each print is priced at $25 and Ball will be selling the prints from 10a.m. to 3p.m. today at the Parkway Plaza and in the evening at the Last Maroon Fan Standing fundraiser at Rizpah Temple. Those who wish to buy the prints can also purchase them at every North home football game or contact Ball at 821-0839.

Donations can also be made payable to MNHHS Class of 1969 at Hancock Bank, Attn: Darren Brown, P.O. Box 736 Madisonville, KY 42431.

Pirates shut down Oilers, 4-0

Friday, July 18, 2008
DAWSON SPRINGS — Starting pitcher Justin Long turned in a gem on the mound Thursday night to pace the Tradewater Pirates to a 4-0 win against the second-place Owensboro Oilers at Riverside Park.

Long threw a complete-game shutout and struck out 11 batters as he beared down to assert his dominance over the latter innings. The right-hander surrendered just three hits and retired 16 consecutive Oiler batters to end the game.

After the game, Long admitted his comfort level improves as the game progresses.

“I’ve always been a freak of nature like that,” he said. “I don’t get loosened up until the fifth or sixth inning. I always throw harder in the later innings than I do early on. I don’t know why that is. It’s unexplainable, but that’s how it is.”

In the first inning, however, it did not appear Long would have such a successful evening. After securing the first out of the game, Long allowed the next three batters on to load the bases on an error, single, and hit batter. Long recovered though to strike out Haskel Fink and get out of the jam on a ground out.

Tradewater’s offense did not take long to provide Long with run support, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning.

“It was just whether or not we hit for (Long) and we hit for him tonight when we had to and played solid defense,” Tradewater coach Kurt Elbin said. “It was just a complete performance.”

First baseman Richard Atwood started things off with a double to left field. A sacrifice bunt from Matt Kulbacki advanced Atwood to third base.

Logan Bawcom then reached after he was hit by a pitch, and Jason Cramer singled Atwood in for a 1-0 lead. The Pirates scored another run when an errant throw on a double-play attempt that allowed Bawcom to come home.

Both teams struggled to put much together during the middle innings, but it was Tradewater that pushed through to put a couple more runs on the scoreboard. Tradewater did not record a single hit between the second and seventh innings but scored single runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to give Long more breathing room on the mound.

Centerfielder Sean Mahley manufactured his own run in the seventh inning.

Mahley led off with a triple to right field and on the next pitch he scampered home on a wild pitch.

During the eighth inning, Cramer brought home the game’s final run when he doubled home Bawcom, who reached on a fielder’s choice. Cramer’s shot fell just feet short of the left field fence.
Although the Pirates struggled in the middle innings, Elbin said his team has been improving offensively as the season winds down.

“We’re just trying to hit on all cylinders at the right time and I think we’re starting to do that,” he said.

Long took the mound again in the ninth to finish his streak, retiring the side in order for the win.
Long, who struck out increasingly more batters as the night wore on said he has been trying to use more pitches in his repertoire.

“We’ve been working on a slider from a submarine angle,” Long said. “That was what was bringing them off their front foot, and also I was throwing a split-finger change that was keeping them out there, and it was all working for me tonight.”

With the win the Tradewater moves to 30-13 and increases its lead over Owensboro. The two teams will be back in action 7 p.m. today in the second of a three-game series.

During Wednesday’s second half of a day-night doubleheader, pitcher Sean Mahley got the win in a 3-1 game after he tossed a complete game to finish a series sweep of the Farmington Firebirds.

Mahley’s complete game came after game one starter Kevin Belk also threw a complete game. In the nightcap, Mahley struck out nine batters and limited Farmington to just five hits.

Offensively, Nate Wright led the way with a 2-for-3 day with one RBI. Wright drove in the game’s first run in the first inning on a one-out double that scored Kulbacki.

Two batters later, Cramer knocked in a run with a RBI single, and the Pirates took a 2-0 lead after their first at-bat.

Because the second game was a makeup, the Firebirds batted as the home team in the bottom half of the first and cut the deficit to 2-1.

Dallas Williams tripled to begin the inning for Farmington, and Juan Favela brought him home on a sacrifice fly, the only run Mahley allowed.

In the sixth inning, Payne Spence added an insurance run for the Pirates when he hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Long to score, making it a 3-1 game.

Belk hurls Pirates past Firebirds

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Pitcher Kevin Belk shined Wednesday evening at Riverside Park in his first career KIT League start to lead the Tradewater Pirates to an 8-4 win over the Farmington Firebirds in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.

Belk tossed a seven-inning complete game and allowed just five hits while striking out seven.

“He’s been out of the bullpen the whole year, and he threw two nights ago,” Tradewater coach Kurt Elbin said. “I didn’t really know what he was going to give me. We put him in a tough spot, but he performed very well.”

Down 2-1, Tradewater appeared to be mired in a pitcher’s duel until the sixth inning when the Pirates erupted for seven runs and sent 12 batters to the plate in the rally.

Elbin credited Farmington starting pitcher Wes Dagestad with a well-pitched game that confused Tradewater batters until the sixth.

“He threw a hell of a game,” Elbin said. “He kept us off-balance, and he was throwing a bit. We haven’t seen a lefty throw with the velocity he had tonight in a long time. I think it took our kids a little while to get used to.”

After struggling to put runs together in the first six frames, the Pirates employed a bit of small ball in the seven-run rally. Tradewater’s number three hitter, Nathan Wright, started the inning with a single to left field.

Clean-up hitter Richard Atwood laid down a perfect bunt resulting in a single. Catcher Matt Kulbacki followed with another bunt, a fielder’s choice, to load the bases with no outs.

“When Nate led off that inning with a single, I knew we had to bunt even though it was our four, five (batters) coming up,” Elbin said.

Payne Spence drove in the inning’s first runs when he tied the game at 2-2 on an RBI single to left. Tanner Hall stepped up next and gave the Pirates a 3-2 advantage on a sacrifice fly to deep center.

Later in the same inning, Atwood came back around to bat and capped the scoring with a two-run single to center for an 8-2 lead.

While his teammates wracked up the runs, a relieved Belk watched from the bench.

“It felt great because I knew eventually they were going to put some hits together, they always do,” Belk said. “I knew even though we only had one run going into that inning we were going to get some so I wasn’t worried.”

Belk surrendered two more runs in the top of the seventh, but eventually settled down to earn the win.

After the game Elbin said it was his team’s ability to play successful small ball that allowed the Pirates to eventually come out on top.

“I thought it was just one of those games that come down to who did the small things right and we ended up capitalizing there in the sixth, and that proved to be the difference,” he said.

Until the seventh, Belk had allowed just two other runs, both in the fourth inning.

“I think most of the game I was keeping the ball down and a few pitches, off-speed pitches mostly, I left up and got hurt,” Belk admitted afterward.

Belk’s coach was pleased with the results, however, as Tradewater avoided digging into its bullpen.

“He threw strikes and did a great job,” Elbin said. “I couldn’t be more happy with his performance.”

With the win, Tradewater extends its winning streak to four games and moves to 28-13 overall.

Pirate pitcher Sean Mahley started the second game of the double-dip, and Tradewater led 2-1 after two innings at the time of print.

Tradewater will play host to the Owensboro Oilers in the first of a three-game series at 7p.m. today.

Rodgers to walk-on at Murray

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

As a cross-country runner Ashly Rodgers knows what it’s like to push through pain, even running with a torn meniscus or dislocated hip, but her next obstacle will be competing at the Divison-I level.

Instead of choosing a smaller school where Rodgers could have stood out more as an athlete, the 2008 Hopkins County Central graduate chose to walk-on with Murray State.

“I like the Division-I,” Rodgers said. “I’m very competitive, and it will just help me work harder and make me better. I love to compete, that’s the biggest part of running that I like.”

Rodgers will be the first female runner from Central to compete at the D-I level in at least 12 years, Lady Storm coach Kent Akin said.

“I’ve known her basically since she was born, and she’s overcome a lot in her career to get to this point,” Akin said. “It’s been amazing to watch her mature.”

After her senior season, Rodgers asked Akin to help her contact the coaches at Murray State. The duo’s close relationship made it easy for Rodgers to request her coach for guidance during the process.

“He’s been there through injuries and knee surgery,” Rodgers said. “I probably spent as much time with him through cross country season, or more, than I did with my own family.”

Once on the Murray State campus, Rodgers interviewed with the Murray State coaches and knew she had found the right program.

“It just clicked,” she said. “The conversation went really smooth. I wasn’t nervous at all going in and sitting down. It reminded me a lot of coach Akin in high school and with my success, how big of a part he was with it. I just saw them taking a lead role in my success and helping me out with that.”

Getting to the point of competing at the D-I level came after a high-school career filled with major injuries though — injuries Rodgers worked through to qualify for state four times.

During her sophomore year, Rodgers ran on a partially torn meniscus. Rodgers admitted she had a lot of pain, but did not know the injury was so severe. She later tore the tissue completely while playing basketball after the cross country season ended.

The following year, injuries continued to find Rodgers when she dislocated her hip multiple times.

“I dislocated my hip three times my junior year in two weeks,” she said. “I dislocated it once at Paducah Tilghman Invitational, but it was funny because I finished running that race and placed top 15 and still got a t-shirt, so we laughed about that. The pain tolerance really kicks in.”

Aware her hip was still out of place, Rodgers opted to run in the All-County meet as well.

“I guess I was sort of afraid if I went to a doctor and he said, ‘Hey your hip is dislocated,’ if they write the waiver that you can’t run, then you can’t,” she said. “I wanted to compete in county so I did it and we won, so it was worth it. I just got it put in at the chiropractor the next week.”

Other runners may have called it quits for the season with such injuries, but Rodgers persevered and showed her gratefulness before each race.

“The last thing I do, there are pictures my mom snaps of me at the line, is I always bow my head and pray,” she said. “I just thank God I’m able to take off and actually be able to run.”

Now, with her high school career behind her and the start of the collegiate season approaching, Rodgers has been preparing all summer with various workouts.

“It’s three times as much work, it’s crazy amounts,” she said. “College, it’s on your own, but they send you something, you’re expected to do it.”

Rodgers wouldn’t have it any other way though.

“It’s what I love to do,” she added. “I’m a runner. It defines me. I couldn’t really imagine not running. “

As a walk-on, Rodgers will compete in three meets before the team’s top seven runners are established.

Although Rodgers has already accomplished so much in her running career, she has one more goal in mind for this season.

“Just being a walk-on and maybe beating out some of the girls that are getting scholarships,” she said. “Just to show I can do it, I am capable of running on that level.”

With a positive attitude and powerful drive, there is little room to doubt Rodgers will achieve her goal.

“She’s a tremendous leader and a tremendous person,” Akin said. “She has a very bright future in whatever she does.”

Tradewater beats Farmington: Pitcher Moore solid in Pirates' 8-4 victory

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Starting pitcher Jon Moore and the Tradewater Pirates’ offense took full advantage of an opportunity to play host to the last-place Farmington Firebirds and remain atop the K.I.T. League, but the win did not come without a late-inning scare.

Moore pitched six-plus innings, allowing four runs on four hits and striking out six batters, but all four runs came in the seventh inning before the Pirates escaped for an 8-4 win Monday night.

“Jon’s always going to give us a good performance any time he goes out there,” Tradewater coach Kurt Elbin said. “He always keeps us in the game.”

Tradewater posted an 8-0 shutout until the seventh inning before running into trouble as Farmington’s first four batters reached base. The Firebirds erased Moore’s shutout with a two-run double and chased him from the mound one batter later.

Pitcher Tanner Hall inherited Moore’s base runners but surrendered two more runs before escaping the jam. With the bases loaded, a very close 6-4-3 double play proved to be the difference for Tradewater, recording its first outs of the inning. Farmington manager C.J. Belt came out to argue the call, but to no avail and was ejected from the game after a heated exchange with the field umpire.

“That was huge,” Elbin said. “The double play is a pitcher’s friend and that really helped us get out of the inning.”

Farmington threatened again in the eighth inning when Hall walked two of the first three Firebirds. Reliever Kevin Belk entered to quell the rally. Belk recorded the first batter he faced but loaded the bases with a walk before bearing down for a strikeout to end the inning.

The Pirates sent Belk out to the mound in the ninth inning. Belk settled down and faced just four batters before securing the Pirate victory.

With six more games this week and in the middle of an eight-game homestand, Tradewater was fortunate to get good outings from its pitchers on Monday, Elbin said.

Early on, Tradewater wasted no time getting its offense on track, scoring in each of the first three frames. During the second inning the Pirates wrapped out three extra-base hits, including back-to-back RBI doubles off the bats of Mike Finigan and Sean Mahley to jump ahead 3-0.

The Pirates’ timely hits continued in the third inning when Tradewater took command of the game. Catcher Kevin Schlegel started the third with a single up the middle. Schlegel’s teammates followed with three more consecutive hits. The blast of the inning came when Richard Atwood plated two runs on a sharply hit triple to left field. Tradewater batted around during the rally, and Mahley finished the outburst with a RBI single, his third hit in three innings. The Pirates led 7-0 after three innings.

On the mound, Moore cruised until the fifth inning. Right fielder Kurt Driemeyer began the inning with a line drive triple to right field past the glove of Tanner Hall. Farmington’s next batter, Juan Favela, grounded a ball right back to Moore, who collected the shot and looked to Driemeyer caught hanging from third base. Moore quickly ran at Driemeyer and after a few throws between third base and home plate the runner was tagged out in a run down. Favela, however, advanced all the way to second base during the pickle.

Later in the fifth, Moore found himself in another jam when he loaded the bases with consecutive two-out walks. With a full-count and all runners moving, Moore escaped the threat when he struck out Dallas Williams to end the inning.

In the seventh inning Tradewater tacked on another run when Mahley smacked another RBI single to lead 8-0. Mahley finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs.

Elbin smiled after the game when asked about Mahley’s solid performance.

“He actually struggled at the plate yesterday, so it’s good to see him come out of that,” he said.

On Sunday, third baseman Logan Bawcom launched two home runs and amassed six RBIs in an offensive onslaught as Tradewater defeated the Owensboro Oilers 15-7.

Bawcom hit home runs in the first and ninth innings, and added a RBI single in between homers to pace the team at the plate.

Tradewater scored in each of its first three at-bats to take a commanding 9-2 lead.

Starting pitching Don Pugliese took advantage of the bountiful run support to earn the win. Pugliese pitching five innings and allowed two runs while striking out 10 Oiler batters.

Jonathan Bell and Belk did not fair as well in relief. The pitchers combined to throw two innings, but surrendered four walks and five runs to allow Owensboro within three.

Pitchers Brandon Williamson and Eric Faint finished out the game to preserve the win, while the Pirate offense exploded in the ninth inning for five more runs, led by Bawcom’s two-run blast.

Atwood, Schlegel and Matt Kulbacki each finished the game with two hits. Jason Cramer and Andy Gerhartz also collected hits to round out the Pirates’ attack.

Tradewater will be back in action 7 p.m. today and look to make it two in a row against Farmington at Riverside Park.

Cleveland received talented players for Sabathia

Saturday, July 12, 2008

On paper, it may not look like the Cleveland Indians got much in return, but understand it from my perspective as someone who worked in the Milwaukee farm system last season.

I spent last summer with the Helena (Mont.) Brewers, a rookie-level team in the Pioneer League. I got to see two of the four Brewer minor leaguers involved in the deal in Matt LaPorta and Robert Bryson, and they will bring a load of talent to the Cleveland minor league crop.

LaPorta is, obviously, the centerpiece of the deal for the Indians, being the seventh overall pick in the 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Although LaPorta played just seven games in Helena before advancing to A-ball with the West Virginia Power, I saw him homer in his first professional at-bat. LaPorta stepped to the plate and watched as the first pitch he saw went straight down the pipe for a called strike, obviously timing the pitcher, who happened to be LaPorta’s former teammate at the University of Florida. The next pitch, LaPorta took his first professional cut and sent the ball flying over the left field wall and into the alley, a no-doubt home run.

This kid is the real deal, and if you don’t believe my first-hand account, take a look at the stats.

A week later, he was in Charleston (W.Va.) where he hit .318 and finished his first pro season with 12 home runs. This season, in 84 games prior to the trade, LaPorta hit 20 home runs and had 66 RBIs at Double-A Huntsville (Ala.). Now with Cleveland’s Akron Aeros, he has five hits in 11 at-bats.

In roughly 425 professional at-bats, LaPorta has tallied 32 home runs, a homer nearly every 13 times to the plate.

Before the year began, he was even invited to Milwaukee’s pro spring training camp, and just a few weeks ago, LaPorta was recognized for his efforts by being tabbed to play in the 2008 All-Star Futures Game as part of the U.S. team.

Another key part of the deal was Bryson, who pitched the entire season at Helena last summer and made quite a reputation for himself as a control pitcher.

Bryson, selected in the 31st round of the 2006 draft, showed the stuff of a first-rounder in Helena. Mostly used as a reliever, Bryson struck out 70 batters and walked just 12 in 54 innings of work. He also compiled a 3-0 record with a 2.67 earned run average and finished tied for third in the league with eight saves.

In 2008, he continued to show poise and command on the mound by striking out 73 batters and walking just 20.

In addition to LaPorta and Bryson, the Indians also got left-handed pitcher Zach Jackson. Jackson, the 32nd overall pick in the 2004 draft by Toronto, and one-time University of Louisville product (2002-03), went 11-10 last season for Triple-A Nashville. While Jackson spent 2007 and 2008 in Triple-A, he proved effective in his lone stint in the majors. In 2006, Jackson went 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA in eight games for Milwaukee before being sent down.

To recap, Cleveland got three promising minor league players and one to be named later for sending their top pitcher to Milwaukee for a half-season.

Everyone knows Sabathia will test the free-agent market at season’s end. With Sabathia’s departure, the Indians would have received a couple of supplemental draft picks at the end of the first round in the 2009 draft. The picks would be high, but unproven at the professional level.

By trading C.C. now, the Indians got LaPorta, who dominated minor league pitching thus far, and has a bright future. Not to offend any local Indians’ followers, but the Cleveland outfield boasts nothing more than Grady Sizemore. LaPorta could be up with the big club as a corner outfielder for Cleveland within a year or two, years ahead of someone picked in the 2009 draft, proving more valuable for the Indians.

The Indians also got Bryson, who has shown wonderful control, one of a pitcher’s deadliest weapons, and Jackson, who could be in the Cleveland rotation or bullpen by year’s end as the team continues to juggle its pitchers.

So what did Cleveland lose? Eight more wins and the face of its franchise that would have been gone in the off-season anyway?

While Milwaukee gained a huge piece to push for its first playoff berth since 1982, the Brewers will lose Sabathia in the off-season, and Cleveland will benefit the most in the long run.

Nick Brockman is a sports reporter for The Messenger. If you are a local Brewers fan too e-mail him at nbrockman@the-messenger and let him know what you think of the trade.

Lake Beshear has growing reputation

Friday, July 11, 2008

Many local fishing enthusiasts may pass Lake Beshear on a weekend trip to Lake Barkley or Kentucky Lake, but members of the Dawson Springs Bass Club have been taking full advantage of the smaller lake’s growing reputation.

The bass club meets at Redden’s Dock at Lake Beshear at 6 p.m. each Thursday for a weekly tournament and also to attempt to hook a new largemouth bass state record.

Troy Johnson, who joined the FLW Outdoors Pro/Am series this year, became hooked on the local lake in September 2007 and has been fishing with the club during the spring.

“We’ve got some great fisheries here with Lake Beshear,” Johnson said. “It’s one of the best lakes in this part of the country as far as producing large fish.”

Last September, after months of preparing for the FLW, Johnson spent one evening fishing Lake Beshear for four hours — he reeled in 45 pounds of largemouth bass. At the dock, Johnson weighed his five biggest fish from the livewell, and they totaled 23 pounds, one ounce with the largest at seven pounds, two ounces.

“I know this lake is capable of producing the next state record largemouth bass, which really gets me excited about fishing this lake,” he said.

Johnson, in just his third professional event, placed 30th of 146 boats on May 10 at Barkley Lake. Traveling for FLW events does not allow Johnson as many opportunities as he would like to join the weekly tournaments at Lake Beshear, but he encourages anyone interested in fishing to show up on Thursday nights.

“It doesn’t matter how you go about it or what kind of equipment you got,” Johnson said. “If you got an old boat, a new boat, a $50,000 bass boat, it’s something that anybody who wants to fish can do.”

The Thursday night tournaments have drawn a mixture of amateurs and pros including Johnson and 2008 Madisonville-North Hopkins graduate Brandi Frasier.

Frasier has participated in three stops on the Women’s Bassmaster Tour this summer, but has also taken part in the Thursday evening gatherings at Lake Beshear.

“It’s usually between eight and 10 boats,” Frasier said. “It’s usually around the same people. Everyone gets to know each other, it’s real neat.”

The intensity and money at stake is not as extreme as the pro events, which also makes the weekly tournaments more appealing for Frasier.

“It’s just a fun thing, (I’m) not really worried about if I catch anything or not,” she said. “I guess it’s still like practice, I try to hit up certain points and see what (fish) are biting on.”

For a two-person boat the fee is $10 for big bass and $2 for little bass with a $3 ramp fee.

The low entry fees allow the fishermen to employ an assortment of techniques on the lake.

Most of Johnson’s big bass have come from reaction strikes on big crankbait, but many different techniques are used, he said.

Diamond crankbait, spinner bait and shaky with a worm are three of the varieties Frasier has used while fishing Lake Beshear.

“I usually just try to throw a worm up into a tree or something sticking out of the water like a log,” Frasier said.

Even though Frasier has attended the weekly event just three times and won smallest bass once already, it’s a complicated lake to fish, she said.

“I can catch a couple fish here and there, but I still haven’t figured out how to catch them consistently out there,” Frasier noted. “You’ll find them in one spot and then go back the next day, they won’t be there.”

With so many activities to choose from during the summer, fishing at Lake Beshear can be easily overlooked, but it’s an opportunity that should not be ignored, Johnson said.

“It doesn’t get a lot of recognition in this area, but it really is a great sport if people give it a shot,” he said. “We’ve got some great lakes around town. You have to start somewhere.”

nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Lady Storm will start season in rebuilding mode

Thursday, July 10, 2008

With the loss of last season’s top scorer, Kari Jo Harris, the Hopkins County Central girls’ basketball team has been working on more team-concept offensive systems during the summer break.

“It’s kind of going to be a rebuilding year for my team,” coach Jennifer McCalister said. “We’re going to have big shoes to fill.”

Along with Harris, the Lady Storm will miss Caitlin Metcalfe and Sara Murphy, who also graduated in 2008.

McCalister, in her second year as head coach, said the team’s game plan to success will be much different this year.

“It’s going to take all five people on the floor for 32 minutes in order for us to win basketball games next year,” she said. “Several of the offenses will be for different people instead of just one or two. It’s going to be who can score best during this situation.”

Senior Amber Coakley agreed putting points on the board will be a well-balanced effort.

“I think the scoring will just have to become more rounded throughout the team and not just one person,” she said. “We’ll all have to score, we’ll all have to increase our points per game as individuals.”

To make a smoother transition for the high school season, the Lady Storm have been instituting new plays and improving skills at summer camps.

During June, the team held a camp in conjunction with Madisonville-North Hopkins and also traveled to Lee University (Tenn.), where Harris will play next season.

While at Lee, the girls played four varsity games and two junior varsity contests a day against teams from Tennessee and Georgia.

The experience at camp allowed point guard Hannah Murphy to gain the attention of McCalister.

“She did really well at camp running the point, so that’s something that we will definitely have to have next year, somebody who can take care of the basketball and I think, every day, Hannah Murphy is maturing,” she said.

Coakley’s play inside has impressed the coach as well.

“She works as hard as any kid that I’ve ever coached,” McCalister said. “She knows she has to step up next year and be a scoring threat since Kari Jo has graduated.”

Summer camps can do more than just improve a team’s skill level though. Often times the extra time together can make the team closer and work more efficiently.

“We haven’t really played much together,” Coakley said. “Being at camps gives us time to be comfortable and get used to one another and learn how everyone plays.”

Although Central lost three seniors from last year’s squad, McCalister is not too worried about this year’s team leadership.

“A lot of the kids understand they are going to step up, but they want to step up.”

nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Soccer player makes comeback

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

For the Kentucky Wesleyan College men’s soccer team, former Madisonville-North Hopkins soccer star Ben Clayton’s healthy ankle may be the cure to an ailing program.

Clayton suffered two separate season-ending injuries in 2006 and 2007, but he has rehabilitated through it all and plans to make a long-awaited comeback this fall for the Panthers.

“It’s great being able to play again and get out there and try to come back from two injuries,” Clayton said. “I’m looking forward to the fall, and hopefully things go well.”

Although Clayton has been cleared to play by doctors since April, he has overcome a lot to reach that point. Clayton started just two games during his freshman season before injuring his ankle and receiving a medical redshirt.

While at practice, one of Clayton’s teammates caught the former Maroon from behind, and the collision sent his leg crashing straight to the ground.

“I didn’t think it was broken,” Clayton said. “I just thought it was a bad sprain. We went to the emergency room and a couple hours later they told me it’s broken.”

The result was a spiral fracture that sidelined Clayton through the end of the year.

After Clayton’s ankle healed, he went through rehab and began to prepare for a comeback in 2007. This time, Clayton didn’t even start a game before he was once again shut down for the season.

During a preseason practice, Clayton felt pain in the leg that gave him trouble the previous year.

“It was actually the same foot, my ankle,” he said. “They call it bone bruising though, it was inflammation of the cartilage.”

Clayton’s comeback was put on hold for another season.

For Clayton’s former high school coach, John Tichenor, there was never any doubt Clayton would continue his plans to return to collegiate soccer.

“There’s a lot of kids that could have had that kind of injury and they would have just probably thrown in the towel,” Tichenor said, “but that’s not the type of kid he is. He didn’t bow out or anything like that. He just did his rehabilitation.”

Clayton, who helps Tichenor teach soccer youth camps during the summer, knew his former coach could help him through the situation.

“He’s always been there to help me get through anything I’ve ever needed to get through,” Clayton said. “He’s a great role model, and I’ve always looked to him for advice on many things other than soccer.”

Now healthy, things haven’t looked this bright for Clayton or the Panthers in a long time.

Kentucky Wesleyan’s soccer team has not won multiple league games or placed above last in the Great Lakes Valley Conference since 2000, but Clayton thinks the program has been making the right steps for a successful future.

“A lot of good things have been happening in our organization,” Clayton said. “We got a new coach, we recruited a lot of players that are supposed to have high hopes. A lot of things are going on at Wesleyan, so hopefully in the next couple years we’ll be doing a lot better as a squad.”

Although Wesleyan has struggled recently, Tichenor said he thinks Clayton can be the team’s spark to winning ways.

“He’ll bring a lot to their attack offensively,” Tichenor said. “He’s a player that is capable of scoring goals and he’s also capable of creating situations for other players to score goals. He’s a wonderful playmaker. He’s just going to bring some more offensive stability to that Wesleyan attack.”

Clayton, who will be exercising his second year of eligibility, has much more modest goals for himself this season.

“I’m pretty excited and a little hesitant,” he said. “My main goal is to play a complete season without any injury. My main goal right now is to stay healthy.”

Clayton will make his return when the Panthers visit Southern Indiana at 6 p.m. on Sept. 1 in Evansville.

nbrockman@the-messenger.com

First Column

This column ran yesterday (Sunday) and it was my first for the paper. Basically it's just my thoughts on my first week at work meeting new people.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Today marks the end of my first week as sports reporter for The Messenger, and despite a “dead period” for high school sports, I’ve encountered some intriguing leads for stories, nonetheless.

In my first week I got to speak with Travis Ford, now head men’s basketball coach at Oklahoma State, meet twin brothers who will attempt to play two sports in college, and take in the area’s most notable baseball game of the summer at Riverside Park. Overall, I would say it was a pretty entertaining and enjoyable first week of work.

And while the stories have been fun to chase and uncover, the people I’ve met this week have been even greater and not just those in the newsroom showing me the ropes.

On my first day I received a phone call from John Nicely, Hopkins County’s beloved superfan, welcoming me to the area and wishing me best of luck. At that point I didn’t even know my own office phone number, but John did and called me several times this week to let me know he has been reading my work.

When my fellow sports reporter Forrest Rutherford and I showed up at Madisonville Golf and Country Club for a story I met another friendly individual. Forrest and I showed up to cover a swim meet, but when we arrived we were informed the clubs had some miscommunication and the meet would not take place. We had to scramble to find a story and he introduced me to Keith Cartwright, who submits bi-weekly columns to the paper.

Keith told us about Joseph and Stephen Porter, who were going to join their brother Daniel at Transylvania to swim, and daily readers now know that story ran earlier this week thanks to Keith informing us.

On Thursday night I found myself in Dawson Springs taking in our national pastime on the eve of the nation’s birthday for the annual Fourth of July game, complete with fireworks.

While there I met Rick Hendrickson, who acts at the team’s public address announcer and broadcaster. While maintaining his usual duties he also helped me with the lineups and other useful information about the players I needed for my story. Before the game Rick also helped me assess my dinner choices at the Hardball Cafe.

Also before the game I got to visit with John Nicely, who the day before promised me he would be at the game to say hello.

There were plenty of other people who approached me and welcomed me to the area while I was at the park. In fact so many people introduced themselves that I’ve forgotten some names, but I’m sure I will see them again as I continue to immerse myself in the Hopkins County sports community.

If the following weeks are as fun as the “dead period” then I cannot wait for all the stories I will pursue and people I will meet in the coming weeks and months.

Nick Brockman is a sports reporter for The Messenger and thanks everyone for making him feel welcome. If you would like to contact him his e-mail is nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Travis Ford article

I got to talk to the new Oklahoma State men's basketball coach because he is from Madisonville.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

As Travis Ford settles into his new job as Oklahoma State men’s basketball coach, he can’t help but look around and be reminded of home.

“It’s interesting: When people ask me about Stillwater, that’s the first comparison I make, that it’s very similar to the town I grew up in,” Ford said.

Oklahoma State athletics director Mike Holder introduced Ford as coach April 17 and since then Ford has been spending his time adjusting to the new environment and infusing his philosophy into the players he will be assuming control over.

“The first thing we do (as a program) is try to work extremely hard,” Ford said. “We do try to outwork people, there’s no question. It’s not an easy thing to do sometimes, but we have to develop a mind-set within our players that no one is going to work harder than we are.”

Ford has developed his own coaching principles from the many successful coaches he has played for and coached with during his career.

“I have been extremely fortunate and extremely lucky to have been surrounded by an incredible group of people who I’ve been able to learn from and try to take a little bit from everybody,” he said.

Growing up and playing basketball in Hopkins County, however, proved to be the foundation for Ford’s vision.

“My father taught me the game of basketball and I learned a lot from him, taken a lot from him,” he said. “Obviously, coach (Don) Parson, who I learned so much from at Madisonville-North — one of the most successful coaches I’ve ever played for — I use a lot of things that I learned from him.”

Ford’s understanding for the game continued to improve as he developed into a solid basketball player at the University of Missouri under Norm Stewart and more notably at the University of Kentucky with coach Rick Pitino.

While at UK Ford studied the systems Pitino used to lead the Wildcats to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances during Ford’s time with the team.

Since his playing days have ended, Ford has led turnarounds at three separate programs beginning with Campbellsville University. In 1999, he led the school to a 28-3 record and earned the honor of Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year.

The next year Ford accepted the head coaching position at Eastern Kentucky University. In his final season at EKU, Ford led the Colonels to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament where he lost a tight game to his alma mater in the first round.

In 2005 Ford took over at the University of Massachusetts and led the Minutemen to two NIT appearances. He finished with 62 wins in three seasons at UMass.

Now at Oklahoma State, Ford said he hopes to take the Cowboys to the next level.

“When you’re coaching in one of the BCS leagues, you always have that dream of winning a national championship,” Ford said. “I think we have the means to do that, the facility, the support, everything you need to recruit the best student athletes.”

Despite the continued success and opportunities at larger conferences he doesn’t have much time to reflect upon his accomplishments.

“No, I don’t really have time to do that,” Ford said. “It’s unbelievable how busy this profession is and I’ve probably taken it to an extreme because I’m a bit of a workaholic and I enjoy what I’m doing.”

With Ford’s hardworking principles running the show there is little reason to doubt the Cowboys will have a bright future.

While Ford may be swamped with recruiting and preparing for his first season at the helm at Oklahoma State, he still maintains close ties with friends in his hometown.

“There’s no question, I still have a lot of friends back in Madisonville, a lot of people I stay in touch with every day and it’s definitely home,” he said. “Madisonville is definitely home for me and I love getting back when I can.”

Tradewater Pirates article

Here's an article I wrote last Thursday night for a 9:30 p.m. deadline.

Tradewater pitcher George Hebert turned in a strong starting performance, and the Pirates appeared poised to win their seventh game in a row, holding a 7-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning as of press time. Hebert struck out 11 batters and did not allow a run between the first and eighth innings. The Pirate batters provided Hebert with plenty of run support. Tradewater attacked for three runs in the bottom of the second inning and never surrendered the lead. Tradewater took the lead by playing a bit of small ball in the second inning. Logan Bawcom and Bo Bell began the rally by reaching on consecutive fielding errors. Jason Cramer followed with a bunt single to load the bases, and a Justin Long groundout tied the game. Shortstop Mike Finigan had the hit of the inning when he ripped a two-run single to right field for a 3-1 advantage. After allowing a run in the first inning, Hebert settled down in the second inning, striking out the side. While Hebert continued to mow down the opposition on the mound, Tradewater scored two runs in the fifth and sixth innings. During the fifth inning, Andy Gerhartz led off with an infield single and Matt Kulbacki drove him home all the way from first on a RBI double. Richard Atwood added another run to take a 5-1 lead on a RBI single up the middle. The Pirates benefitted from some shaky pitching in the sixth inning to score two more runs. Tradewater sent eight batters to the plate and scored twice on RBI walks with bases loaded. The Oilers chased Hebert in the eighth inning on a RBI triple to cut the lead to 7-2. With a win, the Pirates’ lead in the KIT League would move to 11⁄2 games ahead of Fulton after the Railroaders loss to Union City on Thursday.

2nd article

Swim meets at Transylvania Universtiy this coming fall could also be mistaken for a Porter family reunion.

Twin brothers Joseph and Stephen Porter, 2008 graduates of Madisonville-North Hopkins high school, will join their older brother Daniel on the swim team at Transylvania.

“I've been swimming with my older brother ever since I can remember,” Stephen said.

Although Joseph and Stephen admit they have swam most of their lives, swimming competitively is still a fairly new idea. 

“I never really thought anything about swimming in college,” Stephen said. “Never was that serious about it until last year (when) we did really well in high school season.”

The Porter twins, however, will attempt to take on two sports at Transylvania, making the transition to collegiate sports even more difficult. They will also play tennis for the Pioneers.

The brothers used to play tennis on vacations, but began to take the sport more seriously in high school, Joseph said.

“We had a condominium in Florida and we played there all the time when we were younger,” he noted.

During the summer, Joseph and Stephen have been keeping in tune by playing against each other and also with the Madisonville Tennis Association on Tuesday and Thursday nights, they said.

Playing at Transylvania will not only keep the brothers together but give them an opportunity to compete at the next level.

“That’s why I want to play in college, just to see if I could get better,” Stephen said. “Just playing for three years, I haven't had much training or experience with it so I would just like to see how much further I can do.”

Balancing two sports with college courses will be difficult, but Translyvania’s head swimming and tennis coaches have been welcome to the boys’ wishes to play both sports, especially since the coaches are good friends, the brothers said.

Both Joseph and Stephen understand, however, the demanding schedules they will endure.

“Swimming lasts almost the entire school year, September to the middle of February, I think, so it’s going to be hard,” Joseph said. “There’s not going to be any break at all. There might be three or four weeks.”

For Stephen, he has already made up his mind if he is forced to choose between his pursuits.

“I’m not totally set on tennis yet,” he said. “I want to swim first and see if I can balance and manage that, and if that goes alright I’m going to try and play tennis, too.”

Whether the twins pursue tennis together after the swim season is yet to be seen, but each look forward to taking on their older brother during the coming season.

“We’ve always pretty much been in competition with him,” Joseph said. “When we were younger and he was bigger than us he would always beat us, but now that we’re getting the same size it’s a lot more competitive than it used to be.”

First story

Here is my first story for my new paper.

By Nick Brockman

Messenger Sports Reporter

nbrockman@the-messenger.com

For those high school basketball players looking at reaching the next level, the summer, not the high-school season can be the best time to work on developing skills.

Three Hopkins County athletes have been working on becoming stronger basketball players this summer on respective Amatuer Athletic Union teams.

Madisonville-North Hopkins star hoopster Jon Hood will compete with the  U-17 Nashville Celtics in a three-day tournament in Cincinnati beginning Sunday. After Hood and the Celtics depart Cincinnati the team will visit Memphis and then Las Vegas.

The tournaments, which are NCAA-sanctioned events, provide players with a stage to improve upon skills against the nation’s top prep prospects while also performing in front of college coaches.

Hood, the 6-6 senior guard who verbally committed to the University of Kentucky earlier this year, said the high level of competition will help him improve his game as he prepares for not just the Maroons’ high-school season, but Southeastern Conference play in future years.

“I just want to get every bit stronger and better,” Hood said. “I really want to work on my strength and defense, my lateral quickness by staying in front of somebody.”

The opportunity to play every night of the week was another advantage to joining the team, Hood said.

Two other Hopkins County basketball players have also benefitted from playing this summer as part of AAU teams.

Hopkins County Central Storm teammates Dan Croft and Chuck Jones are playing for different squads this summer.

Croft, a junior, shot 55 percent from the field during his sophomore season and picked up with the Kentucky Hoopstars U-16 team for the summer. Eddie Ford leads the Hoopstars as coach and draws players from the Louisville and western Kentucky area.

Playing for Ford, whose name is well-known in the basketball community, makes the experience even more worthwile, Croft said.

“It’s good because whenver people ask you who you play for and you say Eddie Ford, they know you’re on a good team,” he said.

While Croft remains under the direction of Ford, his teammate Jones, a 6-9 senior, has split playing time with the Indiana Swish and the Hopkins County Hurricanes this summer.

Central coach Matt Bell directs the teammates during the high school season, but he welcomes input from the players’ respective summer coaches.

“I think it’s good that a player has an opportunity to play for another coach,” Bell said. “It gives them an opportunity to hear things from another perspective.”

Croft echoed his coach’s feelings of getting different viewpoints.

“Coach Bell will tell you what he wants and summer coaches tell you what they want,” Croft said. “You just put it together and it makes everything better.”

The biggest advantage for the players, however, has been facing taller opponents in order to be ready for similar competition in the winter.

“It’s not common that you have 6-8, 6-9 guys on a high school team that you play against,” Bell said. “Playing against AAU teams, it’s going to give them an opportunity to play against guys their size they might not see during the high school season.”

College coaches also take note when the recruits have success during the summer against other highly-touted players.

“Chuck’s name has been thrown around,” Bell said. “(Jones and Croft) have been getting a lot of exposure they wouldn’t otherwise get.”

Whether the Storm teammates catch the eye of an interested coach or not, Bell wants his players to have a good time, he said.