Published: May 14, 2008 12:27 am            

HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Clarksville’s James defeats former team, 10-4

Tuesday was a good day for Clarksville baseball coach Brian James.

He got reacquainted with some old friends and guided the Generals to their ninth victory of the season.

Clarksville defeated James’ old team, Christian Academy of Indiana, 10-4 at Wayne Stock Field. James coached the Warriors for 11 seasons, and it was the first time he has faced his former school as the Generals’ skipper.

“I saw some old faces that I haven’t seen in a while, so that was kind of nice,” James said.

Clarksville’s T.J. Wilbert was the winning pitcher, tying his season high for strikeouts with 15. He threw a complete game, allowing five hits and four walks.

Wilbert also helped himself at the plate, collecting two hits and three RBIs. Teammate Jon Bramer had two hits.

“We were kind of sluggish at the start,” James said. “We came out flat and it took us a couple of innings to get in a flow. T.J., it wasn’t one of his better outings. He was overthrowing early on. But from the fourth inning on, he was overpowering.”

The Warriors’ Nick McKain was the losing pitcher. Clarksville (9-13) visits New Washington today. CAI (11-10) will travel to Paoli on Thursday.

• Red Devils roll past Madison: Jeffersonville pounded out 15 hits in a 9-1 victory at Madison.

The Red Devils’ Ryan Pierce went 3-for-5. Five Jeff players had two hits apiece, who were Brian Mendenhall, Tony Moore, Sam Burke, Aaron Hargett and Mitchell Mattingly. Hargett collected two doubles and Burke hit a two-run home run in the second inning.

Red Devil starter Nick Politte went the distance to improve his record to 4-0. He yielded five hits and three walks while striking out seven.

“He threw the ball very well. He got ahead of the hitters and he had good stuff,” Jeff coach Al Rabe said. “We had some good at-bats. Even with the outs we made, we hit the ball hard.”

The Red Devils (16-7) travel to Silver Creek today.

• Thompson tosses three-hitter in Floyd win: Jeffery Thompson threw a three-hit shutout to lead host Floyd Central to a 5-0 win over North Harrison. Thompson struck out five. Teammate Tyler Amos collected two of the Highlanders’ seven hits.

“Jeffery threw a heck of a game,” Floyd coach Casey LaDuke said. “We hit the ball a little better tonight. We’ve been struggling a little bit lately, but we’ll keep working at it.”

The Highlanders (16-9) will entertain Tell City on Friday.



SOFTBALL

• Jeff edges Henryville: Pitcher Megan Stirn earned her 14th victory, leading visiting Jeff past Class A No. 9 Henryville 3-2. The Red Devils (16-6) collected nine hits with Natalie Nikitas collecting a double.

Henryville pitcher Amanda Embry went the distance in picking up the loss. She struck out eight and walked none. Teammate Haley Hall was 2-for-3.

“I can’t be too upset,” Hornets coach Jenny Odle said. “Everybody hit the ball hard and everybody hit the ball well. They were just making the plays.”

Jeff will host North Harrison on Thursday. Henryville (20-4) visits Charlestown today.

• Pioneers fall in extras: With two out in the bottom of the ninth, Devin Brierly smacked a two-run single to left field to give Southwestern a 3-1 victory at Providence.

Kelsey Markland was the losing pitcher. In her nine-inning stint, the senior allowed five hits and one walk while striking out nine. The Pioneers (5-17) mustered only three hits, which were singles by Lauren Knight, Megan Brinkworth and Natalie McDonough.

“We played a much better game tonight than we did (on Monday against Holy Cross),” said Payne, whose troops will host South Oldham on Thursday. “They had some situations where they could put some runs on the board. But we had some amazing plays in the infield to keep us in it.”

• Generals blank Scottsburg: Amber Wingler threw a one-hit shutout to lead host Clarksville past Scottsburg in five innings, 10-0. The sophomore fanned 11 and walked two.

The Generals’ Kelly Betz went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while teammate Erica Martin was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

Clarksville (18-7, 6-3 Mid-Southern Conference) travels to Louisville Manual today.



BOYS’ GOLF

• Hornets oust Lions: All five Henryville players shot in the 40s at Hidden Creek Golf Club’s Links 9, as they defeated Rock Creek Christian, 167-247.

The Hornets’ Taylor Weeks earned medalist honors with a 40. Teammates Nick Campbell and Caleb Robertson each shot 42, while Henryville’s Cameron Tucker and Jonathan Clark both carded a 43.

“It was a good round by all five kids,” Hornets coach Robin Embry said. “We’re trying to get some work in before this Saturday’s Class A Invitational. It was a good round for Caleb Robertson.”

Eric Waiz shot the top score for the Lions with a 48. Rounding out the Rock Creek were Clay Cundiff with a 63, Eric White with a 67 and Jimmy Richey with a 69.

Both teams will play in the Class A Invite on Saturday at Champions Pointe Golf Club. The tournament will also double as the Southern Athletic Conference meet, which will involve Henryville.



GIRLS’ TENNIS

• Generals win seventh straight: On Monday, Clarksville closed out the regular season with a 4-1 home win over Salem. The victory extended the Generals’ winning streak to seven matches.

Clarksville’s No. 1 doubles team won the lone three-set match of the day. The Generals’ Ashley Lind and Breanna Shireman upended Doni Williams and Wendy Fleener, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.

Clarksville swept all three singles matches. Deahna Welcher prevailed at the No. 1 spot, Tiffany Fitzpatrick won at No. 2, and Jamie Wilkerson claimed the No. 3 spot.

The Generals will face Providence in the Jeff Sectional semifinals on Friday.

“We are peaking at the right time leading into the sectionals, and we are ready to go hard after the title,” Clarksville coach Steve Welcher said.

• Hornets down Mustangs: On Monday, Henryville improved its record to 13-5 with a 5-0 victory at New Washington. The Hornets won all their matches in straight sets.

Winning in singles action for Henryville were Katie Guernsey at the No. 1 spot, Lauren Clark at No. 2 and Whitney Guthrie at No. 3.

The Hornets’ No. 1 doubles team of Rachel Slider and Kayla O’Brien beat the Mustangs’ Sarah Martin and Megan VanWie. At two doubles, Henryville’s Kelsey Hughes and Megan Irish downed Brianna Hoskins and Jessica Hobbs.

The Hornets will face Silver Creek in the Silver Creek Sectional semifinals on Thursday. New Washington will play Charlestown in the first round of the Jeff Sectional on Thursday.

        

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