KFDM COOP

Dogs slip past Panthers By Cody Pastorella The Port Arthur News NEDERLAND — Tuesday night's District 22-4A matchup between the Ozen Panthers and Nederland Bulldogs was simply vintage baseball. The teams combined for a total of five hits and both starting pitchers were exceptional. But as the old saying goes in baseball, "all it takes is one." And that's exactly what Nederland scored in the bottom of the seventh inning to claim its 1-0 win over the Panthers. In the seventh inning, the Dogs loaded the bases on one hit and two intentional walks. Then with nobody out, starting pitcher Josh Gardiner, who got the loss despite a wonderful outing, fielded a ground ball, from Jude Vidrine, at the mound and fired home for the first out. Then catcher Jimmy White attempted a throw down to first in order to complete the double play but the ball sailed off Vidrine's right shoulder and rolled deep into foul territory down the first base side. The error allowed Aaron McFarland, who reached on a walk, to score easily from second base. Just like that, Nederland got the win and improved its record to 12-10-1 overall and 7-4 in district play. Ozen, meanwhile, falls to 6-5 in league action. Also with the win, the Bulldogs move into a two-way tie for third place with Little Cypress-Mauriceville. The Bears were embarrassed 12-1 by the Dayton Broncos on Tuesday night. That loss was LC-M's third straight. Nederland travels to Mauriceville on Friday and will have a chance to take full command of the third and final playoff spot. Kirby Bellow got the win for the Bulldogs. His counterpart, Gardiner, was also superb. Bellow was just a little better. The sophomore went all seven innings, allowed two hits, struck out 11 batters. Gardiner, on the other hand, struck out seven batters in seven innings and gave up just three hits. He also held Nederland to just two base runners through the first six innings. Bellow wasn't just the man on the mound. He produced two of Nederland's three hits and got the seventh going with a lead-off single and then stole second base to pressure Gardiner and causing Ozen to intentionally walk McFarland. Bellow's first hit came in the first inning with two outs. Catcher Ryan Terracina led off the third inning with a double to right field. That was the Dogs second hit of the game. They did not have another until the seventh inning. Bellow was left stranded at first base in the first inning and then Justin Richard, who was running for Terracina in the third, was left stranded at third base.

Marshall leads Sterling over West Brook By Dave Rogers Published April 16, 2008 Brett Marshall did it with the bat Friday night and Tuesday, it was his right arm in the spotlight. That and some Sterling defense by Sterling’s Rangers. Marshall allowed only two hits and his defense helped out with two double plays as the Rangers took an 8-1 win over West Brook Tuesday night at Ronnie Kluch Field. “In the 12 years I’ve been here, that was probably the most solid performance I’ve seen us put together defensively,†Sterling coach Paul Tadlock said after his team improved to 21-3 on the season, 10-1 in District 21-5A. “We made all the plays: the tough plays, the easy plays, all of them. That was as solid as I think we could possibly play.†Marshall’s on a bit of a hot streak, too. He went 4 for 4 in Friday’s 10-3 win at Channelview, banging out a pair of home runs, a double and six RBIs. “I was just feeling it Friday,†he said. “I’m just feeling real confident at the plate.†On the mound, Marshall threw a fastball clocked at 95 miles per hour by some of the scouts on hand every time he pitches. He struck out five, issued three walks (all in the first three innings) and hit a batter. “A circle change got away from me,†he said of the pitch that hit Chris Muellner in the foot to lead off the seventh. Muellner went to third on Austin Huff’s one-out double, the first hit Marshall allowed since the first, and scored on a groundout. “That run didn’t mean anything,†the pitcher said, “but it was one run that shouldn’t have scored. It was my fault.†West Brook put its first three batters on base against Marshall, but did not score. Matt Serna led off with a walk and was forced at second by Thad Lycan’s grounder. Then Muellner singled to put runners at first and second. That’s when Will Partain grounded to Sterling shortstop Derek Brooks, who flipped to second baseman Landon Martinez to start a 6-4-3 double play. Marshall walked a batter in the second inning and stranded him. In the third, Serna walked again, but was erased by another 6-4-3 twin killing. “I was feeling real good (warming up) before the game,†said Marshall, 7-1 on the mound this year. “But it took me a while to find it during the game. “I just decided to let my defense work.†Trevor Swint, Kevin Peters and Landon Martinez each knocked in two runs for the Rangers against West Brook. Peters, Sterling’s catcher, got his team on the scoreboard first, knocking in Hunter Cervenka and Marshall with a two-out double in the bottom of the first. Brooks’ sacrifice fly in the second scored Gil Sandoval for a 3-0 Ranger lead. Swint singled home Jimmy Mott with a two-out single in the fourth inning to make it 4-0. The Rangers upped their lead to 8-0 in the bottom of the sixth when Martinez hit a two-run single, Swint scored Martinez with a double high off the centerfield fence, and Cervenka’s sacrifice fly scored Swint. The Rangers play at first-place Atascocita Friday, trying to give the Eagles a little payback from a first-round loss.

Two-sport BH star Rivera opts for volleyball By Michael Pineda Baytown Sun Published April 16, 2008 MONT BELVIEU — It wasn’t an easy decision for Barbers Hill senior Keely Rivera, but that comes with the territory when you are a talented athlete. A standout in two sports, Rivera had the option of playing basketball and volleyball at the collegiate level. While she hasn’t completely given up her hope of playing basketball, it was volleyball that won out at the end, as she signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. “It was really a hard decision,†Rivera said. I even emailed the basketball coach to see if I could play both. “He said no one ever has because the seasons overlap, but he would email my volleyball coach and see.†UA-Fort Smith currently competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association, but will make the move to NCAA Division II in 2009. Rivera joins the program as one of the most productive volleyball players in the short, but rich history of Barbers Hill volleyball. During her career as a three-year starter for the Eagles, she helped lead the team to a 96-22 record overall, 38-2 in district. She ranks first all-time in digging percentage and second in serve-receive accuracy. She ranks fourth in hitting attempts, kills, and digs and eighth in serve-receive attempts. She is also fifth in wins in the Queen of the Hill tournaments and was district most valuable player in 2006 and offensive most valuable player in 2007. “Keely is the kind of volleyball player that you hope your younger players watch and emulate,†Barbers Hill coach John Leonard said. “She was a huge part of our success the past three seasons, and she left her mark all over our record book. “If it had not been for the back injury, she would have ranked even higher.†Rivera was slowed by a bulging disc and arthritis during her career. The pain was so intense at the end of the season, that she figured her volleyball career was over. “I didn’t play club (volleyball) for a while because I didn’t think that I would play college volleyball,†Rivera said. “I decided that I could play with physical therapy.†Rivera’s hopes were further strengthened by a healthy basketball campaign that culminated in an appearance in the Greater Houston Area Girl’s Basketball Association All-Star Game. She scored seven points and added five rebounds, four steals and one blocked shot in the game. “She played with her usual enthusiasm and energy,†Barbers Hill basketball coach John Chancellor said. “There was a lot of buzz from the crowd, because of the way she played.†Hill College showed interest in having Rivera play both basketball and volleyball following the all-star game. But at that point, her commitment to UA-Fort Smith was solid. “UA-Fort Smith talked to me about being a top outside hitter, although I don’t know what that means for next year,†Rivera said. “It’s good to get away and bad in a way. But it will be cool to go and experience new things.â€

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7 Minute Video [Hidden Content]

Winner of this one will be in 1st Place with 2 games left after Friday.

Rockets' Alston to miss 'at least' start of playoffs Rockets starting point guard Rafer Alston will miss at least the first few games of the playoffs with a pulled right hamstring he suffered Sunday in Denver, the Rockets announced today. After an MRI examination of the injury, Alston was declared out for at least another week after sitting out Monday's game against the Jazz, an absence that even at the minimum projected would force him to miss the first two games of a first-round playoff series to begin Saturday or Sunday. Bobby Jackson, acquired in a trade deadline deal to provide a veteran backup at the position, came back after missing one game with strained left knee and calf and would continue to start with Alston out. Alston has had some hamstring and groin strains during the season, but that was on his left leg. He averaged 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 rebounds this season, making 39.4 percent of his shots. Jackson has averaged 8.5 points on 41.8 percent shooting in his 25 games with the Rockets. Rookie Aaron Brooks, who moved back into the Rockets' rotation when Alston missed three games this month with a strained groin injury, would likely become the primary backup point guard. [email protected]

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Cards Suffer Tough Loss To UTSA, 3-1 Lamar-UTSA at 3 pm Wednesday April 15, 2008 James Keithley's ninth-inning chopper over third baseman Chris Dunkin's head allowed two runs to score and give UTSA a 3-1 non-conference win over Lamar at Vincent-Beck Stadium Tuesday night. Second baseman Ryan Hutson gave UTSA a 1-0 lead when he hit his fifth home run of the year over the left field wall in the third. He led the UTSA offense with a 3-for-4 game and two runs scored. However, the Cardinals tied things up with an unearned run in the bottom half of the frame. Shortstop Jeremiah Sammy led off the inning with a double down the right-field line, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by right fielder Tyler Link and came home two batters later on second baseman Brian Taylor's slow grounder to first. That's the way it stood until the ninth when the Roadrunners put men on second and third with one out to set up Keithley's 2-run single. LU starter Jordan Thibodeaux received a no-decision after striking out five in five innings while allowing just two hits besides Hutson's homer. Matt Gore also surrendered three hits to the UTSA bats and threw three scoreless innings. Ricky Testa (2-2), who relieved Gore to start the ninth received the loss after facing four batters and allowing a walk and two hits. Ryan Proudfoot (5-2) went the distance and struck out four with four hits. After walking Chris Dunkin in the fourth, he retired 17 of the final 18 Cardinals. Dunkin also had his tenth double of the year when he led off the second with a shot to the wall in left-center but was stranded at third after being sacrificed over by David Moore. Taylor saw his career-high 13-game hitting streak come to a close on Tuesday. The teams will complete their two-game midweek series on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.

Thanks

21-3A Bridge City (12-0) Hardin-Jefferson (9-3) Jasper (8-4) Silsbee (8-4)

22-4A PN-G (9-2) Vidor (9-2) LC-M (7-4) Nederland (7-4) Ozen (6-5)

8-0 BC Wins

11-2 Silsbee wins!

Lets Hear it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BC and who? Let's hear it!

11-2 Silsbee 6th.

6-5 OF Wins

8-0 BC 6th.

Not sure

6-4 OF 6th.

12-1 Dayton Wins!

9-1 PN-G in the 6th...Benoit Pitching for PN-G.

4-0 BC 5th.

12-1 Dayton 5th Inning.