SURPRISE, Ariz. — Former Georgia Southern pitcher and current Kansas City Royals prospect Everett Teaford was optioned to the Royals' Triple-A affiliate last week.
    The Royals’ top farm team is the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Pacific Coast League. The move to the Storm Chasers for 2011 marks Teaford’s first-career season opener in Class AAA.
    Teaford had a rough spring training, but performed well in Double-A last season, leading the Texas League in victories with 14. He finished with a 14-3 record and a 3.36 ERA in 99.0 innings of work. He struck out over 100 batters in 12 starts a year ago.
    The two-time All-Southern Conference First Team Selection, Teaford ranks eighth all-time at Georgia Southern with 26 career victories. In his final season with the Eagles in 2006, he went 10-4 with a 3.96 ERA. Teaford started 16 games that season, threw four complete games and held opposing hitters to a .244 batting average.

GSU S&D earns top 10 ranking
    HARPER WOODS, Mich. — In the Avidasports Performance Rankings released at the end of the 2010-11, the Georgia Southern Swimming and Diving team achieved a score of 26.5 to rank No. 10 among all Division I women’s programs.
    The Eagles’ 103.9 percent score in the improvement ranking ranked second nationally behind only Colgate (104.0 percent).

Screven edges Swainsboro
    SYLVANIA — The Screven County Gamecocks edges Swainsboro 3-2 Tuesday on the tennis court to stay unbeaten in subregion play and clinch the regular-season title.
    The Gamecocks (7-6, 4-0) got wins from Eli Woods, Chris Powell and doubles pair Johnathan Covington and Daniel Weaver.

Lady Gamecocks top Tigers
    SYLVANIA — The Screven County Lady Gamecocks (10-2-1, 4-0 Region 3A-AA) remained unbeaten in the subregion with a 5-0 win tuesday over Swainsboro.
    Sydnee Weaver (6-2, 6-2), Lovey Sheppard (6-0, 6-0) and Kelsey Forehand (6-0, 6-2) won their singles matches, and Lauren Thomas and Lauren Bazemore (6-0, 6-0) and Evan Blackburn and Hailie Mock (6-3, 6-2) won doubles matches.
    In Monday's match, Screven defeated Effingham County.
    The same players notched wins, except Mallorie Boswell joined Blackburn for the No. 2 doubles win.
BA tennis recap
    The Bulloch Academy Gators started last week's tennis action with a split against Westminster on Monday, March 7.
    The girls won 3-2 and the boys lost 4-1.
    Thursday, the Gators swept Trinity Christian.
    The Boys won 4-1. Brandon Walker (8-3), Cody Lanier (8-1) and John Howell (8-1) swept the singles matches, and doubles pair Asa Johnson and Ben Carico won 10-8.
    All three singles players — Ally Cheshire (8-2), Megan Barber (8-1) and Anna Mallard (8-3) — sealed the victory for the Lady Gators.
    Augusta Prep swept the Gators Monday, with the boys and girls each falling 4-1.
    Cheshire (8-3) and Lanier (8-4) were winners for the Gators.

Tech sweeps Lady Eagles
    ATLANTA — Georgia Southern softball (10-17) ran into a hot-hitting Georgia Tech squad on Tuesday afternoon at Mewborn Field. The Yellow Jackets (19-4) brought a 10-game winning streak into the game and took the opener 13-0 and the finale by a 10-0 score.
    Georgia Southern travels to Western Carolina for a three-game Southern Conference series beginning Friday.

SEB excels at Swainsboro meet
    SWAINSBORO — The Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets competed in a track meet Tuesday against Swainsboro, Jenkins County Metter and Appling County.
    The Lady Yellow Jackets took first place and the boys finished in second behind JCHS.
    First place finishers for the Lady Jackets were Suzanna Smith (3200-meter run), Brianna Gates, who set a personal best in the long jump with a distance of 7-feet, 8.25 inches, and the 4x100m relay team of Gates, Jerika Budget, Dineshia Baker and Jasmine Roberts.
    Second-place finishers were Leslie Wilson (3200), Miranda Price (discus), Smith (1600), Baker (400), Marisa Stanert (800) and Roberts (200).
    The boys finished in second place overall behind Jenkins County.
    First-place finishers were Jamal Johnson (shot put) and Terrell Paulson (200).
    Second-place finishers were Paulson (high Jump, 400, 200), David Pollard (110-meter hurdles), Patrick White (800) and Bodie Collins (300).
    Southeast Bulloch hosts the Plankenhorn Invitational Saturday on campus at Georgia Southern.

Dublin stays perfect, nips SC
    DUBLIN — The Screven County Lady gamecocks (6-2) went back and fourth with Dublin (8-0), but the Lady Irish scored with 43 seconds to go to take a 4-3 win Tuesday.
    Screven saw Rochelle Shuman, Gentri Becton and Anna Jones score goals, and keeper Jessica Markovcic recorded seven saves.
    Screven hosts Bleckley County Friday at 5 p.m.

Atlanta blows out Bucks
    ATLANTA (AP) — Sporting a new look, Joe Johnson scored 36 points — 28 in the first half — and the Atlanta Hawks romped to a 110-85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a makeup game Tuesday night.
    Johnson donned a black headband to protect the back of his scalp after undergoing a procedure to treat a skin infection. It must have helped his shooting touch, too. He made six straight 3-pointers on the way to the highest-scoring half by an Atlanta player this season.
    With Johnson firing away, the Hawks went on a 20-0 run that started at the end of the first quarter and extended into the second. The Bucks missed 10 straight shots — plus turned it over four times — during a scoring drought of nearly 6 minutes.
    Andrew Bogut led Milwaukee with 21 points. That wasn't nearly enough against Johnson and the Hawks, who shot a staggering 63 percent (46 of 73).

WJMS sweeps South Effingham
    Both boys and girls William James Middle School Knights soccer were victorious this past Tuesday at Mill Creek Park as they beat visiting South Effingham. 
     Chelsea Wilson scored on a long punt from goal keeper Tia Thomas to give the Lady Knights their first score.  Tess Newton scored twice in the second half off assists from Emmalyne Sisson and Chelsea Wilson to give the Knights a 3 -2 victory. 
     Cally Reed and Devyn Turner played strong defense for the Lady Knights.
     For the boys, Joey Palmer had a strong defensive game and an assist to Leon Roberson to help the Knights to a 2-0 win.  Alex Wagner scored the second goal and goalie Nathan Pollard held the Mustangs to a shut out.

    If you have a score to report, please call the Statesboro Herald sports desk at (912) 498-9408.