Two doubles teams from Bulloch Academy won twice Monday to advance to this morning’s semifinals at the GISA Class AA state tennis tournament in Tifton.
The boys team of William Spigener and Rob Mallard beat Heritage (7-5, 6-0) and Gatewood (6-4, 6-3) and faces Brookwood today at 9 a.m.
The girls pair of Kacie Lanier and Kate Anna Akins defeated Arlington (6-2, 6-2) and Briarwood (6-1, 6-1) and plays Heritage today at 9 a.m.
Sarah and Betsy Woodrum won in the first round Monday, topping Holy Spirit Prep (6-3, 7-5) but fell in the quarterfinals to Valwood (4-6, 1-6).
BA’s Paul Son lost first round to (1-6, 3-6 to Brookwood) as did Jordan Walker (5-7, 3-6, Holy Spirit), Mary Catherine Spigener (0-6, 0-6, Heritage) and the doubles team of Jeremiah Masters and Matt Williamson (2-6, 3-6, Heritage).
SHS golf
finishes second
The Statesboro golf team finished second behind the Academy of Richmond County in a six-team match at Forest Heights Country Club Monday. Warner Robins finished third (321).
The Musketeers shot a 291, and Statesboro finished with a score of 312. Blue Devil Chas Standridge was the low medalist, shooting a 2-under-par 70 and was the only golfer in the field of 36 to shoot under par.
Richmond’s William Sigg and J.P. Jones both shot an even 72 to tie for second .
The Blue Devils face defending state champion Lakeside at Forest Heights Monday afternoon at 3.
SEB golf tops Swainsboro
The Southeast Bulloch boys golf team beat Swainsboro, 185-197, on the road Monday.
Yellow Jacket Michael Waters shot an even-par 36 for low medalist honors. Slade Hall shot a 49 for SEB, and Robert Field and Jordan Smith both carded a 50.
The Jackets begin region tournament play Tuesday at Willow Lake golf Club in Metter.
SEB girls soccer earns fourth seed
Kacey Jones recorded 16 saves but the Southeast Bulloch girls soccer team fell at Calvary Baptist 4-0 in the Area 3 AA-A tournament Tuesday.
The Lady Yellow Jackets secured the fourth seed from Area 3 and will travel to Thomasville, the No. 1 seed in Area 2, for the first round of the state playoffs next Thursday.
BA JV boys win Brentwood Relays
SANDERSVILLE - The Bulloch Academy junior varsity boys’ track team ended its season Monday by winning the Brentwood Relays, which is considered the unofficial GISA state track and field championship meet for middle-school athletes.
Ellis Lane won three events (100m dash, 200m dash and long jump) and ran legs on the winning 4x100 and 4x400m relay teams. He won the meet’s High Point Award with 35 points, which is the maximum number of points an athlete can accumulate.
Lane’s perfect score helped the Gators roll up a 153 total points, far outdistancing second place John Milledge (108).
Other first-place winners for BA were Kelly Williams (1600m run), John Hardin (100 hurdles) and Brandon Walker (high jump), The other members of the 4x1 relay team were Williams, Hardin and Jonathan Lumpkin while Williams, Hardin and Will Johnson were the other members of the 4x4 team.
Second-place finishes went to Lumpkin (shot put), Williams (800m run) and Win Lee (400m dash).
The Bulloch Academy junior varsity girls finished third in a tight meet. The Lady Gators notched 71 points, just one behind second-place Trinity Christian School. Briarwood Academy won the meet with a total of 107 points.
Sally Marie Futch had the only first-place efforts for Bulloch, winning both the discus and shot. Madeline Manack took second in the 400m run.
BA soccer falls
Bulloch Academy dropped two games to Trinity Christian School Tuesday in GISA Region 2-AA girls soccer action.
The JV team fell 1-0 and dropped to 4-3 on the year. The varsity Gators (2-8) lost 7-1 with Kaitlin Ellis scoring BA’s lone goal.
The Lady Gators will play their final home game of the year Saturday, hosting John Milledge Academy for a JV/varsity double header beginning at p.m.
Eagle volleyball releases schedule
Georgia Southern head coach Nicole McCray announced the 2007 volleyball schedule, which includes two SEC opponents, three tournaments and a tough Southern Conference slate.
The Eagles will open the season Aug. 24-25 with the third annual Georgia Southern Invitational. This year’s participants include the North Florida Ospreys, Stetson Hatters and Georgia Bulldogs.
The squad will continue to see tough competition as it heads to Gainesville, Fla. to play in a tournament at Florida (Aug. 31-Sept. 1). Georgia Southern will face the Santa Clara Broncos, NC State Wolfpack and, host, Florida Gators over the weekend.
Sept. 7-8, the Eagles travel to Fort Worth, Texas for a tournament at Texas Christian where they will face the New Orleans Privateers, Lamar Cardinals, Denver Pioneers and, host, TCU Horned Frogs.
The team will face Kennesaw State (Aug. 28) and Charleston Southern (Sept. 11) in mid-week, non-conference matches early in the season.
Georgia Southern will open Southern Conference action at home, hosting UNC Greensboro Sept. 15. The Eagles will play eight other league matches in Hanner, including a four match homestand from Oct. 12-21 where they will face Appalachian State (Oct. 12), Davidson (Oct. 14), Furman (Oct. 19), Wofford (Oct. 21).
GSU will host a Nov. 2 showdown with 2006 SoCon champion College of Charleston.
Eleven conference matches on the road, including trips to Elon (Sept. 18), Furman (Sept. 21), College of Charleston (Oct. 5), Chattanooga (Oct. 27) and Davidson (Nov. 11) should help prepare the Eagles for the Southern Conference Tournament, which will be played in Greensboro, N.C. Nov. 15-18.
Laliberte earns SoCon Pitcher of the Week
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Georgia Southern’s Melissa Laliberte has been named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week for the week ending April 16, the league announced Tuesday.
A junior from Cobourg, Ontario, Laliberte tossed a three-hit shutout at Elon last Saturday. She fanned 10 batters to reach double-figure strikeouts for the third time this season. Laliberte only allowed two baserunners through the first five innings.
Laliberte is third in the conference in strikeouts per game (7.84) and earned run average (2.40), and tied for second in shutouts (4). She receives player of the week plaudits for the first time this season and the fourth in her career.
Eagle baseball
falls at Mercer
Georgia Southern banged out 14 hits, but the Eagles fell behind early and couldn’t catch up, losing 12-5 to Mercer Tuesday. GSU dropped to 20-21 overall while Mercer improved to 23-18.
Brian Wilkerson (4-7), dropped his sixth straight decision, allowing four runs on five hits in 1.2 innings. Josh Lairsey was charged for three runs. Burt Barto struck out a career-high five batters in three innings of work. John Ducey just missed on turning a triple play during a scoreless eighth inning.
Matt Miller and Jeremy Beckham had three hits apiece. Mike Economos had two hits, including his team-leading 14th double, and scored two runs. Chris Shehan and Kyle Blackburn also added two hits apiece.
The Bears’ 2-3-4 hitters combined for nine hits, six runs and six RBIs.
The Eagles travel to Appalachian State this weekend for a three-game Southern Conference series.
Trinity Christian
softball wins
The Trinity Christian softball team picked up a 17-13 victory at Abundant Life (S.C) Tuesday to improve to 8-4 overall and 2-3 in GCAA Region 3.
Megan Page (7-1) was the winning pitcher, striking out eight in seven innings. Gracie Quattlebaum was 1-1 with five walks and four runs scored, Savannah Spranger went 2-for-5 with six RBIs and a three-run home run and Chelsea Dowdell had three walks, was hit by a pitch and scored three runs.
The Lady Lions will play for the region title against Appling Christian Thursday at 2 p.m. in Glennville.
Father of ex-Atlanta pitcher dies in wreck
WARNER ROBINS (AP) — Jake Rocker, the father of former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker, was killed in a traffic accident Tuesday morning, police said.
Rocker, 63, of Macon was struck by a dump truck in oncoming traffic as he made a left turn on the Ga. 247 Connector about 7:30 a.m., Warner Robins police Maj. John Wagner said.
The truck driver, identified as Angelo Raffield Jr., 40, was not hurt.
The boys team of William Spigener and Rob Mallard beat Heritage (7-5, 6-0) and Gatewood (6-4, 6-3) and faces Brookwood today at 9 a.m.
The girls pair of Kacie Lanier and Kate Anna Akins defeated Arlington (6-2, 6-2) and Briarwood (6-1, 6-1) and plays Heritage today at 9 a.m.
Sarah and Betsy Woodrum won in the first round Monday, topping Holy Spirit Prep (6-3, 7-5) but fell in the quarterfinals to Valwood (4-6, 1-6).
BA’s Paul Son lost first round to (1-6, 3-6 to Brookwood) as did Jordan Walker (5-7, 3-6, Holy Spirit), Mary Catherine Spigener (0-6, 0-6, Heritage) and the doubles team of Jeremiah Masters and Matt Williamson (2-6, 3-6, Heritage).
SHS golf
finishes second
The Statesboro golf team finished second behind the Academy of Richmond County in a six-team match at Forest Heights Country Club Monday. Warner Robins finished third (321).
The Musketeers shot a 291, and Statesboro finished with a score of 312. Blue Devil Chas Standridge was the low medalist, shooting a 2-under-par 70 and was the only golfer in the field of 36 to shoot under par.
Richmond’s William Sigg and J.P. Jones both shot an even 72 to tie for second .
The Blue Devils face defending state champion Lakeside at Forest Heights Monday afternoon at 3.
SEB golf tops Swainsboro
The Southeast Bulloch boys golf team beat Swainsboro, 185-197, on the road Monday.
Yellow Jacket Michael Waters shot an even-par 36 for low medalist honors. Slade Hall shot a 49 for SEB, and Robert Field and Jordan Smith both carded a 50.
The Jackets begin region tournament play Tuesday at Willow Lake golf Club in Metter.
SEB girls soccer earns fourth seed
Kacey Jones recorded 16 saves but the Southeast Bulloch girls soccer team fell at Calvary Baptist 4-0 in the Area 3 AA-A tournament Tuesday.
The Lady Yellow Jackets secured the fourth seed from Area 3 and will travel to Thomasville, the No. 1 seed in Area 2, for the first round of the state playoffs next Thursday.
BA JV boys win Brentwood Relays
SANDERSVILLE - The Bulloch Academy junior varsity boys’ track team ended its season Monday by winning the Brentwood Relays, which is considered the unofficial GISA state track and field championship meet for middle-school athletes.
Ellis Lane won three events (100m dash, 200m dash and long jump) and ran legs on the winning 4x100 and 4x400m relay teams. He won the meet’s High Point Award with 35 points, which is the maximum number of points an athlete can accumulate.
Lane’s perfect score helped the Gators roll up a 153 total points, far outdistancing second place John Milledge (108).
Other first-place winners for BA were Kelly Williams (1600m run), John Hardin (100 hurdles) and Brandon Walker (high jump), The other members of the 4x1 relay team were Williams, Hardin and Jonathan Lumpkin while Williams, Hardin and Will Johnson were the other members of the 4x4 team.
Second-place finishes went to Lumpkin (shot put), Williams (800m run) and Win Lee (400m dash).
The Bulloch Academy junior varsity girls finished third in a tight meet. The Lady Gators notched 71 points, just one behind second-place Trinity Christian School. Briarwood Academy won the meet with a total of 107 points.
Sally Marie Futch had the only first-place efforts for Bulloch, winning both the discus and shot. Madeline Manack took second in the 400m run.
BA soccer falls
Bulloch Academy dropped two games to Trinity Christian School Tuesday in GISA Region 2-AA girls soccer action.
The JV team fell 1-0 and dropped to 4-3 on the year. The varsity Gators (2-8) lost 7-1 with Kaitlin Ellis scoring BA’s lone goal.
The Lady Gators will play their final home game of the year Saturday, hosting John Milledge Academy for a JV/varsity double header beginning at p.m.
Eagle volleyball releases schedule
Georgia Southern head coach Nicole McCray announced the 2007 volleyball schedule, which includes two SEC opponents, three tournaments and a tough Southern Conference slate.
The Eagles will open the season Aug. 24-25 with the third annual Georgia Southern Invitational. This year’s participants include the North Florida Ospreys, Stetson Hatters and Georgia Bulldogs.
The squad will continue to see tough competition as it heads to Gainesville, Fla. to play in a tournament at Florida (Aug. 31-Sept. 1). Georgia Southern will face the Santa Clara Broncos, NC State Wolfpack and, host, Florida Gators over the weekend.
Sept. 7-8, the Eagles travel to Fort Worth, Texas for a tournament at Texas Christian where they will face the New Orleans Privateers, Lamar Cardinals, Denver Pioneers and, host, TCU Horned Frogs.
The team will face Kennesaw State (Aug. 28) and Charleston Southern (Sept. 11) in mid-week, non-conference matches early in the season.
Georgia Southern will open Southern Conference action at home, hosting UNC Greensboro Sept. 15. The Eagles will play eight other league matches in Hanner, including a four match homestand from Oct. 12-21 where they will face Appalachian State (Oct. 12), Davidson (Oct. 14), Furman (Oct. 19), Wofford (Oct. 21).
GSU will host a Nov. 2 showdown with 2006 SoCon champion College of Charleston.
Eleven conference matches on the road, including trips to Elon (Sept. 18), Furman (Sept. 21), College of Charleston (Oct. 5), Chattanooga (Oct. 27) and Davidson (Nov. 11) should help prepare the Eagles for the Southern Conference Tournament, which will be played in Greensboro, N.C. Nov. 15-18.
Laliberte earns SoCon Pitcher of the Week
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Georgia Southern’s Melissa Laliberte has been named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week for the week ending April 16, the league announced Tuesday.
A junior from Cobourg, Ontario, Laliberte tossed a three-hit shutout at Elon last Saturday. She fanned 10 batters to reach double-figure strikeouts for the third time this season. Laliberte only allowed two baserunners through the first five innings.
Laliberte is third in the conference in strikeouts per game (7.84) and earned run average (2.40), and tied for second in shutouts (4). She receives player of the week plaudits for the first time this season and the fourth in her career.
Eagle baseball
falls at Mercer
Georgia Southern banged out 14 hits, but the Eagles fell behind early and couldn’t catch up, losing 12-5 to Mercer Tuesday. GSU dropped to 20-21 overall while Mercer improved to 23-18.
Brian Wilkerson (4-7), dropped his sixth straight decision, allowing four runs on five hits in 1.2 innings. Josh Lairsey was charged for three runs. Burt Barto struck out a career-high five batters in three innings of work. John Ducey just missed on turning a triple play during a scoreless eighth inning.
Matt Miller and Jeremy Beckham had three hits apiece. Mike Economos had two hits, including his team-leading 14th double, and scored two runs. Chris Shehan and Kyle Blackburn also added two hits apiece.
The Bears’ 2-3-4 hitters combined for nine hits, six runs and six RBIs.
The Eagles travel to Appalachian State this weekend for a three-game Southern Conference series.
Trinity Christian
softball wins
The Trinity Christian softball team picked up a 17-13 victory at Abundant Life (S.C) Tuesday to improve to 8-4 overall and 2-3 in GCAA Region 3.
Megan Page (7-1) was the winning pitcher, striking out eight in seven innings. Gracie Quattlebaum was 1-1 with five walks and four runs scored, Savannah Spranger went 2-for-5 with six RBIs and a three-run home run and Chelsea Dowdell had three walks, was hit by a pitch and scored three runs.
The Lady Lions will play for the region title against Appling Christian Thursday at 2 p.m. in Glennville.
Father of ex-Atlanta pitcher dies in wreck
WARNER ROBINS (AP) — Jake Rocker, the father of former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker, was killed in a traffic accident Tuesday morning, police said.
Rocker, 63, of Macon was struck by a dump truck in oncoming traffic as he made a left turn on the Ga. 247 Connector about 7:30 a.m., Warner Robins police Maj. John Wagner said.
The truck driver, identified as Angelo Raffield Jr., 40, was not hurt.
