Today is Saturday, May 10| The 131th day of 2008
Daily Chief-Union/Lonnie McMillan
Off balance shot
Upper Sandusky No. 1 doubles player Jacob Beach connects with a shot Friday against Willard. Beach and Alex Parks lost to Willard’s Greg Riemersma and Kyle McKelvey, 6-0, 6-1.
Flashes blank Rams
Willard has dominated opponents all season long, and the Crimson Flashes did it again on Friday, taking a 5-0 boys tennis victory against Upper Sandusky.
The Crimson Flashes (12-5, 10-1 Northern Ohio League) took straight set victories in each of the five matches, although the Rams (4-12, 1-10 NOL) kept it close in a few.
At No. 2 singles, Curtis Thiel nearly forced a third set agaomst Andrew Holmes, but dropped a tiebreaker 9-7. He lost the first set 6-4.
Upper Sandusky’s No. 2 doubles team pushed Willard’s Steven Leonard and Lucas Zidarin, but the Crimson Flashes came out on top, 6-4, 6-3. Nick Popa won his No. 3 singles match against the Rams’ Danny Morales, 6-4, 6-1.
FRIDAY MAY 9, 2008
Emily Bastel
Wie struggles, Bastel excels at Williamsburg
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) - The two best players in women's golf played together and seemed to push each other to keep doing better, the day ending with both high on the leaderboard.
For Michelle Wie, it was another rare day of gaining experience, a 4-over-par 75 leaving her more in danger of missing Friday's cut than making Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa or most anyone else in the Michelob Ultra Open sweat the presence of the one-time preteen phenom.
And it wasn't that the River Course at Kingsmill wasn't there for the taking. Mhairi McKay tied the course record with an 8-under 63, Sorenstam and Sun Young Yoo had 64s and Ochoa and Diane D'Alessio, who played with Wie, shot 65 on a soggy day with intermittent drizzle.
In all, 90 of 144 players were at par or better. Six others were three off the pace, and eight more were four behind. Wie was already 12 shots back, in a tie for 126th, and probably should have felt fortunate to be there because several bounces went decidedly her way:
- She pulled her drive on the par-5 seventh, and only a tree kept it from flying out of bounds.
- She hit into the greenside rough on the par-3 13th and it kicked onto the green.
- She hit her drive way right on the wide open par-4 14th, and another tree knocked it down.
Still, she took the half-full approach to her first round on tour since the Fields Open in Hawaii, where she made the cut but finished in a tie for last, 20 strokes off the pace.
(Refer to page 6 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
Events pushed back, canceled by bad weather
Weather forced many area schools to cancel scheduled events on Thursday.
The Upper Sandusky-Galion baseball and softball games have been rescheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, with the junior varsity games to be played at Galion and the varsity contests to be played at Upper Sandusky High School.
The Fostoria-Upper Sandusky tennis match has been rescheduled for 4:15 next Friday at Upper Sandusky High School.
The Riverdale Relays has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.
No makeup date has yet been announced for the Riverdale-Kenton varsity baseball and softball games.
The Mohawk-Tiffin Calvert non-league baseball game also has been cancelled and no makeup date has been announced.
Riverdale girls soccer meeting set for tonight
MOUNT BLANCHARD - There will be a girls soccer meeting for girls in grades eight through 11 and their parents who are interested in playing soccer this fall at 5 tonight in Room No. 615 at Riverdale School.
The Falcons' girls soccer coach Jason Espinoza will pass out summer schedules and answer any questions.
THURSDAY MAY 8, 2008
Daily Chief-Union/Lonnie McMillan
Completing the throw
Riverdale's Brady Weber makes a throw after picking up a bunted ball in Wednesday's game against Wynford. The teams were unable to complete their marathon game due to darkness.
Wynford, Riverdale suspended with game tied at 14
By LONNIE McMILLAN
Sports editor
MOUNT BLANCHARD - To be continued.
More than three hours of baseball through on and off rain was not enough to decide Wednesday's North Central Conference matchup, tied at 14 when it was suspended because of darkness shortly before 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Riverdale (6-10, 5-5 NCC) and Wynford (8-8, 6-5 NCC) probably will get together sometime in the next week and continue the game, beginning in the eighth inning.
In a back and forth game, Riverdale scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 14-12 lead, but Wynford answered against Riverdale ace Derek Draper, who pitched out of a jam in relief the previous inning.
Brock Coomer delivered a two-run, two-out single to tie the game on the first pitch he saw from Draper.
Riley Fike began the inning with an infield single, and after two outs were recorded, Nick Cline hit a shot to the hole vacated by the second baseman moving over to cover a steal attempt, putting runners at the corners. Brett Bauer worked the count full before drawing a walk, setting up Coomer's heroics.
(Refer to page 8 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
Daily Chief-Union/Brandon Drake
Dazzling performance
Carey pitcher Autumn Harley (right) and first baseman Paige Strahm chase after a ball that was poped up on the infield in Wednesday's game against Fostoria St. Wendelin. Harley twirled a two-hit shutout as the Blue Devils earned a 4-0 win.
Logjam: Carey tops St. Wendelin
By BRANDON DRAKE
Staff writer
CAREY - A close Midland Athletic League softball race became much tighter Wednesday.
Behind a two-hit shutout by ace Autumn Harley, Carey overcame the elements and thrusted itself into title contention with a 4-0 victory against visiting Fostoria St. Wendelin.
The result creates a logjam at the top of the standings as the Blue Devils, St. Wendelin, Mohawk, New Riegel and North Baltimore each have two league losses, and Hopewell-Loudon is just two games back from the pack after losing to the Blue Jackets on Wednesday night.
(Refer to page 8 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
Daily Chief-Union/Lonnie McMillan
Sliding in safely
Wynford's Rachel Pifer attempts to tag out Riverdale's Amanda Wetherill at the plate after a wild pitch in Wednesday's North Central Conference matchup. Wetherill was safe on the play, and the Falcons ended up taking away a 13-6 victory.
Falcons continue to roll with 13-6 win
By LONNIE McMILLAN
Sports editor
MOUNT BLANCHARD - The Riverdale softball team seems to be peaking at just the right time.
The Falcons (10-7, 6-5 North Central Conference) used an eight-run fifth inning to pull away from Wynford (5-16, 2-10 NCC) on Wednesday and take a 13-6 victory.
It was Riverdale's fourth victory in a row and its eighth in the last 10 games.
"Defensively and our pitching is real solid right now," Riverdale coach Doug Ebright said. "We're doing a great job. We're making plays, catching the ball."
It was offense this time that led the way for the Falcons, who finished with nine hits. Three of them - in addition to five walks - came in the fifth inning when the Falcons turned a 4-3 lead into a 12-3 advantage, nearly ending the game.
Kaylee Sheets led off the big inning with a single, and Kelli Kotterman followed with a walk. Sheets scored on a wild pitch before Kristi Kotterman singled. Amanda Altvater bunted, and Wynford did not attempt a throw to keep the runner at third from scoring.
(Refer to page 8 of today's Daily Chief-Union)