Jackson Jays Host Redbirds In Home Opener

By Clint Cox
SNEADS – The Jackson County Jays hosted the Chattahoochee Red Birds on Sunday in their Big Bend Baseball League home opener. The Jays, in their first year of league play, fell 12-0 to the Chattahoochee squad that has been playing league ball for several years now. A nice crowd turned out on a warm Sunday afternoon to the Jays home field at Adam Tucker Wilson Memorial Park in Sneads. The Red Birds jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after two innings and then lead 6 -0 after five innings of play. Chattahoochee used a big seventh inning to pull away from the Jays and went on to the 12 run victory. Chattahoochee improved to 4-1 on the season while the Jays fell to 1-3.
The Jays recently formed a team, which is comprised primarily of former Jackson County high school players, to participate in the newly founded Big Bend Baseball League. Chattahoochee has previously been playing in a league based in Georgia. Harold Bailey and several others have been working for the past year to form a new league in Northwest Florida. There are currently two divisions with three teams in each division. (See page B2 for the current teams and standings).
Sunday’s home opener roster for the Jays included the following former Jackson County high school players. Cottondale – Zac Henderson, Jordan Burnett, Chance Burnett, Brian Braxton, Bud Masterson, Jo Jo Toole and Brian Harris. Malone – Matt Biles, Ray Bentley, Eric Trosclair and Jake Wood. Marianna – Ben Cramer and T.J. Carmichael. Grand Ridge – Mark Hamilton. Two players on the squad that played their high school baseball elsewhere include Travis Menard (Panama City Arnold) and Player / Coach Norman Mahoney (Northeast High School – Ft. Lauderdale). The Jays next contest will be on the road on Sunday when they travel to Wewahitchka to take on the Gulf Drive. Their next home game will be on May 17th when they host the Bay Brewers.

County Softball Teams Make Playoffs

By Clint Cox
Three Jackson County varsity softball teams made the FHSAA playoffs, including two squads that captured their respective District Championships. The Cottondale Lady Hornets claimed the Class 2A District Two Championship with a 8-4 win over the Sneads Lady Pirates last Thursday night. Also on last Thursday night the Graceville Lady Tigers won the Class 1A District Two Championship with a 12-10 come from behind win over Bethlehem.
Sneads played host to Cottondale and the Lady Hornets took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Shaunte Forward singled and then scored on an RBI single by Brianna Curl. Sneads tied the game in the bottom of the second inning when Samantha Culpepper sent one deep over the left field fence. Both squads scored two runs in the third inning as Cottondale’s Deb Davis scored on a RBI triple by Shanae Dickens. That was followed by Dickens scoring on a wild pitch to make it 3-1. But Sneads tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the inning with two runs (Kayla Kelly and Joni Bonine) on a 2 RBI double by Alisha Edenfield.
From there Cottondale began to pull away as they held Sneads scoreless over the next two innings. Meanwhile the Lady Hornets added two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to take a 7-3 lead. In the fourth inning Lindsey Erbacher scored on a RBI triple by Selentia Pittman and then Pittman came home on a RBI single by Davis. In the fifth inning Dickens and Forward both reached base on errors and then managed to score later on two throwing errors by the Lady Pirates. Sneads chipped away at the Lady Hornets led in the sixth inning but Cottondale countered with a run in the top of the seventh. Lady Hornet winning pitcher Liz Krauser got the final three outs in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win.
Sneads saw their 12 game winning streak end with the loss to Cottondale and were forced to travel in the first round of the playoffs to Baker. Against the Lady Gators Sneads fell in a close contest 6-4. With the loss Sneads finishes their season with a record of 19-7.
Cottondale played host to the Vernon Lady Yellow Jackets on Tuesday in Regional Quarterfinal action and came away with a thrilling 4-3 win in 8 innings. Curl’s game winning RBI single scored Forward to give the Lady Hornets the 1 run victory. Cottondale fell behind 1-0 but took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning as Taylor McDaniel’s RBI triple scored Forward. McDaniel then came home on a throwing error after a bunt by Erbacher. The Lady Hornets then added a run in the fourth inning to lead 3-1 but saw the Lady Yellow Jackets rally to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning. With Tuesday night’s win Cottondale advances to the Regional Semi-Finals on Friday as they will host Baker at 7 pm.
The Graceville Lady Tigers notched their district titled with a come from behind 12-10 win over Bethlehem last Thursday. Trailing 12-9 going into the top of the seventh inning the Lady Tigers tied the game up on a RBI double by Stacy Sadler. An error by the Lady Wildcats then allowed Sadler and Meagan Sanders to come home and take the lead. Graceville followed up with a Tuesday night home contest against Rocky Bayou and won big by a score of 11-1. That sets up a rematch of the district title bout as Graceville will host Bethlehem on Friday night at 7 pm.

Baseball District Tournaments Set

By Clint Cox
Local high school varsity baseball squads will begin their respective district tournaments this coming week. In Class 1A the Malone Tigers will host the District Two tournament. Play will begin on Tuesday night as Graceville will be the #2 seed and take on Bethlehem at 4 pm. Malone will be the #1 seed and they will take on Poplar Springs at 6 pm. The championship game is set for Thursday night at 7 pm.
In Class 2A action the Cottondale Hornets will host the District Two tournament. On Monday Cottondale will take on Blountstown and the winner of that game will advance to the semi-final on Tuesday against the #1 seed Bozeman Bucks. The Sneads Pirates enter the tournament as the #2 seed and they will take on Altha on Tuesday night. Tuesday night’s winner’s will advance to the championship game on Thursday night.
Marianna will host the Class 3A District Two tournament and will be the #1 seed in a three team district. Chipley and Holmes County will play on Tuesday night and the winner will advance to Thursday night’s championship game against the Bulldogs at 7 pm

Softball Tournament Play Underway

By Clint Cox

The FHSAA softball district tournaments got under way this week with all five of the county’s varsity softball squads in action.
In Class 3A the Marianna Lady Bulldogs are hosting the District Two tournament and they took on Holmes County on Tuesday night. The Lady Bulldogs got off to a rough start against the Lady Blue Devils and went on to fall by a score of 7-0. Holmes County used the long ball to take the lead as they touched up the Lady Bulldog’s pitcher for two home runs. Holmes County advances with the win to take on Chipley on Thursday night at 7 pm. For Marianna their season comes to a close as they finish with a record of 15 wins and 7 losses. Marianna graduates only three seniors off this year’s squad (Jana Hinson, Krista Griffin and Taylor Smith).
The Sneads Lady Pirates are hosting the Class 2A District Two tournament which started on Monday night. On Monday night Bozeman beat Altha to advance to a Tuesday matchup against Sneads. After a rain delay, the Lady Pirates got home runs from Samantha Culpepper and Meagan Smith to notch a 6-3 victory. The win, the Lady Pirates 11th straight victory, moves them into the Championship game on Thursday night against county rival Cottondale. The Cottondale Lady Hornets took on Blountstown on Tuesday evening and came away with a 10-2 win to advance to the Championship game. Cottondale jumped out to an early 6-0 lead as scoring in the first inning were Selentia Pittman, Deb Davis, Shanae Dickens, Shaunte Forward, Taylor McDaniel and Brianna Curl. Cottondale added another run in the third inning as Lindsey Erbacher came home to score. In the bottom of the sixth inning Davis stroked an inside the park home run to score herself and Pittman and Erbacher. Thursday’s District Championship game will be in Sneads at 7 pm.
Class 1A action was taking place in Graceville as the Lady Tigers hosted the District Two tournament. Semi-final action on Tuesday night saw Graceville down county rival Malone to end the Lady Tigers season. Graceville advances to the District Championship game on Thursday at 6 pm and will take on the winner of Tuesday night’s matchup between Poplar Springs and Bethlehem.

Bulldogs Hang On to Beat Chipley

By Clint Cox

MARIANNA – The Marianna Bulldogs baseball squad jumped out to an early lead and then held on for a 6-5 district win over Chipley on Tuesday night. The win improved the Bulldogs to 3-1 in district play, assuring themselves the #1 seed going into the district tournament and a first round playoff bid.

Troy Clemmons got the win on the mound and helped his own cause by stroking a double in the second inning and then scoring on a passed ball. Marianna added another run in the fourth inning when Clemmons scored on a RBI single by Cameron Oliver. Leading 2-0 the Bulldogs got two more runs in the fifth inning when Dustin Miller led off with a single. He then scored on a RBI single by Laramie Dryden. Moments later Dryden came home to score to give Marianna a 4-0 lead. They made it 6-0 when Miller drew a walk in the sixth inning and then scored on a RBI double by Adam Bigale. Oliver then came up with a single and later scored to make it a 6-0 ball game.

Chipley rallied for 5 runs in the top of the seventh inning, three of which came on a three run home run. But Colby Johnson came in to relieve Alex Bigale and got the final two outs of the inning to allow the Bulldogs to hang on for the victory. The Bulldogs improved to 11-8 overall and will host the district tournament beginning April 28th. Chipley and Holmes County will play on Tuesday the 28th and then Marianna will play the winner on Thursday the 30th.

Hornets Rally For Senior Night Win

By Clint Cox
COTTONDALE – The Cottondale Hornets baseball squad rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning for three runs to pull off a 4-3 district win over Blountstown on Tuesday night. Prior to the start of the game the Hornets honored their four seniors on the squad.

Blountstown took an early 1-0 lead but the Hornets came back to tie the game in the bottom of the second inning. Vincent Bender scored on a fielder’s choice by Aaron O’Bert to make it a 1-1 ball game. That scored held until the fourth inning when Blountstown plated two runs to take a 3-1 lead. Cottondale managed to load the bases in the fifth inning but were unable to cash in, so they still trailed by two runs in the bottom of the sixth. O’Bert led off the inning with a single and then Joe Farren drew a walk. Jeremy Anderson stroked a RBI single to score O’bert. Josh Gainer then ripped a RBI single to score Farren and tie the game at 3-3. Chris Clemmons came in to run for Anderson and scored the go ahead run on a fielder’s choice by Pat McClain. Cody Clemmons had relieved starting pitcher Drew Bellamy in the sixth inning and he got the final three outs against the Tigers in the top of the seventh to close out the win.
The win improved the Hornets to 13-9 overall on the season.

Lady Bulldogs Get Another Win

By Clint Cox

The Marianna Lady Bulldogs softball squad hit the road on Monday and picked up a 16-0 win over the Lady Bucks of Bozeman. Hali Stout was the winning pitcher and Krista Griffin stroked an inside the park home run. With the win Marianna improved to 13-4 on the season and will next be in action on Thursday when they take on district foe Chipley in another road contest.

Lady Indians Keep Battling

By Clint Cox

The Chipola Lady Indians softball squad stayed in the hunt for a post season playoff berth with a 5-2 win over Gulf Coast on Tuesday. Rayna McClinton was the winning pitcher for Chipola as the Lady Indians improved to 5-6 in conference play. Chipola took a 2-0 lead before Gulf Coast countered to make it a 2-1 ball game. Chipola put the game away in the top of the sixth inning with 3 runs to make the final 5-2. Game two of the scheduled double header was postponed due to some problems with the umpiring crew. As of Tuesday both Chipola and Gulf Coast were tied for second place in the conference.
On last Saturday the Lady Indians split with the Lady Raiders of Northwest Florida. They lost game one by a score of 4-1 as McClinton took the loss. In game two they posted a 7-4 win as Brooke Muth was the winning pitcher. Chipola will next be in action on Thursday when they play host to Pensacola at 4 and 6 pm.

Indians In Second Place in Panhandle Conference

By Clint Cox

The Chipola Indians baseball squad found themselves in sole possession of second place in the Panhandle Conference 12 games into the conference schedule. The Indians have gone 2-1 in the past three games and were 7-5 in conference play after Tuesday night’s 8-3 win over Gulf Coast at home. Jason Townsend was the winning pitcher for Chipola as he improved to 5-2 on the season.
This past Sunday the Indians traveled to Pensacola to make up a game that had been rained out the previous Tuesday. The Indians fell to the Pirates 9-7 in a contest in which Head Coach Jeff Johnson commented that his squad did not play well in any aspect of the game. That was certainly disappointing considering the Indians had thumped the Raiders of Northwest Florida State College the day before by a score of 14-4. The game, played in Niceville, saw the Indians pound out 15 hits and get home runs from Marc Bourgeois, Andy Fermin and Dustin Spruill. Patrick Corbin was the winning pitcher as he went 6 innings, giving up 4 runs on 9 hits and striking out 3 Raiders. Bourgeois was 3-3 on the day with 3 RBI, Fermin was 2-4 with 4 RBI and Daniel Renfroe was 3-4 with 1 RBI.
Chipola, with an overall record of 23-14, was slated to host Pensacola on Wednesday, however, results of that matchup were not available at press time. They will be back in action this Friday as they travel to Tallahassee for a contest with the first place Eagles and then will host Northwest Florida at 5 pm on Tuesday.

Pirates Blast Blountstown

By Clint Cox

SNEADS – The Sneads Pirates baseball squad returned to action after the spring break with a district win by pounding the Blountstown Tigers 17-3 in five innings on Tuesday night. Jerry Bamburg got the win on the mound as he gave up 3 runs on 3 hits. With the win Sneads evened their overall record at 8-8 on the season and improved to 4-2 in district play. The Pirates will next take Bozeman on Thursday in another district matchup.
After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning the Pirates struck for 6 runs in their first at bat. Trevin Hall’s 2 RBI singles scored Taylor Edge and Bubba Carpenter. Hall then scored on a RBI single by Clayton Smith. An RBI single by John Beauchamp brought home Dustin Holmes and then the Pirates added two more runs on a Blountstown throwing error. The Tigers added two runs in the top of the second inning but again the Pirates fired right back with 6 more runs in the bottom of the inning. Edge led off the inning with a single and then scored on a RBI single by Hall. After a single by Smith, Hall was able to score on a wild pitch to make it an 8-3 lead. Bamburg stroked a RBI single to score Smith and then Marcus Beauchamp’s 2 RBI double scored two more Pirates to push the lead to 11-3. Bubba Carpenter brought home the final run of the inning with a RBI double to score Beauchamp.
Sneads made it a 10 run lead in the third inning as Hall led off with a single and then later scored on a fielder’s choice to make it a 13-3 Pirate lead. In the fourth inning Holmes and Carpenter led off with singles and then scored on a 2 RBI triple by Edge. Hall came to the plate and took one deep over the left field fence to swell the lead to 17-3.
Head Coach Mark Guerra said the win was a good way to come back after the spring break. "Coming back after the spring break and playing the like we did feels real good. We did a good job of doing the little things and played sound defense. We’ve got three more games this week so this was a good start to the week," said Guerra.