Chipola Squads Closing in On Conference Finals

By Clint Cox

Photo Caption:
Carlos Moncrief strokes a 2 run homer for Chipola in the Indian’s win over Okaloosa Walton on Tuesday.

Photo by Clint Cox

Photo Caption:
Lady Indian Carolyn Moore put the bat on the ball in Chipola’s 6-1 win over Okaloosa Walton on Tuesday. Photo by Clint Cox

The Chipola College baseball and softball squads are nearing the end of their Panhandle Conference schedules and both are posed for post season play. The Lady Indians in fact clinched a spot in the state tournament after sweeping North Florida in a pair of games last Sunday. Brooke Muth got the win in game one as Chipola posted a 3-1 victory. Game two went to the Lady Indians by a score of 6-3 as Amber Weeks was the winning pitcher. Last Thursday saw the Lady Indians split with Tallahassee as they took game one 4-3. Tera Gainer hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh to propel Chipola to the win. Melody Moore and Chasity Covington both went 2-4 in the contest. Tallahassee won game two with a 6-2 victory. Covington was 2-3 and Hali Barfield hit a two run single in the losing effort.
This past Tuesday the Indians played host to the Lady Raiders of Okaloosa Walton and posted two more wins. The won 6-1 in game one and 6-3 in game two. Muth and Weeks both picked up wins for the Lady Indians. The Lady Indians are currently 39-9 overall and 15-3 in conference play. While the Lady Indians have clinched a playoff spot, they remain in a heated battle for first place with rival Gulf Coast. They have a two game lead over the Lady Commodores and travel to Panama City for a conference double header that will determine the conference championship.
The Indian’s baseball squad has also fared well as of late. The Indians are in second place in the conference and sweep Gulf Coast this past weekend. On Friday Chipola got an outstanding pitching performance from Matt Jackson in Panama City for a 10-5 win over the Commodores. Carlos Moncrief went 2-3 with 2 RBI, Edmond Sparks was 1-4 with 3 RBI and Chris Berroa was 3-5 with 2 RBI. Moncrief and Sparks both hit home runs for the Indians. On Saturday Chipola won 10-2 as the home run derby continued. Jordan Lucas, Einar Atencio and Adam Duvall all homered to led the Indians offense.
The Indians played host to Okaloosa Walton on Tuesday and pulled off a 7-5 thriller in 10 innings. Duvall’s two run homer in the bottom of the 10th gave the Indians the win and clinched at least a tie for second place. Moncrief also had a two run homer earlier in the game for Chipola. Ben Jeffers got the win on the mound.
After Tuesday’s contest the Indians were 39-11-1 overall and 12-5 in conference play. They hold a 3 game lead over North Florida and are 1 ½ games behind first place Pensacola. They were scheduled to play in Niceville on Wednesday. Results of that game were not available at press time. The Indians close out their conference schedule this weekend with a home game against North Florida on Friday at 5 pm and then a road game in Madison on Saturday.

Cottondale and Sneads To Battle for District Title

By Clint Cox

Photo Caption: Cottondale’s Michelle Bassin fouls off a pitch against Bozeman on Tuesday night. Photo by Clint Cox

Photo Caption: Samantha Culpepper of Sneads hits a RBI double that helped the Lady Pirates to a 4-1 victory over Blountstown on Tuesday. Photo by Clint Cox

The Cottondale Lady Hornets and Sneads Lady Pirates traveled to Altha on Tuesday night for the opening round of their district tournament. In the opening game the Lady Pirates took on Blountstown and posted a 4-1 win over the Lady Tigers. Sneads jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Kayla Kelly reached on a single. Kali Pringle followed with a single and Samantha Culpepper got the Lady Pirates on the scoreboard with a RBI single to score Kelly. Kayla Rabon then stroked a 2 RBI triple to bring home Pringle and Culpepper. Blountstown managed a run in the third inning but the game entered the seventh inning with Sneads leading 3-1. Kelly and Pringle both singled to get two Lady Pirates on the base pads. Culpepper hit into a fielder’s choice but Kelly was able to score and give the Lady Pirates their winning margin of 4-1. Karissa Childs held the Lady Tigers in check as the winning pitcher struck out 14 Blountstown batters.

In the night capper the Lady Hornets took on the Lady Bucks of Bozeman and came away with a 6-1 win. The game was scoreless through 2 ½ innings but Cottondale finally stung the Lady Bucks in the bottom of the third inning. Shanae Dickens led off with a bunt to reach first and then stole second base. Deb Davis also reached base on a bunt and advanced to second on a throwing error. Dickens and Davis scored on the next play as Michelle Bassin hit a grounder back to the pitcher that she misplayed. Bassin scored on a RBI double from Liz Krauser to give Cottondale a 3-0 lead. They added two more runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth to make the final score 6-1 in their favor.

Sneads and Cottondale will play for the District Championship in Altha on Thursday evening. While both squads will advance to the FHSAA Regional Quarter Finals the following Tuesday, the winner will host that game while the loser will have to travel. The Lady Hornets won the two regular season matchups with the Lady Pirates.

Bulldogs Top Tigers

By Clint Cox

Photo Caption: Adam Bigale of Marianna strokes a hit in action earlier this year for the Bulldogs. Bigale was 2-3 with 1 RBI in the Bulldog’s win over Chipley on Tuesday night. File photo by Clint Cox

CHIPLEY – The Marianna Bulldogs racked up 10 hits in a 9-4 district win over the Chipley Tigers on Tuesday night. Kyle Edwards got the win on the mound for Marianna as he went 4 1/3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and fanning 4 Tiger batters. Edwards improved his record to 6-0 on the season.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a RBI double by Tyler Wilson that scored Rhyne Elliott. Chipley came back to tie the game in the fourth inning but the fifth inning went the Bulldogs way. Colby Johnson stroked a double and Elliott came in to run for Johnson. After a single by Wilson, Brandon Gardner’s RBI single scored Elliott. Wilson scored on a sacrifice fly by Lance Bailey and then Gardner came home on a RBI double from Adam Bigale. Although Chipley plated a run in the bottom of the fifth Marianna led 4-2 going into the sixth inning. They exploded for 5 runs to take a 9-2 lead. Troy Clemmons led off with a walk and Dustin Larkin reached on an error. Clemmons scored on a sacrifice bunt by Laramie Dryden. Johnson continued his hot hitting with a double and Wilson added another single that scored Larkin. Elliott had come in to run for Johnson and scored when the bases were loaded and Bigale was hit by a pitch. Wilson scored on a passed ball and Gardner scored on a RBI single from Jon Sims.

Chipley added two runs late in the game but the Bulldogs took the victory to improved to 3-1 in district play and 13-6 overall.

Sneads Wallops Wildcats

By Clint Cox

Photo Caption:
Meagan Smith hits a 2 RBI triple in the third inning for Sneads in the Lady Pirates 22-0 win over Altha. Photo by Clint Cox

ALTHA - The Sneads Lady Pirates softball squad scored early and often as they walloped the Lady Wildcats of Altha 22-0 on Tuesday night. Four Lady Pirates scored in the first inning as Bridget Dawson led off with a triple. Dawson and Samantha Culpepper, Kayla Kelly and Tiffany Guerra all scored in Snead’s first at bat. The Lady Pirates racked up four more runs in the second inning to take an 8-0 lead. In the third inning Karissa Childs came up with a single and Meagan Smith then stroked a 2 RBI triple. Culpepper followed with an RBI single to score Smith. Kali Pringle got into the hit parade with a RBI triple and then scored on a past ball. When the third inning was over the Lady Pirate’s lead had swelled to 13-0. The fourth inning was more of the same as Kayla Rabon was walked and then later scored on a sacrifice fly by Smith. Culpepper then hit a 2 RBI single to score Childs and Iris Walden. Pringle then recorded another RBI triple and the Sneads lead increased to 19-0. The Lady Pirates tacked on three more runs in the fifth inning to make the final 22-0. With the district win over Altha Sneads improved to 10-10 on the season.

Indians Begin 2nd Round of Conference Play

By Clint Cox

Photo Caption:
Matt Jackson of Chipola works from the mound in action last weekend against North Florida. Photo by Clint Cox

The Chipola Indians baseball squad begins round two of Panhandle Conference play this weekend and have two big upcoming series with two teams also vying for the top two spots. Chipola is currently in second place in the conference, one game behind conference leader Pensacola. The Indians will host Tallahassee on Friday at 5 pm and then travel on Saturday for a 1 pm start. They’ll follow that series up with a Tuesday contest at home against Pensacola and then travel on Wednesday to take on the Pirates.

The Indians picked up their fourth straight win last Wednesday when they downed Okaloosa Walton at home by a score of 13-2 in five innings. Chipola posted 8 runs in the first inning and 4 runs in the second to jump out to the big early lead. Chris Berroa went 4-4 on the day with 3 RBI and 4 runs scored. Adam Duval was 1-3 with 3 RBI, Marc Bourgeois was 2-3 with 5 RBI and Daniel Jones was 1-3 with 3 RBI. Berroa, Duvall and Bourgeois all recorded home runs on the day. Matt Jackson was the winning pitcher, improving to 6-0 on the season with an ERA of 1.85.
They followed that win with a win on Friday against North Florida in Madison, winning 4-2. Kyle Regnault got the win, striking out 11 Sentinels in 7 innings of work as he improved to 4-0 on the season with an ERA of 1.26. Ben Jeffers was credited with a save. Duvall led the offense with a home run. On Saturday however the Sentinels came to town and snapped the Indians 5 game conference winning streak with a 6-1 win. Drew Parker took the loss for the Indians on the mound. Chipola is currently 7-3 in conference play and 31-9-1 overall.

Lady Bullpups Keep On Winning

by Clint Cox

The Marianna Middle School Lady Bullpups softball squad just keeps on racking up the wins. In action on Tuesday both squads picked up wins over the visiting Chipley Lady Tigers. Team One downed Chipley by a score of 6-4. They fell behind early on but rallied to tie the game at 3-3 in the third inning. By the fourth inning they had taken a 4-3 and then went on to make it 6-4 in the fifth and final inning. Mallory Dean was the winning pitcher while Mia Boykin and Hayden Searcy each picked up two hits. Team One is now 10-0 on the season and has allowed just 8 runs all season. Team Two also recorded a win, improving to 9-1 with a 10-9 win. They scored a run in the bottom of the last inning to pull out the thrilling win over the Chipley squad.

Both squads are coached by Rochelle Summerwell, Sammy Basford and Scott Wiggins. They will close out the 2008 season with road games against Port St. Joe on April 8th and Cottondale on April 9th.

Photo Caption: Lady Bullpups Team One. Front Row (L – R) Alli-Ann Bigale, Reagan Oliver and Connor Ward. Middle Row Whitney Lipford, Mallory Dean and Courtney Massengill. Back Row Coach Sammy Basford, Mia Boykin, Hayden Searcy, Linsey Basford and Coach Scott Wiggins. Not pictured are Ali Bailey, Jennifer Hewett and Nikki Basford and Coach Rochelle Summerwell. Photo by Clint Cox

Photo Caption: Lady Bullpups Team Two. Front Row (L-R) Madison Gullett, Lindsey Toole, Reagan Oliver, Breanna Willis and Faith Moore. Back Row Coach Sammy Basford, Rochelle Summerwell, Tamara Pope, Kristi Folds, Caitlyn Carpenter, Jaree Flowers and Coach Scott Wiggins. Photo by Clint Cox

Hewett Headed For Chipola

by Clint Cox

Photo Caption: Michelle Hewett, seated, is all smiles after signing a letter of intent to continue her education and play softball at Chipola College. Looking on are the Lady Indians Head Coach Belinda Hendrix, Alice Hewett, Tim Hewett and Jerry Dean. Photo by Clint Cox

With a large crowd of family, friends and fellow students looking on, Michelle Hewett signed on the dotted line last Thursday to attend Chipola College on a softball scholarship. The signing was held at Marianna High School where Hewett has been a three sport athlete for the Lady Bulldogs. After having played volleyball, soccer and softball at Marianna Hewett will narrow her focus on books and softball at Chipola. "It took me a long time to decide but I’m glad and excited to be able to continue my education and softball at Chipola," the Bulldog Senior said after the signing. Chipola Lady Indian Softball Coach Belinda Hendrix was likewise pleased. "We are very excited to have Michelle join our program at Chipola. We’d like her to help us defend our National Championship and I hope we can continue to sign local players for our program," Hendrix told the crowd that gathered for the signing.

That crowd included Hewett’s family as well. She is the daughter of Tim and Alice Hewett, both of whom were proud to see a sport she has put so much into to help her earn a college scholarship. "We’re real pleased with her being able to go to Chipola and play softball. She’s been playing softball since she was old enough to pick one up so we are really excited for her," said her dad Tim. Michelle is the grand daughter of the late Roger and Juanita Hewett and the late Elwood and Willie Smith.

Lady Indians Off to 4-0 Conference Start

by Clint Cox

Photo Caption: Chasity Covington #32 strokes a hit in action earlier this season for Chipola. Covington’s game winning grand slam against Pensacola propelled the Lady Indians to their fourth straight conference victory. Photo by Clint Cox

The Lady Pirates of Pensacola sailed into town last Thursday and when they left the Chipola Lady Indians were 4-0 in conference play. After opening the season with a double header win against North Florida, the Lady Indians swept Pensacola with some well time hitting from their offense. In game one Carolyn Moore was the hero as she went 2-2 with 4 RBI and a home run. Her 2 RBI double in the third inning broke a tie game and then her two run homer in the fourth sealed a 7-2 win. The Lady Indians pounded out 10 hits against Pensacola. Brooke Muth was the winning pitcher as she went the distance and struck out nine Lady Pirates.

In game two Pensacola took an early lead and led 3-1 before the Lady Indians score a run in the fifth inning and another in the sixth inning to tie the game. The run in the sixth came on a solo home run from Alyssa Shirey. In the bottom of the seventh, with the game still tied, Chipola managed to load the bases. That is when Covington took one deep over the centerfield wall for a walk off grand slam.

Chipola’s overall record improved to 28-6. They were scheduled to host Tallahassee on Wednesday. Results of those games were not available at press time. The Lady Indians will be on the road Saturday at Okaloosa Walton College and then host Gulf Coast next Wednesday.

Indians Baseball Team roars past OWC

The Chipola Indians baseball team is starting to get hot in conference play. After starting the conference season 2-2, the Indians won five straight to improve their conference record to 7-2.

Chipola swept Okaloosa Walton College on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The Indians won on Tuesday by 11-5 and Wednesday by 13-2.

The defending National Champions are currently ranked #4 in Florida and #10 in the nation.

You can print a copy of this year's Indians Baseball schedule by clicking here.

Chipola Finishes Seventh in National Tourney

The Chipola Indians finished seventh in the NJCAA Men's National Basketball Tournament after a convincing win 84-66 win over Paris Junior College in the consolation bracket finals of the tournament on March 22nd.

Mario Little led Chipola with 21 points. Vernon Teel scored 18. Gary Flowers added 14.

The Indians were the odds-on favorite to win their first ever national championship this year, but suffered a 90-84 upset to Seward County Community College from Liberal, Kansas in overtime in the first round of the tournament.

The Indians rebounded to prove why they were the top ranked team in the nation for much of the year, scoring a 76-75 win over Shelton State on Thursday, and a big 72-53 win over Itawamba on Friday.

Chipola's Mario Little was named to the All-Tournament Team. The future Kansas Jayhawk scored a total of 64 points during the five day tourney.

The Indians also set a school record for most wins in a season, finishing with a 35-2 mark.

Coach Greg Heiar has led the Indians to three state titles and three national tournament appearances in four seasons as head coach and is 130-13 overall.

Chipola has 11 state titles, more than any other Florida community college. The Indians have advanced to the national tournament 11 times, finishing as high as second in 1974 and 2007.