Owen varsity softball defeats Avery by a 22-0 score in 5 innimgs.

Avery Little League Hits Full Swing This Weekend

Following a successful opening weekend two weeks ago, Avery County Little League starts its full slate of regular season action this Friday afternoon with games at Sherrill Rominger Field as well as the other fields of the Hodge Turbyfill Complex.

Rockies v. Yankees will open up Friday's action at Rominger Field, with Astros v. Twins to follow. Indians v. Marlins will be played first in Hybrid League Softball, with Royals v. Marlins scheduled in Major League Softball on Friday. A full slate of games are scheduled for Saturday at the Complex.

The full schedule of games for the season, as well as League news and updates can also be accessed through the league’s Blog site at http://averycountylittleleague.blogspot.com/ or its hotline at 733-3591.

Over 300 children representing a total of 23 teams spanning divisions from Tee Ball to Major League Baseball and Softball will take part in this coming season.

The league is undertaking a number of fund raising efforts this season, most notably the sale of boxes of Vidalia onions as the league hopes to raise funds need to make its annual payment for the field lights encompassing the Turbyfill Complex. Players and teams are selling the onions and those who sale the most will benefit from incentive offers from the league.

The top seller in the league will get a prize package to Pigeon Forge which includes two nights at the Ramada Inn, four tickets to Dollywood, dinner at Old Mill Restaurant, four tickets to Magic Beyond Belief or Smith Family Theater, four tickets to Wonder Works and a gift card to Belz Outlet Mall. The second top individual seller will receive $50, with $25 going to the third place seller. The team that sells the most boxes will earn a pizza party, and individual kids who reach certain target number of sales will also receive individual prizes.

“There is a lot of incentive to sell, but the reality is if the kids can sell enough boxes we can pay the annual payment for the lights at the fields, which is really what we are shooting for,” ACLL President Jerry Moody recently remarked.

The league is also selling sponsorship signs that will be placed at the fields, and is also looking to raise funds to purchase scoreboards for the major league softball and baseball fields, as well as to build a press box at the major league softball field.

Individuals or businesses wishing to purchase signs or contribute toward these projects can contact Moody at 733-8270 or see another board member for details.

WNC Soccer Leaders

The Avery Lady Vikings soccer team have a number of players among the region's leaders in goals, assists, and goalkeeping.

Lady Viking sophomore Mary Chesnut Smith is second in the region in scoring with 17 goals in 11 games, while fellow sophomore Emily Banner is fifth with 14 goals in 12 games. Melinda Eggers also makes the list with six goals, while Katelynn Eudy and Rachel Buchanan each are among the region leaders with three goals on the season.

Smith is also second in assists regionally with 15 assists in 11 contests, while Rachel Buchanan and Melinda Eggers are tied with seven assists each in 12 games. Emily Banner and Katelynn Eudy both have five assists over a 12-game season thus far.

Defensively, Avery senior goalkeeper Cailan Calloway ranks among the region's leaders as she has surrendered only 13 goals in 12 games this season, a string which also includes six shutouts.

Lady Vikings Tangle with Cougars, Take Two from Lady ‘Landers

Last week the Avery Lady Vikings managed to work around inclement weather and complete three games on the diamond.

On Wednesday the Big Red traveled to Burnsville to take on conference foe Mountain Heritage.

Avery’s varsity club began the game well with three runs in support of starting pitcher Morgan Yackey, but Heritage proved too tough to tame in an 18-8 loss.

Sara Singleton reached on an error and catcher Sam Shook doubled to put runners on base as Avery opened the top of the first inning. Second baseman Kaylea Davis capitalized as she ripped a two-run double to put the Big Red on top. Third baseman Kaylan Deese also doubled in the inning as Davis crossed the plate to put the Lady Vikings in the lead 3-0 after one-half inning.

Heritage scratched a pair of runs across in its half of the first to cut Avery’s lead to 3-2, but the Lady Vikings gained the advantage back, and then some. The bats remained hot in the top of the second as Avery put another crooked number on the scoreboard with three more runs.

Becca Biggerstaff singled to lead off the frame and shortstop Justina Rieger was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Leadoff hitter Morgan Yackey rapped a two-run double, and crossed the plate herself before the inning ended to bump the Avery advantage to 6-2.

The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the third when the Lady Cougars rallied to tie the contest with four runs on four hits.

Avery’s offense cooled in the middle innings as Mountain Heritage continued to hit. The Lady Cougars scored four additional runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 10-6 lead, but Avery rallied with a run on a Deese RBI groundout in the top of the fifth to narrow its deficit to three runs.

Unlike the early innings, the Lady Vikings were unable to tame the Lady Cougars offensive firepower. Heritage added two runs in the bottom of the fifth to boost its margin to 12-7. Avery scored a run in the top of the sixth to get as close as 12-8, but the first five hitters reached base in the bottom of the sixth for Mountain Heritage. Six runs came home for the Lady Cougars in the inning to enforce the ten-run rule as Heritage captured the 18-8 win.

It was a solid effort for the Lady Vikings throughout their lineup, as eight of nine starters hit safely, with Yackey, Shook, Davis, and Deese each lacing a pair of base hits which included a double as well as a run batted in.

“I was real pleased with our offense and run production, especially getting six runs in the first two innings. We scored two more runs and had two excellent chances to score additional runs, but they made two very good defensive plays – once when we had runners on second and third and once when we had the bases loaded,” Avery head softball Coach Merritt Yackey remarked following the game. “Those two plays and one defensive play we did not make would have prevented three of their runs and been an 8 to 10-run swing. Defensively we gave up seven errors, but Morgan had two assists and a putout from the mound and Justina Rieger had four assists and a putout playing shortstop.”

Anytime Avery and Cloudland square off in an athletic contest, you can expect both teams to give it their all. Thursday afternoon was no exception as both teams fought hard as the Lady Vikings came out on top in a 7-3 victory in the first game. Avery also captured a 5-0 victory in game two.

In game one, the Lady ‘Landers got on the board first as Cessalie Severson and Cassie Johnson scored as they got on base after third strike errant pitches. Atlanta Largent got a base hit and stole second and third, but could not score. The Lady Vikings got the next two CHS batters on groundouts as the Lady ‘Landers led at the half inning mark.

The Lady Vikings countered with an offensive display of their own as they scored three runs in their part of the inning. Sara Singleton was the first to reach the bases as she hit a single then stole second. Samantha Shook doubled to left field and brought Singleton home for the RBI. Jessica Banner also scored for the Lady Vikings after recording a double. Kaylea Davis also got on base, but was unable to score as the Lady ‘Landers tightened their defense up after Avery took a 3-2 lead into the second.

The game remained scoreless in the third as Avery pitcher Morgan Yackey and CHS hurler Hunter McKinney found their touch. Avery struck in the bottom of the third as they put up four runs to take a 7-2 lead entering the fourth as Becca Biggerstaff, Kaylan Deese, Banner and Shook all crossed home plate. Amber Clark also recorded an RBI in the inning as all of the Lady Viking hitters made a plate appearance.

The Lady ‘Landers countered in the fourth as Jessica Burleson touched off after she led off with a double. Burleson stole third to get in scoring position and Dakota Jarrett also recorded a hit and stolen base. However, the Lady ‘Landers could not get any runners across to score. The Lady Vikings was unable to add to their lead after CHS pulled a double play on a grounder then got the next batter out. The Lady ‘Landers were unable to get any offense going in the fifth inning as the Lady Vikings preserved a 7-3 victory.

In game two, both teams got the opportunity to get younger players on the field as Avery won 5-0. To start the game, the Lady ‘Landers were unable to get a player on base. Avery managed to get runs from Yackey and Singleton to take the early 2-0 lead. The Lady Vikings added two more runs in the second as Amber Clark and Justina Rieger reached home plate and catcher Charley Puckett scored in the third. Despite a hard fought effort, the Lady ‘Landers were unable to get anything going as they could not keep up with the Lady Vikings.

Vikings Baseball Cages Cougars; Loses Late to Warhorses

Avery’s varsity baseball team took its swings at a pair of opponents last week in Western Highlands Conference action. The Vikings traveled to Burnsville on April 8th to take on Mountain Heritage and returned home with a hard-fought 3-1 win. On Thursday the 9th Avery hosted the Owen Warhorses in a nip-and-tuck conference showdown. Owen came from behind with a pair of seventh-inning runs to defeat the Big Red 3-2.

Last Wednesday afternoon Avery sent Brooks Oakley to the mound and he did not disappoint. Oakley surrendered only three hits as he struck out 11 Cougars in picking up the complete-game victory.

Avery drew first blood as Chris Childress led the game off with a double, reached third base on a passed ball, and scored on an Adam Pate RBI groundout. In the meantime Oakley was dominant as he allowed only a Kirk Burnette base hit through his first five innings of work.

Oakley was his own best form of insurance in the top of the third inning when he belted a solo home run to stake himself and his team a 2-0 advantage. The Big Red tacked on their third and final run an inning later. Zac Hall led off the frame with a single to left field and was bunted over to second. An RBI single by Jared Clark brought the runner home for a 3-0 lead after four innings.

Mountain Heritage looked to make a comeback in the bottom of the sixth as leadoff hitter Tim Fox reached base on an error and was driven home after a two-out single from Steven Wilson and an RBI double by Zack Howell. Oakley worked out of the jam however, as he induced a groundout from Burnette to quell the Cougars’ strongest scoring threat of the contest.

“Overall we played pretty well, and it started with pitching. Brooks was the typical Brooks that I expect to see on the mound. He went out there and battled, and we were able to score early to give him a little bit of a cushion before he took the mound, which was good to see.” Avery head coach Benny Wellborn said following the win. “We cut down on our strikeouts in the game and put the ball in play. It was about the third game in a row where we played pretty well on both sides of the game. ”We were able to get leadoff batters on and get them around to score, which we hadn’t done a lot of before this game. Heritage is always a tough place for us to win, and this is only the second time in seven years that we’ve came away with a victory.”

Oakley was 2 of 4 at the plate with the home run, Jared Clark was 1 for 2 with an RBI, and third baseman Zac Hall was 2 for 3 in the win.

On Thursday Avery hosted the Owen Warhorses in a rematch of a game won by Owen earlier this season in Swannanoa. The game was another closely fought affair, as again the Vikings managed to carry a slim lead late into the contest.

The contest was a pitcher’s duel from the outset, as Avery southpaw senior starter Chris Childress toed the rubber for the Big Red, while Owen countered with crafty left-hander Thomas Brown.

The Warhorses scored the only run of the game’s first five innings in the top of the third inning when leadoff batter Nigel Lynch doubled to right field, stole third base, and scored on an RBI single by Jonathan Groce to spot Owen the 1-0 advantage.

Avery was unable to break through on Brown through five innings of work, but changed their fortunes with the arrival of right-handed ace Robert Clark. Clark struck out ten Hendersonville Bearcats in a start the previous Friday, and entered the game at Avery to earn a save in relief to start the bottom of the sixth.

The pitching change served to revive the Big Red offense, as Oakley reached base with a one-out double. Two batters later Steven Daniels hit a slow roller to third base. Third baseman Brandon Spivey’s throw to first was in the dirt and trickled past the first baseman, which allowed Oakley to scamper home with the game-tying run and Daniels to advance to second base. Pinch-runner Ethan Sluder then scored on a RBI single by Zac Hall to take a 2-1 lead into the top of the final inning.

Pitcher Childress struck out the first hitter he faced in the seventh inning, but surrendered a walk and double to consecutive batters to put runners on second and third base. Owen coach Anthony Lee called for his batter Clark to lay down a squeeze bunt. Childress fielded the bunt and threw home where catcher Steven Daniels tried to block the plate. The umpire called the Warhorse runner safe on the close play, however, as Owen tied the game at 2-2.

The visitors regained the lead at 3-2 when Owen’s next hitter served a bloop single just over the drawn-in infield at first base to score the go-ahead run from third base. Avery manager Benny Wellborn called on Daniel Huff to pitch in relief and induced a pair of groundouts to close the inning.

Avery attempted to bring home a tying run in the bottom of the seventh as Jared Clark worked a leadoff walk. However, the pinch-runner at first base was picked off base for the inning’s first out. The Vikings were then retired in order to end the game.

Childress took the hard-luck loss as he struck out ten Warhorses in 6 1/3 innings on the mound, surrendering three runs on only three hits.

“Our pitching has been absolutely great the past four games. Chris only gave up the three runs and he’s been keeping us in the game, which is all you can ask for out of your pitchers. Both Brooks and Chris have been doing the same great things for us,” Coach Wellborn said following the game. “You’ve got to give Chris credit for battling out there. He deserved to be out there late to get that win, and it was tough for us that we couldn’t do so. We played pretty good defense and got some key hits, but it was one of those games where if a couple of plays go differently, you have an entirely different ballgame.”

Oakley and Hall both continued their hot hitting with two base hits apiece in the contest.
Avery’s non-conference game this past Monday with Cloudland was postponed and rescheduled for later in the week, while the team was also scheduled to travel to North Wilkes for a non-conference tilt.

Full reports on these games can be found on the AJ-T Sports Blog at www.ajtsports.blogspot.com and in next week’s print edition.