News sports 2008-05-10 Andanh.com

TITLE TESTED: OCS sets sights on Class 1A baseball championship Fri, 09 May 2008 23:25:00 EST
Minutes after bouncing St. Martin's in the semifinal game, coach Micah Harper couldn't recall how many times OCS baseball has played in a championship.

ULM baseball topped by Troy Fri, 09 May 2008 23:18:00 EST
The ULM baseball team will need help from afar this weekend to celebrate a championship at Warhawk Field.

Prep football: Ouachita, West Monroe spring to action Fri, 09 May 2008 22:43:00 EST
The West Monroe and Ouachita football teams squared off in a scrimmage Thursday night at Rebels Stadium, offering a preview of what's in store when 2008 season kicks off in the fall.

Prep baseball: Claiborne Christian on championship crusade Fri, 09 May 2008 22:44:00 EST
After breezing through the regional and quarterfinal rounds of the Class C playoffs, the Claiborne Christian baseball team got the close-game experience it needed in the semifinals.

Warhawks soar into Sun Belt softball championship Fri, 09 May 2008 23:06:00 EST
TROY, Ala. — The difference a year makes. Last year, while eight Sun Belt schools were battling it out in Murfreesboro, Tenn. trying to win a conference champion-ship, ULM head coach Rosemary Holloway-Hill got an early jump on the recruiting circuit with every intention to not be in the same position in 2008. Nobody would envision where her Warhawks would be one year later. The seventh-seeded Warhawks continued their strong team play in the conference tournament, downing No. 6 North Texas, 5-1, to advance to its first championship game since the 1997 Southland Conference season. ULM sits poised to claim its first Sun Belt Tournament Championship in any sport since joining the league as full members with one more win. "It was our goal coming into the season and this tournament to be playing for the championship," ULM coach Rosemary Holloway-Hill said. "Our team is one game away of realizing our dream of playing in the NCAA Tournament and we want to make it a reality. This tournament has been a great team effort all around for an outstanding group of young women." North Texas (27-33) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after scoring an unearned run against sophomore Kandace Causey in the opening frame. With one out Mariza Martinez reached and advanced to second on an error before coming home on an RBI double by Mallory Cantler. Causey (13-12) would settle in and blank the Mean Green over the next five innings to give her offense ample time to take the lead. After the first eight batters were retired to start the game for the Warhawks, nine-hole hitter Brittany Brasell reached on a single. One batter later, freshman Brianna Love slammed a triple off the softball championship banner in left centerfield to knot the score at 1-1. The ULM offense opened the flood gates in the next inning, scoring the final four runs of the game and move ahead 5-1. Senior Jamie Liles led off the inning with a single. A walk and base hit by freshman Molly McNeill allowed freshman pinch runner Elyse Stark gave the Warhawks the 2-1 lead. Senior Calli Baker doubled to left centerfield to drive in the next Warhawk run before both she and McNeill came home on an RBI single by Brasell to give Causey a 5-1 lead to work with. The Mean Green would make one final push against Causey, putting runners on first and second with only one out. The Denham Springs native retired the next five, including three via the strikeout. Senior Lindsay Rittenhouse induced three straight groundballs in the final frame to send the Warhawks into the championship game. Causey fanned seven and allowed three hits and three walks to earn her second consecutive victory of the tournament. Kayla Lawson (9-10) allowed all five runs on five hits with one walk. Liles finished with a game-high 3-for-4 performance. Playing in her first ever conference tournament, the fifth-year senior has hit .667 over the three games. The Warhawks will face top seed No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette in the Sun Belt Conference Championship today after at 3 p.m. in Troy, Ala. The tournament's final game will be televised live on CSS/CST. Check with your local service provider for availability in your area.

Tech softball advances to WAC title game Fri, 09 May 2008 23:10:00 EST
HONOLULU — Summer Young's two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning scored Kylie Bassett from second base and sent Louisiana Tech to a 4-3 win over 17th ranked Nevada and into Saturday's championship game of the 2008 Western Athletic Conference Tournament.

LSU baseball bombs Mississippi State Fri, 09 May 2008 23:21:00 EST
BATON ROUGE — It was like the good old days at Alex Box Stadium Friday night, unless you were from Mississippi State. No. 22 LSU opened its last regular season series in its retiring 70-year-old stadium in vintage 1990s form by powering to a 15-6 victory over the Bulldogs in front of the Tigers' largest home crowd of the season at 6,514. The Tigers (33-16-1) took an 11-0 lead in the first two innings on 13 hits, including three home runs, and finished with 21 hits. Derek Helenihi drove in the first two LSU runs in the first inning with a two-run single. Matt Clark followed with an RBI single, and Leon Landry later hit an RBI double for a 4-0 lead. LSU, which improved to 13-11-1 to stay in first in the Southeastern Conference West, scored seven more in the second. Jared Mitchell made it 6-0 on a two-run home run. Then Clark knocked one off The Intimidator sign beyond right field that lists LSU's five national championships next to a roaring Tiger for an 8-0 lead. Ryan Schimpf later hit a three-run home run for the 11-0 cushion. Ryan Powers put State (20-30) on the board in the third inning with an RBI double and Nick Hardy hit a two-run home run to cut LSU's lead to 11-3. The Tigers answered in their third with an RBI double by Helenihi for a 12-3 advantage. State, which dropped to 7-18 in the SEC for last overall, got one in the fourth on a bloop single by Ryan Duffy and cut it to 12-6 in the fifth on an RBI groundout by Jason Nappi and an RBI double by Jet Butler. The Bulldogs finished with 14 hits. Blake Dean extended LSU's lead to 13-6 in the fifth on an RBI double. Louis Coleman (4-0) picked up the victory for LSU with three-and-a-third innings of relief work for starter Ryan Verdugo, who was replaced with one out in the fifth inning and thus not eligible for the victory since he needed to go five. Chad Crosswhite (2-5) took the loss, allowing 11 hits and nine runs in one-and-two-thirds innings. Before the sixth inning, State coach Ron Polk, who coached his 64th game in the Box, took down the numeral 3 and replaced it with numeral 2, signifying that only two games remain in the stadium. Polk dropped to 33-31 all-time in the Box and to 27-30 against LSU in the Box. "That No. 3 is for the number of times we're going to beat LSU," Polk told the Alex Box crowd before the game during a ceremony in which he was honored. Polk is retiring following this season after 35 years as a college coach, including 29 at State. Former LSU baseball coach Skip Bertman, who is stepping down as athletic director at the end of June, praised Polk's many accomplishments on the field before the game. Then he delivered a favorite joke of both men. "We're giving Ron a lifetime achievement award for living in Starkville (Miss.) for 35 years," Bertman said. The series continues today at 3 p.m. with the Alex Box regular season finale set for 1 p.m. Sunday.

New Orleans tries to hold lead against Spurs in second NBA playoff series Fri, 09 May 2008 23:30:00 EST
SAN ANTONIO — For all the talk about how young and inexperienced Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets are, they've been here before.

LSU rolls past Mississippi State again Sat, 10 May 2008 19:58:00 EST
The LSU Tigers defeat Mississippi State, 16-4, today to win their 11th consecutive baseball game.

LSUS season ends in defeat Sat, 10 May 2008 19:47:00 EST
The LSUS Pilots' baseball season ends in a regional tournament today in Cleveland, Tenn.

UPDATE: Airline stumbles in Class 5A semifinals Sat, 10 May 2008 14:17:00 EST
DENHAM SPRINGS - Airline's run for its first Class 5A baseball championship ended in the semifinals as four-time champion Barbe knocked off the Vikings, 8-7, at A.B. Netterville Park on Saturday.

Duncan fades in third round Fri, 09 May 2008 23:53:00 EST
Shreveport's Meredith Duncan shot a 6-over par 77 in the third round of the LPGA Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill golf tournament today, dropping from a tie for fifth after the second round to a tie for 48th.

Zachary cruises to 4A state title Sat, 10 May 2008 00:08:00 EST
The good folks of Shreveport have seen this act before — Zachary pitcher Zack Von Rosenberg pitching a Class 4A championship game shutout.

LSU opens final Alex Box series in style Fri, 09 May 2008 23:56:00 EST
BATON ROUGE — It was like the good old days at Alex Box Stadium Friday night, unless you were from Mississippi State.

Airline marches onward Fri, 09 May 2008 23:56:00 EST
The experience of playing in the 2007 Class 5A baseball tournament is paying off in 2008 for Airline. The Vikings bowed out in the quarterfinals last season, but gained tremendous confidence heading into this season.

Hornets find themselves in familiar position Sat, 10 May 2008 00:02:00 EST
For all the talk about how young and inexperienced Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets are, they've been here before.

Sports' rally falls short in El Paso Fri, 09 May 2008 23:00:00 EST
EL PASO, Texas — The El Paso Diablos picked up their first victory of the season, a 7-6 decision over the Shreveport Sports on Friday night from Cohen Stadium.

College softball roundup: Techsters reach WAC tournament title game Fri, 09 May 2008 23:00:00 EST
Summer Young's two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning scored Kylie Bassett from second base and sent Louisiana Tech to a 4-3 win over 17th-ranked Nevada and into today's championship game of the 2008 Western Athletic Conference Tournament.

Cajuns reach SBC title game Sat, 10 May 2008 00:56:00 EST
TROY, Ala. - UL's Melissa Verde continued her recent hot streak at the plate at Troy's Softball Complex on Friday night.

Hornets facing mirror image Sat, 10 May 2008 00:58:00 EST
SAN ANTONIO - For all the talk about how young and inexperienced Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets are, they've been here before.

Walker says UL's on the right APR track Sat, 10 May 2008 01:01:00 EST
After the NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Rate report earlier this week, UL director of athletics David Walker admitted even the most intellectual person could struggle to understand the results.

Parkview pounds Kaplan Sat, 10 May 2008 01:00:00 EST
CROWLEY - Kaplan held on as long as they could, but in the end Parkview Baptist was too much in their 10-0 win in the 3A semifinals at Miller Stadium on Friday night.

Louisiana rivals in finals Sat, 10 May 2008 00:59:00 EST
TROY, Ala. - An unlikely matchup between Louisiana rivals for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament title was finalized on Friday.

Warhawks shake up Sun Belt Sat, 10 May 2008 01:01:00 EST
TROY, Ala. -Coming into the 2008 softball season, UL Monroe coach Rosemary Holloway-Hill and her Warhawks shared the same dream.

Alabama bounces LSU, 7-4 Sat, 10 May 2008 00:56:00 EST
BATON ROUGE - Alabama got home runs from Charlotte Morgan and Whitney Larsen, and used a three-run seventh inning to put LSU away, 7-4, at Tiger Park on Friday night to advance to the SEC Championship Game.

Cajuns survive scare Sat, 10 May 2008 00:57:00 EST
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - It wasn't easy, but Hunter Moody and Justin Robichaux each etched their names in the record book to lead the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns to a 9-8 win over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Friday night at Nick Denes Field.

It's official: Boudreaux is Mr. Basketball Sat, 10 May 2008 00:58:00 EST
From the time he first officiated a college basketball game in 1983, Gerald Boudreaux didn't think there had to be an adversarial relationship between coaches and referees.

Tigers blast Bulldogs in opener Sat, 10 May 2008 01:00:00 EST
BATON ROUGE - It was like the good old days at Alex Box Stadium Friday night, unless you were from Mississippi State.

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