WDEF News 12 - Local Sports News

Justin Upton Rocks Grand Slam as Braves Beat L.A.

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:39:15 -0400

ATLANTA (AP) - Justin Upton gave Atlanta the lead with a sixth-inning grand slam and the Braves finally unveiled their full-strength lineup, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5 on Friday night.

Upton drove in five runs hitting behind Jason Heyward, who had two hits with a RBI in his first game back after having his appendix removed April 22.

It was the first time this season the Braves had Heyward in the lineup along with catcher Brian McCann, who missed the first 30 games while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

Former Chattanooga Lookout Scott Van Slyke hit two homers for the Dodgers, who led 4-2 before Upton's third career grand slam.

Paul Maholm (5-4) allowed eight hits and four runs - two earned - in six innings, and Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 12th save.

Dodgers Mark Ellis Joins the Lookouts

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:34:11 -0400

Chattanooga-(WDEF) Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis joined the Chattanooga Lookouts on Friday on a rehab assignment. He's recovering from a leg injury. Ellis only played 3 and-a-half innings against the Tennessee Smokies. He was 0-1 at the plate.

The Smokies scored four runs in the second inning, and that proved to be enough as they beat Chattanooga 4-3. Ronald Torreyes had a two-out single in the inning to plate two runs. Lookouts got on the board in the fourth on an RBI double from Yasiel Puig. Chris Jacobs made it interesting in the seventh inning with a two-run homer, but that ended the scoring on the night.

Baylor Softball Advances to Spring Fling

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:29:18 -0400

Chattanooga-(WDEF) The Baylor softball team swept Father Ryan on Friday to advance to Spring Fling in Murfreesboro. The Lady Raiders won game one 11-1.
With the contest tied at one in the fourth inning, Shelby Ellis doubled home a pair of runs, and then A.J. Johnson singled home a run. Baylor rolled to a 10-0 victory in game two. Baylor will be looking to win their third straight state championship next week in Murfreesboro.

Dalton Beats SE Whitfield For Soccer State Title

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:16:52 -0400

Dalton beat Southeast Whitfield 5-0 on Friday night in Carrollton to claim the Class AAAA soccer state championship. It was the fourth time the Catamounts
beat their cross-town rival this season. Dalton scored three minutes into the match and never looked back. The Catamounts were ranked number one in the state going into the match, and they finished the year with a perfect 22-0 record.

Carl Edwards Takes Pole For All Star Race

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:14:19 -0400

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - Carl Edwards captured the pole for the Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Edwards, the 2011 winner in the exhibition event, completed three laps and a four-tire pit stop Friday night in 1 minute, 51.297 seconds.

Kurt Busch will start alongside Edwards on the front row Saturday night. Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch and Joe Logano round out the top five.

For the first time since 2000, NASCAR waived the pit-road speed limit, allowing drivers to enter and leave the pits at high rates of speed.

That caused problems for several drivers.

Defending All-Star race champion Jimmie Johnson was among a handful of drivers who skidded past his pit stop when his breaks locked up. He was forced to back up, losing valuable time.

Johnson will start 18th.

Holly Warlick Talks Lady Vols and Pat Summitt on Caravan Stop

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:35:45 -0400

Chattanooga-(WDEF) Lady Vols coach Holly Warlick was on board the Big Orange Caravan stop Thursday night in Chattanooga. Warlick of course replaced legendary coach Pat Summitt last season, and it didn't appear UT skipped a beat.

Holly Warlick won the SEC regular season title in her first season. And she did it despite several injuries. Said Warlick,"I think the offseason is going to be good for us. Just healing and rehabbing. We've got to stay healthy. We've got to stay healthy."

UT should have a healthy front line next year with the addition of Mercedes Russell, the nation's top recruit. "I have a feeling Mercedes is going to stand out quite a bit at 6'6. Her wing span is so big."

Pat Summitt will be back next year as coach emeritus, and Warlick is digging that. "Excited for our players because she is someone good to be around to mentor these young women. For them to have the opportunity to be around the best coach in the country men or women, I think is special. Pat wants to be apart of it. She can stay with the program as long as she wants to stay."

Pat's son Tyler interviewed for the Lady Mocs coaching vacancy. Warlick believes Tyler is a future star. Said Warlick, "Tyler summitt is going to be an awesome women's basketball coach. He is mature beyond his age. If you look at Tyler, don't look at how old he is. You look at what he brings. He has a tremendous knowledge of the game. He has been watching basketball forever."

And speaking of coaches, Warlick praised UTC for the hiring of veteran women's coach, Jim Foster. "He'll do a great job. He loves women's basketball. Wanted to stay in it. I thought it was a tremendous hire."

Braves Jason Heyward Returning to the Lineup Friday

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:36:23 -0400

ATLANTA (AP) - Braves right fielder Jason Heyward has been activated from the disabled list and is starting against the Dodgers.

Heyward is hitting second in Friday night's lineup, his first appearance since his appendix was removed April 22.

It marks the first time this season Heyward and catcher Brian McCann are in the same lineup. McCann returned from offseason right shoulder surgery on the Braves' recent 10-game trip.

Slumping center fielder B.J. Upton is hitting eighth.

Heyward was hitting .121 with two homers in 17 games before the emergency surgery.

Right-hander Jordan Walden was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation to clear a spot for Heyward.

Kyle Busch Expects to Get Wrecked by Kasey Kahne

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:37:24 -0400

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - Kyle Busch won't be surprised if Kasey Kahne intentionally wrecks him sometime soon.

In fact, Busch says he's already joked with Kahne about a potential payback and even asked him not to make if it happens.

The score is 3-0 in Busch's favor after an incident last Saturday night at Darlington led to Kahne spinning as the two raced for the lead with 30 laps remaining.

Busch on Friday shrugged it off as a product of hard racing, but admitted wrecking Kahne at Daytona and Talladega were mistakes on his part.

Now he waits to see if Kahne will exact his revenge in Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race. Busch doesn't think Kahne is the kind of guy to intentionally wreck another competitor, but said he'll understand if it happens.

Butch Jones Trying to Energize Vols Program

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:36:41 -0400

The Big Orange Caravan made it's annual visit to Chattanooga on Thursday with new football coach Butch Jones in attendance. Jones hopes his energy and enthusiasm is the first step in getting the Tennessee football program back on top in the SEC.

Butch Jones looks as if he could sign autographs all night. Just ask Vols athletic director Dave Hart. Said Hart,"Butch's level of energy is off the charts."

Hart believes Coach Jones energy has spilled over to the Big Orange nation. "Clearly we got the right guy. We got a guy that wanted to be the head coach at the University of Tennessee. He's passionate. He's genuine. And I think he's off to a very, very good start in terms of galvanizing our fan base, our former lettermen, and high school coaches. He has prioritized those things." Said Jones,"Well, I think it's a drive to win. I think it's a drive of loyalty in terms of giving a passionate fan base something to be extremely proud of. These are days like this that I really enjoy doing. It's a chance again to get out and talk Tennessee football."

It's easy talking Tennessee football. It's the winning that has been the hard part. The Vols have not enjoyed a winning record since 2009. They're 5-7 the last two years. Said Hart,"This team is going to have to over achieve in my personal opinion. This team is going to have to over achieve, but they are capable of that. We have one of the best offensive lines in the country. We have a veteran offensive line. We lost a lot of skill players. That's just the reality. We lost a lot of skill offensively in particular. And we're trying to bounce back defensively to have a competitive product on the field defensively, and I think we will do that."

Turning around a proud program is definitely time consuming. Reporter-"How much sleep do you get typically?" Said Jones,"Not much. But you know what. That's what this job requires. Again, it's the competitive drive to give our fan base everything that they want. It's a pride of who we are."

Dalton and SE Whitfield Battle For Soccer Title on Friday Night

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:15:11 -0400

Local soccer rivals Dalton and Southeast Whitfield will play for the Class 4-A state title on Friday. The Whitfield county teams will meet at 7:30 on Friday night in Carrollton at the University of West Georgia. The Catamounts are the top-ranked team in the state, and they have already beaten the Raiders three times this season.