April 23, 2009

sports

Baseball team wins two
It was one for the history books Friday night, April 17, as the YSHS baseball team scored 29 runs on 26 hits, four of which were home runs, to beat Xenia Chistian 29–11. 

The Bulldogs, coming off of a 13–3 loss the previous evening to Middletown Christian, came in high spirits and ready to play. Xenia Christian batters scored three runs in the first inning, but Yellow Springs answered with back-to-back home runs from seniors Joe Fugate and Jamie Kitzmiller, followed by nine additional runs in the first.

Senior Matt Finn hit his home run in the second inning, and the first hit of freshman A.J. Wagner’s career was a home run in the fourth inning. Nearly every player scored, including four each for Kevin Sikes-Gilbert, Austin Severtson and Fugate, followed by three each for Tyler Fox, Jeremy Paul, Kitzmiller and Finn. Corey Daniels and Lucas Donnell had two runs each. Starting pitcher Joe Fugate got the win but was relieved by Paul in the fourth to save him for the following day. The game ended with the run rule in the fifth inning.

The Bulldogs started play in the Northridge tournament early on Saturday, April 18, first against Oakwood. Highly overmatched, the Bulldogs fared better in their second game against Trotwood, who lost earlier against Northridge. Sikes-Gilbert got the scoring started in the first inning, reaching on a single, advancing on two wild pitches and scoring on a popfly RBI from Severtson. The Rams answered with two runs, but Severtson, Fugate and Kitzmiller scored in the third to keep the ’Dogs in the lead. With the score tied at 4 in the sixth, Donnell took the mound, struck out the first two batters, and took out Trotwood’s strongest hitter on a pop fly to the Bulldogs’ rock in center field, Tyler Fox. The ’Dogs scored four more runs in the seventh to open the way for fast pitch Fugate to finish the 8–5 win.

Tennis team wins 1, loses 1
The YSHS tennis team beat Xenia Christian 3–2 on Thursday, April 16, and then lost 4–1 to Xenia High School the following day.

Against Xenia Christian, on the first singles court Addison Pettiford lost to Jacob Holloway 6–0, 6–0, while Carl Weiner lost at second singles 2–6, 6–3, 1–6. On the third court, Will Turner defeated Andrew McNeely 6–3, 6–3, 6–3.

Doubles teams saved the day, as Isaac Haller and Nick Sontag won their first doubles match 6–3, 6–1, and Savita Vathija and Philip Murray also took their court 6–2, 6–1.

Against Xenia High School, Pettiford and Weiner lost their singles courts in straight sets, while Turner produced the day’s only win and shut out against Shea Washburn, 6-0, 6-0.

Haller and Sontag lost 4–6, 3–6 at first doubles, while Vathija and Murray put up a fight but also lost 6–7 (7–1), 3–6 at second doubles.

Bulldogs second at KTC meet
The Bulldogs were in a familiar record-setting mood when they went down to Waynesville Friday, April 17, for the Old KTC Invitational. And the result was three meet records, six first-place finishes, and a night of personal and season bests. The Yellow Springs boys finished second with 106 points, behind Clinton Massie with 117, out of a field of eight schools.

Blowing it open in the 4x800 relay early in the meet, senior Anthony Pettiford burst off the starting line to set up teammates Alexis Onfroy, Jake GunderKline and Brock GunderKline to race virtually unchallenged and post an area Div. III 8:25 standard by 15 seconds.

Onfroy then broke a second meet record to post a 4:38.6 season best time in the 1600-meter run. The third record went to Jacob GunderKline, who separated himself from the field in the 3200-meter run and finished the eight-circuit race with a final 68-second lap and a winning time of 9:59.2, 45 seconds ahead of the next runner.

The fourth Bulldog win of the night came from the 4x200 relay team of Tony Parker, Logan Norris-Sayres, Raphael Allen and Mario Cosey, who edged past Greeneview to grab the victory in 1:36.5

And the wins kept coming. The boys 4x400 relay of Pettiford, Josh Meadows and Brock and Jake GunderKline averaged 55 seconds each leg to win in 3:40.6. Then superflier Chris Johnson took down the long jump competition with a leap of 19'2.5".

Other ’Dogs scoring points were Cosey with a second-place finish in the 100-meter dash in 11.36 seconds. Norris-Sayres was sixth in the same event. Brock GunderKline finished second in the 800, with Robinson-Hubbuch finishing fourth. Cosey came in third in the 200 dash, while Tony Parkey was fifth. Allen took third in the long jump, while the 4x100 relay squad of Cosey, Norris-Sayres, Sam Morrison and Allen added six points with a third-place finish.

Other solid performances were turned in by Gabe Amrhein, Steve Scott, Mitchell Brickson and Nick Whalen.

Girls track finishes fourth at KTC
The YSHS girls track team, with only six athletes competing, surprised even themselves when they finished fourth out of eight teams with 55.75 points, behind winner Waynesville at the KTC meet.

The Lady Bulldogs were led by team captain Brenda Jones, who ran three back-to-back races to take second with a lean into the finish of the 100-meter dash, third in the 100 hurdles and contributed to a first-place finish of 1:55.1 in the 4x200 relay with teammates Elizabeth Gonder, Ryder Comstock and Melodie Wright. The same foursome also finished fourth in the 4x400 relay to conclude the meet.

Other Bulldogs also showed their talents, as Wright excelled to second place in the 200-meter dash, which with Liz Gonder’s third-place finish won the team 14 points. The doubling strategy also paid off in the 400-meter dash, with Gonder as a strong second and Comstock fifth.

Reini Brickson placed fifth in the high jump and earned lifetime best times in the 1600 and the 3200. Paige Evans took sixth in the long jump with a leap of 12'7".

Major league ball tryouts Saturday

Local youth interested in playing in the Yellow Springs Youth Baseball Major League this coming summer are encouraged to attend a skills evaluation and tryout session this Saturday, April 25. The session will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on the Major League field at Gaunt Park.

Boys and girls ages 11 and up and who have not turned age 15 by June 1 are Major League eligible. Ten-year-olds with exceptional skills may also be considered. Players should arrive ready to demonstrate their skills at hitting, fielding and pitching.

Registration for both the Minor and Major leagues can be submitted at the program Web site, www.leaguelineup.com/ysoyouthbb. Select online forms from the left-side menu, and then click on the link for either Minor League or Major League registration. Boys and girls who have turned age six by Jan. 1 through those that have not turned 12 by June 1 are eligible for the coach-pitch Minor League, where 2009 fees are $25 per player. Major League fees are $40 per player. A registration form that can be downloaded and printed, as well as general information and program guidelines, can be downloaded from the “Handouts” section of the site, accessible from the home page. Anyone without a computer can call 767-8702 and make arrangements to pick up a form or have it sent to them. Registration can also be completed on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to noon at Gaunt Park across from the swimming pool or at the skills evaluation and tryout Saturday afternoon.

Seadogs meeting, sign up

The Seadogs will hold their final organizational meeting before the swim season starts at the Yellow Springs Community Library, Tuesday, May 5, at 7 p.m. Registration for the swim team will be held Monday, June 1, between 6 and 7:30 p.m., at the Yellow Springs High School cafeteria.

McKinney girls win home meet

McKinney Middle School hosted an invitational track meet on Thursday, April 16, and came away victorious on the girls’ side, while the boys team finished fifth out of nine schools.

Leading the Bullpups to their victory was Lois Miller, who established a new McKinney school record in the 1600 with her winning time of 5:44. Miller also won the 800 in 2:40.3. In the field, Angela Allen winged her way to a victorious discus toss of 74'7". And TT Colquitt overwhelmed the field with a shot put throw of 26' 8". Briana Ayers scored 17 points with two third-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and a fourth-place finish in the 100 high hurdles.

The McKinney girls also won both the 400 and the mile relays and finished second in the 800 relay.

For the boys, eighth grader Roland Newsome won the long jump with a leap of 17'6" and took second in the high jump. Eli Biggs placed second in the 400.