Cats find rhythm, win again

Published 1:18 am Saturday, March 14, 2009

It�s official: the Dalton High boys soccer team is kicking into high gear.

The Catamounts and keeper Ivan Salas narrowly missed their second consecutive shutout as Sequoyah�s Chiefs scored on just their second attempt of the night in the 79th minute, but Ricky Rodriguez�s two goals were enough for the 2-1 win in Region 7-4A action Friday night at Harmon Field.

�It was a sloppy game,� said coach Matt Cheaves, referring to the weather. �But we got the win.�

Rodriguez�s first goal came in the 28th minute and was assisted by Jesse Gonzalez. His second came on a corner kick from Jose Rangel in the 65th minute.

The Cats (5-3, 3-1) outshot Sequoyah 34-2, with Salas recording a save.

� Murray County girls 8, Adairsville 0: The host Lady Indians unleashed their offense to pick up their first win in eight tries this season.

Julieta Rodriguez and Mirely Cabral each scored twice, while Elena Salazar had a goal after making four saves as the team�s keeper in the first half. Tember Marchant, Grieselda Ruiz and Alma Ruiz each added a goal and Cheasea Spivey had two saves while working in goal the second half to complete the shutout.

� Murray County boys 6, Adairsville 0: The Indians completed the non-region sweep, getting two goals from Mickey Guerrero and a pair of assists from Edgar Reyes, while Rolando Reyes-Ambriz had two saves while playing the first half at keeper before scoring in the second half.

Rafael Pacheco had a goal and an assist, while Edwin Velasquez and Carlos Ortiz each added a goal and Aurelio Jacobo an assist. Juan Leon had four saves while working the second half in goal.

Murray County�s games today with visiting Cass have been moved up to earlier start times, with the girls kicking off at 11 a.m. and the boys following at 1 p.m.

� Cass boys 4, Northwest Whitfield 0: The Bruins (5-4, 1-2), thanks to tough luck, fell behind 3-0 by halftime after a penalty kick and a goal after a ball went into the net after inadvertently hitting a Colonels player in the head.

Northwest keeper Oscar Solarzano finished with nine saves as the Bruins were outshot 14-13.

In the girls game earlier, the Lady Bruins defeated Cass 2-1.

� Cumberland Christian 4, Christian Heritage 0: The Lions opened their season with five new starters on the field, including new keeper Damien Chaney, who made seven saves in his soccer debut.

� Sequoyah girls 3, Dalton 2: With 1:30 left in the second period of overtime, the Lady Catamounts (6-2-1, 3-1) were called for pushing in the back inside the box, which led to the Lady Chiefs winning on a penalty kick.

Imelda Cortez scored for Dalton 20 minutes into the first half and was assisted by Rachel Czyz as Dalton trailed 2-1 at halftime. Czyz scored an unassisted goal 10 minutes into the second half that tied the game.

Varsity baseball

� Christian Heritage 6, Flint River 5: The Lions (2-1, 2-0 in Region 4-2A) welcomed Flint River � the GISA Class 1A defending state champions � to a new classification by beating them in dramatic fashion as Christian Heritage right fielder Chase Kranzlein threw a one-hopper to catcher Parmalee Ward, who tagged out the game-tying run with two outs in the seventh.

The Lions built a 6-1 lead heading into the sixth, but Flint River scored four runs that inning and another in the seventh to get back in the game.

Jarred Cronan picked up the win, pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing four runs seven hits while striking out seven and walking one. At the plate, the Lions were led by Gray Hutchinson, who was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.

Varsity golf

� Northwest Whitfield�s girls team was sixth in the Gwinnett Open at The Chimneys Golf Course in Winder.

The Lady Bruins finished with 67 points in the Stableford modified scoring system used for the tourney, behind champion Mill Creek, Chattahoochee, Collins Hill, Peachtree Ridge and Woodward Academy, which finished with 68 points and was the highest-finishing Class 4A team besides Northwest.

Lauren Giambastiani and Turner Fordham each shot a 12-over par 84 as the lowest rounds for Northwest.

MS baseball

� Valley Point 9, Christian 4: The Green Waves (4-2) were led by Blake Foster, who picked up the win with five innings pitched; he allowed four runs on three hits and five walks while striking out three. Foster also had a hit and two RBIs, as did Rhett Harper. Tyler Hale was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

• Dalton 9, LaFayette 2: In a game played on Friday, Grant Sane went 2-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs, while Saul Lara, Will Erwin, Michael O’Brien and Brandon Potts each added two hits for the Cougars (2-0).

O’Brien also picked up the win, allowing one earned run on six hits and a walk while striking out two in five innings on the mound. Lara finished the job in relief, allowing no hits and striking out one.