Despite an early lead, the Dragons dropped to Anderson County 9-2 on Friday, May 7, ending their baseball playoff hopes for the season as Anderson County moves on to the second round of the losers bracket.
The Dragons swept to an early lead, taking two runs in the first inning for a strong start before giving up four to Anderson County at the bottom of the first and two more runs at the bottom of the second.
The Dragons held the Mavs at six runs for three innings before giving up three more in the final inning.
Errors cost the Dragons, as Clinton finished with four errors to AC’s zero, but Clinton did finish with seven hits to AC’s five.
Connor Tackett pitched all seven innings for the Mavs, finishing with 12 first- pitch strikes and seven strikeouts along with a 1.14 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched).
Meanwhile, Blake Lowe led the Dragons on the mound for five innings, finishing with 12 first-pitch strikes and eight strikeouts, as well as a WHIP of 1.00.
Clinton’s Ryan Bradley slides into the ball in front of Anderson County’s Josh Valero in the Clinton-Anderson County soccer game on May 4. Anderson County won 9-0. - Tony Cox
Claxton native Kelley Wandell has earned the 2021 J.D. Davis Award as the top senior female athlete at Maryville College.
Claxton native Kelley Wandell has earned the 2021 J.D. Davis Award as the top senior female athlete at Maryville College.
Wandell, a 2016 Clinton High School graduate, played volleyball and basketball at Maryville, helping to lead her volleyball team to a conference championship in 2019 while helping her basketball team win this past season’s USA South Conference Tournament.
The award is voted by Maryville College coaches based on qualities of leadership, Christian values, and academic and athletic abilities. Wandell was one of four finalists for the award named after a longtime Maryville coach.
During four years of volleyball, Wandell recorded 275 kills and 68 blocks. Coach Kandis Schram praised Wandell’s play and leadership — qualities especially crucial in winning the 2019 conference volleyball championship.
Kaitlyn McKamey sends a grounder out near the end of the Lady Mavericks’ first district game against Campbell County. The Lady Mavs won 15-0. - Collin Riggs
Anderson County entered the district softball tournament strong on Wednesday, May 5, beating Campbell County 15-0 over four innings to move on to the next round.
Makayla Simmons pitched a perfect game for the Lady Mavs, finishing with six first- pitch strikes and nine strikeouts, as well as a WHIP (Walks plus hits per inning pitching) of 0.00.
At bat, Abbie Buswell led the Lady Mavs with three hits and three RBI, followed by Lea Elkins with a single hit and three RBI and MaKenzie Henderson with two hits and three RBI. Hannah Hooks and Kaitlyn McKamey also managed to get one base with a single walk each.
In the next round of the tournament, the Lady Mavs dropped to Karns 11-7 after nine hits and seven errors. Reece Simpson, after a stretch of sickness that took kept her from pitching against Campbell County earlier in the week, returned to the mound for the Mavericks, pitching five innings to finish with 13 first-pitch strikes and two strikeouts. Simpson finished with a WHIP of 1.80.
