Cardinal Sports — The Villagers Voice

Jr. Cards Finish Week in Thrilling Fashion

August 26, 2015 by Kathy Sands

Nathaniel Wilson takes the swing.

"Save the best for last," is a saying that fits the NCOE Junior Cardinal baseball team in their last game of the week against their last non-conference opponent of the week when they traveled to Wayne City to take on the Junior Indians.

First inning action would find Wayne City jumping out to an early 1-0 lead. Little did anyone expect, but this is where the score would remain until the sixth inning. The top of the sixth is when NCOE would finally break their scoreless streak and cross the plate to tie the game at 1-1. This tie would not last long as Wayne City scored in the bottom of the sixth to reclaim the lead at 2-1. NCOE found themselves scoring another run in the top of the seventh and holding Wayne City scoreless to force extra innings with the score knotted at two all. Both teams would threaten each inning of extended play, but defense as well as strong pitching would come up victorious as both teams were kept off the board for four consecutive innings. Finally, in the top of the 12th the NCOE bats came alive, and the Junior Cardinals were able to cross the plate six times to pull ahead by the score of 8-2. This is all the insurance NCOE would need as they held Wayne City scoreless once again and walked away with the six run victory.

Nathaniel Wilson, Trey Simmons, and C.J. Richardson led the team with three hits each in the contest. Wilson also scored two runs and collected an RBI while Simmons and Richardson scored one run and had two RBI's. Others with a hit for the Jr. Cards were Bryce Jolley, Jack Riggs, Peyton Edwards, and Ty Money. Scoring a run for NCOE was Bryce Jolley, Jack Riggs, Ty Money, and Wade Sauls.

Jack Riggs was called on for pitching duties and he went eight innings giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and striking out 12. Nathaniel Wilson came in to relieve Riggs in the ninth inning and threw the final four innings allowing no runs on four hits and striking out nine.

"Defensively we played great and really stepped it up this game. Pitching was strong, but the bats struggled to get going. The team battled all the way until the end where it really came together in the twelfth," stated Coach Shea Smith.

Runs Hits Errors

NCOE 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 6 8 13 1

W.C. 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 5

Warrior Defense Holds Strong Against Jr. Cards

August 26, 2015 by Becky Weaver

Following their season opening victory against Grayville on Monday, Coach Shea Smith's Junior Cardinal baseball team ventured to Ewing on Tuesday to take on the Warriors and attempt to continue their winning ways.

The game started out slow for both squads as neither team was able to push a run across the plate in the first inning. This drought quickly changed in the bottom of the second when the Jr. Warriors crossed the plate two times to take an early 2-0 lead. NCOE got their bats going in the third inning and answered back with three runs of their own to claim the 3-2 lead. This lead did not last long for the Jr. Warriors would once again score two runs to reclaim the lead at 4-3 heading into the fourth inning. Fourth inning action found both teams scoring one run a piece keeping the Jr. Cardinal deficit at one. NCOE would hold Ewing scoreless in the fifth inning as well as post another run in the top of the fifth to tie the contest at 5-5. The top of the sixth inning is when the Jr. Cardinals would claim their first lead of the game at 6-5, but Ewing fought back in the bottom of the sixth to plate two additional runs and gain the lead back at 7-6. With only three outs remaining, the Jr. Cards knew they had to score to play on, and they did just that as they tied the game at seven all. Just as they had the whole game, the Jr. Warriors found a way to push a run across the plate and defeat NCOE by the final score of 8-7.

Bryce Jolley had the hot bat for NCOE as he ripped out three hits and scored two runs. Nathaniel Wilson followed with two hits of his own along with one run scored. C.J. Richardson and Lucas Browning each had a hit, scored a run, and collected an RBI. Ty Money and Trey Simmons each had a hit and scored a run.

Nathaniel Wilson was the starting pitcher for the Jr. Cards as he went three innings allowing four runs on five hits while striking out four. Trey Simmons relieved Wilson to pitch the final three innings. Simmons allowed four runs (three earned) as well on three hits and struck out three.

NCOE (1-1) will wrap up their week Friday when they travel to Wayne City.

Runs Hits Errors

NCOE 0 0 3 1 1 1 1 7 9 3

Ewing 0 2 2 1 0 2 1 8 8 0

Crab Orchard halts Lady Cardinal winning streak

April 22, 2015 by Villagers Voice

After collecting two consecutive victories in the week, the NCOE Lady Cardinal softball team knew they had their work cut out for them against the Crab Orchard Lady Trojans if they were going to be able to make this a perfect three for three on the week. Crab Orchard, whom most have picked to be the top team in the Greater Egyptian Conference this season, came into this contest with a 13-1 overall record and an undefeated conference record to this point. Not to mention, the Lady Trojans were returning all but one starter from last year’s team that reached the Class A Regional Championship game.

First inning action was a little rocky for NCOE as they allowed seven Lady Trojans to reach base and five of those crossed the plate to take a 5-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, the Lady Cardinals were able to put the ball in play, but stellar defense by Crab Orchard kept the bases clear. The second inning wasn’t much better for NCOE as their defense was all but flawless and they allowed three more runs to score, putting Crab Orchard ahead by a score of 8-0. This score would hold until the top of the fourth inning when the Lady Trojans struck once again for one run to increase their lead to 9-0.

Hits were hard to come by in this game for the Lady Cardinals, but Brit Peyton and Ally Black each collected a single for NCOE in the bottom of the fourth inning to spoil the no hit bid by Crab Orchard pitcher Brooke Arnold. Unfortunately, they were unable to score. The fifth inning action gave way to one more Crab Orchard run to see NCOE fall behind 10-0 with one more chance to score in order to keep the game going, but once again, lights out pitching and perfect defense did not allow NCOE to cross the plate as they fell by the final score of 10-0.

Ally Black took the mound for NCOE in the contest. Black went four innings, giving up nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits while recording five strikeouts. Caite Weiss relieved Black to pitch one inning giving up one run on one hit while recording two strikeouts.

“Crab Orchard has the best pitcher that we have faced thus far in the season, and one of the best, if not the best that we will see all year. The girl’s never backed down and went up to bat and put the ball in play and made them make a play. Unfortunately for us, they made the plays and never committed an error.” This loss dropped the Lady Cardinals to 4-3 on the year and 2-1 in the GEC.

NCOE will travel to Crab Orchard on Tuesday, April 21, then play at home on April 23 against Hardin County and again on April 24 against Galatia.

Black strikes out 10 in Lady Card victory

April 22, 2015 by Becky Weaver

Following a week full of wet weather and two rained out games, the Lady Cardinal softball team was anxious to get back into action. And that is exactly what NCOE did when they traveled to Grayville Monday afternoon.

First inning action witnessed the Lady Cardinals sending eight batters to the plate and coming away with three runs on five hits. This strong start motivated the Lady Cardinals defensively as they did not allow a run in the bottom of the first inning to maintain their 3-0 lead. NCOE slowed down a little in the second inning but was still able to score a run and increase their lead to 4-0. After a three up, three down bottom half of the second, the Lady Cardinals picked up two runs in the top of the third to extend their lead to 6-0. The bottom half of the third is where NCOE had a little bit of a defensive let down as they allowed two Bison runs to cross the plate narrowing their lead to 6-2. Fourth inning action saw the Lady Cardinals claim another run only to allow one in return to Grayville in the bottom half to bring the score to 7-3. In the fifth inning, NCOE scored another run and held Grayville scoreless for the third time in the contest to go up 8-3. The sixth inning appeared to be where the Lady Cardinals were tired of letting the Bison hang around as they scored five runs to go ahead 13-3. Knowing all they needed was to hold the Lady Bison to another scoreless inning to end the game was obviously too much for the Lady Cardinals as they allowed two runs to cross the plate forcing the seventh and final inning. In the seventh inning both teams held strong defensively as neither team would allow a baserunner nor score a run allowing the Lady Cardinals to walk away with the 13-5 victory.

Sydney Tucker had a team high of four hits on the day with one being a double. Tucker also collected three RBI’s and scored three runs. Brit Peyton knocked out three hits of her own with one being a triple, collected three RBI’s, and scored one run. Ally Black also had three hits with one RBI and two runs scored. Riley Cozart gathered three hits as well along with one RBI and two runs scored. Elizabeth Martin picked up two hits on the day with three runs scored. Caite Weiss was credited with one hit along with three RBI’s, and Brittany Thomas added a hit of her own. Jenn’na Wurst and Morgan Phillips each scored a run for NCOE.

Ally Black was called on for pitching duties today. Black pitched all seven innings and allowed five runs on five hits while striking out a season high 10 batters. This win improved the Lady Cardinals record to 3-2 overall.

BATTLE OF THE BIRDS IN SEASON OPENER

April 1, 2015 by Becky Weaver

Cardinal Softball

by Becky Weaver

Monday was the beginning of the NCOE Lady Cardinal softball season as they traveled to West Frankfort for their first game. Knowing West Frankfort already had three games under their belts against some top notch teams, and NCOE had yet to be able to practice on an actual ball field due to wet weather conditions, the Lady Cardinals were aware this would be a tall task.

This task nonetheless was one NCOE was ready to face as they loaded the bases in their first inning of play. Although the Lady Cardinals loaded the bases, they were unable to push a run across the plate and left three runners stranded. West Frankfort, realizing they could not take NCOE lightly, responded in the bottom of the first inning to score four runs and take the 4-0 lead. The next three innings saw NCOE put the bat on the ball, but stellar defense from West Frankfort kept the Lady Cardinals from putting any runners on the base paths. Along with errorless defense, West Frankfort was able to add an additional five runs to their total to take a 9-0 lead going into the fifth inning. The top of the fifth inning is where NCOE finally broke through as Lexie Money got on base with a single followed by a double from Morgan Phillips and then Elizabeth Martin received the only walk West Frankfort would allow in the game. At this point, NCOE had loaded the bases for the second time in the game. Sydney Tucker came to bat and hit a two run double which narrowed the Redbird lead to 9-2. West Frankfort answered back in the bottom of the fifth with three runs of their own defeating NCOE 12-2.

Sydney Tucker led the way for the Lady Cardinals with two hits (one double) and two RBI's. Morgan Phillips also collected a double on the day along with one run. Lexie Money had one hit and scored one run, and Britt Peyton collected a hit.

Ally Black was called on for pitching duties and collected two strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings of action. NCOE (0-1) will travel to Gallatin County on Tuesday to take on the Lady Hawks in their first conference game of the season.

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Jr. Cardinals place fourth at State

April 1, 2015 by Villagers Voice

After winning their Regional last week, the NCOE Grade School varsity volleyball team traveled to Nashville to compete in the Class M State Tournament.

They first met Christopher in the quarter final and the first game was all NCOE as they won with only 5 servers 25-10. But Christopher had other planes and fought back to win the second game 25-22. So the Cards went to a third game and won in exciting fashion 15-9.

“To get tot he top four is very special,”Coach Melton said. “We really wanted the girls to have this chance,” she added.

That win moved NCOE into the semifinals where they met Unity Point who had handed the Cards their only defeat. The team put up a good fight in the first game, but eventually fell 16-25. In the second game it was all Unity Point as they won 25-10.

“Our defense made a good effort but their outstanding hitter just kept us off pace,” Melton said.The Cards had to immediately regroup to face Lebanon in the third place game. The NCOE squad played hard but the wear and tear of the two previous matches made it difficult to maintain their offense and they fell in two 19-25, 20-25.

“The girls kept it close, but just couldn’t get a lead,” Melton said.

Natalie Wilson led the scoring for the day with 19 point. Curtlyn Hayes followed with 14. Emilee Bishop served 11 points with Baylee Sutton serving 8. Emily Cox had six, Halle Everett 5 and Haleigh Poole two.

Offensively, Everett and Bishop led with 15 kills each. Wilson had three as Brooke Sell recorded two and one each was added by Hayes and Sutton. Wilson ran the offense with 22 assists. Hayes had 5 with Bishop having 3 and Ever 2. Sell and Sutton had one each.

Defensively, Everett and Hayes had 18 digs each. Sutton and Bishop contributed 12 digs apiece with Sell having nine. Cox and Poole had four digs each and Wilson one. Everett had 4 direct blocks and Bishop one.

The day ended with NCOE finishing with a 19-3 record and fourth place in Class M.

“I was proud of these girls all season and how they represented NCOE. They played hard and were so coachable. It was an enjoyable year,” Coach Melton finished.

The team enjoyed the season more because of the great fan support they had all year. Sharing the year with each and their families made it special.

They again thank the Omaha and Norri city Fire Departments and the City Police for the escort into town Saturday afternoon. Thank you to Mr. Flecks and Mr. Reavis for their support throughout the season and Mr. Buchta for his help in getting the court ready for practice and games. Also a thank you goes to The Villagers’ Voice for their coverage all season and the wonderful double page after NCOE’s Regional win. And thanks for Paul Black for all the photographs.

This team represented NC and Booth Schools well, both on and off the court. They are fine student-athletes. Our communities are proud of them.

Final Match Sees Cardinals Easily Defeat Wildcats

March 25, 2015 by Cathy Black

On Monday, March 17, the NCOE volleyball squads played their final, regular season match by welcoming Carrier Mills to Price Gym.

It was 8th grade night, honoring 10 players who are completing their grade school careers. On the court, the Cards took care of the Wildcats, winning 25-10, 25-6.

Curtlyn Hayes and Natalie Wilson led the scoring with 8 points each as Haleigh Poole was right behind with 7. Baylee Sutton served four points as did Emily Cox. Emilee Bishop and Presleigh Bishop had 3 points each. Laney Cawthron and Caitlin South served, but did not score.

Halle Everett led the offense with 12 kills as Emilee Bishop added 3. Brooke Sell went 3 for 4, Sutton was 3 for 5, and one hit each was recorded by Wilson, Hayes and Presleigh Bishop. Wilson also had 13 assists.

Sutton recorded 2 digs on the defensive side.

The win gave the Cards a regular season record of 16-1 and 7-0 Conference record.

"This has been a great group of girls to work with. They have supported each other as teammates should," Coach Melton said.

The seventh grade team had a tough night as they lost the closest of matches in 3 games, 26-24, 24-26, 13-15.

"It was a tough loss and the girls worked so hard," Black stated. "I really enjoyed this team."

Evie Duncan led the scoring with 9 points as Mattie Wells, Frankie Hayes and Adrienne Frymire each served 7. Tori Karnes finished with 5 and Kilee Roser and Abby Black had 2 each.

Offensively, Frymire led with 4 kills as Duncan had 3. Black had 2 kills and Hayes, Roser and Karnes each had one. Karnes and Black had 3 assists with Hayes, Roser, Duncan, and Frymire having one assist apiece.

The loss gave the team an 8-3 season record and a 4-3 Conference record.

The "C" game ended on a high note as the Cards won 40-24 in a 20 minute game. Haley Dagley, Madyson Barton and Mattie Wells led the scoring with five each. Madison Cozart had 3 with Aleksa Hall, Makayla Healy and Sophie Neal having 2 points each and Emma Gwaltney with one.

Kennedy Cook led the offense with 4 kills. Hall, Cozart and Dagley each recorded one kill. Healy had 4 assists as Hall, Barton, and Cozart had one assist each.

Jadyn Ash and Zeppelyn Fiala also participated in the win.

Cardinals Win Conference

March 25, 2015 by Cathy Black

On Saturday, March 14, the NCOE 8th grade volleyball team gave Coach Jaclyn Melton a first in her three-year career as head coach. They won the Conference Tournament in resounding fashion with quick wins over Carrier Mills and Crab Orchard.

"I know the girls wanted to win this for Coach Melton and they were so excited when they did," Coach Black stated.

In the first match with Carrier Mills, the Cards won 25-8, 25-11.

Emilee Bishop led the serving with 19 as Curtlyn Hays served 11.

"They are our number one and two servers and took care of the majority of it," Melton said. Halle Everett added two, with one being scored by Emily Cox, Haleigh Poole, Natalie Wilson and Baylee Sutton.

Everett led the offense with 13 kills. Sell had three kills with two kills each from Bishop and Wilson. Hayes and Sutton had one kill apiece. Wilson also had 13 assists to run the offense as Hayes and Bishop had two each and Everett and Sell had one.

After sitting a while, the team stepped on the court to play Crab Orchard for the Championship.

The sitting and bit of nervousness showed at the beginning of the game as NCOE found themselves down 7-11. Coach Melton called a timeout to settle her players down and they responded by allowing only one more point as Wilson served them into a giant lead and they won 25-12. Crab could not recover and the Cards won the second 25-11.

"I was glad to see how the girls responded to a tight situation. They learn from these," Melton said.

Wilson led all servers with 17 points. Bishop and Hayes had 8 and 6 points respectively. Cox added 4, with Poole, Everett, and Sutton each having one.

Everett led the attack with 8 kills. Bishop and Sell each had one. Wilson ran the offense with 6, Hayes had two, and Sell one.

The Cards had a busy time defensively as they handled Crab Orchard's offense with 20 total digs. Hayes led that defense with 6 digs followed by Sell with 5. Bishop had 3, Everett and Sutton had 2 digs each. Wilson and Poole had one each.

The win gave them the Conference title and a 15-1 record.