BRIEFS: Danville Wins First Game Of Appy League Series

Bristol Herald Courier

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. – Brett Oberholtzer threw a complete game five-hitter as the Danville Braves collected a 7-1 win over the Elizabethton Twins in the first game of the Appalachian League championship series at Joe O’Brien Field on Wednesday night.

Oberholtzer allowed one run, walked one and finished with six strikeouts. The left-hander was 6-2 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts during the regular season.

“This game meant a lot,” Oberholtzer said after the longest outing of his two-year minor-league career. “We knew if we won this game [on the road], we would have a good chance of winning the championship.”

Danville trailed 1-0 before tying the game in the fifth and taking the lead in the sixth.

Matthew Weaver had three hits for the Braves, while Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg drove in three runs. Derek McCallum scored the lone run for Elizabethton.

Game 2 of the best-of-3 series is tonight in Danville. A third game, if necessary, will be played Friday in Danville.

Four BriSox promoted
Four members of the Bristol White Sox have been promoted to Class AAA Charlotte to play the final seven games of the season.

Relief pitcher Brent DeFoor, catcher Miguel Gonzalez, infielder Jose Fulgencio and outfielder Brady Shoemaker will finish the season with the Knights of the International League.

Shoemaker was Bristol’s team MVP this summer, hitting .351 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs. Gonzalez (.311, four homers, 19 RBIs), Fulgencio (.184, eight RBIs) and DeFoor (2-2, three saves, 2.31 ERA) were all key contributors for the BriSox.

John Battle 3, Coeburn 0
Ashley Bryant had 12 kills, eight service points, four digs and two aces as John Battle improved to 3-0 with a 25-17, 25-18, 25-21 non-district victory.
Brittni Altmann added 26 assists, eight kills, eight service points and three aces for Battle, which travels to Clinch Mountain District rival Gate City tonight.
Kelsey Griffitts (22 kills, 13 assists, two blocks) and Abby Davis (seven digs) also played well for the Trojans.

Richlands 3, Bland 2
The Blues held on for their third non-district win, 18-25, 25-17, 25-19, 21-25, 15-10.
Ashley Morgan contributed 16 kills to the Richlands’ effort. Cassie Ringstaff had 22 assists and 16 digs, and Morgan Hill added 13 digs and 5 service aces.

Montreat 3, UVa.-Wise 0
Samantha Brummette dished out 37 assists, but it wasn’t enough as the University of Virginia’s College at Wise lost its season opener.
Mikaela Anders (nine kills), Autumn Chisenhall (22 assists) and Ruth Hoover (four digs) also played well for UVa.-Wise.
The loss spoiled Kendall Rainey’s debut as the Cavs’ head coach. 

King blanks LMU
Junior Maggie Lynskey’s goal off a corner kick lifted King College to a 1-0 win against Lincoln Memorial Wednesday in Harrogate, Tenn.
The win was the Lady Tornado’s first in NCAA Division II provisional play.

With regulation time almost finished, freshman Jamie Grigsby took a corner kick that Lynskey was able to convert. King outshot the Lady Railsplitters, 7-4.

“We were a bit sloppy in the first half, but we ... made the changes necessary as we started the [second] half,” King coach Michael Swan said.

The Lady Tornado will play host to Emory & Henry on Saturday, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

LM event set at Wythe
The sixth annual Pro Late Model Nationals will be held Sept. 4-6 at Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Va.

More than 70 cars from 10 states are expected to compete in the $10,000-to-win event. Friday will be used an open practice session, with qualifying set for Saturday and racing on Sunday.

The list of local drivers expected to race includes Wytheville’s Tam Topham, Rural Retreat’s Brandon Umberger and current track Late Model points leader Chad Hale of Wytheville. Austin Dillon, grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, won last year’s event.

Action each night begins at 7 p.m., with advance two-day tickets available on Saturday night.

Holman to run at Concord
Abingdon’s Caleb Holman will compete in Saturday’s Concord 250 United States Auto Racing Pro Cup event at Concord Motorsports Park in Concord, N.C.
Holman, who drives for Abingdon-based Henderson Motorsports, is seventh in UARA points.
The race begins at 7 p.m.

Wasps fall to ASU
Emory & Henry opened the season Tuesday night with a 10-0 loss to Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.
ASU led 5-0 at halftime.
E&H travels to Sewanee on Sept. 12, then plays host to Roanoke Sept. 16 in the home opener.