Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Walton-Verona, Owensboro Catholic, Newport Central Catholic and Bishop Brossart have advanced to the semifinals of the Touchstone Energy All “A” Classic girls’ tournament.

Saturday’s semifinals in the Frankfort Convention Center will match NewCath vs. Brossart at 10 a.m., followed by Walton-Verona against Owensboro Catholic.

Walton-Verona 61, Monroe County 39: Courtney Sandlin pours in 20 points to propel the Bearcats. Kara Taulbee adds 15, all on three-pointers, followed by Michelle Judy with 11 points and Molly Clinkenbears with 10.

Monroe’s Madison Clements and Caylan Bybee score nine points each. Bybee fouls out with 2:05 left.

Bearcats lead by 17: Walton-Verona has pulled out to a 44-27 lead over Walton-Verona through three quarters.

The Bearcats have made six three-pointers — five by Kara Taulbee — to Monroe’s two (both by Molly Harlin).

Taulbee and Courtney Sandlin have 15 points each to lead Walton-Verona.

Caylan Bybee leads the Falcons with eight points, one more than Madison Clements.

Bearcats lead at half: Tied at 10 midway through the first quarter, Walton-Verona goes on a 13-0 run en route to a 27-13 halftime lead over Monroe County.

Courtney Sandlin, a 5-foot-11 junior, scored the first 11 points in that stretch, with Michelle Judy adding the bucket that gave the Bearcats a 23-10 lead midway through the second quarter.

Sandlin finishes the half with 13 points. Judy and Kara Taulbee have six each.

Monroe, runner-up to Owensboro Catholic in last year’s All “A” Classic, has Molly Harlin with six points. Caylan Bybee, the Falcons’ 6-1 senior center, has been held to a free throw and six rebounds.

No. 1 vs. No. 2: In a quarterfinals matchup of the top two teams in the tournament — according to Dave Cantrall’s rankings — No. 2 Walton-Verona leads No. 1 Monroe County 14-10 after one quarter in the Touchstone Energy All “A” Classic.

Kara Taulbee leads the Bearcats with six points, coming on a pair of three-pointers.

Madison Clements has four points for the Falcons.

Owensboro Catholic 49, Magoffin County 46: The Lady Aces led wire-to-wire, using a 9-0 run in the third quarter to break open a close game.

The 9-0 flurry gave the Aces a 31-18 lead with 3:55 left in the quarter.

The lead got up to 14 in the fourth quarter at 45-31.

Magoffin rallied to within 47-44 with 30 seconds left.

Mary Kate Clemens led Owensboro Catholic with 20 points, half of those coming in the fourth quarter. Destiny Howard and Leah Greathouse added 12 points apiece.

Madison Reed scored 20 for Magoffin, while Jamie Castle had 19.

Owensboro Catholic leads Magoffin County: It’s 33-23 in favor of the defending tournament champions after three quarters.

Leah Greathouse, Mary Kate Clemens and Destiny Howard have 10 points each for the Aces.

Madison Reed leads Magoffin with 10 and Jamie Castle has eight.

Aces lead 20-16 at halftime: Owensboro Catholic leads Magoffin County 20-16 at halftime.

The Aces have led all the way, but never by more than six points.

Magoffin is shooting just 13 percent (3-for-23), but has cashed in on 10 of 12 free throws and turned the ball over only two times.

Owensboro Catholic isn’t exactly lighting it up, either. The Aces are 8-for-28 (28.6 percent) from the floor, 4-for-6 at the foul line. The Aces are outrebounding the Hornets 27-15, but have committed seven turnovers.

Mary Kate Clemens is pacing the leaders with 10 points and five rebounds. Destiny Howard has eight caroms to go with four points.

Jamie Castle and Madison Reed have six points each for the Hornets. Morgan Arnett has five rebounds, plus two points.

Defending champs lead: Defending champion Owensboro Catholic leads Magoffin County 12-8 after one quarter of their girls’ All “A” Class quarterfinals matchup.

Mary Kate Clemens leads the Aces with six points.

Magoffin’s Jamie Castle has four points, all from the free-throw line.

Bishop Brossart 49, Louisville Holy Cross 43: Sarah Futscher scored 12 points and Abby Studtmiller had 10 to pace the Lady Stangs’ victory in the quarterfinals.

Brossart, ahead by seven points through three quarters, never let Holy Cross closer than five points in the fourth.

Maya Hardin had 15 points for the Lady Cougars, while Josie Hockman had 10.

Brossart will face Newport Central Catholic in Saturday’s first semifinal, at 10 a.m.

Stangs lead by seven through three quarters: Bishop Brossart leads Louisville Holy Cross 38-31 through three quarters.

Abby Studtmiller leads the Lady Stangs with 10 points. Sarah Futscher has eight.

Maya Hardin leads Holy Cross with 11 points.

10-point game at halftime: Bishop Brossart closes the first half with a 7-0 run to take a 30-20 lead over Louisville Holy Cross.

The Lady Stangs, outrebounded 16-9, nevertheless worked the ball inside and drew 11 fouls on Holy Cross. As a result, Brossart outscored the Lady Cougars 13-3 at the free-throw line.

Sarah Futscher leads Brossart with eight points.

Maya Hardin tops Holy Cross with six points.

First-quarter update: Louisville Holy Cross snd Bishop Brossart are tied at 13 through one quarter.

The winner will meet Newport Central Catholic in Saturday’s semifinals.

Josie Hoskins leads Holy Cross with five points. Abby Studtmiller and Sarah Futscher have six points each for Brossart.

Newport Central Catholic 51, Green County 37: The Thoroughbreds maintained throughout the fourth quarter and advanced to Saturday’s 10 a.m.  semifinals of the All “A” Classic.

Nicole Kiernan, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, led NewCath with 22 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals, all while committing only one turnover.

Micah Jones totaled 24 points, seven boards and four steals to lead Green County.

Third-quarter update: Newport Central Catholic went on a 12-0 run in the third quarter and leads 32-23 with one period left. Nicole Kiernan scored 12 points in the quarter and has 18 for the game.

Green County led 18-14 when Micah Jones hit a three-pointer to open the second half. The lead was 20-18 when NewCath made its run to grab a 30-20 lead.

First-half summary: Green County leads Newport Central Catholic 15-14 at halftime of the opening quarterfinals matchup in the girls’ All “A” Classic in the Frankfort Convention Center.

Western Kentucky signee Micah Jones leads Green County with nine points and seven rebounds.

Nicole Kiernan has six points and eight boards for NewCath.

Green’s zone held the Thoroughbreds to 3-for-14 shooting in the first half, but NewCath warmed up with a 4-for-10 effort in the second quarter.

The Lady Dragons, facing a man-to-man defense, shot 4-for-12 in the first quarter and 1-for-11 in the second.

Tied at 2, 4 and 6, Green County used an 8-0 run to lead early in the second quarter. NewCath outscored the Dragons 8-1 the rest of the period.

A variety of current and former professional baseball players will come together Feb. 4-5 for the International Youth Baseball Coaches Association Summit at Transylvania University.

That will be preceded by the Cincinnati Reds Cararvan, Jan. 26-29. The Reds’ annual visit to Lexington is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 29, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Lexington Center (more details below).

Leading off this blog, though, is the clinic at Transy. The program, intended for coaches, is marketed as a “30-day guide to developing a dominate baseball player.”

Feb. 4 speakers are: Willie Blair, on common delivery flaws and fixes; Keith Madison, on mental domination on the mound; Robbie Ross, on developing nasty pitches; Jeff Parrett, on pitcher: No. 1 defender; Keith Vorhoff, on catching: throwing more people out; and Aaron Sciascia, on building a bulletproof arm.

Feb. 5 speakers: Andy Green, on hitting: it’s not one size fits all; Collin Cowgill, on hitting: approach, vision, preparation; Brian Green, on infield: molding Gold Glovers; Jim Hinerman, on where do leaders come from?; Brad Bohannon, on recruiting: what college coaches look for; Josh Anderson, on base-stealing automation; and Miles Noland, on building explosive power for baseball.

Pre-registration costs are $25 a day or $40 for two days. Prices at the door are $35 and $60. For pre-registration only, two coaches can be signed up for the price of one. For more information, contact Miles Noland at (859) 221-7715 or email iybaseballca@gmail.com.

Blair is a 12-year Major League veteran, now a minor-league pitching coach for the Padres.

Madison, who reached Triple-A as a player, coached the University of Kentucky 1979 through 2003.

Ross, a 2008 second-round draft pick out of Lexington Christian Academy, is the Texas Rangers’ minor-league pitcher of the year.

Parrett, a 10-year veteran of the big leagues, is now head coach at Woodford County High School.

Vorhoff, University of Kentucky catching coach, has had three catchers drafted in five years.

Sciascia is UK’s Shoulder Center of Kentucky coordinator.

Andy Green played four years in the big leagues and is a minor-league hitting coach for the Diamondbacks.

Cowgill, recently traded to the Oakland Athletics, made his Major League debut in 2011 and was named player of the year in the Pacific Coast League.

Brian Green is UK’s offensive and infield coach.

Hinerman is the former long-time coach at Georgetown College.

Bohannon is UK’s recruiting coordinator.

Anderson, who played three years in the majors, set base-stealing records at Eastern Kentucky University and with the Lexington Legends.

Noland is an assistant coach at Transylvania.

The Reds are coming! The Reds are coming!

The Reds Caravan will again consist of three separate tours moving simultaneously through Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia.

Lexington is the final stop on the Southern Tour.

Scheduled to appear at Southern Tour stops are: all-star second baseman Brandon Phillips; Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman; assistant general manager Bob Miller; broadcaster and former pitcher Chris Welsh; Reds Hall of Famer Lee May; minor-league catcher Tucker Barnhart, and team mascot Gapper.

Southern Tour stops:

Jan. 26 – Huntington (W.Va.) Mall, 3:30-6 p.m.; Charleston (W.Va.) Town Center, 7-9 p.m.

Jan. 28 — Great American Ball Park “select-a-seat” event, Cincinnati, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; Greenwood Mall (Bowling Green), 3:30-5:30 CST.

Jan. 29 — The Shops at Lexington Center, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

The Northern Tour cast includes broadcaster Thom Brennaman, catcher Devin Mesoraco, president of baseball operations and general manager Walt Jocketty, chief operating officer Phil Castellini, Reds Hall of Famer Tom Browning, minor-league outfielder Ryan LaMarre and mascot Mr. Redlegs.

The Western Tour has broadcaster Jim Kelch, broadcaster and former pitcher Jeff Brantley, Manager Dusty Baker, infielder Todd Frazier, Reds minor league player of the year Billy Hamilton, vice president of baseball operations Dick Williams and mascot Rosie Red.

Northern Tour stops will be: Athens, Ohio; Parkersburg, W.Va., Columbus, Ohio; Lima, Ohio; and Dayton, Ohio.

Western Tour stops will be: Hamilton, Ohio; Muncie, Ind.; Indianapolis; Bloomington, Ind.; and Louisville. The latter, at Louisville Slugger Field, is set for Jan. 29, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Visit reds.com/caravan for more details.

In a battle of Frenchmen, Kentucky’s Anthony Rossi topped Georgia’s Sadio Doumbia 6-4, 6-3 Monday to win the Southeastern Conference Coaches’ Indoor (tennis) Championships at UK’s Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.

Rossi, ranked 36th nationally, is UK’s second winner of the event. The first was Adam Malik in 1989. 

Seeded seventh in the tournament, Rossi lost only two of 12 sets in the four-day tournament.

Doumbia, ranked 10th nationally and seeded No. 3 in the tournament, served first and led each set 1-0.

Rossi, who held serve throughout the day, broke Doumbia in the third game of each set.

More details to follow in the Herald-Leader and on kentucky.com.

College football has RG3.

Collegiate track and field has Jessica Beard and Ngoni Makusha.

Within a week of Baylor’s Robert Griffin III winning the Heisman Trophy as college football’s top player, Beard and Makusha have won The Bowerman — college track and field’s equivalent to the Heisman.

Beard, from Texas A&M, took women’s honors.

Makusha, from Florida State, won the men’s award.

Jessica Beard

Beard, who will graduate Saturday, won NCAA titles indoors and outdoors at 400 meters and the 4-by-400 relay. From Euclid, Ohio, she became the third women in NCAA history and first since 1999 to win both 400 and both 4-by-400 titles in the same year.

Beard clocked the world’s fastest time of the year indoors (50.79). Outdoors, she won the NCAA in 51.10 and had a 49.13 split as anchor of the Aggies’ relay. After the collegiate season, Beard placed fourth in the USATF Championships 400, running a season-best 51.06.

Ngoni Makusha

Makusha, from Seke, Zimbabwe, joins a list of 100 meters and long jump champions in the same NCAA Outdoor meet that includes Houston’s Carl Lewis, Ohio State’s Jesse Owens and Michigan’s DeHart Hubbard. The junior, who is passing on his senior season in order to turn pro, also won the NCAA Indoor long-jump title and is the first male to sweep the indoor and outdoor jump titles since Nebraska’s Arturs Abolins in 2006. Makusha won a third title outdoors, running the second leg on the Seminoles 4-by-100 relay. His winning time of 9.89 in the 100 broke the collegiate and meet record of 9.92 set by UCLA’s Ato Bolden, and also is the Zimbabwean national record. He also set a national record of 27-6 3/4 in the long jump.

The Bowerman award, named for legendary Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, was introduced in 2009. It is presented annually by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Bowerman winners

WOMEN                                                                                    MEN
Jenny Barringer,  Colo.               2009                 Galen Rupp, Oregon
Queen Harrison, Va. Tech         2010                  Ashton Eaton, Oregon
Jessica Beard, Texas A&M         2011                  Ngoni Makusha, Fla. St.

Got to talk with Buffalo and former University of Kentucky receiver Stevie Johnson after Sunday’s 23-20 Bills loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. (See the full story in the Herald-Leader and on kentucky.com.)

As a Wildcat, Johnson scored the winning touchdown in a triple-overtime loss to No. 1 ranked LSU.

With Kentucky playing again-No.-1-ranked LSU over the weekend — a 35-7 LSU romp — I asked Johnson if the circumstances reminded him of the game when he came through in the clutch.

“It did, but I’m not there no more,” he said. “What happened in the past happened in the past. It’s always going to be there.

“We (UK) took a tough one and they’ve just got to shake back. Just like we (the Bills) do. We’ve got to shake back and try to get a win next week.”

What would Johnson say to UK fans who may be grumbling about Joker Phillips in his second season as head coach?

“Just let him do his job,” Johnson said. “He’s the coach for a reason. He’s put in his time. He’s put in the work. He’s got a few seasons to turn things around. I know he’s going to turn things around. He’s a great coach. He’s a great motivator. Just let him do his job.”

* Bills center Eric Wood is a third-year pro who played for Elder High School in Cincinnati and became a first-round draft pick out of the University of Louisville. This time a year ago, he was starting at guard.

“Even when I was playing guard, I was always in the backup role at center, so I’d always worked on it,” Wood said. “And playing (center) all through college definitely prepared me for this year, stepping in as the starting center.”

Wood lauded Johnson.

“Stevie’s awesome. He’s a hard-working guy,” Wood said. “He does the celebrations and he does the Twitter and everything, but he’s as hard-working as it gets. He’s a great teammate, he’s a good leader and he’s about as good as it gets as far as receivers go in the NFL.”

Wood said he hasn’t tried to rub it in with Johnson that Louisville beating UK 24-17 this season.

“A little bit,” Wood said, “but Stevie never got on me too hard the last three years, so I’m not going to give it to him too bad now.”

Emilio King hit .293 for Lexington. (Legends photo/Mary Lay)

The Houston Astros’ player development department has announced Most Valuable Player award winners for its eight minor-league affiliates, including the Lexington Legends.

Outfielder Emilio King is Lexington’s MVP.

Emilio King

King, 22, was promoted from extended spring training to the Legends on May 7.

A former catcher, King hit .293 (106-for-362), with nine homers, 24 doubles, 42 RBI and 50 runs in 98 games. He was the team’s offensive and defensive player of the month in August, when he hit .337.

King homered in his first two games with the Legends and finished May 30-for-75 (.400), with 12 RBI in 21 games. In Lexington’s final game of the season, he threw out a runner at the plate for his 14th outfield assist.

A native of the Dominican Republic, King signed with the Astros as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2006.

Before coming to Lexington, he played four short-season stints in the organization, totaling 159 games. During that time, he hit .214 with four homers and 44 RBI.

On the last day of the season, Manager Rodney Linares called King “hands down” his most improved player.

“He rose to the occasion and … became probably my best player, my team MVP,” Linares said. “When you look at the numbers, they’re not big numbers. But, overall, he was the guy that helped us win more games — defensively, offensively had a lot of big hits.”

Houston’s other minor league MVPs:

Anderson Hernandez — Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA) infielder. Hit .300 for 136 games, including a franchise-record 30-game hitting streak (10th-longest in Pacific Coast League history). Played 2B, SS and 3B, with six HR, 52 RBI and 21 SB.

Jimmy Paredes

Jimmy Paredes — Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) infielder. The former Legend, now playing for the Astros, hit .270 with 22 2B, 10 HR, 41 RBI and 29 SB in 93 games, earning Texas League all-star honors.

Austin Wates — Lancaster JetHawks (High-A) outfielder. Hit .300 with 23 2B, nine 3B, six HR 75 RBI and 26 SB.

Matthew Duffy — Tri-City ValleyCats (Short-season A) third baseman. A New York-Penn League all-star, hit . 298 with 20 2B, a homer, 37 RBI and two SB.

Jordan Scott

Jordan Scott — Greeneville Astros (Rookie) outfielder. Scott, who also played five games with Tri-City and 14 games with the Legends, hit .337 with 12 2B, a homer, 31 RBI and 11 SB for Greeneville. Overall totals at three levels included .323, 15 2B, four 3B, 43 RBI, 79 games.

Yonathan Mejia — Gulf Coast League Astros second baseman. Hit .329 with eight 2B, 25 RBI and two SB in 40 games.

Teoscar Hernandez — Dominican Summer League Astros outfielder. Hit .274 with 13 2B, seven 3B, seven HR, 35 RBI and 16 SB over 65 games.

Mark Michael in control with Calgary

Mark Michael

Former Lexington Catholic and University of Kentucky pitcher Mark Michael recently wrapped up his ninth season of minor-league ball.

Michael finished 8-2 in the regular season, 1-0 in the playoffs for the Calgary Vipers of the North American Independent League. He finished fourth in the 10-team league with a 4.17 ERA, third in wins and 15th in strikeouts (69) – leading his team in all those categories. Over 15 starts, he worked 82 innings.

Former Legends pitcher Rory Shortell shared the league lead in regular-season wins, 11 to help the Edmonton Capitals to a championship.

Baseball

South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
vs. Savannah Sand Gnats

What: Five-game series

When: Thursday through Monday (5:05 Thursday and Sunday, 7:05 Friday and Saturday nights, 12:05 p.m. Monday)

Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), New York Mets

Foltynewicz

Cruz

Quevedo

Martinez

Alaniz

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (5-11, 4.88) vs. LH Angel Cuan (10-3, 3.71); Friday, LH Luis Cruz (4-4, 4.71) vs. RH Erik Goeddel (3-4, 3.22); Saturday, RH David Martinez (5-6, 3.94) vs. RH Yohan Almonte (7-8, 4.11); Sunday, RH Carlos Quevedo (8-6, 4.56) vs. RH Gonzalez Germen (7-7, 3.93); Monday, RH Ruben Alaniz (6-10, 4.64) vs. RH Taylor Whitenton (5-4, 2.51)

Hamilton Bennett

Sand Gnat to watch: LHP Hamilton Bennett (6-foot-1, 180 pounds, from Tega Cay, S.C.) has been lights out coming out of the bullpen. Over 32 games and 52 innings, Bennett is 2-0 with 13 saves, a 1.90 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and while holding opponents to a .167 batting average. He has struck out 54 and walked 15. In two games against the Legends, Bennett has struck out three over two innings, earning a save. Bennett also played one game for St. Lucie of the Florida State League, striking out one and getting the win in a three-inning relief effort. Selected by the Mets in the 29th round of the 2010 draft, out of Tennessee Wesleyan, he broke into pro ball last year with the Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League. He worked 19 games and 28 1/3 innings, going 2-2 with a 3.49 ERA, 24 strikeouts and nine walks. At Tennessee Wesleyan, he became the 20th player in NAIA history to throw a perfect game, shutting down Virginia-Wise on May 1, 2010. 

Emilio King

Legend to watch: OF Emilio King (6-0, 208, from Samana, Dominican Republic) is reigning SAL Player of the Week. He is 19-for-26 (.528), with three homers, nine RBI and seven runs over his last nine games. Included were multi-hit games of 5, 4, 3 and a trio of two-hit games. In 24 August games, King hit. 337 with four homers, 12 RBI and 13 runs. Overall, he is batting .294 with nine homers, 39 RBI, 47 runs, 23 doubles and three stolen bases. He’s hitting .349 with runners on base. Signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent July 5, 2006, King spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons with the Dominican Summer League Astros, 2009 with the Gulf Coast League Astros and 2010 with the Greeneville Astros of the Appalachian League. Totals for those first four seasons included a .214 average, 4 homers, 44 RBI, 70 runs, 25 doubles, 7 triples and 11 stolen bases over 159 games. King, who bats and throws right-handed, was Greeneville’s Offensive Player of the Month for July 2010.

Tommy Manzella

Notes: The Legends, in partnership with St. Catherine College men’s soccer team, will collect new and used shoes throughout the five-game series for the Edge Outreach Program. The program recycles the shoes and uses the money to buy water pumps and purification systems for developing countries. Collection boxes will be located near the ball park entrances. … Following Thursday’s game, fans are invited to stay and watch the Kentucky-Western Kentucky football game on screens located throughout the park, including the outfield video boards. … Friday is Fan Appreciation, Back to School and PTO night, with a Legends cap giveaway. NBA standout and former University of Kentucky standout Tayshaun Prince will be on hand on behalf of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Eat to Win program. Fireworks will follow the game. … Tommy Manzella, an SAL all-star shortstop in 2006, will be inducted into the Legends Hall of Fame before Saturday’s game. The ceremony is set for 6:45 p.m., with first pitch scheduled for 7:05. Manzella, who made it to the Major League in 2009 with the Astros, played 99 games for the Legends, batting .275 with 22 doubles, seven homers, 43 RBI and 16 stolen bases. He now plays for Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate in Reno, Nev., and will address the crowd via video. Basketball Hall of Famer Cliff Hagan will throw a ceremonial first pitch. The game jerseys worn by the Legends will be auctioned to benefit the St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation. … Neither the Legends nor the Sand Gnats have any players on the SAL post-season all-star team. However, Savannah has the manager of the year in Ryan Ellis and coach of the year in Glenn Abbott.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Baseball

                   South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
vs. West Virginia Power

What: Five-game series

When: Friday through Tuesday (7:05 each night except Sunday, 2:05 p.m.)

Where: Appalachian Power Park (Charleston, W.Va.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Pittsburgh Pirates

Foltynewicz

Cruz

Quevedo

Martinez

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Friday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (5-10, 4.69) vs. LH Zack Dodson (5-4, 2.50); Saturday, LH Luis Cruz (3-4, 4.67) vs. RH Zack Von Rosenberg (4-8, 5.76); Sunday, RH David Martinez (5-5, 3.59) vs. RH Jameson Taillon (2-3, 4.36); Monday, RH Carlos Quevedo (8-5, 4.17) vs. LH Eliecer Navarro (3-0, 2.54); Tuesday, LH Tommy Shirley (0-0, 13.50) vs. LH Porfirio Lopez (2-4, 3,18).

Thomas Shirley

Legend to watch: Tuesday starting pitcher Tommy Shirley (6-foot-5, 220 pounds, from North Huntington, Pa.) made his Legends debut Thursday night, giving up three runs on a hit and four walks. He also struck out two over two innings of work. Selected by the Astros in the ninth round of the 2010 draft, out of Xavier University, Shirley made five starts last season with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League. He worked 17 innings with no decisions and a 0.00 ERA, 13 strikeouts and a walk, while holding opponents to a .143 batting average. He did not pitch this season until Aug. 6, the first of two starts for the Gulf Coast League Astros. Over those two games, he again had no decisions and a 0.00 ERA, with four strikeouts and no walks over five innings, holding opponents to a .125 average. He then made two relief outings for Tri-City — no decisions, 0.00, six innings, nine strikeouts, one walk, .158 opponent average.

Dan Grovatt

Power to watch: All-star RF Dan Grovatt (6-1, 195, from Tabernacle, N.J.) leads West Virginia in games (121), runs (65), hits (126), RBI (59) and total bases (185). The lefty batter/thrower  is hitting .290 (through Wednesday), with eight homers, 27 doubles, four triples, 19 stolen bases and an .800 OPS. Grovatt has hits in 13 of his last 14 games, going 22-for-54 (.407). He’s batting .364 over 23 games in August, with three homers, 18 RBI and 15 runs. Selected by the Pirates in the 11th round of the 2010 draft, out of the University of Virginia, Grovatt appeared in three games last year for the Gulf Coast League Pirates, going 2-for-11 with two RBI.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Baseball

                      South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
vs. Asheville Tourists

What: Four-game series

When: Monday through Thursday (7:05 each night)

Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark

Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Colorado Rockies

Bushue

Quevedo

Cruz

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Monday, LH Luis Cruz (3-3, 4.50) vs. RH Nick Schnaitmann (4-1, 1.80); Tuesday, TBA vs. RH Peter Tago (3-4, 6.21); Wednesday, RH Carlos Quevedo (8-5, 3.99) vs. RH Josh Mueller (6-6, 5.15); Thursday, RH Tanner Bushue (6-6, 4.66) vs. RH Josh Slaats (7-2, 4.37).

Corey Dickerson

Tourist to watch: LF Corey Dickerson (6-foot-2, 210 pounds, from Brookhaven, Miss.) leads the league in homers (26) and extra-base hits (57), is second in slugging (.612) and fourth in total bases (213). He also has a five-game hitting streak, going 11-for-23 (.478), with three homers, nine RBI and seven runs. That streak has raised his season average from .271 to .284. Overall, he has driven in 72 runs and scored 69. Dickerson, who bats left-handed and throws righty, was selected by the Rockies in the eighth round of the 2010 draft, out of Meridian (Miss.) Community College. He earned Pioneer League all-star honors last year, batting .348 with 13 HR, 61 RBI and 54 runs over 69 games with the Casper Ghosts.

Ruben Sosa

Legend to watch: Switch-hitting LF/CF Ruben Sosa 5-7, 170, from Lawrence, Mass.) is 3-for-15 (.200), with a double, two RBI, two stolen bases and three runs since joining the Legends. All three hits have come against right-handers. Before coming to Lexington, Sosa played 39 games for the Greeneville Astros of the Appalachian League, batting .248, with six doubles, a triple, 17 RBI, 12 steals and 25 runs. The 20-year-old split time between second base and center field while in the Appalachian League. Selected in the 23rd round of the 2011 draft, out of Oklahoma City University, Sosa is a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He moved to the U.S. at age 12. Sosa batted .389 with five homers and 42 RBI last season, leading Oklahoma City in hits (78), triples (5) and steals (44). He led the Stars to the NAIA World Series, batting .375, with nine hits, three RBI and six runs over nine post-season games.

Radio: WLXG AM-1300

Baseball

                               South Atlantic League

Lexington Legends
vs. Hickory Crawdads

What: Four-game series

When: Thursday through Sunday (7 Thursday through Saturday nights, 5 p.m. Sunday)

Where: L.P. Frans Stadium (Hickory, N.C.)

Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Texas Rangers

Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday, TBA vs. RH Luke Jackson (4-4, 5.28); Friday, RH Carlos Quevedo (7-5, 4.08) vs. RH Joe Van Meter (5-5, 4.09); Saturday, RH Tanner Bushue (6-5, 4.30) vs. RH Cody Buckel (6-3, 2.40); Sunday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (5-10, 4.69) vs. RH Ben Henry (5-2, 2.92).

Domingo Santana

Legend to watch: OF Domingo Santana (6-foot-5, 200 pounds, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) joined the Legends after being acquired by the Astros on Monday as the “player to be named” in the July 30 trade of former Legend Hunter Pence to the Philadelphia Phillies. (Earlier, the Astros received RHP Jarred Cosart, OF Jonathan Singleton and RHP Josh Zeid.) Santana, who bats and throws right-handed, hit .269 over 96 games with Lakewwood, with 29 doubles, four triples, seven homers, 32 RBI and four stolen bases. He made his Legends debut Tuesday, going 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout at Hagerstown. Entering the season, Baseball America rated him as the ninth-best prospect in the Phillies system. Born in the Bahamas, he signed with Philadelphia as a free agent for $330,000. He made his pro debut in 2009 with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, batting .288 with six homers and 28 RBI over 37 games. Last year, he struggled in 49 games with Lakewood, hitting .182 with three homers and 16 RBI over 49 games. Dropped to Williamsport of the New York-Penn League, he improved to .237-5-20 over 54 games with the Crosscutters.

Jonathan Roof

Crawdad to watch: IF/OF Jonathan Roof (6-1, 165, from Paducah) is Mr. Versatile for the Crawdads, who have played him at second base, third, shortstop, left field and right field. Out of St. Mary High School and Michigan State University, he is batting .262 with two homers, 32 RBI, 25 runs and 14 stolen bases in 65 games with Hickory. He also has played 12 games for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League, hitting .186 and scoring five runs. An eighth-round draft pick last year, he played six games in the Arizona League in 2010 and 38 games with the Crawdads. His combined totals came to .266, 13 RBI, 19 runs and four SB. Roof’s father Gene and uncle Phil both played in the big leagues, while brothers Eric and Shawn are Tigers prospects. 

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