Athlete of the Week: Cress is Eagles' workhorse
FRANKTON — Micromanagement can rear its head in all kinds of places.
In sports, nowhere is micromanagement as prevalent as when it pertains to baseball and specifically when it comes to a starting pitcher and the pitch count.

RICHARD TORRES: Closser settling in with Yankees Triple-A team

INDY TRIALS: Dixon on pole for 92nd running of Indy 500

AREA ROUNDUP: Argylls win in 16 innings

H.S. BASEBALL: Frankton defeats Alex in extra innings

AREA ROUNDUP: Scots boys win OAC Track Meet

MIKE BEAS: Rhodes' return could be positive

Area softball squads face tough assignments
ANDERSON — Fate did no favors for four area teams Thursday as the IHSAA announced the pairings for the girls state softball tournament.
Four teams, Anderson, Lapel, Liberty Christian and Madison-Grant drew ranked teams in the very first round. Sectional play opens on May 19 and runs through May 24.

Thursday's area sports roundup

Community sports events

Triple Threats: Anderson's Fuller, Highland's Holder win Johnny Wilson award
ANDERSON — In such elite company, the first-ever winners of The Herald Bulletin Johnny Wilson Award weren’t expecting to get the honor. On Wednesday afternoon, Anderson High School’s Justin Fuller and Highland High School’s Stormy Holder were selected as the first winners in what is planned to be an annual event.

RICK BRAMWELL: Easy finds hard to predict

Wednesday's prep sports roundup: Argylls closes in on CIC title

Local horse trainers react to Eight Belles' euthanization
ANDERSON — Dan Eichhorn was watching Saturday’s Kentucky Derby on television when his admiration of one gifted thoroughbred race horse immediately gave way to sorrow for another.
By winning in impressive fashion, Big Brown strode across the finish line as a legitimate threat to become horse racing’s first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

KEN DE LA BASTIDE: Andretti Green should win Indy

Tuesday's area sports roundup: Alex girls tennis clinches CIC title share
Alexandria’s girls tennis team claimed at least a share of the Central Indiana Conference title Tuesday with a 5-0 victory over Madison-Grant.

Lineup shuffle works for M-G softball team
FRANKTON — Like most high school softball coaches, Madison-Grant’s Jay Dunlap has been in situations where both ends of a pencil came in handy.
Case in point: Monday’s crucial Central Indiana Conference game at Frankton.

MIKE BEAS: Clemens not so manly anymore

Monday's area roundup: Scots golfers shoot past Tribe
ANDERSON — Two days removed from picking up its first Madison County Tournament title in five years, the Highland boys golf team maintained its momentum with a 322-361 victory over city rival Anderson on Monday.

Athlete of the Week: Williamson's perfect game completes perfect day
ANDERSON — To set the scene of Highland’s Olympic Athletic Conference doubleheader softball tilt at Connersville on Saturday was as simple as it could get if the Scots wanted to add another OAC championship trophy to the display case: Sweep the Spartans and the title was theirs for the ninth consecutive season.

Poore, Johnson, Saxon, Hinton win at Anderson Speedway

Scots, Stinson take boys golf county titles
ANDERSON — Somewhere between the flag-straightening winds and plummeting temperatures invading Killbuck Golf Club on Saturday, there was focus.
On an afternoon better suited for raking leaves than bunkers, such concentration proved vital to every one of the 44 golfers involved in the ninth annual Madison County Boys Golf Tournament.

Lapel's Lantz key cog for AU baseball
ANDERSON — Right now is not a good time to get Anderson University catcher Brad Lantz to talk about himself.
The Ravens are in a stretch drive to grab a spot in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament. They needed three wins this weekend against Bluffton and then for Rose-Hulman to defeat Transylvania at least two of three games to get in.

On Campus: Bond leads Ball State baseball's offense
Pendleton Heights graduate Wayne Bond has helped power the Ball State baseball team to a 25-17 record.

RICHARD TORRES: AU baseball team swimming, not sinking

Saturday's area roundup: Scots softball clinches OAC
CONNERSVILLE — Junior pitcher Lauren Williamson pitched a perfect game for the Highland softball team Saturday as the Scots swept a doubleheader from Connersville to wrap up the Olympic Athletic Conference title.

Regular races return to Anderson Speedway tonight
Regular divisions return to Anderson Speedway today with appearances from Ed Martin Chevrolet SuperTrucks, ImmediaDent Figure 8’s, Newco Metals Legends and the recently-added Quick Auto Front Wheel Drive Pro division.

RICK TEVERBAUGH: Time to honor 3-sport athletes

City softball rivalry goes to Scots
ANDERSON — There was no way Highland’s Krista Davis was going to miss Thursday afternoon’s grudge match with city rival Anderson.
“I begged the trainer to let me play,” said the senior first baseman, who had been sidelined the past week with a sprained elbow. “I really wanted to play.”

County golf meet could roll either way
Take nine blades of grass and send them skyward on a breezy day. Where they’ll land is anyone’s guess.
Such is the case with Saturday’s Madison County Golf Tournament. The absence of a truly dominant program makes this year’s venue as open as a tree-free par-5.

Thursday's area roundup: Frankton softball wins
ALEXANDRIA — Seven innings weren’t enough for Alexandria and Frankton softball teams.
Instead, both Central Indiana Conference rivals needed nine complete with visiting Frankton, winning 4-3 on Thursday afternoon.

Wednesday's Prep Sports Roundup

RICK BRAMWELL: 'Morels for dinner' easier said than done

RICK TEVERBAUGH: Nothing Funny about Force's future

Arabians fend off Panthers
ELWOOD — Leading 12-1 after the top of the fourth inning, the Pendleton Heights Arabians (12-3) appeared to have Wednesday evening’s game against the Class 2A No. 7 Elwood Panthers (9-3) under control.

KEN DE LA BASTIDE: Lepage's Talladega goof could be costly

Tuesday's area roundup: Highland baseball wins
MUNCIE — Highland’s Kolin Jarrett tied the game with a seventh-inning double and Chandler Sidwell put the Scots baseball team ahead for good in the eighth in a 6-2 Olympic Conference victory over Muncie South Tuesday.

Held helps PH softball defeat Frankton
PENDLETON — Obviously, the Frankton softball team’s strategy Tuesday was to not let Pendleton Heights slugger Erin Falkenberry damage the Eagles’ chances to win.
So Falkenberry was walked each of the three times she came to the plate. She scored each time, as the Clss 4A No. 10 Arabians defeated Class 2A No. 13 Frankton, 10-3.

Views vary locally on IHSAA proposal
ANDERSON — A proposal to change the current four-class high school state tournament system for basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball to three classes has its supporters and detractors locally.
The plan, made by the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, is in the preliminary stages. Athletic directors throughout Indiana are being surveyed on the idea. They, in turn, are polling their coaches.

Lind back in the show
ANDERSON — Bob Stecher pays $14.99 a month for live Internet access to Major League Baseball competition, but it’s the Toronto Blue Jays he specifically targets.
The wonders of modern technology enable Stecher, the baseball coach at Highland High School from 1968-2001, the opportunity to study the progress of former Scots standout Adam Lind, Toronto’s left fielder.

MIKE BEAS: Colts draft looks good for now

Monday's area sports roundup
Jake Groninger and Blake Stephenson were part of a three-way medalist logjam and it was enough to push the Arabians past Anderson 163-184 Monday at Edgewood Golf Course.

Night of Thrills offers big spills
ANDERSON — Anderson Speedway’s twice-annual Night of Thrills has delivered its share of collisions and near misses through the years. Saturday night’s action, according to School Bus Figure-8 winner Danny Stanley Jr., did a little better.

On Campus: Ortwein thrives at Marian College

The Lion's Share: Liberty Christian pitcher Karon Earley reaches new heights
Even when there was no need for a pitcher, Liberty Christian’s Karon Earley gravitated to the circle and slab.
Now, as the Lions develop as a team, they are in dire need of a pitcher, and Earley is more than happy to step into that void.

AU baseball sweeps doubleheader

Saturday's Area Sports Roundup

Area H.S. Baseball Stat Leaders

Night of Thrills returns to Speedway
ANDERSON — One of Anderson Speedway’s many long-standing traditions is delivering Night of Thrills in eyedropper proportions.
Two per racing season. No more, no less.

Sophomore pitcher shuts down PH softball
PENDLETON — Customarily, sophomore pitchers require a period of adjustment before realizing their talent.
True for some, but not Hamilton Southeastern ace Taylor Rager.
Friday night, the left-hander scattered two hits for a complete game victory as the Class 4A No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern Royals blanked the Class 4A No. 9 Pendleton Heights Arabians 4-0 at Legends Field.

Friday's area sports roundup: Highland baseball falls short
The New Castle baseball team erupted for seven runs in the top of the seventh inning on Friday to rally for a 12-9 victory over the host Highland Scots.

Scots win while one has heavy heart
FRANKTON — If ever Lauren Williamson needed to incorporate softball as a diversionary mechanism, Thursday was it.
Highland’s ace pitcher, home again after spending the early part of the week in North Carolina following the passing of her paternal grandfather, took some rust with her to the mound against Class 2A No. 10 Frankton.

Raiders have new football coach; Argylls might lose theirs
The area’s high school football landscape has experienced a shakeup in recent days.
Monday, Shenandoah promoted assistant Scott Widner to fill its head coaching vacancy, while Madison-Grant appears on the verge of losing Randy Sehy.

MIKE BEAS: Boyd set to make impact at MTSU

AU track teams look to extend HCAC title streaks
ANDERSON — When winning conference championships becomes the routine, preparation is anything but, especially when your program holds the “paramount” label.
“We try to focus on the daily process, and the results will follow,” Anderson University track and field coach Scott Wilson remarked shortly after his team wrapped up practice Thursday at Macholtz Stadium.

Thursday's area roundup: PH softball edges Noblesville in 15 innings
Senior Erin Falkenberry closed the book on a 15-inning softball marathon on Thursday for Class 4A No. 9 Pendleton Heights, driving in Shonda Garringer for a 3-2 victory over visiting Noblesville.

Scots upset No. 7 Indians at Memorial Field
ANDERSON — The Highland Scots really had only one of two choices on Wednesday. Either they could sit quietly and willingly take the lumps city baseball rival Anderson was more than happy to supply or they could ban together and dish out a few of their own.

RICK BRAMWELL: Morel hunting is all about location

RICK TEVERBAUGH: NBA needs to do better job protecting its players

Big inning carries PH baseball past Highland
ANDERSON — The Pendleton Heights baseball team displayed its entire arsenal in a single inning to break open a close game and thump Highland 12-4 at Bob Stecher Field on Tuesday evening.
In the fourth, leading by a score of 4-3, the Arabians sent nine hitters to the plate and reached base on an error, walk, single, double, triple and home run before the inning ended.

Elwood baseball tops M-G to begin CIC race
FAIRMOUNT — Reality hit the Elwood baseball team three innings into Tuesday’s Central Indiana Conference opener, in the form of head baseball coach Adrian Heim.
With his team trailing 4-1 to CIC rival Madison-Grant, Heim conveyed a stern, yet simple challenge.

KEN DE LA BASTIDE: Good times for IRL

Area prep sports roundup: Stinson, Scots win golf triangular
Liberty Christian’s Alex Stinson took individual medalist honors and Highland boys golf team won team honors Tuesday in a triangular meet at Killbuck Golf Course.

Scots' Wilkinson scaling new heights; Highland sweeps Anderson
ANDERSON — A pole vaulter’s existence is off the beaten path somewhat in that the event involves as much daring as it does athleticism.
Highland senior Ethan Wilkinson, a State Meet qualifier in 2007, can speak to this better than most.

MIKE BEAS: Crean, Bonds and the rest

Monday's area prep sports roundup

Athlete of The Week: Sara Webster

H.S. Sports Roundup: No. 1 Arabians split at Ben Davis

Scots win county tennis title
ANDERSON — A little scoreboard-watching was all Highland’s girls tennis players needed to take Alexandria seriously in Saturday’s inaugural Madison County Tournament championship match.

Area Roundup: Argylls' Webster blanks Bruins

Hoosier Touch: CRA Sportsman Series invades Anderson Speedway
In only its third year of operation, the CRA Sportsman series has vaulted its way to the top of today’s Anderson Speedway schedule of events.
The series, based in Winchester, consists almost exclusively of Indiana drivers. About 25 drivers are expected at tonight’s event, which should begin between 8:30 and 9 p.m.

Community sports events

Highland boys track wins Pendleton Heights Invite
PENDLETON — As the sun made its gradual descent on Thursday evening, the Highland boys track and field team’s point total countered with its familiar upsurge.
It was just part of the defending Madison County champion’s routine these days, and one the Scots used to dethrone the host Arabians at the 52nd running of the Pendleton Heights Track Invitational.

MIKE BEAS: Simon has had enough

Thursday's area sports roundup
The Frankton softball team, ranked fifth in the state in Class 2A, used a single by Allison Parr in the bottom of the 10th inning to score an exciting 3-2 victory over Shenandoah on Thursday.

AREA ROUNDUP: Alexandria defeats Argylls in softball, 5-4

RICK BRAMWELL: Looks like a great season for morels

Highland tennis shuts out Anderson

RICK TEVERBAUGH: A Pacers playoff berth would have been nice

All seasons go for Highland's Holder
ANDERSON — “She’s a gamer” is a phrase often heard about Highland senior Stormy Holder.
The ultimate question that follows is, “Which game?”

Top-ranked Arabians squeak past Scots again
ANDERSON — The winning runs Tuesday might have been unearned, but they still counted and provided a win for the No. 1-ranked Pendleton Heights Arabians.
“We got a little lucky with that error,” Arabians coach Scott Hall said. “But we’ve had those go against us too.” Tuesday, it was enough for a 2-0 victory over Highland.

PH softball No. 1 in Class 4A
Pendleton Heights’ softball team is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A in the latest Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association rankings, which were released Tuesday.

Daleville baseball team tops Lapel
DALEVILLE — It took nearly five innings, but with two outs in the bottom half, the fifth-ranked Class A Daleville Broncos finally caught the break they were looking for.
Down 2-0 as Lapel starter Devon Silvey baffled the opposition through the first 14 outs, Daleville used an untimely Bulldogs’ fielding error to their advantage, winning 5-2 at Bronco Field.

KEN DE LA BASTIDE: Swan song for Champ cars looms

Tuesday's area sports roundup
ALEXANDRIA — After going winless for three straight to begin the season, the Alexandria baseball team has flipped the switch, winning their second consecutive Tuesday night.

PH blanks Anderson in softball

TEN PIN ALLEY: Manifold's 845 series leads busy week for bowlers

MIKE BEAS: RCA Dome could really hoop in its day

Muller Tournament: Arabians' bats awaken in title-game win
ANDERSON — The raindrops trickled down persistently at Memorial Field as Pendleton Heights starter Sean Collins dealt the first pitch on Saturday afternoon. Hit hard by the damp and windy conditions while facing the defending Madison County champion Anderson Indians, Collins admitted that ignoring the elements was far from easy.

Saturday's area roundup: Daleville baseball sweeps

County girls tennis tourney postponed
Rain and cold weather forced the postponement of the final two rounds of the Madison County Girls Tennis Tournament on Saturday.
Rain made the courts at Anderson University, Highland High School and the Dolphin Club unplayable.

On Campus: Vogel among Ravens' pitching leaders
Madison-Grant graduate Aaron Vogel has the second-lowest earned run average on the Anderson University baseball team.
He also has an unblemished record.

Highland boys, PH girls take county track crowns
FAIRMOUNT — With the wind gusting across the track for the Madison County track and field meet on Friday evening, Highland was able to defend its boys title, but the Scots fell to Pendleton Heights in the girls meet.
On the boys side, Highland topped Pendleton Heights, 166-120. On the girls side, Pendleton Heights bested Highland, 131-73.

Arabians edge Eagles for county softball title
PENDLETON — Pendleton Heights’ patience was rewarded here Friday night. The prize was the Madison County Softball Championship.
Down 1-0 and with no hits against Frankton freshman pitcher Karli Clark, the Arabians rallied for a 3-1 victory over the Eagles to repeat as County champs.

Girls tennis county tourney: Scots, Eagles, Tigers, Arabians advance
Highland, Frankton, Alexandria and Pendleton Heights were all victorious in their respective first-round matches of the 2008 Madison County Girls Tennis Tournament.
The Scots and Eagles will meet at 9 a.m. today in semifinal action at Highland after both teams were 5-0 winners in their first-round matches.

Area roundup: Lantz's walkoff lifts Ravens

Muller Tournament: Tribe wins slugfest vs. Scots
ANDERSON — Hours before Friday afternoon’s rain-delayed baseball semifinal grudge match between city rivals Anderson and Highland began, Indians head basketball coach Ron Hecklinski relayed his finale prognoses.
Laughing it off at first, Turner didn’t give his colleague’s prediction much thought. Later, he gave credit where it was due as Anderson won a wild slugfest over Highland 10-9 at Bob Stecher Field.

Muller Tournament: Arabians, Bulldogs win at PH
PENDLETON — Pendleton Heights’ “Field of Dreams” saw two highly similar tournament games on Friday night.
Lapel outdueled Liberty Christian to earn its first victory of the season 14-3 in a game that lasted over 2:30. Pendleton Heights then defeated Frankton 14-4 in a winner’s bracket contest that was highly contested early.

Muller Tournament: Elwood routs Alexandria
ALEXANDRIA — Three days after losing a tough 6-5 game to Class 4A Highland in the Nick Muller Memorial Baseball Tournament opener, the Class 2A Elwood Panthers rediscovered their swagger on Friday afternoon.
Behind six extra base hits and two home runs, Elwood logged 14 hits overall to overpower Class 2A Alexandria 16-0 in five innings.

10:58 p.m.: Tonight's county tourney results