Category Archives: LCC

Afternoon News Report; May 13, 2011

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‘THE KID’ TO GET FULL K-TRIBE EXPERIENCE SATURDAY NIGHT

Faithful bloggee and Free Press reporter Justin “The Kid” Hill is going to take on about a dozen jobs at Saturday night’s Kinston Indians game.

My take: And yes, I’m jealous — I wish I’d had this idea! Should be a blast — come on out to the game and cheer The Kid on!

FATHER, DAUGHTER GRADUATE FROM LCC LAST NIGHT

A father-daughter pair walked the stage last night during LCC’s 49th commencement ceremony. What made this even more impressive is that the father is battling cancer — and even though he’s receiving regular chemotherapy, he NEVER missed a class or test.

My take: A fantastic story by The Kid, and kudos to these two.

KUTCHER SET TO REPLACE SHEEN ON ‘TWO AND A HALF MEN’

Ashton Kutcher is in negotiations to replace Charlie Sheen on CBS’ “Two and a Half Men.”

My take: I’ve watched about two or three episodes of the show — and was never really impressed with it. And frankly, I dislike Kutcher more than I do Sheen. My prediction is the show will last about one more season and then it’s done…

The iPod shuffle

Rightstarter (Message To A Black Man) — Public Enemy

Cornflake Girl — Tori Amos

Magical Mystery Tour — The Beatles

Let’s Stay Together — Al Green

California Dreamin’ — The Mamas & The Papas

P.S.: You can vote for me as The Free Press’ best local columnist on the front page of Kinston.com; Jon Dawson is absolutely kicking my butt right now … and although I agree he’s a MUCH better columnist than I, I’d love to beat him!

Observations from the LCC Job Fair

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Jon “J-Dizzle” Dawson, Wakili Moye and I are manning The Free Press booth at the Lenoir Community College Job Fair.

Some observations:

  • If you’re at a job fair, wearing a low-cut dress helps. Wearing a low-cut dress that shows off your chest tattoo … not so good
  • Already had some great conversations with folks, including LCC President Dr. Brantley Briley, LCC baseball coach Stony Wine, Kinston City Councilman Bobby Merritt and former Kinston/LCC basketball player Mister Premier Height. Come out and say howdy — half of Lenoir County is here! Also, FOB Lee Wetherington is here, too
  • Yes, the papers in front of us are today’s edition … not from 1987, as Dawson is telling people. They’re also free and not $5 each as I caught Dawson selling them for!
  • If you come by and tell us you are a subscriber, you’ll get a free hug from Dawson or Wakili
  • According to Dawson, the Hugh Hefner booth has had the heaviest traffic. In fact, Dawson has visited it about a dozen times
  • Back to my original point — if you’re going to a job fair, WEAR APPROPRIATE CLOTHING. I’ve seen too many jean shorts, T-shirts and muffin tops than I’ll be able to drink out of my memory
  • Back to the office now, but just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came by to say hello! We had a blast and I hope everyone looking for a job finds one. Other than the ones who burnt my eyeballs, there were a lot of good folks out there today just wanting to work. Good luck.

Afternoon News Report; Feb. 9, 2011

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KINSTON CITY COUNCIL VS. STEPHEN LAROQUE & B.J. MURPHY – WHO YA GOT?

The Kinston City Council passed a resolution at Monday night’s meeting that is critical of N.C. Rep. Stephen LaRoque’s bill aimed directly at the city’s proposed annexation of areas west of the city, but Kinston Mayor B.J. Murphy refused to sign it.

My take: Kudos to LaRoque and Murphy; LaRoque for (extremely quickly) living up to his campaign promise to fight annexation (specifically, Kinston’s un-American takeover of land west of the city) and Murphy for having the cajones to stand up to his City Council. He could’ve silently signed his name to the resolution and nothing would’ve been said about it.

UNC-DUKE: IT’S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!

It’s one of the most eagerly-anticipated ACC games in recent memory when North Carolina visits Duke tonight in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

My take: The most insane facet of tonight’s game? The Blue Devils are favored by 10 points! Am I the only one that finds that a little ridiculous? I, for one, wouldn’t be surprised if UNC actually won tonight — while Duke has struggled mightily of late (well, other than its beatdown of N.C. State — sorry, John Q. Awesome), the Tar Heels have seemingly found their groove.

Time for the ol’ official prediction: Duke 79, UNC 73.

LCC TO NAME COURT AFTER LEGEND

Before tonight’s epic UNC-Duke game, though, there will an important ceremony at Lenoir Community College Sportatorium when the basketball court will be named after the legendary Bobby Dawson, who has led the Lancers to 521 wins in 33 years at the helm of the program.

My take: Of everything I’ve missed in the past three-plus weeks away from Kinston with my recovery from back surgery, this is arguably going to be the hardest. I respect Coach Dawson immensely and I would give anything to be at the game to see this.

Congratulations, Coach Dawson!

The iPod shuffle

Remember The Name — Fort Minor & Styles Of Beyond

Summertime Blues — The Who

The Chauffeur — Duran Duran

Again — Lenny Kravitz

It’s All About The Benjamins (Remix) — Puff Daddy & The Family featuring The Notorious B.I.G., Lil Kim & The Lox

Morning News Report; Nov. 18, 2010

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ROANOKE RAPIDS POLICEMAN SHOT IN LINE OF DUTY

A Roanoke Rapids police officer was shot three times by a man driving on I-95 yesterday afternoon. A massive manhunt for the man that began immediately yesterday has continued into today.

My take: Our prayers are with the young officer — and for the search teams so that they find the gutless wonder who shot the officer. I’m not going to go into all the details of the crime, but click on the WRAL link above.

LCC LIGHTS UP SCOREBOARD IN WIN OVER PCC

The Lenoir Community College men’s basketball team scored 75 points by halftime on its way to a 119-97 win against archrival Pitt Community College last night at the Sportatorium.

After last year’s horrible season, the Lancers have come out of the gate strong, losing a close game in its season-opener backed up by blowout victories against Mount Olive’s JV team (in an exhibition) and last night’s rout.

My take: Couldn’t happen to a nicer coach (Bobby Dawson) or better kids. The team features five Kinston High School players (including Dallas Best, Marquez Jones and the best name in basketball — Mister Premier Height) and Tray Harris from North Lenoir.

The team is not only playing well — it’s playing well in front of large crowds. With Coach Dawson having so many local players, the Sportatorium (still the best name of a gym) had about 400 to 500 fans in attendance — and they didn’t sit on their hands.

It was a fun game, a great atmosphere and a good night to be a Lancer. Looking forward to getting out there for many more games this season.

EVA LONGORIA FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM TONY PARKER

“Desperate Housewives” hottie Eva Longoria has filed for divorce from San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker after allegedly finding hundreds of text messages from Parker to former teammate Brent Barry’s wife.

Here’s a picture of the four in better times:

(Credit: New Pictures/WENN.com)

My take: So … you’re saying there’s a chance?

Our good friend Richard Clark has pined for years to have Parker’s life … now, he can have Parker’s ex-wife.

And for your viewing pleasure — some shots of Ms. Longoria (feel free to click on the photos for MUCH better viewing):

And here’s a shot of the former Mrs. Barry (and future Mrs. Parker?):

The iPod shuffle

A Sort Of Homecoming — U2

Sabotage — Beastie Boys

Zoot Suit Riot — Cherry Poppin’ Daddies

Bad Moon Rising — Creedence Clearwater Revival

Return To Sender — Elvis Presley

Lind Hartsell leaving LCC

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Lenoir Community College Athletics Director Lind Hartsell has accepted a job at Craven Community College, he confirmed to me a few moments ago. Ryan Herman will have a story on it in tomorrow’s Free Press.

Hartsell said his last official day at LCC is June 30, and he’ll start at CCC soon thereafter. He’ll be the AD at CCC and teach a 1/2-load of classes at the New Bern school. He said CCC will have a golf team this year and look to begin other sports after that.

“Starting an athletic program at a community college was too good an opportunity to pass up at this point in my life,” Hartsell said, adding that his wife has a business in Craven County, too.

My take: Frankly, I’m in shock. I have nothing but the highest level of admiration for Coach Hartsell and the way he has put LCC in a national spotlight. It was Hartsell that took the Lancers to the NJCAA D-2 World Series the first time in 2004 and it was Hartsell that hired Stony Wine, who has taken the Lancers to two more appearances.

And it’s the classy way Hartsell has operated the LCC athletic programs that have impressed me, too. He took over from another classy individual, Bobby Dawson, and kept Coach Dawson’s high standards going.

To me, Coach Hartsell and LCC go together like Jimmy Smith/South Lenoir, Wayne Barwick/North Lenoir and Dean Smith/Carolina. I seriously can’t even imagine going to an athletic event at LCC and not seeing Coach Hartsell there.

Good luck to one of the good guys in our area.

I do NOT hate South Lenoir softball

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Contrary to some of the e-mails and Facebook messages I’ve received today, I don’t hate South Lenoir softball. In fact, I have always appreciated the job that Lisa Smith, Thurman Pate and the Blue Devil coaches have done with the girls in Deep Run.

But this is the fact: I’m no longer the sports editor of The Free Press. I am the managing editor of TFP, and yes, the current SE — Ryan Herman — works for me. But in case you haven’t noticed, he’s been up to his eyeballs with work, too — he just got back from Enid, Okla., yesterday covering the LCC baseball team in the NJCAA D-2 World Series. He also had to deal with the breaking news of Kinston HS football coach Battle Holley leaving for East Duplin, so the time he was going to spend in Deep Run today was taken up with THAT story.

Herman is essentially a (full-time) one-man sports department. Yes, we have David Hall on staff, but he works for all three Freedom ENC newspapers (Free Press, New Bern Sun Journal and Jacksonville Daily News) as the cover guy for the Kinston Indians and ECU athletics. Herman has two excellent stringers in Keith Spence and Michael Moon, but they, too, have full-time jobs and can help only when they can.

I know Herman is going to have excellent stories in the paper Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He is covering the championships in Raleigh this weekend and Janet S. Carter will photograph the games.

For anyone to suggest that we — or I — “hate” South Lenoir is ridiculous. Anyone who REALLY knows me knows I covered SL athletics — all of them — harder than any previous sports editor at TFP. Don’t believe me? Ask Jimmy Smith, Troy Eason or Lisa Smith.

I hate that the softball team has not received more coverage than it has to this point in its playoff run, but trust me when I tell you it will get better as the week goes on.

What I did on my summer vacation

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Back at the office after a sweet 10-day vacation, where I did a little bit of everything. Just because I know you want to know, here you go:

  • The Hot Blonde and I adopted a dog. Yep — for the first time in my 41 years of life on this rock, I am the proud father of a pooch. Well, a part-time father, anyway, as the canine — which we named Molly after considering Binky, Booby, Bella, Maggie, Punkin and (my suggestion) Larry the Bird Dog — will live in Raleigh with her mom. We adopted her from the Lenoir County SPCA, a subject I will probably use for this week’s column.
    A quick note — if you are considering getting a dog or cat, PLEASE consider adopting from the Lenoir Co. SPCA; they have a great selection and you are saving a life of an animal that you will love for the rest of your life.
    A picture of the new baby:
    060110-molly-the-puppy-dawgy-dog.jpg  
  • As some of you know, I sat in for “Voice of the Kinston Vikings” baseball dude Steve Lovick this season in the KHS press box … and had a blast. Steve slid off his deck during some bad weather in late winter and was unable to climb the ladder due to a bad shoulder, so I had the honor of manning the PA for him this year, while James Herring handled the scoreboard operations. Anyhoo — Steve and James invited the HB and I to a cookout they held for the team last Thursday and she and I had a blast. I just want to thank Steve and James — along with the whole team (including Blake, Josh, Landon, Reggie, C.J. Sirterra, Cody, Spencer, Robb, Jeremiah, Vequain, et. al) — for allowing me to enjoy this historic season with them. Congrats on a great season and I look forward to watching you guys through the years.
  • On vacation, I had the opportunity to watch the season finale of “Grey’s Anatomy” and … damn. I know the show is a presumed chick show — and it is full of of chick stuff most weeks — but that two-hour finale was one of the most intense shows I’ve ever watched. Not going to spoil it if you haven’t seen it, but check it out at abc.com if you have some time to kill. I promise you this — it’s as strong an episode as you’ll remember seeing.
  • On the other hand, “Flash Forward” ended its one-season run with more questions than answers last week. Are there any other FF fans out there? As I said a couple of weeks ago, I loved that show and ABC has screwed us again by cancelling a very good, very well-written show so it can get some more reality TV pablum out there to the masses. Idiots.
  • Sports Editor Ryan Herman — who is on the road back from Enid, Okla., from the NJCAA D-2 World Series — deserves some kudos for the good job he did covering the LCC Lancers in their third appearance in the series. In particular, I really appreciate the great job he did on this blog with his updates. The good news for the Lancers is that there were about 25 freshmen on this team, meaning there’s a good chance LCC will be in the WS again next year in Enid.
  • For some ungodly reason, I got caught up watching the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night from Lowe’s Charlotte Motor Speedway … and it did my heart good to see the mess that NASCAR has become. I have covered the 600 about eight times — including five or six years in a row in the 1990s — and it was the hardest ticket in North Carolina to get. But to see what the idiots at NASCAR have resorted to — putting sponsor banners over all the empty seats that couldn’t be sold in turn 2 and the backstretch — makes me SO happy. Remember when NASCAR was expanding into New Hampshire, Kansas City, Chicago and all those other “big-money” markets, while forsaking North Wilkesboro, Darlington and Rockingham? THIS is what you get, you greedy SOBs — sponsors withdrawing from the sport in hordes and your inability to sell tickets to Charlotte, the heart of the “sport”. Ha! In 10 years, when NASCAR has contracted back to 12 or 13 tracks, remember what you did to us old-time fans, OK?
  • While messing around with the blog this week, I realized I had turned off the setting allowing new people to post on here. Well, my idiot self has turned it back on — so if you are a new person (or an old one who has forgotten your password), you can register and post your thoughts on here. I have no idea how long I had it turned off, but it was at least six months! Still getting a ton of hits (although not as many as when we did ECOTD!), but I’d love to see your thoughts on Ye Olde Blog.

LCC vs. Parkland (Ill.) College, Day 2, NJCAA D-II World Series

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Greetings from hot and humid Oklahoma, where the skies have opened up and it is raining cats and dogs, along with those popular Sooner thunderstorms. It’s only fitting, because Enid is the county seat of Garfield County.

The tarp is on the field and the teams have resorted to their dugouts. When the rain lets up, the Cobras will begin taking infield.

This is an elimination game, meaning the loser goes home and the winner keeps playing. The Lancers lost their first game last night 9-6 at the hands of Paradise Valley (Ariz.) C.C. while Parkland lost earlier on Saturday 16-5 to powerhouse Louisiana State University-Eunice, the team that defeated the Lancers for the title in 2008.

Today’s earlier results:

Game 5: Western Oklahoma State College 16, Madison (Wisc.) College 4
Game 6: Frederick (Md.) C.C. 9, Vincennes (Ind.) University 1; VU eliminated

Now for the starting lineups. LCC is the designated ‘home’ team:

Parkland College Cobras (48-12, Midwest District champion)

23 Kevin Kiermaier, CF
8 Robert Glover, LF
27 TJ McManus, 1B
21 Dylan Drury, 2B
22 Bryce Feller, RF
12 Justin Parr, SS
28 Brent Kuper, C
3 Collin DeDecker, 3B

Starter — LHP Darin Worman

LCC Lancers (34-14, Southeast District champions)

1 Josh Hudson, CF
13 Clayton Daniels, SS
35 Gabe Brown, C
25 Andrew Manning, RF
36 Aaron Jones, 1B
4 Jay Thompson, 3B
30 Manny Beltran, LF
9 Alex Casey, DH
2 Kevin Norton, 2B

Starter — RHP Keith Spinner

We’ll be back when the game starts…

And we’re back as they are finally announcing the starting lineups. The delay took about two hours.

Top 1st (Spinner pitching)

Kiermaier triples to left-center to start the game on 1-1 pitch
Glover singles home Kierniaier. 1-0 Parkland
McManus flies out to center. One out
Drury’s Texas leaguer falls in between  Daniels and Beltran, Glover advances to second
Feller flies out to right. Two out
Parr singles home Glover, Drury advances to third. 2-0 Parkland
(Wine makes mound visit to talk with Spinner)
Kuper strikes out swinging. Inning over

Summary — 2 runs on 2 hits, no errors, 2 LOB. Parkland 2, LCC 0

Due up for LCC: Hudson, Daniels, Brown

Bottom 1st

Hudson  grounds out to second. One out
Daniels doubles to the left corner
Brown runs count full, draws walk
Manning grounds into fielder’s choice at second, Brown out, Daniels advances to third. Two out
Jones strikes out looking. Inning over

Summary — no runs on 1 hit, no errors, 2 LOB. Parkland 2, LCC 0

Due up for Parkland:  DeDecker, Wides, Kiermaier

Top 2nd

DeDecker strikes out swinging. One out
Wides grounds out on chopper to shortstop. Two out
Kiermaier reaches on bunt single
Glover grounds out to third. Inning over

Summary — no runs on 1 hit, no errors, 1 LOB. Parkland 2, LCC 0

Due up for LCC: Thompson, Beltran, Casey

Bottom 2nd

Thompson beats out infield single to short
Beltran runs count full, flies out to right. One out
Casey lines out on a laser back to the pitcher. Thompson doubled off at first. Inning over

Summary — no runs on 1 hit, no errors, none LOB. Parkland 2, LCC 0

Due up for Parkland: McManus, Drury, Feller

Top 3rd

McManus flies out to center. One out
Drury singles through the hole at second
Feller strikes out swinging. Two out
Parr grounds into fielder’s choice at second, 6-4. Inning over

Summary — no runs on 1 hit, no errors, 1 LOB. Parkland 2, LCC 0

Due up for LCC: Norton, Hudson, Daniels

Bottom 3rd

Norton strikes out swinging. One out
Hudson strikes out looking. Two out
Daniels singles to the gap in left
Brown in 3-2 count as Daniels is caught stealing at second. Inning over

Summary — no runs on 1 hit, no errors, none LOB. Parkland 2, LCC 0

Due up for Parkland: Kuper, DeDecker, Wides

Top 4th

Kuper pops out to third. One out
DeDecker strikes out swinging. Two out
Wides singles to center, just out of the reach of a diving Hudson
(Wides steals second)
Kiermaier safe on infield single to first on close and questionable call (Wine is currently arguing), Wides scores. 3-0 Parkland
Glover flies out to center. Inning over

Summary — 1 run on 2 hits, no errors, 1 LOB. Parkland 3, LCC 0

Due up for LCC: Brown, Manning, Jones

Bottom 4th

Brown strikes out swinging. One out
Manning strikes out swinging. Two out (Worman has fanned five)
Jones hit by pitch
Thompson singles to left-center, Jones gunned down at third by CF Kiermaier. Inning over. Worman is dealing.

Summary — no runs on 1 hit, no errors, 1 LOB. Parkland 3, LCC 0

Due up for Parkland: McManus, Drury, Feller

Top 5th

McManus flies out to right. One out
Drury singles to the hole in right
Feller flies out to right. Two out
Parr singles to left, Drury to second
Kuper grounds into fielder’s choice at second, 6-4. Inning over

Summary — no runs on 2 hits, no errors, 2 LOB. Parkland 3, LCC 0

Due up for LCC: Beltran, Casey, Norton

Bottom 5th

Beltran lines out to second. One out
Casey strikes out swinging. Two out
Norton strikes out looking. Inning over

Summary — no runs on no hits, no errors, none LOB. Parkland 3, LCC 0

Due up for Parkland: DeDecker, Wides, Kiermaier

Worman is flat baffling LCC’s hitters. He’s 4-hit them through five, has thrown first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 20 batters he’s faced and has thrown an economical 75 pitches.

Top 6th

DeDecker  singles past a diving Thompson at third
Wides moves DeDecker to second on sacrifice bunt. One out
Kiermaier flies out to center. Two out
Glover draws four-pitch walk
McManus laces single to right, bases loaded
Drury bases-loaded walk on four pitches, DeDecker scores. 4-0 Parkland
(Wine pulls Spinner for Brown. Chris Lamm comes in behind the plate)
Feller reaches on fielder’s choice at third, McManus safe on error by Thompson, Glover scores. 5-0 Parkland
Parr draws bases-loaded walk, McManus scores, Drury to third, Feller to second. 6-0 Parkland
Kuper draws third bases-loaded walk of inning, Drury scores, Feller to third, Parr to second. 7-0 Parkland
(Wine pulls Brown for Phillip Myrick. The Cobras have batted around here in the 6th)
DeDecker flies out to left. Inning over

Summary — 4 runs on 2 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB. Parkland 7, LCC 0

Spinner’s final line:  7R, 5ER, 12H, 2BB, 4K, 98 pitches, 5.2 IP
Brown’s final line: 0R, 0ER, 0H, 2BB, 0K, allowed 3 inherited runners to score

Due up for LCC: Hudson, Daniels, Brown

Bottom 6th

Hudson leads off with single to left
(Hudson takes second on defensive indifference)
Daniels advances Hudson to third on sacrifice fly to center. One out
Scott Holloman (batting in Brown’s spot) draws a walk, Worman’s second of the game
Manning strikes out swinging after 10-pitch at-bat. Two out
Jones grounds out to second on slow roller. Inning over

Summary — no runs on 1 hit, no errors, 2 LOB. Parkland 7, LCC 0

Due up for Parkland: Wides, Kiermaier, Glover

Top 7th

(Myrick pulled for Taylor Allen)
Wides pops out to second. One out
Kiermaier draws a walk
(Kiermaier steals second)
Glover flies out to the wall in left, Kiermaier tags up and advances to third. Two out
McManus grounds out back to the pitcher. Inning over

Summary — no runs on no hits, no errors, 1 LOB. Parkland 7, LCC 0

Due up for LCC: Thompson, Beltran, Lamm

Bottom 7th

Thompson draws four-pitch walk
Beltran grounds into fielder’s choice at second, 6-4. One out
Lamm flies out to center. Two out
Trever Schock (batting for Norton) strikes out swinging. Inning over

Summary — no runs on no hits, no errors, 1 LOB. Parkland 7, LCC 0

Due up for Parkland: Drury, Feller, Parr

Top 8th

Drury flies out to the wall in right. One out
Feller flies out to left. Two out
Parr strikes out swinging. Inning over

Summary — no runs on no hits, no errors, none LOB. Parkland 7, LCC 0

Due up for LCC: Hudson, Daniels, Holloman

Bottom 8th

(Worman has been pulled after 112 beautiful pitches. He struck out nine, walked three and allowed five hits across seven stellar innings. His offspeed stuff kept the Lancers at bay all night. He’s been replaced by Dane Krone

Hudson leads off with single to right
Daniels doubles to the left-field wall, Hudson to third
Holloman pops out to second. One out
Cody Richards (in for Manning)  nails pinch-hit triple, scoring Hudson and Daniels. 7-2 Parkland
Jones strikes out swinging. Two out
Thompson doubles home Richards. Parkland 7, LCC3
Beltran draws walk, runners at the corners after Thompson advanced on a wild pitch. LCC trying to rally
Lamm RBI single, Thompson scores, Beltran at second. Parkland 7, LCC 4
Chase Garrison (in for Schock) draws walk to load the bases. Krone pulled for Kyle Zegarad
Hudson reaches on fielding error by shortstop Parr,Thompson scores. Parkland 7, LCC 5
Daniels clears bases with double, thrown out trying to stretch into a triple. Inning over. LCC 8, Parkland 5

Summary — 8 runs on 6 hits, 1 error, none LOB. LCC 8, Parkland 7

Due up for Parkland: Kuper, DeDecker, Wides

Top 9th

(Chris Blankenship replaces Allen on the mound)
Watts draws lead-off walk. Blankenship pulled for Hathcock
Parkland has hit two HRs this half-inning — a 3-run shot by Kiermaier and a solo shot from McManus with two out. Parkland 11, LCC 8
Hathcock got Drury to go down swinging. Inning over. LCC has 3 more outs in its season.

Summary — 4 runs on 2 hits, no errors, none LOB. Parkland 11, LCC 8

Due up for LCC: Holloman, Richards, Jones

Bottom 9th

Lee Taylor pinch hitting, reaches on infield single
Richards strikes out swinging. One out. Two left in LCC’s season
Jones flies out to center. Two out. One left in LCC’s season
Thompson grounds out to second. Game over

Summary — no runs on 1 hit, no errors, 1 LOB.

Parkland wins 11-8, and ends LCC’s season at 34-15

LCC vs. Paradise Valley (Ariz.) C.C., Day 1, NJCAA D-II World Series

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SE Ryan Herman here, and I have hijacked Hanks’ blog for the evening. Greetings from Enid, Okla., where it’s a balmy 86 degrees and the time is an hour behind Lenoir County time. Lenoir Community College is about to take on the Paradise Valley (Ariz.) C.C. Pumas in the nightcap of the first day of the NJCAA Division II World Series.

Before I get to the starting lineups, I would like to congratulate South Lenoir’s softball team on its advancement into the NCHSAA state 2A East regional championship against Eastern Randolph with its 1-0 win over host Edenton Holmes on Friday night. The Blue Devils will play ER this Friday at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex in Raleigh.

Results from today’s earlier games:

Game 1: Iowa Central C.C. 5, Vincennes (Ind.) University 4
Game 2: UCONN Avery Point 5, Frederick (Md.) C.C. 2
Game 3: LSU-Eunice 16, Parkland (Ill.) College 5

LCC Lancers (34-13, Southeast District champions)

1 Josh Hudson, CF
5 Tyler Edwards, SS
35 Gabe Brown, C
25 Andrew Manning, RF
36 Aaron Jones, 1B
4 Jay Thompson, 3B
38 Randy Odell, DH
30 Manny Beltran, LF
13 Clayton Daniels, 2B

Starter — RHP Matt Keil

PVCC Pumas (40-19, Southwestern District champion)

23 Tim DeVito, LF
27 Harlyn Griffiths, RF
8 Devin Thaut, 2B
25 Kyle Weber, 1B
3 Jake Saylor, C
11 Kyle Stiner, 3B
33 Eric Bond, DH
1 Cory Perreault, SS
29 Ryan Wescott, CF

Starter — LHP Mario Carrasco

                    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10     R  H  E
LCC            2  0  0  0  1  0  1   1  1   x       6   13 0
PVCC         0  0  4  0  0  3  2   0  x   x       9   9  4

Top 1st (Carrasco on the mound)

Hudson draws lead-off walk
Edwards base hit to center, Hudson to third on error by CF. Edwards thrown out 8-5-4 trying to advance second. One out.
Brown RBI double off wall in left-center field, Hudson scores. 1-0 LCC, one out.
Manning strikes out looking. Brown at second, two out.
Jones RBI double on towering fly ball to center, Brown scores. 2-0 LCC, two out.
Thompson flies out to right. Inning over.
Summary — 2 runs on 3 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. LCC 2, PVCC 0

Bottom 1 (Keil on the mound)

DeVito grounds out to second. One out.
Griffiths grounds out to second. Two out.
Thaut struck out looking. Inning over.

Summary — no runs on no hits, no errors, none LOB. LCC 2, PVCC 0.

Note: The official scorer has made a scoring change.  Jones’ RBI double on a shallow but high fly ball to center field in the first has been changed to an error on the center fielder, a ball he had to dive to to get to but missed. Jones loses the RBI.

Top 2nd

Odell  strikes out swinging. One out.
Beltran grounds out to third on first pitch. Two out.
Daniels strikes out swinging. Inning over.

Summary — no runs on no hits, no errors, none LOB. LCC 2, PVCC 0.

Bottom 2nd

Weber pops out to second. One out.
Saylor flies out to right. Two out.
Stiner grounds out to second. Inning over.

Summary — no runs on no hits, no errors, none LOB. LCC 2, PVCC 0.

Top 3rd

Hudson singles down the third-base line
Edwards singles to right, Hudson advances to second
(Hudson picked off at second after getting too big a lead to third, 2-4 pickoff). One out
Brown strikes out swinging, Edwards caught stealing at second, 2-6k. Strike’em out, throw’em out DP. Inning over.

Summary — no runs on two hits, no errors, none LOB. LCC 2, PVCC 0

Bottom 3rd

Bond draws lead-off walk after falling behind 0-2. Pumas’ first baserunner.
Perreault singles to left, Bond advances to third.
Wescott hit by pitch, Perrault advances to third. Bases loaded.
(LCC head coach Stony Wine is conversing with Keil and Brown on the mound)
DeVito flies out to right, runners stay put. One out, bases loaded.
Griffiths laces three-run triple to right that gets past a diving Manning. Bond scores, Perreault scores, Wescott scores. PVCC 3, LCC 2
Thaut draws base on balls, Griffiths at third. One out.
Weber RBI single to left, Griffiths scores, Thaut advances to second. PVCC 4, LCC 2.
Saylor grounds into 5-3 DP. Inning over.

Summary — 4 runs on three hits, no errors, one LOB. PVCC 4, LCC 2.

Top 4th

Manning  reaches on infield single down third-base line, injury timeout for PVCC 1B Weber.
Jones reached on fielder’s choice to second. Manning thrown out at second, 6-4. One out.
Thompson flies out to center. Two out.
Odell strikes out swinging. Inning over.

Summary — no runs on one hit, no errors, one LOB. PVCC 4, LCC 2.

Bottom 4th

Stiner grounds out to first. One out.
Bond strikes out swinging. Two out.
Perrealut strikes out swinging. Inning over.

Summary — no runs on no hits, no errors, none LOB. PVCC 4, LCC 2.

Top 5th

Beltran hits solo HR to right-center field. PVCC 4, LCC 3.
Daniels doubles to center (advances to third on wild pitch)
Hudson pops out to first in foul territory. One out.
Edwards pops out to first in deep foul territory, Daniels gunned down at the plate by 1B Weber. Inning over.

Summary — 1 run on two hits, no errors, none LOB. PVCC 4, LCC 3.

Bottom 5th

Wescott grounds out to third. One out.
DeVito strikes out swinging. Two out.
Griffiths grounds out to second. Inning over.

Summary — no runs on no hits, no errors, none LOB. PVCC 4, LCC 3.

Top 6th

Brown  reaches on infield single
Manning reaches on base on balls, Brown to second
Jones’ sacrifice bunt advances Brown and Manning. One out.
Thompson walks. Bases loaded.
(Carrasco pulled. RHP Efrain Felix now on the bump. Carrasco walked three, struck out three and gave up nine hits. He’s responsible for the bases-loaded situation Felix inherited.)
Odell (Felix’s first batter faced) struck out looking. Two out.
Beltran strikes out swinging. LCC leaves the bases loaded. Inning over.

Carrasco’s final line: 3R, 2ER, 9H, 3BB, 3K, 5.1 IP

Summary — no runs on one hit, no errors, three LOB. PVCC 4, LCC 3.

Bottom 6th (Keil still on the hill for LCC)

Thault reaches on infield single
Weber smokes one to the train tracks 50 feet beyond the left-field wall, Thault scores. PVCC 6, LCC 3.
Saylor pops out to second. One out.
Stiner strikes out swinging. Two out.
Bond reaches on a base on balls
Perreault reaches on a base on balls, Bond to second.
(Assistant Coach C.C. Tilghman makes a trip to the mound to talk to Keil. He remains in the game.)
Wescott two-out RBI double to left scores Bond. PVCC 7, LCC 3.
(Wine pulls Keil for Hunter Lowe. Keil responsible for runners at second (Wescott) and third (Perreault))
DeVito draws walk. Bases loaded. Two out.
Griffiths grounds into 4-6 fielder’s choice at second. Inning over.

Keil’s final line: 7R, 7ER, 6H, 4BB, 5K, 5.2 IP

Summary — 3 runs on 3 hits, no errors, 3 LOB. PVCC 7, LCC 3.

Top 7th

Daniels grounds out to third. One out.
Hudson grounds out to first. Two out.
Edwards singles to left
Brown reaches on throwing error by 3B Stiner, Edwards to second
Manning drives in Edwards on double to left, Brown to third.
Jones pops out to third in foul territory. Inning over.

Summary — 1 run on two hits, 1 error, two LOB. PVCC 7, LCC 4.

Bottom 7th

Thaut lines out to first. One out.
Weber doubles to left
Saylor walks
Stiner singles to center, Weber scores. PVCC 8, LCC 4.
(Wine pulls Lowe for RHP Cook)
Bond drives in Saylor on sacrifice fly to center, Stiner to third. PVCC 9, LCC 4.
Perreault walks
Wescott strikes out looking. Inning over.

Lowe’s  final line: 2R, 2ER, 2H, 2BB, 0K, .2 IP

Summary — 2 runs on 2 hits, no errors, 2 LOB. PVCC 9, LCC 4.

Top 8th

Thompson draws lead-off walk
Lee Taylor (batting for Odell) lines one up the middle, Thompson to second
Beltran RBI single to center scores Thompson, Taylor to second. PVCC 9, LCC 5.
Daniels strikes out swinging. One out.
Hudson grounds into 6-4-3 inning-ending DP. PVCC 9, LCC 5.

Summary — 1 run on two hits, no errors, 1 LOB. PVCC 9, LCC 5

Bottom 8th

DeVito singles
Griffiths advances DeVito to second on sacrifice bunt. One out.
Thaut grounds out to second. Two out.
Weber (who has been outstanding defensively) draws a two-out walk. DeVito to third on passed ball by Brown.
Saylor grounds out to third. Inning over.

Summary — no runs on 1 hit, no errors, 2 LOB. PVCC 9, LCC 5.

Top 9th (LHP Brian Foster on the hill for Pumas, replacing Felix)

Edwards lines one into right field
Brown reaches on fielding error by 3B Stiner, Edwards to second
Manning hit by pitch, bases full for LCC
(Foster pulled after failing to record an out. Replaced with RHP Matt Anderson. Save situation for Anderson.)
Jones strikes out swinging. One out.
Thompson grounds into fielder’s choice at second, Edwards scores, Brown advances to third. PVCC 9, LCC 6. Two out.
Taylor strikes out on 1-2 breaking pitch. Game over.

Summary — 1 run on 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB. PVCC 9, LCC 6.

Final linescore:

                    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10     R  H  E
LCC            2  0  0  0  1  0  1   1  1   x       6   13 0
PVCC         0  0  4  0  0  3  2   0  x   x       9   9  4
W–Carrasco. L–Keil. Sv–Anderson.

LCC will face Parkland Sunday night at 7 (8 EST) in an elimination game.

Afternoon News Report; May 26, 2010

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Vacation/sickness update: The vacay is going great, especially since it’s shifted to a beachfront setting. But it was good to see a few faithful bloggees yesterday, including South Lenoir basketball coach Vance Wade yesterday while I was picking up my 14 prescriptions for my various ailments.

And now … on to your MNR ANR:

KINSTON MAN GETS PROBATION INSTEAD OF 70 YEARS IN PRISON

This was in yesterday’s FP, but I didn’t get around to it … but a 22-year-old Kinston man received probation and light fines instead of up to 70 years in prison he could’ve received for shooting into an occupied house in 2007.

My take: After reading the story, the immediate response is, “What the heck?” But read a little closer … the judge was Paul Jones, one of the notoriously tougher judges in our area. No, I don’t think Judge Jones — who I’ve met on a couple of occasions and have found to be very, very fair — is getting soft.

But he’s a judge with a sterling reputation for a reason. Let’s see if Dominique Deshawn Graham stays out of trouble for the rest of his life; if he does, then Judge Jones did a fine job. If Mr. Graham is back in jail in the next five years, I hope they throw all 70 years at him … and if I know Judge Jones, I know they will.

YOUNG ADULTS KEEPING EYE ON ONLINE REPUTATION

USA Today has a fine piece today on how young professionals are keeping watch on their “online reputation” — how they are viewed with the explosion of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks.

My take: And if there’s anything I can tell my younger bloggees — be smart about what you put up on FB, MySpace, etc. When I am hiring a young reporter — and I’ve just hired two in the past four months — the first thing I do is check out their Facebook pages as part of the hiring process.

Why? I can see what kind of person they are by what they have on their FB page. For instance — and I am NOT kidding — one applicant who had a pretty good resume had a picture of himself with what appeared to be a 9 mm handgun pointed at the camera. No joke — and he didn’t get a follow-up call, either.

Be smart, kids — EVERYTHING you say or post can and will probably someday come back to bite you.

U2 CANCELS 2010 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

The greatest rock band in the world, U2, was forced to postpone its 16 tour stops in North America after frontman Bono had back surgery last week. The stops — with perhaps some more thrown in (including one in North Carolina, South Carolina or Virginia, PLEASE?!?!?) — will be played in 2011.

My take: U2 rocked Raleigh to death in October, and I hoped they’d make another stop when they announced their second round of shows. Unfortunately, the closest U2 was coming was Philadelphia, New York and Miami — but maybe this will mean a show in our neck o’ the woods in 2011.

A note — if you haven’t seen U2 in concert, put it on your bucket list. I’ve been to dozens of rock shows from practically all the top artists and NOTHING compares to a U2 concert.

The iPod shuffle

Strange Currencies — REM

Get On Your Boots — U2

Free Bird — Lynyrd Skynyrd

Small Town — John Mellancamp

FEZ-Being Born — U2

P.S.: Free Press Sports Editor Ryan Herman — who tied the knot over a week ago — will be blogging live RIGHT HERE from Enid, Okla., where the LCC baseball team will be playing in the NJCAA D-2 World Series. The first game is Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; be sure to come back here and follow the Lancers as they attempt to win a national championship.

P.P.S.S.: Please don’t forget to vote for South Lenoir’s Logan Deaver for a statewide player of the year award. Send an e-mail to ncnospitallstars@thesportsflash.com with NC-10-POTY-DEAVER in the subject line. You can vote for him once an hour until midnight on Sunday. Yep, I read it wrong last week — I thought the voting ended this past Sunday, but it lasts until this Sunday. Let’s vote for one of our own!