Wednesday's Central Georgia Daily News 'n Notes: Media Days galore; Alumni Update/Catching up with ...; Braves Report; Mercer football; the golfing Pyons; Falcons/Jones; and more
Wednesday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
SEC and ACC coaches and players talk
The SEC finished Day 3 of its media gathering while the ACC opened up its two-day gathering.
A collection of coverage – the biggest you’ll find anywhere - for both is up in The Latest Coverage.
Alumni update/Catching up with …
Central Georgia connections in Peoria?
Yup.
Tony Locey (Houston County/Georgia) joined the Class A team after being drafted, and already there was Brandon Benson, from Georgia College.
Benson was drafted in the 20th round in 2017, and is off to a sluggish start with a .125 average in 30 games, but three homers.
Locey is 0-1 with a 2.894 ERA in five games and 6.1 innings, with 13 strikeouts against six walks. …
Former Middle Georgia State catcher Chris Burgess hit his first homer as a pro Tuesday for the Orioles’ Gulf Coast team, and added a double. …
FPD grad Wilson Andress turned in a quality performance in the U.S. Amateur qualifying tournament at North Carolina’s Finley Course, shooting a 140.
That was good for a tie for fifth, but putting him as the second alternate. …
Braves Report
Josh Donaldson did his part, but got little help from Atlanta’s offense in a 5-4 loss at Milwaukee to give up the series.
Donaldson drove in all four runs with two hits, including a two-run bomb in the eighth to break the shutout. He added a two-out two-run single in the ninth, but the Braves stranded two, including the tie run – Freddie Freeman reached on a dropped third strike before Donaldson’s two-run single – in the ninth.
It was the rare rough outing for Dallas Keuchel, who dropped to 3-3 after giving up five runs on six hits in 5.2 innings.
Next: Thursday, vs. Washington, 7:20 p.m., FSSE; Friday, vs. Washington, 7:20 p.m., MLB/FSSO;Saturday, vs. Washington, 7:20 p.m., FSSO; Sunday, day, vs. Washington, 7:05 p.m., ESPN; Tuesday, vs. Kansas City, 7:20 p.m., FSSE
Netting to be extended at SunTrust
Around/About Central Georgia
Kickoffs set for Mercer
Three prime-time kickoffs are set for Five Star Stadium and Mercer football this fall.
The Bears will be under the setting sun or lights on Sept. 14 against Austin Peay, Sept. 28 against Campbell, and Nov. 2 against Samford.
Mercer will face VMI on Oct. 19 and Wofford on Nov. 9 at 3 p.m., and Chattanooga on Oct. 5 at 4 p.m.
The season opens on Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. at Western Carolina.
Pyons finish in top two dozen
Carol and Eujin Pyon finished in the top 22 of the Georgia Women’s Open, the second of two rounds completed Tuesday.
Carol, a Rutland grad and Mercer sophomore, dropped a stroke with a 73 to finish with a 145, in sole possession of 13th. Eujin, a senior at Rutland, shot a second 75 to tie for 22nd.
Harmie Nicole Constantino of Athens, an amateur and sophomore at Georgia, followed a 66 with a 65 to beat Jessica Welch of Thomasville by five strokes.
Big inning lifts Gastonia over Macon
A five-run fifth put Gastonia into the lead for good en route to an 11-7 win over visiting Macon in Coastal Plain action.
Calvin Estrada and Sean McQuillan had three hits each for Macon, Estrada with three RBI. Jared Miller, Logan Fink (Tattnall), and Ben McConnell added two hits each to the 14-hit attack.
Estrada had a two-run double and Fink a run-scoring single in the Macon fourth for a 6-4 lead that lasted until the bottom of the fifth.
Macon hosts Savannah on Thursday and Gastonia on Saturday with a trip to Savannah on Friday.
Mercer’s Kithcart a Good Works nominee
Around/About Georgia
Falcons get Deion Jones under contract
Jones was entering the final year of his rookie deal
Tired and banged up, Atlanta hammers Houston