Tuesday's News 'n Notes: Scoreboard; Mercer Tennis Classic; UGA, Georgia Southern's Kennedy; Georgia State; college sports, MLB/playoffs, NFL, NASCAR, NBA opens, more
Tuesday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
In Coverage: Scoreboard, with HS playoff action, Monday (Tuesday) Quarterback
📰N 📰E📰W📰S📰
Dodgers 6, Braves 5
Braves go from up 5-2 to a loss, and 2-0 to 2-1 (again)
Bellinger comes up huge on a good ball-three pitch
Column: Winner or lose, applause for the Braves
Column: Epic comeback shows by Dodgers will win series
Around/About Central Georgia
First night match highlights day at Mercer Tennis Classic
It wasn’t as cold as it has been the past few nights, which was good for the first under-the-lights match at the Mercer Tennis Classic taking over the John Drew Smith Tennis Center.
Mercer duo Mary Courville (player) and Andrea Garcia Fernandez (grad assistant) had the honors as doubles play began. The Bear pair won the first game, but the experience of Jia-Jing Lu and Xiyu Wang of China took over and rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 win.
Singles qualifying wrapped up Tuesday, with qualifying draw top seed Robin Anderson and seventh seed Hanna Chang advancing to the main draw in straight sets. Fourth seed Whitney Osuigwe won a second-match tiebreaker 10-7 to advance, and fifth seed Allie Kiick needed an 11-9 tiebreaker to make it.
Unseeded Alana Smith knocked out second seed Conny Perrin in straight sets, and No. 3 Alycia Parks was knocked out by No. 15 Louisiana Chirico.
Action in the main draw gets going Wednesday morning, with top overall seed Madison Brengle hitting the court in the second set of matches. Smith and Osuigew face each other in a notable battle of qualifiers.
Cost is $5 daily and $20 for the week for the tournament with $80,000 in prize money.
Around/About Georgia/Southeast
The yearly ‘what does Kirby think about playing in Jacksonville’ story
Cochran is back with UGA, in different role
Georgia Southern’s Kennedy is found
Why Georgia State will stick with the Sun Belt
College Football/South
Column: So, maybe Barnhart is right on no beer sales?
South Carolina’s Doty done for the season
Pitt ready for a stay in polls, while unranked Clemson beckons
Coastal looks to break streak at App State
Column: Malzahn won’t forget thumping by Cincinnati
College Football
Attorney: ‘Hit by a golf ball? Call me!”
Washington State staff now works on supporting players
Column: Rolovich’s exit leaves program in disarray
Playoffs schedule
Wednesday: Astros at Red Sox, Game 5, FS1, 5 p.m.; Braves at Dodgers, Game 4, TBS, 8 p.m.
Thursday: Braves at Dodgers, Game 5, TBS, 8 p.m.
Friday: Red Sox at Astros, Game 6, FS1, 8 p.m.
Saturday: Dodgers at Braves, Game 6, TBS, 5 p.m.; Red Sox at Astros, Game 7, FOX, 8 p.m.
Baseball
It was 2-2 entering the ninth, and then the Astros went boooom
Baker: ‘Too late for me to change the world’
Yankees sign Boone for three more years, but …
Column: Schumaker is perfect for St. Louis
Beane, Sterns out of Mets top job running
NFL
Column: Derrick Henry’s legend grows
Tomlin gets explanation, no real clarity
Rodgers have fun sharing his success with Chicago fans
Column: Fumble aside, Geno Smith showed he can play
Flores takes blame, but Dolphins’ issues are many
College Sports
South Carolina – duh – tops preseason NCAA women’s poll
SEC favorite: Kentucky, with POY Pippen
Duke the preseason pick in ACC, in K’s final year
Kentucky to honor Tubby with retired jersey
Auto Racing
And now Hamlin and Briscoe are spatting
Golf/Tennis
Column: McIlroy rediscovers art of winning
NBA/WNBA
Phoenix fined for blowing off championship postgame media
Sixers’ Simmons drama: Rivers throws him out of practice
Bucks open title defense with romp
Much more to Russell Westbrook than we see
Victim of Taurasi’s anger – locker room door – at title parade
Sports and social & racial awareness
What Biles learned from Tokyo Olympics