Sports Re-Cap: Canes Roll Through Nashville

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Nashville Predators: Loss 4-3 OT

        The Nashville Predators faced off against the Carolina Hurricanes last night in Game 6 of their first-round matchup. The Preds entered play down 3-2 in the series, making the game an elimination game and one that the Preds needed to win to stay in the playoffs.

Nick Cousins got the scoring going early in the first period as he scored just under 2 minutes into the game. The Predators led 1-0. However, the Hurricanes answered with a goal of their own just under 3 minutes later, and things were tied 1-1. The score remained tied through the end of the first period.

In the early minutes of the second period, Nashville would retake the lead off a Granlund goal to put them ahead 2-1. Then later in the second period, Roman Josi passed the puck, on what looked like a shot attempt, straight to Ryan Johansen for the put-in and the Predators led 3-1. The Preds had capitalized on the power play and were now looking to hold on for the victory. Unfortunately, Carolina would score a power-play goal of their own late in the second period to make the game even tighter at 3-2. The Preds still held a 3-2 lead heading into the final period of play.

In the third period, the Hurricanes were in full attack mode. They controlled most of the possessions and possession time in the offensive zones. Predators’ defenseman and superstar, Roman Josi, got banged up in the period and would leave the bench area. That event seemed to deflate the Nashville balloon. The Preds never seemed to fully recover from it and Carolina capitalized. They scored a goal from Dougie Hamilton to tie the game 3-3. The game was headed to overtime for a fourth consecutive game in this series.

It didn’t take long in overtime for the game-winner to go in. Slavin put the puck on net from his defensive spot and Sebastian Aho deflected it over Juuse Saros’ shoulder just over a minute into the overtime period and the Hurricanes won 4-3. The Nashville Predators were eliminated from the NHL Playoffs in a 6 game series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Nashville Sounds: Win 11-0

       How many games have the Nashville Sounds won in a row now? That would be 9 ladies and gentlemen! 9 straight wins for the Nashville Sounds. They took on the Columbus Clippers again last night and it was a hitting parade for the Sounds. Nashville tallied 11 hits, including 3 home runs from Taylor, Peterson, and Ray. The biggest inning came in the sixth inning when the Sounds plated 6 runs. Zack Godley threw 6 scoreless innings and struck out 7 batters while picking up the win on the mound.

College Baseball:

       MTSU– Loss 10-6

        The MTSU Blue Raiders played Old Dominion on the diamond yesterday in the Conference USA Tournament. The Blue Raiders previously knocked off #1 seed Charlotte and looked to continue the winning.  It was not meant to be in yesterday’s contest though. The game was close until the fifth inning. The score was 1-1 until Old Dominion scored 7 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to go up 8-1. They added some insurance runs and led 10-1 heading into the eighth inning. MTSU started to mount a comeback as they scored 2 in the eight and then 3 more in the ninth. It was 10-6 and the Blue Raiders at least were within striking distance, but that is how the game would end. MTSU lost 10-6 to Old Dominion and will now play FAU.

       Vanderbilt CommodoresLoss 6-4

Vanderbilt battled the Razorbacks from Arkansas last night in the SEC Tournament. The Commodores got things started early as they plated 2 runs in the first inning. Arkansas would respond though in the bottom of the second with 2 runs of their own and the game was tied at 2-2. Both teams scored in the fourth. Unfortunately for Vandy, the Commodores scored only 1 run as the Razorbacks pushed across 3 runs. Both squads would each add one more run, but after the fifth inning, the game was scoreless. Vanderbilt lost 6-4 to the Razorbacks and will have a rematch against Ole Miss in an elimination game.

       Tennessee VolunteersWin 12-2

The Volunteers faced off against Mississippi State yesterday in the SEC Tournament. It was complete domination from the start for Tennessee. The Volunteers run-ruled the boys from Starkville 12-2. The Vols did not trail in the game as they had a big second inning in which they scored 4 runs. They had their second 4-run inning in the bottom of the eighth and that was what forced the run-rule. The ninth inning was not played and the Vols moved on in the tournament. They now face Alabama in a rematch game.

Cincinnati Reds: Loss 5-3, Win 3-0

       The Cincinnati Reds continued their game against the Nationals, which was postponed from Wednesday, yesterday afternoon. The Reds trailed 3-0 and things picked up where they left off in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Nats added to the lead 2 innings later in the sixth. The Reds made a push back as they scored 3 runs in the top of the eighth, but it was too little too late for Cincinnati and they lost 5-3.

The second game was a different story. The Reds took an early 1-0 lead in the first and then added 2 more in the fifth off an RBI single, and an RBI double. The Reds’ pitcher Sonny Gray threw 6 scoreless innings and struck out 5 on his way to earning the victory.

Tennessee Titans:

       The Tennessee Titans had their first OTAs of the offseason. These were not mandatory, but still, it was good to see some of the players out there so the coaches could get a better look at them. Most notable from yesterday’s OTA was Darrynton Evans lining up at WR, and Amani Hooker looking more comfortable at safety. Evans was not seen a lot last year dealing with injuries, but he is an explosive player, and the Titans might look to utilize him in different areas such as WR or returner. Amani, on the other hand, will see an increase in playing time given that Kenny Vaccaro is no longer with the team.

Spring Fling:

The 2021 Spring Fling continued action yesterday. Check out the link below for all the updated scores and results:

https://tssaasports.com/springfling/