March 6, 2006

GREENSHEET HEADLINES

• Lyon basketball coach named TranSouth Conference co-coach of the year

 • Lyon College to host Science Fair, Academic Day events

• Lyon College looks forward to studying the past at History Day

 • Japan university representative visits campus

• Rodgers and Hammerstein evening rescheduled for March 17

• Gould to be first speaker at museum's Brown Bag with a Book
• Entries sought for Student Creative Arts and Research Forum

• LyonCollege fraternity extends a helping hand to at-risk youth

• Sports
 

  

Heasley Prize Lecture in the bag this year

“One of the most important and imaginative writers in America today” is on his way to Lyon College as this year’s Leila Lenore Heasley Prize winner.

Bret Lott is the author of two story collections, a memoir, a volume of essays and several novels, including “Jewel,” a 1999 Oprah’s Book Club Selection. He’s also the editor of The Southern Review.

On Tuesday, March 21, Lott will present a lecture in Nucor Auditorium at 11 a.m. At noon, he’ll be on-hand in the Bevens Music Room for the Heasley Prize Brown Bag Lunch and Public Interview. And that evening at 7 p.m., he’ll give a reading of his work, also in the Bevens Music Room.

The book reviewer at the Los Angeles Times who called Lott “one of the most important and imaginative writers in American today,” went on to say that, “His eye for detail is unparalleled; his vision – where he looks – is like no one else’s in the country.”

A critic at The Boston Globe agreed, adding that Lott “has a gift for making the ordinary seem luminous.”

The Leila Lenore Heasley Prize is awarded annually to a distinguished representative of American or international letters, theater or cinema. Each spring, the Heasley Prize recipient gives a free public lecture, reading or performance at Lyon College.

Dr. Martha Heasley Cox, professor emerita of English at San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif., established the prize in 1995 in memory of her sister, Leila Lenore, and in honor of other family members. Lyon College Writer-in-Residence Andrea Hollander Budy has chaired the committee since its inception. She also coordinates the Visiting Writers Series and the Lyon College Visiting Fellowship in Creative Writing.

The lecture and reading are free and open to the public.

Bring your own lunch or purchase a boxed lunch from Lyon College Dining Services. A boxed lunch includes a southwestern chicken wrap, pasta salad on the side, Brenda cookies and a beverage, which will be a choice of Coke, diet Coke, Sprite, iced tea, or bottled water.

Boxed lunches cost $5 each, and those placing orders must do so at least 24 hours in advance by contacting Terry Bryant at 698-4320, or by e-mail at: tbryant@lyon.edu.

For more information on the Leila Lenore Heasley Prize lecture series, contact Andrea Hollander Budy at (870) 793-1766, or by email at: abudy@lyon.edu.






 

Lyon basketball coach named TranSouth Conference co-coach of the year

 By Wil Shane
Lyon College News Bureau

When Lyon College’s head basketball coach faced a “court” of his peers recently, they judged him to be one of the best in the game in the TranSouth Athletic Conference.

The TSAC has named Kevin Jenkins the 2005 – 06 Men’s Basketball Co-Coach of the Year in the TranSouth Athletic Conference. He shares this honor with Ralph Turner of Union University.

Jenkins has been with the Scots program for 20 years, with 11 of those as head basketball coach. As of this writing, he’s currently No. 3 on the Scots’ all-time win list with 141 wins.

Jenkins took the Scots from a 5 – 5 TranSouth record in 2004-05, to an 8 – 4 record this season, just a game out of first place. Jenkins led his team to a pair of wins over co-champion Trevecca and defending national champion John Brown.

Scots players Norris Weintz and Jonathon Donaldson also made the All-Conference First Team. Under Jenkins leadership, Weintz has catapulted up the Scots’ all-time scoring list from ninth to his current position in sixth place. He’s tallied up 1, 789 points as a Scot, with 488 coming thus far in this season alone.

Weintz said his coach demands much from his players, but still teaches them there is more to life than the game.

“Coach Jenkins cares a lot about his players and is concerned about them, not only on the court, but off the court as well,” he said. “He expects a lot out of us all as players, but at the same time is very forgiving. If you make a mistake, he just wants you to learn from what you did wrong. He is always there for his players if they’re having trouble outside basketball. He always stresses that there are things more important than basketball, such as school and family.”

But it’s Jenkins’ talents as a field general that have helped give the Scots the success they’ve experienced this season, Weintz added.

  “This award reflects the outstanding job Kevin has done with this year’s team in the eyes of his peers…Lyon and the Batesville community should be proud of the strong leadership Kevin gives to our men’s basketball program.” – Terry Garner, Lyon athletic director

“As far as the technical aspects of the game are concerned, his on–court strategies have lead us to winning a lot of games this season,” he said.

Lyon College Athletic Director Terry Garner said Jenkins is the third Lyon coach to receive the honor since the College joined the TSAC.  The previous Lyon winners were Laura Kozella in volleyball and Brian Krug in women’s golf.

“Coach Jenkins did an outstanding job this year leading the Scots into the final game tied for first place,” he said. “With an overtime loss at MMU, the Scots tied for second place in the league (and were seeded third in the TSAC Conference tournament).”

The honor illustrates the talent and skill Jenkins displays in his work with the team, he added.

“This award reflects the outstanding job Kevin has done with this year’s team in the eyes of his peers,” Garner said. “He was selected for this honor by the men’s basketball coaches in the TSAC. Lyon and the Batesville community should be proud of the strong leadership Kevin gives to our men’s basketball program.”

Lyon College set to host Science Fair, Academic Day events

By Wil Shane
Lyon College News Bureau

Lyon College will soon host a fair to remember, and a series of challenging tests of mathematical prowess will follow the next day

On Friday, March 10, the Northeast Arkansas Regional Science Fair is coming to the Lyon campus, featuring a broad spectrum of exhibits throughout the day. Judging runs from 1:30–3:30 p.m., at Becknell Gym, and the exhibits will open for public viewing from 3:30 – 6 p.m. An awards ceremony follows at 7 p.m. in Brown Chapel.

Students will compete in 15 categories in all areas of science, including the broad categories of biology, physical science, behavioral science and engineering. Students have spent time conducting their various experiments, and they will present their findings in poster format. Those poster presentations will feature their initial questions, hypothesis, experimental methods, results and conclusions.

And on Saturday, March 11, Lyon hosts the Regional Academic Day, with an awards ceremony for the winners in Brown Hall at 2:45 p.m.

Senior and junior high school students from 13 counties compete in the 2006 ACTM Regional Math Contest, sponsored by the Arkansas Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and in the Regional Science Contest, sponsored by Lyon College.

More than 300 students from 11 Arkansas junior high and high schools came to Lyon College last year to take 256 science exams and 205 mathematics exams at the annual Regional Academic Day. Dr. Robert Gregerson, Lyon biology professor, said this year 372 students from 12 schools are slated to take more than 594 tests, including 252 math and 340 science tests.

“That’s a new record number of tests for Academic Day,” he said.Most of the exams will be conducted in the Derby Center, and additional testing will be held in the Lyon Building. By rule, a proctor must be present in each room where testing is going on, and those proctors will grade the tests and tally up the lists of winners.

Most of the exams will be conducted in the Derby Center, and additional testing will be held in the Lyon Building. By rule, a proctor must be present in each room where testing is going on, and those proctors will grade the tests and tally up the lists of winners.   “(Over 590) is a new record number of tests for Academic Day” – Dr. Bob Gregerson, Lyon biology professor

The event was originally called the Arkansas Council of Teachers of Mathematics Regional Mathematics Contest. Later, Lyon added exams in other sciences to round out the event. First-, second- and third-place winners in the mathematics categories will advance to the ACTM State Mathematics Contest, which will be held in April at the University of Central Arkansas at Conway.

Winners will receive certificates, trophies or medallions, and attendees will receive a “goodie bag” containing Lyon College pencils, keychains, etc.

To view pictures of the event afterward, go to: www.lyon.edu.


Lyon College looks forward to studying the past on History Day event

In the near future, the past will come alive at Lyon College when the campus presents this year’s District II History Day.

On March 16, the event will feature various types of history exhibits, and the winners will be honored at an awards ceremony from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. in Nucor Auditorium in the Lyon Building.

Each year Lyon College serves as host for Arkansas’s District II History Day , which is part of a yearlong education program that culminates in a national contest every June. Lyon has been hosting History Day for teachers and students around north central and northeastern Arkansas since 1982.

This year students from Oak Ridge High School, Batesville High, Riverview High, Southside, and Izard County Consolidated Junior and Senior High will participate in the event. The contest theme is “Taking a Stand in History,” and all entries must pertain to this theme. The students are judged on how well they adhered to this.

National History Day engages students in grades 6 – 12 in the process of discovery and interpretation of historical topics. Students produce dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, multimedia documentaries, and research papers based on research related to an annual theme. The exhibits will be in Becknell Gym, the performances in the Lower Union and the documentaries will be shown in the Citizens Bank Room.

These projects are then evaluated at local competitions, such as the one at Lyon. The top three entries from each division and category then advance to the state competition in Conway. The state’s top finishers continue on to the National History Day competition in Washington, D.C.

History Day found its roots in 1974 when Dr. David Van Tassel, a history professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, wanted to improve the teaching of history in elementary and secondary schools. He and his colleagues in the history department created a one-day contest for students to showcase their historical research called National History Day.

Over the next few years, the contest grew across Ohio and into surrounding Midwestern states. By 1980, it had grown into a national organization and in 1992 National History Day moved its headquarters from Cleveland to Washington D.C.

Today, two million students, teachers, parents and volunteers from across the nation participate in National History Day annually, offering, in addition to the contest, workshops, seminars and curricular materials for teachers and summer internships for students.

For more information on the District II History Day at Lyon College, please contact Dr. Brooks Blevins, assistant professor of history, at 870-698-4210, or bblevins@lyon.edu, or Adele Grilli at 870-698-4246, or agrilli@lyon.edu

For information on History Day, log onto www.nationalhistoryday.org.
 

 

Representative of Japan's Akita University visits campus

Jane R. Spalding (second from right), the U.S. representative for Akita International University of Japan, recently visited Lyon College. Lyon and Akita recently signed an exchange agreement that will allow Lyon students to study in Japan. Welcoming Ms. Spalding are (from left) Jo Gehm, administrative assistant to the Nichols International Studies Program; Isabelle Racine-Tenace, director of the Nichols program; and Dr. John Peek, vice president for academic services.
                                                                        Photo by Eric Stewart

Works of Rodgers and Hammerstein to be featured at Lyon College

By Wil Shane
Lyon College News Bureau

A musical retrospective honoring of one of America’s most successful and beloved songwriting teams will soon take the stage at Lyon College.

On March 17, Lyon students and members of the Batesville Community Theatre will present “An Evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein.”

The event, to be held in the Bevens Music Room, was originally scheduled for February but inclement weather forced organizers to reschedule the performance.

Admission is $10, and all proceeds go to benefit the John Saltzman Memorial Fund. Lyon students with ID will be admitted free. For more information, call 613-3827.

Amanda Pickett, Lyon’s adjunct vocal instructor as well as a student at the college, will perform in the program, as will fellow faculty members Russell Stinson, Ceil Smith and choir director Joel Plaag. Along with them, 10 Lyon students will also perform in the show, which Pickett calls a “concert-lecture.”

“We’ll hand out information and interesting facts about Rodgers and Hammerstein,” she said.

An acting and singing veteran of several plays by the duo, Pickett said Oklahoma!, The King And I and Cinderella rank among her favorites, though it’s a revolving list.

“My favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein play is usually whichever one I’m looking at right now,” Pickett said. “I love them all.”

The music written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein raked in a total of 34 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards.

The duo pumped out 11 musicals for the stage and screen, including Allegro, Me And Juliet, Pipe Dream, Flower Drum Song and perennial hits such as Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King And I and The Sound of Music.

After Hammerstein’s death in 1960, Rodgers continued to write for the stage and screen. Some of his other collaborators included Stephen Sondheim, Sheldon Harnick and Martin Charnin. Rodgers died in 1979 at the age of 77. In 1990, the operators of the 46th Street Theatre honored him posthumously by renaming the theater the Richard Rodgers Theatre.
Jane R.

  Brown bag with a book hosted by museum; Gould to be first speaker

Why not learn a little something on your lunch break? The boss will be glad you did. This spring the Old Independence Regional Museum is launching its second annual Brown Bag with a Book series with two upcoming programs. At noon on Wednesday, March 29th, historic preservation consultant Joan Gould will discuss her work on the restoration of Norfork’s Jacob Wolf House, an 1829 building that is the oldest surviving two-story log structure west of the Mississippi River. Gould served as the historical researcher for the restoration project and is the co-author of Jacob Wolf House: Historic Structure Report.

The second program will take place on Wednesday, April 19th at noon. Dr. Carolyn Earle Billingsley, an historian and professional genealogist, will discuss her book, Communities of Kinship: Antebellum Families and the Settlement of the Cotton Frontier, which was published by the University of Georgia Press in 2004.

Bring a sack lunch to the museum (380 South 9th St.), relax, eat, and listen. Old Independence Regional Museum will provide free water and soft drinks.
 

BSA Reception held on campus

The Black Students Association banquet and reception was held Feb. 18 to celebrate Black History Month. The event also recognized the first recipient of the Mitcheal O'Neal Brown Memorial Scholarship, which was established in honor of Lyon's first African-American graduate. Among those attending the reception at Bradley Manor were (front row, from left) Ben Earls Sr., Maydeen White; Lois Matilda Brown, Mr. Brown's first wife; Celeste Brown, his daughter; President Walter Roettger; (back row,  from left) Dr. Tom Carpenter; and Steve Brown, Celeste's husband.
Mrs. White is Matilda's sister.
                                                                         Photo by Rich Reiss
 

  

Entries sought for Student Creative Arts and Research Forum

Each spring, the Student Creative Arts and Research Forum (SCARF) acknowledges outstanding student research and creative endeavors. The goals of the forum are 1) to give students an opportunity to present exemplary projects to an academic community; 2) to increase awareness among students, faculty, and staff about student projects outside their discipline or area; and 3) to reward students for excellent projects.

The first-place winners deliver a talk about their projects at the forum and cash prizes are awarded for the top finishers.

Faculty members of the SCARF committee are John Weinzierl, Chris Valle, Garry Wann, Virginia Wray, Nikki Yonts and Tim Lindblom.

Those wishing to compete in SCARF must submit their art or research by 5 p.m. on April 10. Then, on April 18, the finalists will be announced. The forum will be held at 7 p.m. April 25 in Bevens Music Room..

If you wish to enter the forum, contact any faculty member on the committee or go to http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/scarf/apply.html and fill out the submission form.

Reception held for Presbytery attendees

Lyon College hosted the meeting of the Presbytery of Arkansas on Feb. 17-18. Several Lyon students from various campus organizations volunteered to help. College Chaplain Nancy McSpadden and the following students drove shuttles: Watson Neal, Campus Ministry and Kappa Sig; Emily Wilson, Campus Ministry; Christina Bailey, Alpha Zi Delta; Mikael Summers, Campus Ministry; and Danielle Bell of Campus Ministry and Phi Mu. In addition, a team from Zeta Beta Tau assisted with signage. The Presbytery appreciated all of their efforts. Among those at the reception held at Bradley Manor Feb. 17 were (above) Peggy and Dr. Walter Roettger, president of Lyon; Barbara Webb, the newly elected moderator; and the Rev. Bill Branch, general presbyter of Arkansas. Mrs. Webb, of Benton, is a former Saline county prosecuting attorney who is now a judge for the Workman’s Compensation Board. Below is Tim Bruner, vice president for institutional advancement at Lyon, and the Rev. Kris Crawford, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Benton.
                                                                                                 Photos by Rich Reiss


Lyon College fraternity extends a helping hand to at-risk youth
 
By Wil Shane
Lyon College News Bureau

Lyon College’s chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity is reaching out to some young people who could use a few good friends.

The fraternity has committed to helping serve the children at the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch, located in Bethesda, just outside of Batesville. TKE member J.C. Douglas said the group will be doing various community service activities, and fund-raising for the ranch.

“Our first intentions were to do normal service work, like raking leaves and cleaning up the streets,” Douglas said. “But after a conference with the ranch’s CEO, we decided it would be more of a service to actually do things with the kids.”

The first event was Jan. 28, when the kids at the ranch came to Lyon’s campus to hang out with the TKE’s, he said. They gave them a tour of the campus and attended the men’s basketball game.

This, and other similar activities, will give the kids a chance to have fun away from the Ranch,” Douglas said. “We’ll be doing similar events twice each month out at the ranch, including a cookout and volleyball tournament.”

The TKEs helped with a cookout and an indoor volleyball game at the Ranch on Feb. 25. That event was just one of many to come.

“We’ve pledged to do four hours per month, per member, so that works out to be about 50 hours of service each month for the fraternity as a whole,” he said.

The ranch residents aren’t criminals serving time; they’re good kids who have been through tough times.

“Most of the kids that live at the Ranch are victims of circumstance and just want to be normal kids,” Douglas said. “(But) they’re anything but normal, I must say. I’ve been tutoring out at the ranch for the past semester, and I love those kids.”

The ranch currently has five sites, including a 530-acre site near Batesville where the TKEs will be doing their work, an 87-acre campus near Hardy in Sharp County, a 120-acre campus at DeGray Lake near Amity in Clark County, a 265-acre campus near Alma in Crawford County, and a campus under development at Harrison in Boone County.

Youth Ranches CEO Mike Cumnock said the facilities have a proven record of helping turn youths’ lives around before it’s too late. And few are in better positions to recognize someone in need of help than the 75 county sheriffs in the state of Arkansas, he added.

“We know we’re making a difference in the lives of these kids,” Cumnock said. “The involvement of the sheriffs in the Ranches makes perfect sense. They’re often the first to become aware of families in crisis and in constant contact with children who are continually falling through the cracks. Often, these at-risk children are simply ‘thrown away’. If we don’t take a stand to help them now, we may eventually be forced to deal with a troubled adult.”   “Most of the kids that live at the Ranch are victims of circumstance and just want to be normal kids.” – J.C. Douglas

Sometimes, these children will be positively influenced to a higher degree by people like the TKEs than they may be by a traditional authority figure, he added.

“It is great to have Lyon students involved with the children at the Ranch,” Cumnock said. “Young people who care about the success of other young people and are willing to sacrifice for them say more to them than millions of words. TKE members, in volunteering, are giving something money can't buy – acceptance.”


Sports

 (Reprinted from the Batesville Daily Guard)

Scots’ season comes to abrupt halt

By Michael Young, Guard Sports Writer
(Published Friday, March 2)
Nathan Aaron drilled three straight 3-pointers to give the Freed-Hardeman Lions a quick start en route to a 65-59 win over the Lyon College Scots in the first round of the TranSouth Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday night at Becknell Gymnasium.

The loss brings the Scots’ season to an abrupt halt less than a week removed from playing for a regular-season conference title.

“I hate it for the team,” Scot Coach Kevin Jenkins said. “We had a great run at the end, but we just couldn’t seem to make it happen these last two ball games.”

Martin Methodist overcame a 9-point deficit in the last two minutes Saturday (Feb. 25) in Pulaski, Tenn., to win 68-63 and deny the Scots a share of the regular-season title.

Thursday night, Brandon Thomas put the Scots on the scoreboard first with a second-chance shot after his first was blocked. Thomas, who was fouled on the score, missed the free throw.

Then Aaron unloaded. His first and third treys came from the top of the key, the second was beyond NBA range from the left side.
Coach Jenkins called a timeout to regroup his team with about 17 minutes to play in the opening half.

The Scots responded with a 3-point dagger from Jonathan Donaldson, then the teams swapped baskets until Lyon netted six straight to tie the game at 13-13 with 12:52 on the clock.

Lyon took the lead with a pair of free throws with 11:39 remaining. FHU led by five with 2:45 to go, but Lyon netted five straight to close the first half with the game tied at 30-30.

Another 3-point bomb by Aaron gave the Lions their biggest lead (7) with 8:32 left in the game. Aaron’s fifth and final 3 put the game out of reach (58-51) with 55 ticks to go.

But Donaldson made it interesting. With 39 seconds remaining, Donaldson hit a long 3-pointer to put the Scots within four. Aaron was fouled on the ensuing possession and made both free throws. Donaldson answered with a turnaround trey off a long rebound with 24 seconds to go.

But the Lions maintained possession of the ball and used free throws to secure the win and advance to face second-seeded Union.
The Scots finished with a record of 15-14.

Norris Weintz, playing the final game of his career, recorded another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He added five assists. Donaldson netted a team-high 15 points. Brandon Thomas added 10 points and a blocked shot.

Aaron led the Lions with 21 points. Josh Haislip added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Lyon managed a 34 percent shooting performance from the field (20 of 59). It made 68 percent of its free throws (15 of 22).
Meanwhile, the Lions netted 43 percent from the field (23 of 53) and 72 percent from the charity stripe (13 of 18).

“Freed-Hardeman played well. They took some things away from us,” Jenkins said. “Still, I thought the kids battled hard and didn’t give up. Trying to beat a team for the third time is tough, but if we were to line up and play again I think we would have a good shot at winning.”

The Scots’ errant shooting was the difference, Jenkins said.

“We got a lot of good open shots. The basket, at times, just seemed to have a lid on it,” he said. “We also missed some free throws in the first half, and committed some turnovers and didn’t play real smart at times on defense. The biggest thing, though, was the field-goal percentage. You’ve got to shoot better than that in your own gym.”


Piper season ends in Nashville

Published Wednesday, March 1, 2006
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Lyon Pipers season came to an end with a 68-39 loss to the No. 5 Trevecca Nazarene Trojans in the first round of the TranSouth Athletic Conference Tournament here Tuesday night.

The Pipers were playing short-handed. Crystal Bogy suffered a knee injury during a game Saturday, Kim Edmondson and Lyndsey Rieck were home with the flu, and Nikki Baker was playing with strep throat.

Trevecca (28-3) jumped out to a 9-3 lead. Lyon Coach Tracy Stewart-Lange called a timeout to regroup her squad and it responded with a 13-0 run to take a 16-9 lead near the midpoint of the opening half.

Down by seven, Trevecca Coach Gary van Atta called a timeout and the Trojans responded with a 15-2 barrage. The 6-point deficit was as close as the Pipers would get the remainder of the game. The home team led 32-24 at halftime.

The Trojans made the first four points of the second half and continued to stretch their lead as they dominated the second half. Trevecca outscored Lyon 36-15 in the closing frame.

The Pipers didn’t help themselves. They managed a dismal 4-of-26 (15 percent) shooting performance from the field in the second half. The Trojans didn’t fare much better. They made 35 percent from the field (14 of 40).

For the game, the Pipers made 14 of 60 shots from the field (23 percent) and eight of 12 from the free-throw line. The Trojans connected on 28 of 73 from the field (38 percent) and five of eight from the line (63 percent).

“Our zone (defense) was giving them some problems in the first half,” Stewart-Lange said. “The thing was, we didn’t put the same kind of second half together. I don’t know if it was fatigue or what, but we didn’t come out and play with the energy and fire we needed. ... And 15 points in the second half did us in. We had some open looks, but they didn’t go in.”

Prescilla Mathias, playing her final collegiate game, led the Pipers with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Freshman Maribeth Waters added 11 points and five rebounds. Nikki Baker, a junior, pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

Lyon closed the season with an 11-20 record.

“We have a lot to do in the off-season and with recruiting, but now we know what to work on,” Stewart-Lange said.


Baseball

Scots ranked No. 4 in NAIA poll

By Michael Young, Guard Sports Writer
(Published Thursday March 2, 2006)
The Lyon College Scots baseball team continued its winning ways with a 2-game sweep of the Loyola-New Orleans Wolfpack on Wednesday at Scots Field. Lyon won 5-2 and 9-2.

Voters for the National Association of Intercollegiate Activities national poll have taken notice of the Scots’ dominating performances. Previously unranked, the Scots (15-1) jumped to No. 4 in Tuesday’s poll.

“We’ll take it,” Lyon skipper Kirk Kelley said. “It’s fun for the kids, but at the same time, we’re not going to go around beating our chests. It’s a long season.”

The Scots initiated the offense in the first inning of game one with three runs. Both teams went scoreless until Lyon scored a pair in the bottom of the fifth and Loyola sent two across in the top of the sixth to set the final score.

Hal Skinner gave up the two runs on nine hits while earning his third straight win.

Brandon Qualls earned win number two with a complete-game effort in game two.
“I thought the key was our pitching,” Kelley said. “Hal only gave up two runs and threw well. And Brandon came in and pitched really well in the second game.”

The offense wasn’t bad either.

Rob Webster continued his hot streak with his team-leading fifth home run of the season. Webster has 22 hits in 45 tries (.489 batting average). Sean Coker is also at .489 and Steven Wright leads the team with a .491 average. Matt Byrd, Revis Kemper, Andy Bettis and Mike Sanchez are all batting better than .400.

Wright added two doubles with one in each game. Coker also recorded a 2-bagger.

In game two, Lyon scored a run in the first, three in the second, three in the third and two in the sixth. Loyola’s runs came in the sixth and seventh.

“We came out in the second game and swung the bat really well,” Kelley said. “And Brandon was in total control the whole game.”

The Scots will now hit the road to begin their annual spring break trip to Florida. The first game of the 7-game road trip was slated for Sunday afternoon at West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.). The Scots are scheduled to return home for a March 15 contest with Mid-America Nazarene.

Lyon pounds CBC 17-2, 17-6

(Published Wednesday, March 1)

The Lyon College Scots improved to 13-1 with two dominating performances against the Central Baptist Mustangs on Tuesday afternoon at Scots Field. Lyon won the first non-conference baseball game 17-2 and the second 17-6. The second win was Lyon’s baseball programs 400th since it began in 1993.

Lyon hurler Jerry Farina remained undefeated (4-0) after pitching five complete innings in game one. Farina gave up just four hits in the contest.

Meanwhile, CBC’s Shiloh Knoner was getting blistered by his former teammates. Knoner, who played for Lyon last season, was run off the mound after three innings as the Scots led 12-0.

Lyon finished the run-rule shortened game with 17 runs on 16 hits. Sam Cooke recorded a double and a triple. Rob Webster, Revis Kemper and Matt Byrd doubled and Sean Coker hit a home run.

Homers were aplenty in the second game. Lyon’s Steven Wright blasted a shot well behind the 15-foot center field wall on his first at bat, then added a rocket over the left-field wall on his next trip to the batter’s box. Andy Bettis found the lower left-center gap for a homer to start the sixth inning. Webster followed with what would have likely been a double if not for an ill-advised move by the left fielder.
Brian Conder, CBC’s left fielder, acted as if Webster’s shot down the line went under the tarp and threw his arms in the air to signal to the umpire that the ball had gone out of play.

The umpire noticed the ball was near Conder’s feet and playable. Webster continued to run and made it to home plate without a throw. After realizing his ploy didn’t work, a disgusted Conder bent down, picked up the ball and threw it back into the infield. The play was ruled an inside-the-park home run.

Conder found a little redemption on the next play, making a diving catch for the first out of the inning. Revis Kemper grounded to second for the next out. The Scots led 12-6 at that point.

Byrd followed with a single to right-center, Kody Cox walked, Wright singled in Byrd and Daniel Guffey, who was pinch-running for Cox, Mike Sanchez walked, and Cooke ended the game with a 3-run walkoff blast to straight-away center field.

“I just thought it was another day where the offense was explosive all the way down the order,” Lyon Coach Kirk Kelley said. “We hit .417 as a team. The five home runs might be a school record.”

Webster has been on fire lately. Since Friday, Webster has turned in a 13 for 18 (.722) performance with three homers.

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