Kaitlynn Lee Signs with

University of Memphis

Athletes from around the region gathered at Sweetwater Park on April 18, 2008 Special Olympics. Loudon County was represented in full force, with athletes from six county schools joining independents for the games. Eleven athletes participated from Loudon High School.  Angelique Astudillo participated in the opening ceremonies by carrying the torch for the 3rd leg of the Torch Run.  Five students took the top place in an event. Josh Jones captured first in the 100-meter walk, Mark Campbell took first in the 100-meter run and Josh Bos grabbed the top placing in the 400-meter run. Cody Wright, earned first in both the 200-meter walk and the Running Long Jump. The fifth athlete, Casey Hogan, earned first place in Bocce. 

Second place finishes went to Nikko Kuenzel (200-meter walk), Josh Bos (runing long jump), Clayton Bowman (400-meter run).  Partners Renee Bos and Jessica Limburg took second place in Bocce.  Angelique Astudillo (100-meter run), Josh Jones (400-meter walk), Mark Campbell (200-meter walk), Nikko Kuenzel (400-meter run) and Stephanie Russell (100 meter run) each earned third place finishes.

Things began slowly for Loudon in the second game of the Loudon Invitational Friday evening.

Senior pitcher Blake McNew struggled with his control and the Redskins fell behind by three early, but they quickly rebounded to route Carter 12-3.

Neither team found the plate in the opening frame, before McNew's control issues began. Opening the second, the Loudon senior allowed a single up the middle followed by consecutive free passes to load the bases with just one down.

McNew found his way out of the inning, but not before allowing a sac fly to Jared Murray and a two-RBI double to Alan-Michael Sprinkle.

After the only inning the visitors would score in, Loudon trailed 3-0.

The deficit didn't last long, as the hosts quickly put together a rally in the bottom of the third.

Tyler Campbell led things off with a seeing-eye single to left and Matthew Wallace followed with a walk.

After a meeting at the mound, Campbell swiped third before the pitch was even thrown. As the throw went to third, Wallace headed to second.

With two on and none out, Dain McNabb ripped an RBI single to left and Jordan Purdy followed with a two-RBI double in the right-center gap to tie the game at three.

The Loudon offense wasn't nearly done yet as McNew stepped to the plate and deposited a pitch over the left-center field fence for his third home run of the year. The shot also put Loudon up 5-3 and ended the third inning scoring.

McNew completely settled in from there, allowing just two hits from the third inning to the seventh.

The Redskin offense kept the pressure on Carter, though, scoring four more in the fourth.

Purdy accounted for the first run of the inning when he doubled in Wallace. Blake Cosner was then plunked and McNew singled to load the bases.

A sac fly to left-center by Joey Schultz and a two-RBI single by Anthony Powell put Loudon up 9-3 as the fourth ended.

The final two runs came in the sixth when Ben Curtis drove in pinch-runner Gabe Hampton and a bobble in the outfield allowed Powell to round the bases.

The Redskins finished the Loudon Invitation Saturday in an afternoon bout with Rockwood and will return to action Monday at Sequoyah.

Carter - 030 000 0 - 3 4 2 Loudon - 005 043 X - 12 11 1 BATTING HR - L - McNew 2B - C - Sprinkle; L - McNabb, Purdy (2), Schultz 3B - none PITCHING W - McNew L - Parsons