Wednesday's Central Georgia Daily News 'n Notes: Jake Fromm legacy; Cephus trial update; Bob Hoffman hired; Trades?; Braves Report (a drama- and angst-filled win, and more), some Falcons and Tech
Wednesday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
Updated coverage of the second day of Quintez Cephus’ trial in Madison, Wisc., Bob Hoffman getting a head coach job back home, the Ladies National Golf Association amateur (with Rutland’s Carol Pyon and two Mercer teammates), Macon’s next-to-last home games of the year (vs. Savannah), and Braves trade updates, and state stuff.
Former UGA QB on current UGA QB: could be best UGA QB ever
Aaron Murray is adjusting to his post-playing career, which includes college football analysis, and that includes heaping hefty praise on the kid from Houston County.
Second accuser testifies in Cephus trial
The second accuser in the alleged sexual assault by Quintez Cephus remembers little from that night, and the level of intoxication of the accusers was again a prime focus on the second day of the trial.
Cephus is charged with second- and third-degree sexual assault from an April, 2018 incident. He has maintained his innocence from the start and stated that the sexual relations that night were consensual.
The second accuser testified Wednesday, and said she didn’t know she had been sexually assaulted until being told the next morning as much by the first accuser. She said she did not consent to sex, but doesn’t remember it.
Coverage:
WMSN-47 Fox
Braves make some moves
Atlanta picked up Shane Greene, Mark Melancon, and Chris Martin, and bid farewell to Joey Wentz, Kolby Allard, and Tristan Beck as the trade deadline came and went.
All three newcomers have late-game and ninth-inning experience.
Other moves will have to be made, and there is clearly a general rotation shuffling to come.
Melancon, Greene talk about their new team
Bob Hoffman will be back on the sidelines this season
Bob Hoffman will be unemployed for less than six months.
The former Mercer head men’s basketball coach will take over at Central Oklahoma, a Division II program not far from where Hoffman grew up and went to college.
The news broke Wednesday afternoon about the hiring, Hoffman to be introduced at a Monday press conference. The school made it official Wednesday night.
Tom Hankins resigned a week ago to pursue other opportunities. He was 64-53 in four seasons, the sixth highest win total in program history. He led UCO to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association tournament three times.
The Bronchos had three seniors on last year’s 11-17 team that lost 10 games by single digits. Hankins had coached at Oral Roberts and SIU-Carbondale before taking the UCO job.
UCO has had nine 20-win seasons since 2004-05 and went 30-4 in 2010-11.
The school of about 16,000 is located north of Oklahoma City, Hoffman’s hometown and about an hour from Hoffman’s alma mater, Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee.
Hoffman was fired on March 11, two days after Mercer lost to Furman in the Southern Conference tournament to finish 11-20. He was 209-165 at Mercer with three straight seasons of at least 24 wins.
The Bears won 19 games in three of the first five years in the Southern Conference, with a 15-17 mark in 2016-17 – Jibri Bryan was killed in the middle of the season in a drug deal gone bad – and the final season.
The highlight was the 2013-14 season when the Bears went 27-9, beat Florida Gulf Coast on the road for the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament title, and then knocked off Duke in Raleigh, N.C. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Hoffman met his wife Kelli at Oklahoma Baptist, and both have plenty of family in the OKC area.
Overall, Hoffman is 608-335.
Braves Report
A stunning thing happened with an Atlanta starting pitcher: he went into the seventh inning.
Mike Soroka left with a three-run lead. And the drama took over.
A solo homer in the eighth cut the lead to two, bullpen problems in the ninth sent it to extra innings.
The Joshes saved the day, Donaldson with a homer in the top of the inning and Tomlin with a shaky-but-winning ninth as Atlanta nipped Washington 5-4 in 10 innings.
Soroka got no decision, the downhill slide following with Anthony Swarzak, Luke Jackson, and Sean Newcomb.
Washington’s first two batters in the ninth got on against Jackson, who was pulled. Two more reached against Newcomb, bringing in a run.
Newcomb got a double-play ball that brought in the game-tying run and put the game-winning run on third. He then whiffed Brian Dozier to end the inning.
Through nine, Atlanta was 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position and seven left on base, to 1 for 6 and three for Washington.
Donaldson hammered a one-out solo homer to center in the top of the 10th against ace reliever Sean Doolittle. Tomlin misplaying a slow roller – he should have covered first – that allowed Adrian Sanchez to reach with an out.
A walk followed, for runners on first and second with one out. Tomlin got a popout on three pitches and Anthony Rendon on a liner to left for his second save.
Freeman was the only starter not to get a hit. Soroka went 1 for 2.
Next: Thursday, vs. Cincinnati, 7:20 p.m., FSSE; Friday, 7:20 p.m., FSSO; Saturday, vs. Cincinnati, 7:20 p.m., FSSO
Folty doesn’t want to be left behind
Gohara designated for assignment
Falcons Report
Broncos vs.Falcons, 8 p.m., NBC
Saints wrap up Thomas, puts Julio and Falcons on the clock
Rookie to have heart procedure
Knowledge after eight practices
Around/About Central Georgia
Macon and Savannah split
Tattnall grad Cory Bartholomew keyed a shutout in Macon 2-0 win in the doubleheader opener, while And Savannah took the nightcap 6-4 at Luther Williams Field.
Bartholomew was efficient, with three walks and three strikeouts plus two hits in five innings. Chris Rolic (Middle Georgia State) got his seventh save.
Calvin Estrada had two hits for Macon, which got one in the second and one in the fourth of the first seven-inning game. Cory Bivins (GMC) doubled to open the second, and Sean McQuillan drove him in.
The Bananas broke a tie with two in the sixth and survived a run in the Macon seventh to win the nightcap.
Estrada had three hits and three RBI.
Macon is at Lexington County on Thursday and hosts Savannah on Friday in the last home game of the year, not the last game of the year as noted on the website.
Macon is at Savannah on Saturday in the regular-season finale.
Mercer pair has solid third round
Two of Mercer’s three golfers turned in solid third round in the Ladies National Golf Association national amateur in Tennessee.
Carol Pyon shot a 73 and is tied for 27th with a 222. Payton Schanen cut three strokes off her second round with a 75 for a 225 and tied for 36th.
Lauren Lightfritz, though, hit a wall with an 80, 11 strokes worse than Tuesday, and dropped into a tie for 36s.
Lightfritz entered the third round tied for 20th, Pyon tied for 34th, and Schanen tied for 41st.
The final round is Thursday. Karoline Stormo of Kent, Ohio has a four-shot lead.
Around/About Georgia
Tech FB: Lessons from a retreat