Arts, Leisure and Sports
Ironman overall women winner Anna Marie Strehlow (right) with Amanda Coker from VBR Twenty 22 relay team. (VBR photo)
Several thousand tri-athletes and their families were at the Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge Triathlon yesterday. The course – and the valley – impressed some of the out-of-towners, as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Tanner Schobel had three hits, scored three times and drove in three runs and No. 4 overall seed Virginia Tech used a 14-run inning to coast to a 24-4 win over Columbia on Saturday night, landing a spot in the championship game of the Blacksburg Regional.
The Hokies (43-12) were trailing 2-1 heading into the fourth inning when they sent 17 batters to the plate, scoring 14 runs on 10 hits, four walks and a hit batter. That is the most runs in an inning since joining the ACC, the school’s all-time record is 17 set in 1989.
Schobel started the scoring with a three-run double. Carson DeMartini had a bases-loaded double and Nic k Biddison followed with an inside-the-park home run. Cade Hunter capped the onslaught with a two-run double.
Columbia (31-17) faces Gonzaga, the team the Lions beat on Friday, in a loser-out game early Sunday with the winner getting a shot at Virginia Tech later in the day. It would take a second win over the Hokies on Monday to reach the Super Regional.
Biddison, Jack Hurley and DeMartini had three RBIs and five other Hokies drove in two runs. Biddison and Gavin Cross, who also homered, scored three runs. Gehrig Ebel homered, the first of his career, as Virginia Tech had eight extra-base hits among its 20 in the game. The Hokies also had four hit batters and drew 15 walks from seven different Columbia pitchers.
The Hokies spread the pitching duties among six pitchers with second man up Jordan Geber (1-1) getting the win.
Austin Mowrey had three of Columbia’s eight hits, Joshua Solomon had two RBIs and Skye Selinsky had a solo home run.
(Courtesy of Alabama Facebook page)
From Berglund Center: The award winning super group ALABAMA has to postpone this weekend’s concerts originally scheduled for Friday, June 3 in Roanoke VA and Saturday, June 4 in Fayetteville, NC due to — Randy Owen, lead vocalist and co-founder of the group ALABAMA is mourning the loss of his mother, Martha Alice Teague Owen, who passed away yesterday morning. Surrounded by her family in Fort Payne, Alabama, Owen died following a short illness. She was 90-years-old.
All tickets purchased for the originally scheduled date will be honored on the new performance date.
The USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships are descending upon Roanoke City and Botetourt County on June 29 through July 2. The races include time trials, long distance team races similar to the Tour de France, and street races called Criterium that can be compared to Formula One racing on bikes. There will be over 700 male and female cyclists between the ages of 11 and 22 from over 40 different states competing– some of which are even hoping to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. USA Cycling Director of National Events Tara McCarthy on the longest course:
Cindy Petersen -courtesy Taubman Museum
More than 100 artists representing a wide variety of media will set up shop around the City Market Building and near the Taubman Museum of Art this weekend. The annual Sidewalk Art Show is back for a 64th year, as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
