The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page C5

Marcus Dixon going to Vanderbilt, but still may end up in the Midstate. There are indications MTSU football Coach Andy McCollum, who aggressively recruited Dixon early in his high school career, is pursuing him again after the Georgia Supreme Court reversed a child molestation conviction against him earlier this week. Morehouse College, a Division II school in Atlanta, extended an academic and football scholarship to Dixon yesterday. guardians said what his plans are concerning football, but they have said he will attend college and Vanderbilt is no longer in the picture. Dixon, who has not commented since being released from prison, reportedly has an MTSU scholarship waiting on him.

McCollum cannot comment on Dixon because of NCAA rules. While MTSU was one of the first schools to recruit Dixon he never took an official visit to the Murfreesboro campus. Dixon, a standout defensive end from Pepperell High School, committed to Vanderbilt in December 2002, signed a national letter-of- intent Feb. 5, 2003, and was arrested for statutory rape five days later. Vanderbilt rescinded admission March 5, 2003.

The statutory rape charge eventually was changed to child molestation charges. Dixon was found guilty of that charge, which carries a mandatory 10-year prison sentence in Georgia. After the case drew national attention the Georgia Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, said General Assembly intended to punish Dixon for misdemeanor statutory rape and not felony aggravated child molestation. A trial court will re-sentence Dixon on that charge and the defense will push the court to allow his time served (15 months) as appropriate punishment. If that happens the 6-foot-6, 265-pounder could be back on the football field this fall.

Dixon, 19, faces misdemeanor sexual battery charges for allegedly putting his hands down the pants of a female track teammate. Harris picks Belmont: Stratford basketball star Henry Harris, a Tennessean All-Midstate First Team selection, has decided to attend Belmont where he will be on a full academic scholarship in 2004-05 while redshirting on the basketball team, then switch to an athletic scholarship the next four years. Harris decided on Belmont even though the Bruins did not have a basketball scholarship available. He averaged 21.1 points, six rebounds and seven assists as a senior. Brewer signs: Campbell Brewer, who led Christ Presbyterian Academy to second place in the state golf championship, signed a scholarship with MTSU.

father, Will, is the director of operations at Golf Club of Tennessee. Lipscomb signs Hughes: Wesley Hughes, an all-state soccer player from Oakland High School, has signed with Lipscomb. Looking ahead: Neither Belmont nor Lipscomb had any golfers make the Atlantic Sun conference first or second teams, but the future is bright with several freshmen from both schools honored. Belmont placed two players Audra Williams from Kingston Springs and Rebekah Wilson from Nashville on the six-member All-Freshman team. Matt Miller made the All-Freshman team along with Cody Hale, who is from Tullahoma.

Mike Organ is a staff writer for The Tenness- ean He can be reached at 259-8021 or For all the Lady Tigers softball accomplishments and there are several the biggest goal heading into this season will go unfulfilled. When the three-game series at Eastern Kentucky concludes this weekend, so will the season, and once again TSU will fall short of the six-team Ohio Valley Conference Tournament field. However, the team has set a single-season record for wins with 16; recorded its first-ever win against area rival Middle Tennessee State; and defeated five league opponents in compiling a current 5-18 conference record that leaves it tied for ninth. pleased with the season had; there are a lot of positive things we can carry with third-year coach Joyce Maudie said regarding the 16-38 overall record. set the bar for Tennessee State softball.

But disappointed not going to the (OVC) Injuries took a toll on the Lady Tigers, as junior infielder Jade Savusa was lost early in the year and junior outfielder Caryn Barber went down a couple of weeks ago. had some things had to overcome in terms of Maudie said. we kept finding ways to compete. Their spirit has been great. continued to fight and be competitive, and all you can Offensively, freshman Hollie Sanders has set the pace for the team, leading the Triple Crown categories with a .304 batting average, six home runs and 29 RBI.

Sophomore Justine Jontz has been the leader on the mound with eight wins, a 3.25 ERA and 84 strikeouts. While that duo gives Maudie a solid nucleus for 2005, have to figure how to replace seniors Shannon Hicks, Catriona Smith and Alana Thomas. Hicks is hitting .257 with a team-high 10 doubles, while Thomas has four pitching victories and is hitting .294. Smith has started every game for TSU. and Alana were only in the program for a year and a half, but made a significant Maudie said.

is a major reason the program has continued to grow. done a lot for Tennessee State Senior superlatives: Hicks received the inaugural TSU Female Athlete of the Year award at athletic awards banquet. Nick Horton, a senior sprinter on the track team, was named Male Athlete of the Year. Head coaches from each team nominated candidates that were at least juniors in eligibility with a minimum grade-point average of 2.4 and significant campus community involvement. Nominees then were voted on by head coaches and athletics officials.

Last chance: track Coach Chandra Cheeseborough has high hopes for several of her team members in this OVC Outdoor Championships at Samford University in Birmingham and if any of them is going to qualify for the upcoming NCAA Regionals, this will be the final opportunity to do so. they do it here, going to concentrate on next year and getting ready for said Cheeseborough, who said none of her athletes will take part in any of the various meets to reach NCAA qualifying standards between the league meet and the regional at the end of the month. Among the Tigerbelles who could have a chance at conference honors and regional qualification are Jennifer Lawson (100, 200 meters), Ashley Byrd (triple jump) and Shaniqua Hector (long jump, pole vault) all juniors. The 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams also have NCAA aspirations. Maurice Patton covers TSU athletics for The Tennessean He can be reached at 259-8018 or Pitcher ejected after criticizing umpire for small strike zone By MAURICE PATTON StaffWriter The scoreboard read 83 degrees, but Juan Acevedo was hotter much hotter after giving up the deciding runs in 11-9, 10-inning loss to Memphis yesterday at Greer Stadium.

Acevedo, the fifth pitcher for the Sounds, was more than a little upset when a 2-2 pitch to Bo Hart was called a ball by home plate umpire Kevin Kelley, leading to a one-out walk and setting the stage for two-out hits by Luis Ortiz and John Gall that snapped a 9-9 score. watching the whole game he was squeezing our said Acevedo, who exchanged words with Kelley as he left the field and was thrown out, then continued to vent and was eventually persuaded by Nashville Manager Trent Jewett to leave the field. Once in the dugout, Acevedo slung a bat and his glove in the direction of the plate. just frustrating. (Hector) Almonte threw some good pitches and get the calls, and Willis (Roberts) struck somebody 0-2 and get the call and they wound up getting a hit.

If a strike in the first or second (inning), a strike in the eighth or ninth; be consistent, get Acevedo is the third Nashville reliever to earn an ejection this season; Roberts and Mike Gonzalez were both tossed on April 21 in a 12-4 loss to visiting Albuquerque. been like that the whole Acevedo said. umpiring been very Officiating aside, the Sounds fell behind early yet again as spot starter Chris Fussell gave up first- inning home runs on consecutive pitches to Kevin Witt and John Mabry and wound up allowing five runs in three innings. Nashville rallied and took a 9-8 lead with a four-run sixth inning as Luis Figueroa hit a three-run homer and Daryle Ward added an RBI double, but the Redbirds tied the game in the top of the seventh, forcing extra innings. had it on the Jewett said.

just get it done. I like the fact we came back. It looked like it would be a long day, but the offense kept coming back and coming back, and we finally put up a couple of zeros. But they outlasted Skipped: Fussell started yesterday in place of Sean Burnett, who experienced back spasms prior to the game. It has not been determined whether Burnett will make his next scheduled start Monday at Oklahoma.

And then there was one: With his solo home run in the fourth inning, Keith McDonald left the homerless ranks for the season. Shortstop Mike Moriarty, who joined the team on April 18, is the only other active Sounds player without a home run. McDonald is the all-time home run leader for the Redbirds, hitting 40 in his five seasons there (1998-2002). Bay watch: In the third game of his rehabilitation assignment following offseason shoulder surgery, leftfielder Jason Bay went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Maurice Patton covers the Nashville Sounds for The Tennessean.

He can be reached at 259-8018 or mopat- MINOR LEAGUES REDBIRDS 11, SOUNDS 9 MemphisABRHBINashvilleABRHBI Prieto cf5310Thompson cf5220 Cedeno rf4021Figueroa 3b6243 Ortiz ph1111Bay lf 4232 Gall lf6022House ph 0100 Witt 3b5122Ward 1b6033 Mabry ph1000 Hart 2b1010Truby 2b5010 Molina c5131Alvarez rf3000 Seabol ph5100Moriarty ss4000 Bowers ss3211McDonald c5211 Parrott p2012Fussell p1000 Alviso ph 1010Figueroa p1000 Calero p0000Allen rf2000 Paronto p0000Almonte p0000 Flores p0000Acevedo p0000 Totals43111711Totals439149 2 (5). 1, Nashville 2. Ortiz (3), Mabry (5), Molina (4), Parrott (1), Bay (2), Ward (4). Witt (6), Mabry (7), Figueroa (2), Bay (1), Ward 2 (4). Moriarty.

(7). (1). MemphisIPHRERBBSO Parrott585423 Flores.134310 Calero1.200003 Creek.110010 Paronto 10012 Simontacchi 1110001 NashvilleIPHRERBBSO Fussell365523 Figueroa131100 Almonte212222 Roberts241101 Acevedo 0-3232221 5,073 Memphis 11, Nashville 9 (10) Next: Today, vs. When: 7:05 Game at a glance Losing pitcher: Juan Acevedo (0-3). Big stick: Luis Figueroa, 4-for-6, three-run home run, two runs scored.

How they lost: Each of five pitchers allowed at least one run, negating the 14-hit, three-homer offensive attack. Memphis scored nine of its runs with two outs and got scoreless innings from its bullpen. What they said: got to learn how to fight from behind, how to play ahead and how to play even. There are a lot of facets of the game. You have to learn to deal with all of Sounds Manager Trent Jewett, whose team has been outscored 25-8 in the first inning this season.

pitchers: Nashville LHP Dave Williams (0-1, 3.77 ERA); Memphis RHP Dan Haren (4-1, 3.58). SOUNDS Acevedo hot after late loss www.tennessean.com THE TENNESSEAN Thursday, May 6, 2004 5C CYANMAGYELBLK TennesseanBroadsheet Master TennesseanBroadsheet Master 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 5 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 5 TennesseanBroadsheet Master TennesseanBroadsheet Master 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 5C COLLEGES The gift Mom needs A Day To Be Pampered forget Day Spa HCM We are conveniently located in the SYNERGY BUSINESS PARK 278 Franklin Road Gallatin 255 Brentwood, TN 37027 370-1729 Call today to make your appointment or to purchase our specialized gift certificates. through Not valid with any other promotion Mom Of The Year! One Hot Stone Massage One Spa Manicure One Spa Pedicure One European Facial One Haircut and Style Package Price: $250 ($300 value) 3 Package Mom! CHOOSE ANY 3 SPA SERVICES: One Half-Hour Massage One Manicure One Express Facial One Haircut and Style Package Price: $75 ($105 value) 1 Package Super Mom! One Hour Massage One Spa Manicure Package Price: $85 ($100 value) 4 Package Best Mom! CHOOSE ANY 4 SPA SERVICES: One Hour Massage One Manicure One Spa Pedicure One Express Facial One Haircut and Style Package Price: $150 ($185 value) 2 Package We service what we sell Back-Up Power From Honda 3500 watts of power 14.2 HRS at Load Simultaneous use Automatic Idle EM3500SXK1 NOW 1845 00 315 Donelson Pk 883-3251 List Price 2,099 00 Spring is upon Prevent leaf and mosquito problems 25 OFF any home installation Install Gutter Leafstopper. Nashville 615-367-0001 Call Today for Free Estimate! Lifetime Transferable Warranty Installs over your existing gutters Eliminates leaves and debris from clogging your gutter Eliminates mosquitoes breeding in your gutters Maurice Patton TSU Insider Mike Organ Area Colleges Insider JEANNE REISEL STAFF Sounds second baseman Chris Truby relays the throw to first base to complete a double play after forcing out Jerome Alviso at second base during their game yesterday at Greer Stadium. PCL STANDINGS American Conference Central DivisionWLPct.GB Iowa Albuquerque Col.Springs Omaha Eastern DivisionWLPct.GB Oklahoma Memphis Nashville New Orleans Pacific Conference Northern DivisionWLPct.GB Tacoma Edmonton Salt Lake Portland Southern DivisionWLPct.GB Tucson Sacramnto Las Vegas Fresno Games Albuquerque at Colorado Springs Edmonton at Tacoma Fresno at Sacramento Memphis 11, Nashville 9 (10) New Orleans at Oklahoma Omaha at Iowa Salt Lake at Portland Tucson at Las Vegas Games Albuquerque at Colorado Springs Edmonton at Tacoma Fresno at Sacramento New Orleans at Oklahoma Omaha at Iowa Salt Lake at Portland Tucson at Las Vegas Games Albuquerque 11, Colorado Springs 5 Tacoma 8, Edmonton 4 Sacramento 7, Fresno 6 Nashville 5, Memphis 1 Oklahoma 5, New Orleans 4 Iowa 3, Omaha 1 Portland 5, Salt Lake 3 Las Vegas 8, Tucson 7 Softball falls short ofOVC field Dixon may wind up at MTSU.