good hitter, Kershaw helped himself with a two-

South Carolina softball alumni are getting together in support of wounded members of the military with a pair of events this week in Lexington and West Columbia, South Carolina. The Louisville Slugger Warriors, which is a highly decorated national slow pitch softball tournament team consisting of U.S. military veterans and active duty personnel who have suffered service related wounds, travel all around the country to raise awareness for disabled servicemen and women. Gamecock softball alumna Kate (Pouliot) Abney and Fun4All helped bring such a team to the area for the second straight year.When I first learned about these guys, it was a no-brainer for me, said Abney who serves as the Director of Softball Operations for the team and is also an occupational therapist at Lexington Medical Center Extended Care. This combines two of my greatest passions in life: softball and rehabilitation in coming back from something that can be devastating, and deciding to overcome that. To push through the rehabilitation process, overcome obstacles and begin to live life to the fullest is what occupational therapy is all about.The first event will have the Louisville Slugger Warriors take on a team from Joint Base Charleston at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 14. Admission is $2, and donations will be accepted at the gate.These are young men who are very competitive in nature, and I can relate to that as an athlete, Abney said. I can also relate to them in a special way with the relationship I have in medicine and therapy. Im learning a lot from them. I have so much fun with them, too.On Saturday, October 15, the Louisville Slugger Warriors and more than two dozen South Carolina softball alumni will be on hand as part of a fast pitch tournament called USSSA Louisville Slugger Operation Thank You, which will be played at Pine Grove Sports Complex in West Columbia.They will be playing a round robin tournament mixed in with South Carolina softball alumni, Abney said. We already have around 25 Gamecock softball alumni coming in to play from all around the country. We are creating four teams where the Louisville Slugger Warriors will be playing alongside alumni from the past several decades.The Lexington County Recreation and Aging Commission is a generous sponsor of the event by hosting both fields for the tournament, which features youth club teams for 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U. The gate fee for entry to the tournament is $6 for adults, $4 for youths, while children under 12 get in free. Funds and donations raised at the events help the team to continue its travel across the country and compete in the tournaments, while raising awareness of the needs of disabled veterans. After a successful event last year in Columbia, the goal is to raise $30,000 at this years event in the Midlands.We go around the country and play in tournaments against able-bodied teams, Abney said. The team does really well. Theyre hungry for high level competition. It also raises awareness. These guys are coming back home injured, but that doesnt mean that they still cant be incredible athletes and that they are very capable of pursuing their passions.The goal is to continue to build on their rehabilitation process that theyve gone through since their injuries. We have eight amputees on the team, and several of the other guys have some of the invisible wounds that you are hearing a lot more about these days, such as traumatic brain injury, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and things like that. This really gives them a sense of comradery again and helps them get out to further their physical and mental rehabilitation.Donations can be made at either of the events or if you would like more information on how you can make a donation to the cause, contact Kate Abney via email at kate.pouliot@yahoo.com. Pittsburgh Pirates Store .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Fake Pirates Jerseys . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Pittsburgh Pirates Gear . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. Pittsburgh Pirates Shirts . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. LOS ANGELES -- Keep the champagne on ice and the ski goggles on the shelf. The Dodgers were left waiting to clinch their fourth consecutive NL West title.They certainly did their part.Clayton Kershaw scattered three hits over seven scoreless innings, Josh Reddick slugged a grand slam in the seventh and Los Angeles beat the Colorado Rockies 14-1 on Saturday night to reduce its magic number to one with its fourth straight win.The Dodgers just didnt get any help from the Padres.San Diego rallied from 6-0 down but then lost at home to San Francisco 9-6 in 10 innings. The final outs were shown on the video board at Dodger Stadium, with fans booing when the Giants won.They gave us a lot of hope there, Kershaw said of the Padres comeback. But well wait until tomorrow.Los Angeles is on the brink of becoming the first team to win four straight NL West titles. The last NL club to claim four division titles in a row was the Philadelphia Phillies, who won the NL East from 2007-11.The Dodgers can wrap up the title Sunday with a victory in Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scullys final home game before he retires next weekend.Its always sweeter to clinch at home, rookie manager Dave Roberts said, adding it would be only fitting with Scully watching from his fifth-floor booth.Kershaw (12-3) struck out six and walked none to improve to 8-1 at home. The left-hander has been solid since coming off the disabled list after a herniated disk last month.Physically, I feel really good, he said. Just a little bit inconsistent with some things, sliders that didnt quite get where I wanted to go.Chad Bettis (13-8) gave up seven runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings, struck out three and walked four. The right-hander has been having one of his best seasons, with career highs in wins, starts (31) and innings (179 1/3), but he struggled from the second inning on and fell to 6-6 on the road.It was pretty embarrassing, Bettis said. I tried to set the tone early but my pitches were coming back over the plate.The Dodgers led 4-0 in the second on Joc Pedersons two-run single, a fielders choice groundout by Corey Seager and Justin Turners RBI single. Turner reached base five times, going 3 for 3, with two runs and two walks.Los Angeles tacked on two runs in the fourth to make it 6-0. Pederson scored on left fielder Ryan Raburns error and Turner singled to drive in his second run.Reddick, who went 3 for 4, added an RBI single in the sixth and Adrian Gonnzalez had a two-run single in the seventh, extending the lead to 10-0.dddddddddddd Reddicks grand slam came with two outs in the seventh, making it 14-0.Rookie Pat Valaika, from nearby Valencia, hit his first major league homer in the eighth off Jesse Chavez for Colorados run.There is thunder in that bat, Colorado manager Walt Weiss said.TRAINERS ROOMDodgers: LHP Rich Hill was scratched from his Sunday start out of concern for a blister that forced him to miss a month earlier in the season and caused him to leave a perfect game after seven innings on Sept. 11. Hell be replaced by RHP Brandon McCarthy. Hill will start either next Saturday or Sunday at San Francisco. ... LHP Scott Kazmir is receiving treatment for rib and chest spasms that forced him out of Saturday nights game after one inning. The team doesnt know if or when he will make another start. ... Kershaw will start either Friday or Saturday at San Francisco.CATCHING FIREReddick is red-hot this month, batting .397 with five doubles, two homers and eight RBI in eight games after struggling last month.August was a mixture of bad luck and bad swings, he said.KERSHAW AT THE PLATEKnown as a good hitter, Kershaw helped himself with a two-out RBI single in the fifth, extended the Dodgers lead to 7-0.OOPSRockies catcher Tony Wolters lost track of how many outs there were in the sixth. With Adrian Gonzalez at bat, Justin Turner took off for second base. Gonzalez struck out swinging, Wolters stood up and started walking off the field only to have Turner steal second with two outs. The Dodgers went on to score a run before the inning ended.TRANSISTOR TIMESome Dodgers fans brought radios to the game in a throwback salute to Scully, who credits the transistor as the single greatest break of his 67-year career. In 1958, when the Dodgers moved west and played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, fans toted radios to hear Scully describe the players and action that was too far away to see well in the vast stadium.UP NEXTRockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (5-6, 3.58 ERA) makes his seventh start on the road, where he is 0-4 with a 5.10 ERA. The rookie has beaten the Dodgers twice this season, but hasnt won that second victory over them on Aug. 31.Dodgers: McCarthy (2-2, 3.63) comes off a month-long stint on the disabled list with right hip stiffness. ' ' '