ScotSports.com Blog

Clayton Kershaw looks to get back in the win column today in Cincinnati, a team has he never faced. The ex-HP pitcher bounced back after a pair of disappointing starts to limit Colorado to two runs on four hits before reaching his pitch limit after 6 1/3 innings last Tuesday. Kershaw struck out six and walked one, stung by a two-run homer by Brad Hawpe.

One big help would be the Dodgers' bats, which have been largely silent during his starts. LA has scored only eight runs in his last 40 innings on the mound.

Clayton Kershaw finished seven full innings with 11 strikeouts having given up only two earned runs and left in a 2-2 game. LA scored in the 12th inning to take a 3-2 win in Cincinnati. Kershaw didn't get a decision, but steadied his season ERA at 2.94. The left-hander threw 105 pitches, 73 for strikes.

It's 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning in Cincinnati, and Clayton Kershaw already has 10 strikeouts for the Dodgers. Kershaw gave up the two earned runs, but has thrown only 74 pitches through the five innings, 55 of them for strikes.

Kershaw also drove in one of the two LA runs with an RBI single in the fifth.

A special thank you to Nancy Carroll for another report from Pearland, where Round Rock Westwood just beat HP in the round of 16 at the Pearland Volleyball Tournament, sending the Scots into the 9th-place consolation bracket that begins Saturday morning. HP faces Austin Westlake, the state's No. 2-ranked Class 5A team, at 10 a.m. Saturday. Westlake was upset by The Woodlands College Park in the round of 16. College Park also beat HP earlier this season.

HP will play either Keller Central or Round Rock in the next round Saturday afternoon. HP lost to Keller Central in the consolation final of last weekend's Justin Northwest Tournament.

It's over at SMU, and we managed to beat curfew in University Park, if there is one.

HP eased through the fourth quarter and registered a 30-7 win over Red Oak. I just got done interviewing our players of the game, Preston Miller on offense, and Charlie Foose on defense. Miller, subbing for an injured Brookes McIlhenny, ran for 152 yards and a touchdown behind an HP offensive line that had a great start to the season. Foose was part of the Scots' charge into the Red Oak backfield on seemingly every play. HP blew up a number of plays and never let Hawks quarterback Travis Wallis loose.

The Scots' next game is at Pizza Hut Park next Friday, Sept. 4, taking on Frisco Liberty.

A reminder that those of you with cable or satellite TV can catch Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions on the NFL Network on Saturday. Detroit hosts Indianapolis at noon. Stafford remains in a "still wide open" starting quarterback competition with veteran Daunte Culpepper, who will get the start against Indy. Stafford is expected to come in somewhere around the start of the second quarter and finish the third quarter.

We add this from a Detroit Free Press story:

(Detroit head coach Jim) Schwartz said the rotation means nothing in terms of who will start the regular-season opener Sept. 13 at New Orleans.

“Try to read tea leaves, get your tarot cards out, Ouija boards, whatever it is,” Schwartz said. “The only thing we’ve done so far is try to equal reps out. We’ve done it in practice. We’ve done it in preseason games.”

Schwartz said the coaches had tried to put Culpepper and Stafford in similar situations with similar personnel “to be able to make a fair evaluation. It’s a rotational thing, and there’s nothing to read into it.”

Now there's a coach who knows how to say a whole lot while saying nothing.

Here are tonight's HP freshman results from the doubleheader down in Red Oak. The Freshmen Blue game was called at halftime because of lightning in the area.

HP Freshmen Gold 21, Red Oak 0
Red Oak 12, HP Freshmen Blue 7

HP got one game in, sort of, before all the storms came into the Dallas area Thursday.

The Scots' JV Gold team dismantled Red Oak, 40-6, in a game that was called with 7:30 left but was over far before that. HP led 30-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The JV Blue team's game never started and was canceled by school officials shortly after the JV Gold game was halted.

You can read the recap of the JV Gold game here.

Another report from Pearland has the Scots advancing past Lake Highlands 25-22, 25-18 in the first round of the championship bracket. Margeaux Mendenhall led the way with 11 kills. HP is now 2-0 against Lake Highlands this season and has swept all five sets.

The Scots will play Round Rock Westwood, ranked No. 10 in this week's state poll, at 4 p.m. in the round of 16.

Just got word in from Houston this morning that HP swept its three pool play matches at the Pearland Volleyball Tournament. The Scots beat Cypress Ranch 25-10, 25-18, to start the day behind April Mooney's eight kills. HP then swept Dripping Springs (ranked No. 6 in this week's Class 4A state rankings) 25-22, 25-12, with Mooney again leading the way with six kills. HP capped the day with a big win over Houston Clear Lake 20-25, 25-14, 25-14 as Jenna Gaule scored 10 kills as the Scots placed first in Division 11.

HP advances to the championship bracket this morning and will meet Lake Highlands in the first round. The Scots beat Lake Highlands 3-0 in their first match of the season.