Cove athletes get action in during “off-season”

By TJ MAXWELL
Cove Leader-Press

The first day of summer has come and gone but Copperas Cove athletes are burning hot as they continue to hone their skills in the sweltering heat.
The Copperas Cove Sluggers have dominated the summer thus far as they rolled through the Texas Teenage Association Softball 12-and-under District 3 tournament being held in Harker Heights to earn a spot in the finals held last night in Heights (results not available at press time).
The Sluggers opened up the tournament with a convincing 10-2 win over the Rogers Aftershock on Monday before dispatching the other Rogers team on Tuesday. The Sluggers defeated the Hot Shots 7-1 to earn a shot in Wednesday night’s semifinals.
Cove again took care of business with a 15-0 win over Bertram Pride to earn a spot in last night’s title game.
The Sluggers faced the winner of the Bertram Pride Rogers/Hot Shots comeback game in the loser’s bracket. Should the Sluggers lose, it would be their first loss of the tournament and will get a rematch Friday at 6 p.m. A win will give them the undefeated District 3 championship.
No results were available for the Sluggers and Outlaws in girls’ 8U machine pitch tournament in McGregor, the Diamonds and Outlaws in the girls’ 10 tournament in Gatesville or the Fury in the girls’ 12U tournament in Gatesville.
The Copperas Cove 7 on 7 team wrapped up their summer season with the final Passing League tournament at Temple High School where they went 2-1 in their final outing.
Cove opened the tournament with a 19-7 win over state-qualified Belton before edging Cameron Yoe 28-20 in game two. Cove closed out the action with a 28-19 loss to state-qualified Temple.
The Cove JV Gold also came away with a 2-1 outing. Cove beat Temple 14-8 in game one before falling to Cameron Yoe 15-8 and downing Belton 14-6 to finish Monday’s action.
The football team is hard at work preparing for the August 6 opening to fall practice.
The Copperas Cove golfers have been busy as well. Sophomore Elle Fox just competed in the USGA qualifier at the Mira Vista Country Club in Fort Worth. Fox shot a one-round nine-over-par 80 to miss the cut by eight strokes. The top qualifier, Libby Winans of Richardson shot a two-under 69 to claim the top spot.
Fox shot a 38 on the front nine but had some bogey trouble on the back nine for a 42.
Junior Madelyn Miller also got in some action this week with a third-place finish at the Southern Texas PGA tournament at the Lakeway Golf Club’s Yaupon course.
Miller shot a 95 and finished in a three-way tie for third with Elaine Trotter of Austin and hometown player Makaela Lauritsen of Lakeway. A birdie on the par 4 second hole was the highlight of the round for Miller.