[Sports-Head]

[ANCHOR=Roy]

[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=Roy]
[TAPE#Headline]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]


In sports, The Winston Cup drivers battled in the bull ring at Bristol Tennessee and Louisiana Tech play for the women's national title tonight.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ENG#]


And the Lady Knights of Cave Spring are gearing up for another Roanoke Valley District title.
(-------------)[WX-Head]
[TALENT=Andrew]
[SS=None]


The record book undergoes a few changes as the heat is on-- and there's more on the way.

Details are ahead.[Botetourt-Fire]


[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=98-30; 10:44]
[GRAPHIC=Brush Fire]


Spring fire season is underway in Southwest Virginia.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.;]


This afternoon four fire companies fought a woods fire in Botetourt County, off Mountain Pass Road.
They suspect it was started by careless hikers.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 2:58:31]
[IN Q=it's still under]

((TODD GROH/VA. DEPT. OF FORESTRY; IT'S STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION, WE HAD SOME POSSIBLE HIKERS UP IN THE AREA, WE'RE STILL LOOKING TO FIND SOME INFORMATION ON WHO THEY ARE, BUT IT'S POSSIBLE THAT JUST A LITTLE CARELESSNESS STARTED THIS FIRE.))
[SUPER=01-Todd Groh/Va. Dept. of Forestry;]
[RUNS=12]
[OUT Q=this fire]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Groh says spring is the worst fire season of the year, even after all the rain we've had.
With no leaves on the trees, the hard rains hit the ground and run off instead of soaking in, and the direct sunlight on the forest floor can dry things out in a hurry.

(------------)[Evacuation]



[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=98-25; 08:58; 10:28]
[GRAPHIC=none]


The smell of ammonia still lingered in the air today at the Salem Civic Center--
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem/Last Night;]


this after an ammonia leak led the Salem Fire Department to evacuate around a thousand people last night.
Many of them were attending the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Show.
Promoters of the event offered free admission today to make up for last night's problem.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 16.41.38 - 16.41.46]
[IN Q=We had a]

((EDDIE FORT/PRES. PD & M, INC.: WE HAD A WHOLE BUNCH OF PEOPLE TODAY AND WE'RE HAPPY WITH THE TURNOUT, NOT ONLY TODAY BUT THROUGHOUT THE SHOW.))
[SUPER=01-Eddie Fort/Pres. PD & M Inc.]
[RUNS=06]
[OUT Q=throughout the show.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Meanwhile, the fans were blowing around the center today, in an effort to ventilate the building.
(--------------)
[ANCHOR=Eric]
[SS=none]


The civic center's Assistant Director, John Saunders, said the leak happened when a valve engineers were working on last night burst.

[Accidents]


[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=98-28; 03:48]
[GRAPHIC=Accident]


A camping trip ended with an accident on I-81 today.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]


It happened about 10:30 this morning. An Arizona family was driving down I-81 when the camper they were pulling went out of control at the Hollins Road exit and flipped them into the median.
Two adults in the vehicle were injured and taken to the hospital. A child in the car was also hospitalized, but didn't appear to be seriously hurt.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Eric]
[SS=Fatal Accident]


An accident in Cedar Bluff killed three people early this morning. Two cars collided about 2am on route 460, killing 23 year old Christopher Mark Bandy of Cedar Bluff, 33 year old Gloria

Annette Van Dyke of Raven, and 34 year old Danny Shortridge of Pounding Mill.[Wiley-Plea]


[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=Net]
[GRAPHIC=Bank Robbery]


A man from Christiansburg has pled guilty to holding up a bank in Northwest Roanoke in December.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/December 12, 1997;]


Dedric Lee Wiley was arrested after robbing the Southwest Virginia Savings Bank on Hershberger Road.
He got away with nearly two-thousand dollars in cash.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Eric]
[SS=HOLD]


He was caught a few days later after the F-B-I got a tip that he was at his girlfriend's house trying to clean dye off the money.

Wiley was released from prison just a month before the robbery.[Tease#1]



[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mhi]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]


When the news continues we'll meet a man who didn't follow his doctors warning and he's all the better for it.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]


Samuel Johnson barely survived a car accident and was told he would never walk again.
He's not only walking with the help of crutches, but he's also a bodybuilder.
We'll tell you more about him in a few minutes but first here's Andrew with an update on the weather.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Andrew]

[wx ad lib] [Roll] [Lake Level] [MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM#1]

[Roll]
[TALENT=Andrew]
[SS=NONE]
[SUPER=80-84*/57/0.00''/85/51/0.00''/79*/43/0.00''/79/54/0.00'';]
[SUPER=81-86/55/0.00''/90/50/0.00''/79/52/0.00'';]
[SUPER=82-5.20''/plus 2.05''/21.17''/plus 12.36'';]

[SUPER=83-Down 0.43 foot/Above 0.62 foot;Lake levels][Business-Review]



[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=gol]
[TAPE#=BIZ]
[GRAPHIC=Business Review]


Controversy surrounding a proposed power line made for some super-charged debate this week.
And a new product on the market is both tasty and fat free ... is it too good to be true?
Scott Goldberg has the answer and more in this week's News-7 Business Review.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=There was no]
[SUPER=03-Christiansburg; :08]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :22]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/File Tape; :33]
[RUNS=1:13]
[OUT Q=i'm SGO]


((There was no shortage of opinions at power line hearings this week.
Opponents said American Electric Power is out to destroy the environment and small communities.
Supporters say without a new high-voltage line, there won't be enough electricity to power Southwest Virginia. [98-22]
The City of Roanoke says it's not getting much revenue from sales taxes.
Despite a strong local economy, the city said consumers are spending more money at out-of-town stores, and less in the Star City. []
Engineers at Virginia Tech won a 9-point-6 million dollar grant this week.
The money's funding a five-year research project focusing on optical science technology. [598-16]
Potato chips with no fat and half the calories of their full-fat counterparts hit the shelves this week.
Proctor and Gamble unveiled Olean, the brand name for a cooking oil made from soybeans.
Is it truly a miracle oil?
Decide for yourself.
Olean products carry labels that warn of possible abdominal cramps and loose stool. [Dow Jones pre pro]
On Wall Street, both the Dow and the Nasdaq spent time in record territory this week.
But a late-week tumble left both markets at a loss.
That's this week's Review.
I'm Scott Goldberg.))

[Bowers-Reax]


[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-34; 12:43]
[GRAPHIC=David Bowers]

It has been hinted that Roanoke Mayor David Bowers may run against congressman Bob Goodlatte for the sixth district seat this fall.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

We asked some local lawmakers what they think might happen if the mayor and the incumbent went head to head.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT=12:28:25/11:49:00/12:31:12]
[IN Q=HE HAS RUN]

((JOHN EDWARDS/STATE SENATOR AND FORMER ROANOKE VICE MAYOR; DAVID IS A VERY ENTHUSIASTIC POLITICIAN. HE'S AN ENTHUSIASTIC CAMPAIGNER. HE'S AN EXPERIENCED POLITICIAN AND I THINK HE WOULD RUN WELL.)) ((DICK CRANWELL/VINTON DELEGATE; HE HAS RUN VERY WELL IN THE CITY ELECTIONS. DAVID HAS A GRASP ON THE ISSUES THAT ARE CONFRONTING THE NATION. AND I THINK HE WOULD MAKE A VERY FORMIDABLE CANDIDATE TO BOB GOODLATTE. HOW THE OUTCOME WILL BE, NOBODY WILL KNOW UNTIL NOVEMBER.)) ((MORGAN GRIFFITH/SALEM DELEGATE; WELL, I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR BOB GOODLATTE TO HAVE AN OPPONENT. HE WILL, AS HE'S DONE WITH HIS OTHER OPPONENTS, TROUNCE ANYBODY THAT ENTERS THAT FRAY BECAUSE HE'S DONE A FANTASTIC JOB FOR OUR AREA OF THE STATE.))
[SUPER=@Edwards; :00]
[SUPER=@Cranwell; :07]
[SUPER=@Griffith; :21]
[RUNS=:34]
[OUT Q=OF THE STATE.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Mayor Bowers has not confirmed whether he will actually run against Goodlatte-- who has served as Roanoke's congressman for the past six years.

(------------)[Bodybuilder]



[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-29; 07:14]
[GRAPHIC=none]


A 1996 near fatal car crash left a Chatham man a paraplegic. Since then, Southside Virginia's "SAMPSON" has gone on to change his life in ways he never thought possible. David Johnson has his story.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=DOCTORS TOLD]
[SUPER=03-Danville;]
[SUPER=01-Samuel Johnson, Jr./"Sampson";]
[SUPER=@David1; :]
[SUPER=01-Andrew Dalton/"Fitness Today";]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=]

Doctors told 33-year old Samuel Johnson, Junior he would never walk again after an accident left his body crushed from the waist down. But SAMPSON-- like his name's sake-- refused to give up hope.
[SOT=13:07:29]
[IN Q=I WAS IN]

((SAMUEL JOHNSON, JR./"SAMPSON"; I WAS IN A COMA FOR TWO MONTHS, ON LIFE SUPPORT FOR TWO MONTHS. SO I FIGURED IF I DIDN'T DIE THEN, A DOCTOR WASN'T GOING TO PLAN MY FUTURE OUT BY SAYING I'M NOT GOING TO WALK AGAIN.))
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=TO WALK AGAIN.]

As if his situation wasn't bad enough, Sampson gained weight and became the punch line of "fat jokes". He started dieting and training after reading about a national million dollar bodybuilding challenge. Two months later, he emerged victorious, taking home the 50-thousand dollar grand prize.
[STAND-UP=14:08:51]

((DAVID JOHNSON/REPORTING; SAMPSON'S PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS NOT ONLY BENEFITED HIM PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY, BUT ALSO THOSE AROUND HIM WHERE HE WORKS AND TRAINS.))
[RUNS=:07]
[SOT=13:58:59]
[IN Q=PURE POSITIVITY.]

((ANDREW DALTON/"FITNESS TODAY"; PURE POSITIVITY. AND IT'S CHANGED THE WHOLE CLUB, NOT JUST ME BUT EVERYONE. EVERYONE ENJOYS SEEING SAMPSON WORKOUT BECAUSE IT PUSHES THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE.))
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=LITTLE BIT MORE.]

Sampson has since gained national recognition. A couple of weeks ago, he was a special guest at Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodybuilding competition in Columbus, Ohio.
[SOT=13:11:29]
[IN Q=I HAD PEOPLE]

((I HAD PEOPLE I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW AT THE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER CLASSIC COMING UP TO ME AND CONGRATULATE ME ON WHAT I'D DONE AT THE MUSCLE TECH COMPETITION. I DIDN'T KNOW THESE PEOPLE.))
[RUNS=:12]
[OUT Q=KNOW THESE PEOPLE.]

Sampson is enjoying his new lease on life, but remembers to keep close ties with the community. He spends time conveying to kids and others that there's nothing they can't do if they put their mind to it.

David Johnson, News 7.[Feedback-03/29]


[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=Feedback]
[GRAPHIC=News 7 Feedback]


Bedford County's budget and the Grayson County murder case are two of the subjects in our recent viewer mail.
Here's assignment editor Joe McKean, with News-7's Feedback.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Bedford County's]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co./Monday; :00]
[SUPER=03-Independence/File Tape; :40]
[RUNS=1:45]
[OUT Q=McKean, News-7.]


((Bedford County's consideration of a business and professional license tax to help finance the school budget prompted one viewer to write:
"I feel that some of the funding answers are for the strict accountability of spending, a drastic cut in Bedford County administration personnel, a cut in luxury administration job items such as the expensive vehicles used by the sheriff's department, better application of revenue seized by the sheriff's department, and for the supervisors to contact the proper people to request a share of the state lottery revenue profits for Bedford County.
I hope that the people of Bedford County will express any tax concerns to their supervisors before the meeting of April 6 and derail the 'Runaway Tax Train in Bedford County.'"
Pre-trial hearings have been making headlines in the case of the former Marine who was murdered in Grayson County.
A viewer from Roanoke would prefer less graphic accounts of the crime.
"The image that is conjured up each time I hear or read 'burning and beheading a black man, Garnett G.P. Johnson' is not a pleasant one. I can only imagine the pure torment that Mr. Johnson went through prior to this happening to him. I can also only imagine the torment that his family must endure each time inconsiderate news reporters make this comment or print it. This family has had to deal with a very traumatic event and each time a reporter says this must make them relive the entire event all over again."
News-7 welcomes your comments on our news coverage or issues of public concern.
Our mailing address is News-7 Feedback, P.O. Box 7, Roanoke, 24022-0007.
The fax number for News-7 is 343-7269.
Email should go to news@wdbj7.com.
And you'll find our moderated online forum on our web site, wdbj7.com.
Joe McKean, News-7.))


[Tease#2]



[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=mhi]
[TAPE#=Tease2]
[GRAPHIC=]


When the news continues we'll introduce you to a couple who gave up promising careers in Los Angeles to live a simpler life.
(----------)


They're now running their own cherry orchard in Carroll County and have written a book about their experience.
We'll hear more about them when we return.

(------------)[Carroll-Co]



[ANCHOR=Eric]
[NEWSCAST=6p]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=VA Profile]
[GRAPHIC=VA Profile]


Imagine being on the fast-track to success in Los Angeles and giving it up to run a cherry orchard in Carroll County.
That's just what one couple did.
Theresa Hamilton has more about Frank Levering and Wanda Urbanska in this week's edition of Virginia Profiles.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Carroll County]
[SUPER=03-Carroll Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Wanda Urbanska/Author; :35]
[SUPER=01-Frank Levering/Author; 1:24]
[SUPER=@Teresa2; 2:30]
[RUNS=2:44]
[OUT Q=NEWS 7, Carroll Co.]

(( Carroll County is where you'll find the south's largest cherry orchard,tucked away, along the North Carolina border.
It's a peaceful place-- that Frank Levering has grown to cherish-- as a third generation farmer.
(/////SOT/////)

[13:15:06 ]
[SOT]
[IN Q=I often]

((FRANK LEVERING/AUTHOR:I OFTEN FEEL LIKE I'M SPEAKING TO MY GRANDFATHER, I'M COMMUNICATING WITH HIM WHEN I'M WORKING, BECAUSE HE WAS WALKING THESE SAME HILLS. )) [RUNS:15]
[OUT Q=same hills.]


Although Frank grew up here--
His attachment to the family orchard didn't become apparent until roughly ten years ago, while living life in the fast lane in Los Angeles, with his wife, Wanda Urbanska.
(/////SOT/////)

[12:12:03]
[SOT]
[IN Q=I was a ]

((WANDA URBANSKA/AUTHOR:I WAS A NEWSPAPER REPORTER AND FRANK WAS A SCREENWRITER AND SO WE WERE VERY MUCH WORK ORIENTED DIDN'T HAVE TIME FOR COMMUNITY OR A LOT OF TIME FOR OUR MARRIAGE REALLY, WERE WERE JUST VERY WORK DRIVEN. )) [RUNS:12]
[OUT Q=work driven.]


The Leverings would eventually break from that pattern in the mid 1980's.
When Frank's father suffered a heart attack-- the couple helped out-- and began to realize the South was where they belonged.
These days-- the Leverings are just as busy-- writing, working the orchard and running their own press, yet it's different.
(/////SOT/////)

[12:24:06]
[SOT]
[IN Q=Here it is]

((WANDA URBANSKA/AUTHOR: HERE IT IS MORE OF A LIFE BY CHOICE, WE CERTAINLY, IN THIS AREA, WHILE WE'RE VERY BUSY, IT'S A BUSYNESS THAT WE'VE CHOSEN TO DO AND WE TAKE TIME TO DO- COMMUNITY WORK AND VOLUNTEER WORK, THAT WE NEVER DID IN THE CITY. )) [RUNS:14]
[OUT Q=in the city.]
(/////SOT/////)

[12:16:31]
[SOT]
[IN Q=I was]

((FRANK LEVERING/AUTHOR:I WAS A LITTLE BIT OUT OF SHAPE WHEN, I'D BEEN SITTING BEHIND A COMPUTER, AND A TYPEWRITER IN HOLLYWOOD WRITING SCREENPLAYS AND HAD TO GET BACK INTO SHAPE, SO THAT WAS HARD, BUT I THINK, EVENTUALLY, BOTH OF US FELT THIS WAS JUST TOO WONDERFUL OF A PLACE TO BE. )) [RUNS:17]
[OUT Q=to be.]


Frank and Wanda decided to put their story on paper-- writing a book about their lifestyle transformation and quest for values.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It was ]

((WANDA URBANSKA/AUTHOR:IT WAS 1988, NOBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT SIMPLE LIVING, IT WAS VERY MUCH THE YUPPIE, FAST PACED, LIFE OF THE 1980'S AND THEN FRANK AND I WROTE THE BOOK TOGETHER , IT WAS PUBLISHED IN 1992, AND SINCE THEN "SIMPLE LIVING" HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MAJOR SOCIAL TRENDS OF THE 1990'S.)) [RUNS:23]
[OUT Q=the 1990's.]


Frank and Wanda went on to write another book, as well, titled" Moving to a Small Town"...
Frank would also published a book of poems.
(/////SOT/////)

[12:46:47]
[SOT]
[IN Q=People]

((FRANK LEVERING/AUTHOR:PEOPLE THINK OF POETRY AS SOMETHING WOMEN DO, BUT SOME OF THE GREATEST POETS OF ALL TIME, HAVE BEEN MALE POETS, IF YOU GO BACK TO WALT WHITMAN, FOR EXAMPLE, OR JUST A LOT OF T. S. ELLIOTT. )) [RUNS:11]
[OUT Q=elliott.]


The Leverings quest for happiness has taken them down yet another path-- that of parenthood-- with the arrival of their son, Henry, eight months ago-- which has become their latest and perhaps most challenging role, to date.
Teresa Hamilton, NEWS 7, Carroll County.

))[Sports Tease]


[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=Roy]
[TAPE#Tease]
[GRAPHIC=NONE]


And coming up, San Antonio holds Indiana to the lowest point total in an N-B-A game Utah and Kentucky will play for the N-C-A-A men's title.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ENG#]


And Jeff Gordon becomes the first two time winner this season taking the checkered flag in the Food City 500 at Bristol.

(-------------)[S-Race]



[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=Roy]
[TAPE#SP-4]
[GRAPHIC=Bristol Logo]


Jeff Gordon rode in the middle of the pack for most of the day and he made his move at the right time to win the Food City 500 at Bristol.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ENG#]
[SUPER=03-Bristol, TN/ESPN; :]


Rusty Wallace had the field covered early in the race he takes the lead with 436 laps to go Terry Labonte was running second.
Mark Martin was working his way to the front at this point he was moving up among the top 15 cars on the track.
Then the caution came out Hut Stricklin gets loose and hits the wall then here comes Kenny Wallace who hits Stricklin on the drivers side. Striklin was taken to the Hospital for observation.
Rusty Wallace led 151 laps and he was the leader at the halfway point here he passes Dale Earnhardt putting him 4 laps down.
Dale Jarrett made his way to front he passes Terry Labonte to take the lead with over 170 laps to go.
Then the 11-th caution of the day came out when Chad Little and Morgan Shepherd make contact on lap 372.
Rusty developed engine problems and he eventually hit the wall and took the car to the garage area.
The race was red flagged because of debris on the track and on the restart Gordon, the leader, pulled away from the field to win the Food City 500.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=First audio]

((JEFF GORDON/FOOD CITY 500 WINNER: ))
[SUPER=01-Jeff Gordon/Food City 500 Winner; :00]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=........tightened up."]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Roy]
[SS=Hold Logo]


Terry Labonte was second, Jarrett third, Jeff Burton fourth and Johnny Benson fifth.[S-NBA]


[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=Roy]
[TAPE#SP-1]
[GRAPHIC=NBA Logo]


A big game in the N-B-A as Indiana Hosted the red hot San Antonio Spurs.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ENG#]
[SUPER=03-Indianapolis, IN/NBC SPORTS; :]


Larry Bird getting a Bird's eye view of the game in the first half.
The Spurs work the ball to Rookie Tim Duncan he takes it inside for the score and a 6 point Spurs lead.
But the Pacers come right back another A-C-C player Travis best out of Georgia Tech hits the jumper.
The game was tight in the third and [SUPER=33-San Antonio/74/Indiana/55/;]fourth quarters but San Antonio goes on t

o win it 74 to 55.

(-------------)[S-NCAA]



[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=Roy]
[TAPE#SP-3]
[GRAPHIC=Final Four]


Kentucky and Utah will play for the Men's national basketball championship tomorrow night in San Antonio.
Kentucky beat Stanford in Overtime and Utah downed Carolina to advance.
The game will put size against speed.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q="they've got]

((TUBBY SMITH/KENTUCKY HEAD COACH: )) ((MICHAEL DOLEAC/UTAH FORWARD: ))
[SUPER=01-Tubby Smith/Kentucky Head Coach; :00]
[SUPER=01-Michael Doleac/Utah Forward; :17]
[RUNS=:28]
[OUT Q=.....to, so."]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Roy]
[SS=Hold Logo]


The game can be seen on your Hometown Station tomorrow night at 9.[S-Women]


[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=Roy]
[TAPE#NONE]
[GRAPHIC=Women's Final Four]


Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt will go after her sixth N-C-A-A women's national championship tonight when the undefeated lady Volunteers take on Louisiana Tech.

Its a match up of the two winningest teams in women's college basketball history.[S-Cave]


[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=Six]
[WRITER=DAL]
[TAPE# SP-8]
[GRAPHIC=AAA Softball]


The Cave Spring Lady Knights softball team traveled all the way to regionals last year.
As Denise Allen reports the teams 13-to-nothing victory last Friday, is just the first step in what players hope is a trip to a state championship.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=But this is a new]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co./Friday; :00]
[SUPER=01-Lynn Saunders/Cave Spring Head Coach; :09]
[SUPER=01-Lindsay Lowe/Cave Spring Junior; :44]
[SUPER=01-Kerry Fair/Cave Spring Senior; 1:09]
[RUNS=1:15]
[OUT Q=hard as we can]


((But this is a new Cave Spring team.
Gone are nine seniors who led the Lady Knights to regionals last season.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:37:00]
[IN Q=WE'RE A YOUNG]

((LYNN SAUNDERS/CAVE SPRING HEAD COACH: WE'RE A YOUNG TEAM THIS YEAR, BUT WE'RE JUST AS STRONG OR STRONGER THAN LAST YEAR.)) [RUNS:06]
[OUT Q=THAN LAST YEAR]


A strong feeder system made up of a good Junior Varsity team and well coached recreational league have given Coach Lynn Saunders confidence in this young team.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:37:30]
[IN Q=THIS YEAR]

((THIS YEAR WE'RE BLESSED WITH FOUR PITCHERS. BATS, THEY WORK HARD AT THE BATS AND THEY WILL BE A STRONG HITTING TEAM.)) [RUNS:15]
[OUT Q=HITTING TEAM]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:40:41]
[IN Q=PITCHERS AND CATCHERS]

((LINDSAY LOWE/CAVE SPRING JUNIOR: PITCHERS AND CATCHERS HAD A CLINIC EVERY SUNDAY THROUGH THE RECREATIONAL LEAGUE AND WE'VE HAD OPEN GYM SINCE MID-JANUARY AND WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD.)) [RUNS:15]
[OUT Q=REALLY HARD]


But there still are some bastions of experience on this team.
And they plan to help the younger players along.
Senior Kerry Fair leads by experience, she had nine strikeouts in the Knights first outting.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:42:37]
[IN Q=we've just]

((KERRY FAIR/CAVE SPRING SENIOR: WE'VE JUST GOT TO KEEP UP THE HARD WORK. WE'RE GOING TO GET BEHIND IN SOME GAMES BUT WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP PLAYING. WE ALWAYS PLAY LIKE WE'RE DOWN BY A COUPLE SO WE JUST PLAYING AS HARD AS WE CAN.)) [RUNS:10]
[OUT Q=has hard as we can]


Denise Allen News 7 Sports.))[S-Express]


[ANCHOR=Roy]
[NEWSCAST=6pm]
[WRITER=Roy]
[TAPE#NONE]
[GRAPHIC=Express Logo]


The Roanoke Express ended its regular season with a 4 to 1 win over Johnstown last night.
Roanoke finished with the best record in the East Coast Hockey League's Northeast Division and second best in the Northern Conference.
The Express will open the playoffs Tuesday night at the Roundhouse.[Wx-Tape]
[SUPER=305-84*/57/84/1945/19/1982;]
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[Forecasts] viewernet
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[SUPER=331-Clear/& Mild/53-57/Mostly Sunny/& Breezy/80-85;]
[SUPER=332-Mostly/Clear/53-57/Mostly Sunny/Near Record Highs/78-82;]
[SUPER=333-Clear//50-55/Mostly/Sunny/78-82;]

[SUPER=X5001;][SUPER=334-Mostly/Clear/53-57/Mostly Sunny/Near Record Highs/78-82;]
by SS