SPORTS ROUNDUP: Dickey takes win against old team

Braves get best of Harvey, Mets

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves got the best of Matt Harvey for the second time in less than a week, again scoring six runs against the New York Mets right-hander.

Ender Inciarte had three hits and drove in three runs, and Freddie Freeman started Harvey’s downfall with his 10th homer of the season in the first inning as the Braves defeated the Mets 9-7 on Tuesday night.

“What made him so good was great stuff and great command. Right now, the stuff is coming back, but the command isn’t there,” Mets manager Terry Collins of Harvey’s rough outings against the Braves.

“It’s real inconsistent. He’s throwing hard, but he has to get the off-speed stuff over. Otherwise, hitters are going to sit on the fastball. He’s getting too much of the plate.”

New York’s Jay Bruce made it close as he blasted a grand slam, his second homer of the game, with two outs in the ninth off Matt Wisler, but the deficit was too much for the Mets to overcome. Jim Johnson came in to strike out Neil Walker and record his fifth save.

Columbus hockey team shutting down

COLUMBUS (TNS) — After 21 seasons of professional hockey, the Columbus Cottonmouths have suspended operations for the 2017-18 season, Southern Professional Hockey League officials confirmed on Wednesday.

The official announcement has been anticipated for several months after Cottonmouths owner Wanda Amos announced a month ago that the club would cease operations if a buyer could not be found.

“The team will be suspended for the 2017-18 season, but we are working today with an ownership group that will secure hockey for the 2018-19 season,” said Southern Professional Hockey League Commissioner Jim Combs.

Combs did not identify the ownership group but said talks were ongoing.

“We have a gentleman who didn’t have time to complete the due diligence and launch it the way he wants to launch it,” Combs said.

The league hopes to have an announcement in the next 45 days, Combs said.

“That could change,” Combs said when asked if it was a done deal. “This group wants to keep it in Columbus.”

The Cottonmouths began playing in 1996, shortly after the Civic Center opened.

Cottonmouths Coach and General Manager Jerome Bechard said he believes the team will play again after a year off.

Colquitt Co. golfers heading to state

TIFTON (TNS) — One day after the postponing the state area qualifying golf tournament due to inclement weather, Colquitt County High’s boys and girls golf teams reached their top three goal and will now prepare for the GHSA Class 7A championships three weeks from now.

At the Spring Hill course in Tifton on Tuesday, the Lady Packers were the best out of seven teams with a cumulative score of 267. These teams, if anyone didn’t place in the top three, needed to card a score of 300 or lower in order to make the state field. Only two others — both from Region 1-7A — met both requirements as Lowndes shot 280 and Tift County 293.

Grayson, Archer and Shiloh represented Region 8-7A.

Elizabeth Funderburk led Colquitt’s effort with a round of 79. Madison Willis had her best high school varsity round with a 94, and Grace Jarvis equaled that mark.

The Packer boys golf team came in second place Tuesday scoring 312. Camden County, also from 1-7A, was the first place team at an even 300.

The drama of the day was who would get that third guaranteed slot. Both Tift County and Grayson came home at 315, and in the playoff it was Grayson prevailing. Lowndes shot 318, which was below the state qualifying score of 330.

Tech locker room plans moving ahead

ATLANTA (TNS) — A renovated locker room has been on Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson’s wish list for at least four years and probably longer. It appeared like it was going to happen after the 2015 season, but it didn’t happen.

Now, though, athletic director Todd Stansbury has given a fairly confident evaluation of the project’s future.

“Right now, I’m in the process of raising the money, which I believe I’m going to be able to do fairly quickly,” Stansbury said last week after giving a presentation to boosters to the athletic department. “So my goal is that we would actually start construction after the season.”

Gregg Garrett, a major donor, called the state of the project “certainly the most serious and most concrete plans that I have seen. I’m very, very confident that it’s going to happen.”

Johnson has not been shy about stating his desire for a new locker room, which he has felt is necessary to keep up in the facilities race to attract recruits. Last August, he said that Tech was “” other schools in the ACC in its facilities and staff.

Facilities such as locker rooms and weight rooms are a significant way that prospects compare schools, which is why Clemson has built a $55 million football operations facility that includes an HD theater, a barber shop, laser tag, a bowling alley, a slide and an outdoor area with fire pits, miniature golf and a beach volleyball court.

“When kids walk in, that’s their impression,” Johnson said in August. “They see facilities, it’s like, you guys know it’s an arms race. And if you’re not building, you’re falling farther and farther and farther behind.”

Rockets’ Nene fined for altercation

HOUSTON — Houston Rockets reserve center Nene was fined $15,000 for “escalating an altercation” by pushing San Antonio Spurs center Dewayne Dedmon above the shoulders, the NBA announced Wednesday.

The incident occurred at the conclusion of the third quarter of the Rockets’ 126-99 win over the Spurs on Monday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal playoff series.

Nene was assessed one technical foul and ejected. Dedmon was ejected as well.

Nene grabbed Dedmon in the neck area after the Spurs’ backup center and Rockets star James Harden went face-to-face and exchanged words.