Sports and Outdoors

 Lake Info

Normal Lake Level is 322.00 feet above Mean Sea Level.
Current level for Cedar Creek Lake is: 322.00 Water Temperature:
63  degrees - top
58 degrees - bottom

Close play at home

Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
Eustace Lady Bulldog pitcher Kaitlyn Bebe (left) tags out Van Lady Vandal Kennedy Barnett at home to end the top of the second inning during third-ranked Van's 15-1 District 14-3A softball win over the hosting Lady Bulldogs on a rain-soaked field April 2. Eustace’s score came in the fifth inning when Chelsea Oldham nailed a triple, and was brought home by Catania Grant.

MHS comeback nips Terrell, 4-3
Monitor Staff Reports
MABANK–Mabank’s Lady Panthers put themselves into the driver’s seat for a playoff berth in dramatic fashion Tuesday night, coming from behind to nip the visiting Terrell Lady Tigers, 4-3.
A walk-off single by senior shortstop Ashley Hammack scored senior third baseman Alison Castle in the bottom of the eighth inning to complete a comeback from a 3-1 deficit.
Now 13-9 on the season and 4-3 in District 15-4A softball play, the Lady Panthers were scheduled to visit Red Oak Friday night, but three of their final four games will be at home.
Tuesday, April 13, the Lady Panthers will host Mesquite Poteet and Friday, April 16, Mabank will host No. 18 Forney (due to wet grounds, the teams’ March 23 first-round match was played in Forney).

Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
Lady Panther catcher Hannah Foster-Yandell makes the catch to nail a Terrell Lady Tiger baserunner at home, preserving a 1-1 tie in the third inning, one of the key plays in Mabank’s 4-3 extra-inning District 15-4A softball win over the visiting Lady Tigers Tuesday.

Tuesday, April 20, the Lady Panthers will host Lancaster for “senior night,” and will travel to West Mesquite for the regular-season finale Friday, April 23.
“We still have some business to take care of,” new Mabank softball coach Mark Owen said Thursday. “We still have to beat Lancaster and West Mesquite (to qualify for the playoffs).”
The Lady Panthers run-ruled both Lancaster and West Mesquite in the first round, Owen pointed out. “Our goal now is to move up in the (playoff) rankings,” he said.
After Terrell tied the score at 1-1 in the third inning, the Lady Tigers pushed across two runs in the top of the sixth to take a 3-1 lead.
At that time, Owen called the girls over and reminded them that playoff teams find a way to win.
“They just found ways to win that game. We had a good effort from the whole team,” he said Thursday. “We may have hopefully turned a corner here.”
Mabank promptly scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score 3-3 (the tying run by senior Sadie Roberts), and held the Lady Tigers scoreless in both the seventh and eighth innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, the leadoff batter, Castle, battled through a lengthy at-bat, fouling off several pitches before nailing a two-strike double.
Senior pitcher Brandi Lander singled Castle to third, setting up Hammack’s walk-off RBI single.
“All four of our seniors did really well, “ Owen said. “We just made a lot of really big plays.”
Hammack scored the Lady Panthers’ first run in the bottom of the second.
Hammack hustled around the bases to stretch a stand-up double into a very close slide-in triple, but then appeared to make a serious mistake when she was caught in a rundown between third and home.
Nicknamed “Fearless,” Hammack got out of the scrape when the Lady Tigers made an error, allowing her to scamper in.

Boating group questions ethanol increase safety
Special to The Monitor
ALEXANDRIA, Va.–This summer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will decide on whether to allow a 50 percent increase in the amount of ethanol in the nation’s gasoline supply, from the current E10 (or containing 10 percent ethanol) up to E15 (containing 15 percent ethanol).
With testing data on the new “mid-level” ethanol formulation to be completed on only a small group of 2001 and newer model vehicles within this time frame, consumers with older cars, boats, non-road vehicles or gas-engine powered equipment may find that the fuel is not compatible or safe for use.
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the nation’s largest boat owners group, is concerned.
“Some of our members have advised us of performance, compatibility and possible safety issues with the current E10 blend,” BoatUS Vice President of Government Affairs Margaret Podlich said.
“To add 50 percent more ethanol to every gallon of gas without first knowing what it will do to the older vehicles and other gasoline engines we currently own, is simply irresponsible,” she added.
The U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety has also raised concerns about higher levels of ethanol and the lack of independent testing.
Ethanol, a strong solvent, can accelerate the deterioration of fuel system components, such as fuel lines, causing them to fail and increasing the level of risk for fire or explosions.
Last year, Growth Energy, the lobbying group for the ethanol industry, petitioned the EPA to allow the sale of “mid-level” ethanol blends beyond the current 10 percent (E10) up to the 15 percent level (E15).
In a Nov. 30, 2009, response, the EPA advised Growth Energy “Although all of the studies have not been completed, our engineering assessment to date indicates that the robust fuel, engine and emissions control systems on newer vehicles (likely 2001 and newer model years) will likely be able to accommodate higher ethanol blends, such as E15.”
However, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), whose mission is to support an “informed national legislature,” reports in a Jan. 28 Report for Congress that the EPA’s November response letter “Made no comment on the status of testing for older vehicles or for non-road engines.”
The CRS report also says, “Currently, no automaker warranties its vehicles to use gasoline higher than 10 percent ethanol,” and “small engine manufacturers similarly limit the allowable level of ethanol.”
The CRS report also says it’s unclear if the current fuel distribution systems – the pumps, tanks, delivery vehicles and underground gas lines – can tolerate blends higher than E10.
“Even if the fuel is approved by EPA for use in motor vehicles, presumably fuel suppliers could be unwilling to sell the fuel unless they are confident that it will not damage their existing systems or lead to liability issues in the future,” the CRS reports.
The report adds a comment by the independent certification and testing company Underwriters Laboratories saying, “Under normal business conditions, E10 at the dispenser (fuel pump) can vary from about 7 percent to 13 percent ethanol. Assuming a similar variance would exist for E15, it likely under normal conditions ethanol concentrations would exceed the 15 percent limit.”
“We recognize that alternative fuels must be brought to market in the US,” Podlich said. “However, there is also a growing awareness among consumers that corn-based ethanol is not the environmental panacea it was thought to be several years ago.
“Increased food costs, changes in land use, and the energy required to produce ethanol are now giving many Americans second thoughts,” she added.
BoatUS is part of followthescience.org , a coalition of 46 motor sports, environmental, food and citizen advocate groups asking for “science first” before the EPA allows a new fuel on the market.
BoatU.S. is also a member of AllSAFE, the Alliance for a Safe Alternative Fuels Environment. The Association urges anyone who is concerned about a higher percentage of ethanol in gasoline and the lack of testing to contact their members of Congress.