I received a voice mail about 10 p.m. Friday from Mr. Reliable (Don Johnson) with the score of the Kinston-Wilson Legion game. Don has so many contacts throughout eastern North Carolina from his umpiring.
Wilson Post 13 beat Kinston 6-3 to win that series three games to two. Wilson not only won game five at Kinston, but also game one so not having home field has not effected them.
In my evaluation of Post 58, I believe that pitching is the weak link. Our Northern Division has bented my theory there by dominating the Southern Division in this playoffs.
Our number four seed Ahoskie was swept by Kinston three game to none. Edenton our number three took out Wayne County, its No. 2 seed, in five games. Both Wilson and Post 58 swept its series. In the second round, Wilson took out its No. 1 seed Kinston in five games.
That gives our division a 12-7 advantage over the Southern Division. Our two playoff series our pitching has been steady with the three-man rotation of Brandon Denton, Dillon Cockrell and Alex Pearce. Bill Clark has been the long relief man and Mike Williams has been used as the closer.
This team was doing alright when Xavier Macklin showed up the last game of the regular season and started playing left field. Since X has been in the lineup, we are 7-0. Not only has he added to the already powerful batting line up, but he has improved the defense in left.
We might not have a No. 1 pitcher off any high school team from the area, but we have the best two catchers and who ever has been behind the plate the other played left field. We can't afford not to have their bat in the lineup, so we took a shaky left field in order to score more runs and it worked. X-man has cured that problem.
Ben Fish and Tyler Clark have been teammates for ever even though they played at different high schools. They were on two Babe Ruth World Series team together and who knows how far this team may go.
Grant Johnson, who didn't play college ball in the spring ,has played as if he play all spring. Collins Cuthrell can play any where. T.J. Taylor has been an ideal leadoff man and great defensive center fielder. Cameron Ramsey and Gabe Brown have produced every time they have been in the line up. Wesley Joyner has played shortstop when Dillon has pitched or has been a DH and like every body else has knocked the cover off the ball.
Nick Hahula just might be the (since we already have and X factor) I will call him the Z factor. I doubt whether we will win any more series in three games which means you either throw the first game starter on short rest or Wilson will have to have a fourth starter as good as Nick.
The third round of the Area One Eastern finals start Sunday night at Northern Nash. Game two is Monday in Wilson. This is the third playoff series so you know the routine by now.
It would not surprise me since Wilson is so close that all games of this series may well have over a thousand people watching.
Why don't you be one of them.
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