Growing up I use to pretend I was Mickey Mantle and throw a rock in the air and hit it with a tobacco stick. I wore out many a stick hitting those rocks across the the branch that ran along my grandfather's farm.
In the last three high school baseball seasons Northern and Rocky Mount have played in the Eastern Baseball regional led by the likes of Tyler Joyner and Brian Goodwin.
Looks as if the next generations of high school ball players are on their way as the Rocky Mount Midget National league all stars beat the American league all stars last night in Knightdale to win the Tar heel Midget District little league tournament.
Both all star teams from Rocky Mount cruised through their brackets and the only defeats either of them got was against each other.
The first time the two met was in the winner's bracket undefeated game and the National took out the American leaguers in four inning by ten.
Thursday night when there was only two Rocky Mount teams left in this double elimination tournament the American was able to give pay back and knocked the Nationals with their first lost.
Force into a showdown Friday night winner take all the National league out slugged the American all stars 12-7 to earn a spot in the State championship tournament starting the 23rd of July in the Dunn-Ervin area.
Congrats to Head Coach Wayne Pridgen and his staff and all the up and coming big leaguers from Rocky Mount.
Friday was a busy day for Rocky Mount baseball as the Junior Legion team won two qualifying games in Cary and are now on the way to the state Junior Legion championships.
A word of warning to all you Moms and Pops out there following the bouncing ball for the first time with these nine and ten year olds. It has been a trip to Knightdale every day since Monday.
This is only the beginning. Next there is the little league, then Babe Ruth, Junior Legion, and then Senior Legion.
Then for a few there may be college baseball and then even for one or two pro ball.
It all started piling in the car to go Knightdale way back in 2009 to play Midget baseball.
We must end today with a bit of sadness to the Knights of Northern Nash family. Hayes Kennedy who taught history at Northern Nash for thirty eight years, started the tennis program as well as was golf coach has died at his home in Wilson. Thirty eight years was almost back to the beginning of Northern Nash High.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Post 58 Home Sunday Against Wilson
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.
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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