Miracle On Howell Street

For eight innings tonight, Edenton Post 40's Chad Whitehead, who during the high school season pitched for NCISAA !-A state champion Lawrence Academy in Merry Hill, sat Post 58 batters down with all types of off-speed pitches.

He struck out only five, but through eight innings, he had Rocky Mount hitters popping up and hitting simple ground balls. He yielded only three hits.

Whitehead joined teammate Daniel Oliver, who hit a three-run homer, with a two-run shot and Post 58 was dead in the water heading to the bottom of the ninth.

Hobbs Johnson started for Post 58, but allowed five runs on five hits in just three and one-third innings.

Despite what happen in the ninth, the real hero for Rocky Mount was Parker Helms as he came in to pitch in the fourth inning and was still around at the end - shutting out Post 40 rest of the way. His five and two-thirds of three-hit pitching kept Post 58 from completely being out of this game.

Now back to the bottom of the ninth.

T.J. Taylor opened with a single - the second time all night Post 58 had a runner on without an out. Collins Cuthrell singled with one out. Thomas Berry doubled driving in Taylor and Cuthrell. The play promped Post 40's coach to send Whitehead to play first base and bring Oliver to the mound.

Matthew Berry hit a hot shot to the third baseman who made a terrific stop, but like I use to tell my Little Leaguers back in my coaching days, the play is not over until you make a good throw. The throw was a one-hopper to the new first baseman Whitehead who could not dig it out. The error got Berry to second. A groundout to second sent Post 58 to its last out.

Spencer Bell laced a single to score number four as he represented the tying run. Mike Smith (Peace) hit a seeing-eye single past the first and second basemen putting the winning run on base.
Cameron Ramsey coaxed a walk out of Oliver to load the bases and up steps Taylor, who already had a single in the ninth, delivers a single to right and Bell scores the tying run and Smith steps on home plate before the throw can get anywhere near home plate.

A team held to three hits through eight innings got six in the ninth to win game one of the area one semifinals 6-5 over Edenton.

There will be a quick turn-a-round as game two had been scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday in Manteo but has now been moved to noon at Hicks Field in Edenton. The reason the game is not being played at 7 is that the CPL's Edenton Steamers have a home game there Saturday night.

Parker Helms' great pitching gets the win for Post 58 and Oliver was the loser.

From the Senior Little League District Tournament in Zebulon, the American League All-Stars from Rocky Mount beat Zebulon in the nightcap of a doubleheader 11-1 to win the district tournament. Rocky Mount, which was unbeaten going into tonight's game, watched Zebulon beat Wendell in an earlier game and then Zebulon had to beat Rocky Mount twice in order to win the district.

The American League All-Stars join the National League from Rocky Mount in the state Tar Heel tournament which will be held in Rocky Mount July 22 -25. Rocky Mount has a good shot of defending the title it won last year as it will have two chances to win it again.

Both the Midgets (9/10) year-olds and the coach pitch (7/8) year-olds started their district tournament tonight also.