Edenton Beats Pitt County

Post 58’s sweep of New Bern sends them on to the second round of the playoffs just like last year. Is this team as good as or better than last year’s team that put Post 58 in the State tournament for the first time since Legion went to a state tournament format?

Just as last year this is a year of only what if all the quality pitching played legion? Last year Tyler Joyner went to summer school at ECU and Hobbs Johnson played travel league. This year the top pitcher Benton Moss elected to play travel league and Hobbs Johnson is a part time pitcher when not in summer school at Carolina.

When you compare this year’s pitching to last it is just about a wash. Bill Clark who finished last year as the closer has held that job again this season. This season Hank Jones has used nine pitchers who have more than twelve innings but not more than twentyinnings pitched . Bill Clark, Parker Helms, Jeremy Trevathan, Spencer Bell, Jeremy Sloop, Trellis Ashley, Brandon Denton, Kyle Norville and Hobbs Johnson.

This team might be a typical playoff game is the starter goes four innings, the first reliever gets three and Bill Clark gets two. Hobbs Johnson could be a wild card as he is the only proven starter who could go seven if needed but with his summer school you wonder about his throwing during the week whether he will be able to be effective if he pitches just on weekends. Remember this also, Legion plays nine inning games.

There is no doubt that this team can hit. A team batting average of 325 during the regular season. We can win a lot of games by just out scoring the other side but like last year in the state tournament you are going to face someone who is only going to let you score two or three runs and the pitching needs to win some big games. Last year in the state tournament the pitching was good only giving up four runs in one game and two in the other. We lost both of those games.

T J Taylor is a good leadoff hitter getting on base during half his at bats. Spencer Bell is a good #2 hitter when he plays third base. Jeremy Sloop has played third when Spencer pitches giving Post 58 a third base/pitcher combo.

Collins Cuthrell has become the best baseball player in the area with a solid high school season and he has not slacked up one bit in Legion. The Berry twins, Thomas hit 444 during the regular season and Matthew 458. What a combo hitting fourth and fifth in your lineup.

Kyle Norville just plain knows how to get on base. If he needs to poke one through the infield or slap a line drive down the line he to me has been my surprise of the summer. Michael Whitehead and Mike Smith have shared second base and between them have twelve rbi. Fuller Weatherly and Cameron Ramsey have shared right field and seem to get timely hits.

This year’s Xavier Macklin is Tyler Clark. Tyler was going to take the summer off but found out there is no better place to be than at the ball field and joined the team mid season. He has only hit 425 and gives us one of the best catchers in the league. If there is one thing he got from his dad Greg was to be kind of tall and a catcher, Tyler can run and since he has grown up to be a man with his speed by the time he is through at NC Wesleyan he just could be a top pro prospect.

The Northern Division once again this year has dominated the southern division in the opening round. Last night Edenton Post 40 beat Pitt County Post 39 3-2 to win that series which will put Edenton in Rocky Mount Friday night. that's how it was last year. Wilson will start round two at Kinston.

Due to the college team the Edenton Steamers having a home game in Edenton on Saturday the second game in this series will be played in Manteo at Manteo High School. If a third game is needed game three will be back in Rocky Mount Sunday Night.

The next three weeks could be full of baseball or a sudden exit might end it all. Whether this team is better than last year will soon be known. Friday night starts round two and the teams we face will get better and better.