Gryphons Clinch Second

Rocky Mount beat arch rival Northern Nash on a cold blustery night 6-1 in the final regular season game of the year.  Over at Hunt the Warriors were beating Fike and combined with the Rocky Mount win and Fike loss the Gryphons capture second place in the Big East and in doing so get a first round home game next week.

Spencer Ramsey pitched a complete game five hitter for the Gryphons walked four and struck out 12 in securing the 2nd spot for Rocky Mount.  Ramsey served up a base hit on the first pitch of the game but before the first inning was over had picked a runner off first and second base.  In all my years of watching baseball I have never seen two picked off in one inning.

The Gryphons wasted little time getting three straight hits in the bottom of the first  but could score but once on a fielders choice by Trevor Hayworth.  Rocky Mount scored again in the third but in a quite unusual way.  The scored on a bases loaded walk after two were out and three straight men walked to give them a 2-0 lead.

Northern touched home their only time in the top of the fourth when Dylan Hodges drove in a run after there were two outs and no one on base.  Rocky Mount got two in the bottom of the fourth on another three hits in a row with Micah Varnell getting a rbi.  Rocky Mount added two more in the fifth  one scored on a Jeremy Johnson double  and another on a Knight error.

Jeremy Johnson had three hits and an rbi and Ben Yates had another three hits. Three other singles were added by Andy Morris,Micah Varnell and Josh Carter.  Northern was lead by Dylan Hodges who had two hits and the lone rbi.  Garth Daniel also had two hits and Jacob Green had a single.  Northern season ends while Rocky Mount will wait and see who they draw in the opening round of the playoffs.  Playoffs start next Thursday.

There are a lot of people who go to NASCAR races just to watch the wrecks.  In the first year of the new high school baseball stadium with a full house tonight  there were plenty of fan reactions every time a foul ball headed to the parking lot.  I think at least three cars have either broken windshields or rearranged fenders at the game tonight.