Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Just Not Good Enough

Tonight in round two of the Area One East Division American Legion Playoffs Pitt County Post 39 beat Coleman Pitt Post 58 9-4 to take a one games to none lead of P58 in the 2 out of 3 playoff series.  P39 got 14 hits to P58 12 as both teams threatened all night long to score but of P 39's 14 they had a bunch of clutch hits while the 12 CP 58 hits were not clutch after the  3rd inning.

Time after time when P58 chose to play the infield in PC would hit a blooper when the defense would have been if normal.  Twice P39 hit and run and either the second baseman of short stop in order to cover the play left his position and PC hit it right where he was. PC 58 time and time again has runners on only to leave them on base.  But the big killer was twice the defense let three runs score when the inning would have been over with a defensive play.  Those three runs gave Pitt County a 5-4 lead and after that PC 39 had hits falling in holes that Coleman Pitt couldn't do anything about.

Here is a real oddity in this game.  All nine batting positions for Coleman Pitt Post 58 reach base at least once in the game and Adam Bayless reach four times with hits but P58 could score but four runs.  When your team gives the other team three runs on defense it is had to win that way.

Coleman Pitt heads to ECU Thursday night on life support  and if they should lose Thursday the season is over and Pitt County advances.  Should Derrick Carter who will pitch Thursday for P58 win Thursday the rubber game will be played Friday night back in Rocky Mount.  Over in Kinston Wilson Post 13 beat Kinston 4-3 to win game one in that season.  Game two is Thursday at Fleming in Wilson.

I mentioned this last time about the Junior Legion having a qualifying tournament this weekend at Legion Field and at Rocky Mount Academy.  The top two teams advance to the Junior Legion playoffs .  That really means the team that wins the first three games they play will be the undefeated team and automatically qualify for the state tournament.  If you lose once you have to play your way through the losers bracket and be the winner with one lost and that team qualifies to move on.  Yes the undefeated team and the losers bracket team will play each other but both play again next week neither has to win to move on.

 Play starts at 10am Saturday morning at Legion field and there will be four games there Saturday.  RMA field will have games  too but probably not four.  Sunday three games are scheduled at Legion Field  and depending on whether P58 Senior Legion plays a playoff game at Legion Field Sunday night RMA could get the championship game Sunday if all games are on the schedule are played on time and that means no rain delays

Post 58 Tries to Start Playoffs Again Tonight

Coleman Pitt Post 58 heads to the second round of the Area One East division playoffs tonight against Pitt County Post 39.  Post 39 the 6th seed dispensed the #3 seed Wayne County Monday night to earn their way to round two.  The only earning Post 58 had to do was have enough players at the ball field at game time to receive a forfeit from Edenton to advance to round two.

The biggest worry that Hank Jones has right now is not how Post 39 will be when they get here tonight but will the players for Post 58 be playoff ready considering that in the last 19 days they have played a total of 13.5 innings of baseball.  Post 58 played Windsor  a double header on June 21st and both of those games went seven innings.  June 28 Post 58 was leading Wilson Post 13 6-1 and batting in the bottom of the fifth when a flood fell and since Wilson had batted five times that was good enough to say it was an official game an a victory for P58.

Monday July one Kinston came to RM because their field was under water and that game went nine innings and Kinston won 3-1.  A Tuesday trip to Garner was rained out and the trip to play Kinston again was rained out and then the decision to cancel the rest of the regular season which kept us from playing any of those make up games before Saturday July 6th. Under the new playoff format Edenton was suppose to be here Saturday night but forfeited the series to Post 58.

There is no doubt Post 58 should be fresh but there is also the possibility of being stale.  P39 has three games under their belt while P58 wished they were playing somebody.  Whether it hurts or helps we will find out tonight as Round two begins at 7pm at Legion Field.

If you are a fan of Junior Legion Baseball then Saturday Rocky Mount will be the place to be. There will be a qualifying tournament held at Legion Field and  at RMA baseball field.  I know for sure there are four games scheduled to be played at Legion Field starting at 10am.  I am not sure how many will be played at RMA  but I will talk with Joe Bell tonight at the Legion game and give you better details on this day of baseball.