Take One For The Team

If you read the Telegram coach Hank Jones was quoted as saying he had no idea who would pitch Monday night in the first game of the semi finals of Area One Western Division playoffs. Raleigh the leagues top team had not played since they beat Post 58 in a doubleheader on June 28th.  Coleman Pitt having used all of their top pitching in the first round against Cary had to make a decision tonight.  Do we sacrifice tonight in order to try to win this round starting with the second game?  The answer is David Williams take one for the team.

Williams who drove from Duke University Monday afternoon after attending summer school classes was ask once arriving at the ball park to do the best you can.  Williams had pitch just 2/3 of an inning during legion season so  the strategy we will take our lumps tonight in order to make us rested for rest of the week.

Williams gave all he had the first three innings in fact when he went to the mound in the bottom of the fourth he was leading 2-0.  Williams had only allowed two singles and the big item no walks but the first batter in the fourth was a hit batter then three walks another hit batter and the dreaded error Raleigh scored seven times before Chase Roupp could get the third out.

Raleigh scored twice in the fifth on two hits and three more in the sixth when Forest Bell took his turn on the mound.  Carson Arthur managed to hold Post one scoreless the rest of the way and Post 58 managed a run in the seventh to make the game go nine innings but game one goes to Raleigh 12-3.
All four pitchers sent to the mound between them had not pitched much more than five innings this Legion Season.  The idea of course there are times that you lose a battle but the purpose is to win the war and I would suspect still the top pitching rotation will not be fully rested but will be better prepared in Tuesday second game.

Raleigh collect 10 hits and Post 58 pitchers walked five and hit four others.  Coleman Pitt had five hits scoring their three runs.  Game two is 7pm Tuesday night at Legion field.  Tonight Post 58 sent David to take on Goliath without a bag of rocks but the way the pitching has been the last week these guys were as good as anybody else.