Opening Day was Friday for the 2016 North Carolina American Legion State Baseball Tournament. Pitt County representing Area One East and the top seed of the East. Garner the West division champion and the number two in the east both took the field at Wingate University.
It would turn out to be a great day for Area One as Pitt County opened the tournament Friday morning and they only took seven innings to devour Caldwell County 13-3. Game two saw Area One rep Whiteville defeating High Point 7-6 in extra innings. The third game of the day Rowan County clipped Wilmington 7-4 and the night cap Garner beat the host team Union County 9-4. A very good day for Area One.
Saturday starts with the four losers on Friday starting the day off with Caldwell County ending Wilmington's tournament 5-2. The second game Union County remained alive easing High Point back home 6-2. The afternoon session saw Rowan County win the first winners bracket game 7-2 over Pitt County. Garner joined the one time losers to Whiteville 12-4. Two days into the state tournament and six teams remain two are unbeaten Whiteville and Rowan County and four are now in the losers bracket Caldwell County, Pitt County, Garner and Union County.
Only three games on Sunday as two losers brackets games during the afternoon and the two unbeatens get prime time. It took extra innings but Pitt County is knocked out 10-9 by the host team Union County. The second game is the end of the line for Garner as they fall 4-3 to Caldwell County. Bad day all around for Area one as the state tournament is over. Last night Rowan County beat Whiteville 10-1. The four teams left are Rowan County, once beaten Whiteville, Union County and Caldwell County. All four teams are in action today, no bye for the unbeaten team.
As promised I did leave off a few athletes who will be playing college sports. Nick Bynum and JaQuez Johnson-Rocky Mount-Football-Shaw.
The Sports section of the Raleigh News and Observer did and article in their sports section featuring Rocky Mount High and their chances of repeating as 3A state football title. It was a good read.
Speaking of great articles Josh Walfish's article in the Sunday Rocky Mount Telegram concerning innings being pitched by high school pitchers was right on. I read an article several years ago by Doctor James Andrews the noted surgeon who perform the first so called Tommy John surgery. He says that every pitcher needs three months of non-throwing once a season is complete for rest to the arm.
One thing that has happened to our society when we dedicate our life to one sport at ten years old is we don't know other sports that we might be good in. A good example of one sport not using all your muscles. Right after my freshman football season in high school I thought I was in excellent physical condition. First day of basketball practice I was aching and gassed after all the different drills in basketball over football. Let your kid play anything they want to. Most of the time they will let you know the ones they don't like. You may find trying to become great in baseball only to see your child might have been a better player in soccer.
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