Machine Pitch Semi Finals

Four teams went through pool play during the state championships of the 7/8 year old machine pitch baseball in Wilson.  The top seed Henderson County went 3-0 and during pool play gave up one run in 12 innings played.  That works out to .08 runs allowed per inning.  The second seed is Rocky Mount they are also 3-0 in pool play and in 14  innings played allowed 7 runs or .5 runs per inning.  Third is Winston Salem National who carries a 3-0 record and in 15 innings gave up 10 runs for a .67 runs per inning.  Rounding out the semi finals is the host team from Wilson.  Wilson in 15 innings allowed 13 runs or .87 per inning?

Monday night the semi finals were held with the number one seed Henderson County playing the four seed Wilson.  The game was set for 5pm to be followed  by the 2/3 matchup Rocky Mount against Winston Salem National.  Due to games being played at Gillette Park during Monday in other state tournaments going on in Wilson the schedule ran behind and the 5pm game did not start to near 7pm pushing the RM/WSN game back to almost nine start time.

If you have ever had a child play in the old Englewood Coach Pitch in Rocky Mount the maximum number of batters in any inning is 10.  If you however get three outs before the ten bat then you have played well in the field and these four teams have proven to be very good on defense in their three round robin games.

The semi finals as is in all tournaments is lose and go home and for the winners a chance to play another day and that day is Tuesday at 4pm at Gillette Park in Wilson.  Finally game time arrives and Wilson puts 11 runs on the board while holding Henderson County to 7.  So the host team Wilson will play for the 7/8 machine pitch state championship Tuesday on their home court.

The second semi final saw Rocky Mount as the visiting team and in the top of the first failed to score.  During pool play Rocky Mount scored 42 runs in 14 innings so zero was a bad start.  The bottom of the first Winston Salem struck for three runs.  Rocky Mount got one in the second so the second inning now the boys from Rocky Mount need to hold WS scoreless. They did what they needed to do but in the top of the third Rocky Mount failed to score either and trail 3-1 once again needed to hold Winston scoreless.

The bottom of the third Winston plated a single run to make the score 4-1.  The top of the fourth and RM is held scoreless and this is no doubt getting down to the last chances and if there is any chance Winston Salem has to be held scoreless in the fourth. Rocky Mount showed the defense needed and headed into the top of the fifth down 4-1.

Time is running out and if it is to be Rocky Mount needs to make a move and they get it.  They put a five spot on the board in the top of the fifth to take a 6-4 lead.  Once again it is in the hands of the defense to put another blank on Winston Salem.  Both these teams have hit the ball very well this weekend and WS puts three up in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead 7-6.  

It's last chance time for Rocky Mount.  The sixth is blank for our kids and they lost 7-6 in the semi finals of the North Carolina Machine Pitch State Championships.  The Rocky Mount 7/8 year olds are the only Rocky Mount Parks and Rec team to win a District in 2016. They finish third in the state.  Good job guys!