What To Look For

Rocky Mount will host a round two baseball game against Triton High Saturday night at 6pm.  The Gryphons have fought all year having one pitcher that can do it all and anytime there was two or more games hope they out hit the other team in games two and three on the week.  It is now playoff time and it is face the music time for Rocky Mount.  Every step of the way in the playoffs you face a better team and more than likely better hitting and pitching.

Up next for the Gryphons is Triton from Irwin.  They have an overall record of 15-8. They were 6-4 in conference play. They have shown power hitting nine home runs on the  season.  Their team pitching ERA is 3.21 which is excellent.  They even get a no hitter from their fourth winningest pitcher in round one.  They have shown speed stealing 63 bases which is about three steals per game.  despite being seeded 24th the Gryphons have not been given an easy road to round three.

NE Guilford brought a nice crowd with them in round one and they were very supportive of their team.  Rocky Mount's fans not to be outdone  created a true playoff atmosphere in a competitive round one game.  Rocky Mount's four runs constituted an out burst for them.  In their last four conference games the scored a 2-0 victory, a 1-0 win, a 9-1 loss in the rain at Fike  and a 1-0 victory over Hunt.  It did take nine innings to score four on Tuesday.

This season has proven that against a good pitcher Rocky Mount has struggled to score runs.  Would think that there will be no chance  for the rest of the season as long as it last that they will  face nothing but good pitching.  The Gryphon defense has again especially  the infield has been solid all year.  Senior Forest Bell who started at shortstop for two years moved to third.  He has been able to play three positions on the infield when pitching changes were needed 3rd, second and short.  Logan Pearce has been solid at short all season.  Until a cracked finger tip happened in the first conference game he had been tearing the cover off the ball.  Will Hedgepeth at second has been Mr. Reliable all season.  Jake Philbeck has solidified the infield with his play at 1st.  Just as capable at 3rd when pitching require infield changes.

This team record now stands at 13-8.  The low point on the year they were 4-6 so this team has played some very good baseball since at 9-2.  They will have to win without my coaching from the press box Saturday.  Daughter Morgan graduates from Campbell at 9am and we have a party in our back yard scheduled at four.  Praying for a Gryphon rainout.

Foster Lander of the Rocky Mount Telegram quoted in the Wednesday Paper that Pat Smith when asked about future pitching arrangements said.  I've got to go down to Venezuela or Puerto Rico and find another boy who can pitch for us.  Anyone who knows Pat knows that when he walks inside the fence and puts on his uniform number 20 he is all business.  For him that is about as funny as you will ever get.

You know Rocky Mount has a glorious past in baseball.  Right now four former players are getting paid to play baseball in almost every level of baseball.  This Week former Gryphon Thomas Berry was named the Peach Belt Desinated hitter of the year after hitting 341 on the season.  He has 13 home runs, 12doubles, 45 walks and 54 rbi.  His slugging percentage is 636 and an on base percentage of 489. He is tied as the all time Lander home run hitter with 28.  He is second all time in Lander walks 148.  This season he is fourth in the nation in walks in NCAA D II play.  This weekend  Lander is in Florence SC in the Peach Belt tournament where  9th ranked Lander hopes to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years. Two former Gryphons "Baseball" Britt Johnson as third base coach and Jim Leggett pitching coach give Lander a Gryphon flavor.    Earlier this week former Gryphon Cody Smith was named the CIAA left hander pitcher of the year for his pitching at Chowan.  Way to go Gryphons!!!