Over the past several years the weather has not always been kind to Big East baseball. There was one year the regular season had so many makeup games the regular season ended on what would have been tournament finals night. Even had rain during tournament playing one night and rest of the tournament rained out.
We should have expected this but a line of heavy weather was heading out way Monday night and a wise thing happened. Opening night games were moved up to 5pm. Northern Nash at Southern Nash and Nash Central at Fike.
The big gamble by Southern Nash coach Todd Brewer to hold his ace to Tuesday worked just barely. Southern best Northern Nash 6-5 to advance to Rocky Mount Tuesday in the semi finals of the Big East. Northern's season is over.
The first time Southern Nash and Rocky Mount met. David Harrison beat Southern and Trevor Mills 2-0. Expect same type low scoring affair.
The other opening night game Fike beat Nash Central 2-1. Fike will now play Hunt Tuesday at Hunt. The loss for Nash Central drops them to 13-10 and no better than 4th in the Big East. Their chances of making the state tournament next week will now depend on having a better record of All the teams that will be fill out the brackets teams.
The Rocky Mount girls softball team's season ended last night losing to Southern Nash 10-0. After a 4-1 start in non conference games the Gryphon girls failed to win a conference game.
This has been a nice spring for Rocky Mount athletics. Tennis first place, soccer 1st place. Baseball second and track and field boys and girls hope to finish first or second Wednesday during conference championships
Tuesday the Rocky Mount 13-0 tennis team will host the 1st round of the state playoffs. Undefeated they are the top seed in the east regional and will host Norwood 8th seed and 11-4. Southern Nash11-4 is in and will travel to Chapel Hill the second seed and 12-1. Fike 12-4 6th seed the third team from the Big East travels to Northern Guilford 10-3 the 3rd seed.
Rocky Mount High school will be holding awards night for athletics on Thursday night May 18th. Dinner will be served starting at 5pm.Those wishing to attend dinner will be $10. All athletes expecting to receive awards will eat for free but in order to receive any award any athlete might receive must attend to receive them.
Monday, May 1, 2017
The Playoff Road Begins
I am a believer that any team that has an ace pitcher that they can count on holding the opposition to a couple runs or less every game needs to pitch that pitcher the first game of the week.
I read in the Telegram Sunday that Todd Brewer the head coach of Southern Nash was going to hold his ace until Tuesday in what he hopes is a matchup with Rocky Mount again. You can just about know that Northern Nash will pitch the best they have Monday with the beginning of the Big East baseball tournament.
Northern has nothing to lose. If they lose Monday, Tuesday or Thursday their season is over. The only way they will get an invite to the state playoffs is win this week's tournament otherwise their next defeat ends their season.
Rocky Mount has the same dilemma. David Harrison has pitched the first conference game every week this season. Should the Gryphons save him for Thursday. My answer is no. Survive and advance. There is no guarantee that Southern will beat Northern any more than Rocky Mount beating either without the best available pitcher on the mound.
This pitch count deal is hard on everybody especially teams playing three games this week. Any pitchers who throws 30 pitches Monday is out for Tuesday and any pitcher who throws 45 Tuesday is out for Thurday.
I Don't think even though they have lost only once in conference play that Hunt has more than one reliable pitcher. If both Rocky Mount and Hunt survive and play Thursday it will be a great gamble to save your best for Thursday.
Who ever wins this tournament will be the team with the second best pitcher in the league on their team against the other teams second best pitcher. Southern, Fike, Nash Central and Northern will win only if every thrower they have had a great week.
Now why I want to pitch my best early every week. Suppose there is rain Wednesday and the tournament is cancelled when it rains through Friday. That puts me in a position my best pitcher has not pitched in two weeks when we start the playoffs. I want him still as close as possible to the same routine as possible when he throws his first pitch in the playoffs next week.
Tonight third seed Southern Nash 5-5 13-9 host Northern Nash 0-10, 5-16. The winner heads Tuesday to Rocky Mount 8-2 14-6. Fike 4-6 12-11 host Nash Central 4-6 13-9. The winner plays Hunt Tuesday at Hunt 8-1 15-7.
I read in the Telegram Sunday that Todd Brewer the head coach of Southern Nash was going to hold his ace until Tuesday in what he hopes is a matchup with Rocky Mount again. You can just about know that Northern Nash will pitch the best they have Monday with the beginning of the Big East baseball tournament.
Northern has nothing to lose. If they lose Monday, Tuesday or Thursday their season is over. The only way they will get an invite to the state playoffs is win this week's tournament otherwise their next defeat ends their season.
Rocky Mount has the same dilemma. David Harrison has pitched the first conference game every week this season. Should the Gryphons save him for Thursday. My answer is no. Survive and advance. There is no guarantee that Southern will beat Northern any more than Rocky Mount beating either without the best available pitcher on the mound.
This pitch count deal is hard on everybody especially teams playing three games this week. Any pitchers who throws 30 pitches Monday is out for Tuesday and any pitcher who throws 45 Tuesday is out for Thurday.
I Don't think even though they have lost only once in conference play that Hunt has more than one reliable pitcher. If both Rocky Mount and Hunt survive and play Thursday it will be a great gamble to save your best for Thursday.
Who ever wins this tournament will be the team with the second best pitcher in the league on their team against the other teams second best pitcher. Southern, Fike, Nash Central and Northern will win only if every thrower they have had a great week.
Now why I want to pitch my best early every week. Suppose there is rain Wednesday and the tournament is cancelled when it rains through Friday. That puts me in a position my best pitcher has not pitched in two weeks when we start the playoffs. I want him still as close as possible to the same routine as possible when he throws his first pitch in the playoffs next week.
Tonight third seed Southern Nash 5-5 13-9 host Northern Nash 0-10, 5-16. The winner heads Tuesday to Rocky Mount 8-2 14-6. Fike 4-6 12-11 host Nash Central 4-6 13-9. The winner plays Hunt Tuesday at Hunt 8-1 15-7.
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