Time To Start New streak

Northern put an end to Rocky Mount's twelve game winning streak last Thursday. The only thing to do now is start a new one.

How's this for figuring. If the Gryphons go on another twelve game streak they will repeat as state champs. Five regular season games left. Three games in round 1-3. A two out of three for the east and a two out of three for the state.

This point in time in this season this team is not hitting good enough to win the state title. Thursday is a prime example that you can't depend on pitching to shut everyone out. Hobbs pitch well enough but three hits.

As Joe Friday use to say just the facts ma'am. The Gryphons have blistered the weak sisters and been anemic against quality pitching.

I would like also to mention at this point in the season last year no one was even thinking a state championship possible. But, the bats have to start carrying their share of the load.

Tuesday night a new streak could begin at Southern Nash. The Gryphons need to take care of business not worry about what's going on in the double header between Fike and Northern.

The Carolina Hurricanes forced a game seven back in New Jersey for Tuesday night. They hope they have the momentum after their 4-0 whitewashing of the Devils.

They don't have to think to far back to remember that being lousy in game six means nothing when you are home for game seven. All they have to do is think back to 2006 game seven . Edmonton beat the Canes 6-1 in Edmonton but the Canes won game seven in Raleigh.

I know there are not many of you that remember the most famous lopsided game six comeback in game seven. I heard it on the radio in 1960. The Yankees beat Pittsburgh 18-3 in the world series. Bill Mazeroski hit the homer for the Pirates to win the world series in game seven.

Much like the Gryphons have depended on pitching this year, the Hurricanes need Cam Ward to come up big in game seven.

Canes Force Game Seven

Ray Whitney had a hand in all four Carolina Hurricanes goals tonight as the Canes survive to play another day with a 4-zip waxing of the New Jersey Devils.

Eric Staal and Jussi Jokinen took passes from Whitney and dropped pucks in the nets for the Canes. Staal had two goals while Whitney scored.

Game seven Tuesday Night in New Jersey.

There is a big double header in New-6 baseball this Tuesday at Northern Nash. Fike and Northern play two after their games at Fike just before the Easter Break was rained out. As far as I know this is the first ever conference double header.

The Rocky Mount Gryphons need to root for both teams and hope for a split then the Gryphons will have sole possession of first place assuming they win at Southern Nash Tuesday. If one teams wins both games it would be better for the Gryphons if it were Fike since they still play them later on. If Northern wins then they must win every game just to stay even.

I don't know how anyone can watch the NFL draft from start to finish. I watched the first hour and then periodically checked back to see who from the area had been drafted.

It is too early in the baseball season to get riled up about Boston and the New York Yankees. As I am writing this the Red Sox had won two and were leading in the third game.

After work tomorrow I need to get my grass cut so there will be nothing to keep me from watching the Cane-Devils Tuesday night. I needed to cut it Saturday but I relayed til early afternoon.

How about that Nash County Relay:: Over $290,000 a record

New Fire Truck

A couple of weeks back I ask you to go on line and vote for a local fire department (Powellsville VFD) who was in a contest with four other departments to receive a new fire truck.

I am glad to say this morning that the Powellsville VFD won the fire truck and they are driving the new truck back home today from Indianapolis where the drawing was held Friday.

I am sure that the difference in the voting had to come from people like you who went on line after seeing about the story here. (insert sarcasm here) Thanks!

The Carolina Hurricanes game six in their playoff series with New Jersey is set for 7.30pm Sunday night on Fox Sports The Carolinas. It is an elimination game for the Canes.

This afternoon the NFL draft starts. This is the first time in a long time that I can remember no one wants to be the team to draft first.

ECU is playing a home conference series with Southern Mississippi this weekend. ECU plays a double header today starting at 4.00pm. Last night's victory made the Pirates 31-12 on the year. Coach Billy Godwin was in the house Thursday to watch recruit Tyler Joyner shut out the Gryphons.

UNC is home this weekend against Maryland. They are 31-11 so far on the season but this weekend is their last weekend at home on the year. In two weeks they go to Raleigh and three weeks to Boston college . They do have a couple of midweek games left at home.

So far this year N C State has had the worst bull pen in the ACC. Last night the Wolfpack committed nine errors in wasting another good starting pitching efort. Virginia wins 6-2. Looks like the Pack will not even make it to the conference tournament as only eight qualify.

Big day in store for me. Heading back to the Relay for Life and tonight The Tar River Children's Chorus is having an Outback Dinner at Sunset Avenue Baptist Church.

HOT OFF THE PRESS: Nash County Relay For Life raises more than $290,000 dollars beating their goal by $15,000

Relay Friday

Tonight is the 14th Nash County Relay for Life being held at the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex. Somewhere in the neighbor of 1,500 walkers will circle the track all night long tonight and until early Saturday afternoon raising funds for the American Cancer Society.

There will be plenty of food from 5.00pm until around 9.00pm when most will have been eaten. Come join the fun. If you stay until at least 9.30 tonight I think you will go home glad that you came.

This year at every Gryphon baseball game pro scouts have followed Brian Goodwin's every movement. Ten or so were in the house last night sitting behind home plate with the radar guns and stop watches.

If there has been one player to benefit from all the attention Brian has been getting it's Tyler Joyner of Northern Nash. Good left handed pitchers are hard to come by at any level of baseball and especially pro ball. Tyler committed to ECU his sophomore season and did not have all that great of Junior year.

His two outings against Rocky Mount has produced 14 innings pitched 28 strikeouts only one earned run.

Come June 9th the Major league baseball draft day don't be surprised if Tyler doesn't get drafted before Brian. High school players have in their back pocket college baseball scholarships so if they aren't drafted high where the big money is Tyler can go to ECU and Brian to UNC and play at least three years of college ball. Not a bad situation for either one.

Yesterday I made mention Zach furl pitching UNC-G to victory over N C State Tuesday night.
Just think of the ball players that played on that Babe Ruth team.

Xavier Macklin who is ripping the cover off the base ball for NCA&T. Zack Furl pitching for UNC-G. Brian Goodwin maybe the best outfielder in North Carolina High school baseball. Tyler Joyner maybe the best lefthander senior pitcher in North Carolina high school baseball.

Ben Fish RMHS catcher committed to Campbell to play baseball. Tyler Clark Northern catcher committed to UNC-Wesleyan to play baseball. Dillon Cockrell has started at shortstop for Rocky Mount for four years.

Mike Williams Northern third baseman, and RM's Gabe Brown and Cameron Ramsey were all members of that team.

I don't know if there will ever be a collection of ball players to ever come along that accomplish what they have over the past six years.

Pay Back

If you didn't know better you would have thought the same game which was played at Northern three weeks ago was played again tonight this time in Rocky Mount.

Like the game at Northern the little things went the visitors way and Northern behind the three hit pitching of Tyler Joyner beat the Gryphons stopping a twelve game winning streak 2-0.

Northern got things rolling with two outs in the first when Wesley Joyner bangs a double to left center field. The next batter Brandon Denton popped a would be foul ball up in the air about twenty feet down the first base line but about ten feet foul. Gryphon cather Ben Fish moved into position only to see the ball veer back into fair territory and fall into fair grounds about twenty feet from home plate.

Since it was two outs Wesley Joyner was running on the play and by the time the ball it fair he was on home plate and Denton was standing on second with a twenty foot double.

The Gryphons who only had three hits all night got two in the first on back to back singles by Collins Cuthrell and Ben Fish but they were stranded.

In the second Dillon Cockrell slapped a double to right which was booted moving Dillon to third with only one out and he was left stranded.

The third inning saw Wesley Joyner hit a shot which looked like it was headed out in straight away center field but it stayed in the park for a RBI double and giving Northern the two runs they would get.

Rocky Mount failed to get a hit off Joyner past the second inning but had a couple of chances which fizzled.

Hobbs Johnson lost his first game as a Gryphon going six innings allowed five hits walked one, hit a batter and struck out eight Knights. Nick Hahula pitched the seventh for the Gryphons

Tyler Joyner stat line was seven innings, ten strike outs, two base on balls,three hits.

The Gryphons are now 5-1 in the conference with Northern and Fike at 4-1. They will catch up the game that they are behind the Gryphons by playing a double header Tuesday at Northern.

There was no magic tonight in New Jersey at Martin Brodeur shuts out the Hurricanes 1-0. Game six is back in Raleigh Sunday the time will be determined Friday whether it will be a 3.00pm NBC game or a 7.00pm Fox Sports Carolina.

I don't know whether you saw this or now but Zach Furl beat of UNC-Greensboro beat N C State Tuesday night 5-3. For those of you who don't know Zach was a member of the Nash County thirteen year old Babe Ruth team that finished third in the Babe Ruth World Series in Wilson in I think 2004. The opening game for Nash County in the World series that year Furl pitched the first no hitter in the thirteen year old Babe Ruth World series history.

To the dismay of all Nash County Fans the Furl's moved to Sanford the following year and he was not on Babe Ruth team that finish second the next year in Quincy Massachusetts fourteen year old Babe Ruth World series.

Put The Metal To The Petal

Impressive as the Rocky Mount high baseball team has been, this is not the time to sit back and admire your work.

14-1 so far is awesome. What has it accomplished so Far? Nothing. Just a half game lead over Northern and Fike in the standings. Just one little stumble and both are ready to jump ahead of the Gryphons.

Thursday night and then Tuesday Northern and Fike will play 30% of their conference schedule in two days. If either wins all three games Thursday and next Tuesday they will either be tied for the lead or the leaders.

The old saying that you control you own destiny is true for the Gryphons. If over the next two plus weeks no one beats them they win the regular season by two games at least. But a stumble and they no longer have control, it's back to any one can win.

Thursday night the Knights visit the Gryphons remembering the 2-0 game just three weeks ago. A couple of small matter of fact plays fell to the Gryphons that night.

I don't know how any of the Gryphon players can feel that they are that much better than either Northern of Fike since both scores were 2-0 and 1-0. Real dominant games weren't they.

My advise to the Gryphons is full steam ahead. No prevent defense. Look at the Canes last night. They went into delay hockey and almost got knocked out of the playoffs.

Northern at Rocky Mount 7.00pm Thursday night. My guess is Hobbs against Tyler. Remember last year coach Loesner switched up once last year but I don't expect it to happen this time.

There is one thing I like about hockey, that is when ever there is controversy the replay is always done in Toronto at the headquarters of the NHL. It only took about a minute for the ruling to come back. All the hubbub about interference was hooey. Every replay I saw Martin Brodeur initiated the contact.

Despite winning the Canes still have to win another game in New Jersey in order to move to the next round and win one at home.

Jersey host the Canes at 7.30 on Versus.

Miracle Finish

What may go down as the greatest finish in Carolina Hurricane Hockey history, the Canes give up a 3-0 lead late in the second period and had several chances to be behind late in the third period only to have a Dennis Seidenberg's rocket glance off the skate of Jussi Jokinen and in the net with .2 tenths of a second to go in the game.

Thursday night's game five is scheduled for the Versus Network not Fox Sports South the Carolinas so unless you have Satellite or extended cable package this one will be hard to find on TV.

tonight's win means there will be a game six Sunday in raleigh but game time is up in the air since NBC may pickup the game for a Sunday afternoon game.

The Rocky Mount Gryphons make it through the first cycle of conference games unblemished at they take down Nash Central 10-0 in six innings.

All 14 Gryphon Batters who went to bat tonight reaching base at least once. Carter Varnell got the Gryphons rolling with a solo home run in then 3rd inning. Even Pitch hitter Chris Pittman went yard in the 6th inning with a two run blast.

Brian Goodwin had two hits and a stolen base. Ben Fish had two hits and added two more RBI's to his record breaking total now at 69. Thomas Berry two hits an a RBI. Collins Cuthrell had a triple and a ribby.

Hobbs Johnson playing outfield tonight had a single and two stolen bases

Gabe Brown had a pitch hit single an a steal , Nick HAAAHUULA had a pitch hit single. Michael Whitehead reach on an error. Dillon Cockrell walked once along with pitcher Benton Moss, Cameron Ramsey got a free pass setting up Spencer Bell who walked which produced the 10th run and a RBI.

Once again Rocky Mount pitching limits the opposition to a goose egg. Benton Moss hurls a six inning shutout as he Strikes out six walked only one batter and allowed four hits. In the five conference games so far only a single run to Southern Nash and a single run to Southwest Edgecombe is the only runs to cross home plate against the Gryphon pitcher and defense

Nash Centrals four hits came from Domique Holloway who had two and singles to T J Taylor and Mike Narron.

Gryphons 10 Nash Central 0

Gryphons host Northern Nash Thursday at 7.00pm.

The ever improving Lady Gryphon softball team lost to the tough Nash Central girls tonight 6-1 but last night the Lady's knocked off Beddingfield 2-1 as Brittany Battle was the hitting star and Laura Alford pitched the win.

What was a fun event to be at today the Rocky Mount High faculty defeated their counterparts from Northern Nash in a charity Basketball game 49-31 Tuesday afternoon.

Jason Battle led the Gryphon attack with 10 ten points while Mike Gainey had eight along with Chris Tedford with eight. Alan Hess added seven points and Mark Davis with six. Principal Leon Farrow had four points. Lady Gryphon coach Pam Gainey had a triple . Greg Crudup also added three.

The high light of the day was a break a way slam dunk attempt by coach Jason Battle which he should have tried in the first half not the second as the goal was higher than his jump.

Northern was lead by Henry Drake who lead all scorers with 13. Brian Collis contributed 6 Jeff Dodrill five followed by Chris Barnes, Johnny Gates and Patricia Haggarity who had two points.

Jeff Dodrill and Jason Battle were voted the MVP for each team but the real winners today were everyone who played, kept score and showed up to fight cancer for the Nash County Relay For Life.

Received an E-mail from Mike Gainey reporting that more than $900 was raised from the game.

Thanks to all the players who gave their bodies for the game.

Final score Northern Nash/Rocky Mount High big winners over Cancer.