Legion Loses Opener

I walked into the Post 58 dugout to get the lineups for PA tonight and I could not recognize whether I was in the right place or not.  The 20 man roster that Hank Jones and his coaching staff have assembled has 14 first time players and only six returning players from last year and no returning college players.  Sure looks like it going to be hard making it three straight years the the State tournament this year being played in Morehead City.

Jones has assembled a coaching staff of Brett "Baseball" Johnson who returns for his second season with Jones after spending his first year coaching college ball in South Carolina.    Former State Champion coach Pat Smith is taking time out from the golf course to help this young squad learn baseball.  Two former  Post 58 greats Ben Fish (Rocky Mount and Campbell University) and Tyler Clark( Northern Nash and  NC Wesleyan) are bench coaches and both can help these young hitters with their bats as both hit over 300 this season in college.

Two of the six returners were in the starting line up pitcher Jeremy Lucas from Northern Nash and Fuller Weatherly also of Northern. The Berry twins from Rocky Mount sitting out nursing leg injuries from last week high school playoffs and two Nash Central pitchers Trellis Ashley and Jeremy Sloop were waiting their turn to pitch. The other 14 Post 58 players are first time players and all are young enough they can play again next year.

Cary tonight's foe has faced Rocky Mount the last two years on the road to the state Tournament with Post 58 winning both years.  They brought a team loaded with returning college players and high school players heading to play college ball next year.  Surely seven innings Cary will put this one away with the ten run rule. It started just as if that was what was going to happen.

Jeremy Lucas's first pitch was a line drive single and batter #2 doubled off the wall and boy does this look like a long night or what. Lucas gave up another run to put Post 58 down 2-0 after the top of the first.  The first six innings 58 managed two doubles by Spires Miller of Tarboro High and Khalil Macklin of Nash Central.  Despite  only two hits Jeremy Lucas shut down Cary Post 67 for the next five innings and when Hank Jones pull him after six inning he had kept 58 in the game losing 2-0.

The new pitcher for Post 58 Cam Webb from Tarboro walked two batters and gave up a single to load the bases with no outs and Hank Jones brought in Trellis Ashley from Nash Central.  He was greeted by a double by Nick Addona which drove in all three base runners.  Ashey settled down to get out of any further damage, Post 58 now trails 5-0.

Cary had pitched several pitchers a couple of inning a piece this was also their opening game of the season and in the bottom of the seventh they changed pitchers.  The inning started harmlessly enough getting a ground out and then Post 58 put five on the board before they finished the seventh.

Tyler Wooten from Tarboro Singled, pitch hitting Matthew Berry(Rocky Mount) singled, hobbling to first and then removed  from the game,Spires Miller walked to load the bases and Tarboro's Chase Johnson singled to bring the first run home.  Jerrick Oxendine(Faith Christian School) walked to bring in another run and up strolls pitch hitter Thomas Berry(Rocky Mount). Both Berry brothers are hobbled by legs injuries had been resting their legs since they just finished the playoffs last Friday night.  Thomas precedes to hit a line drive that is about four feet from being a grand slam home run but winds up with a double and Post 58 has tie it at 5.

The eighth inning Jeremy Sloop (Nash Central) takes to the mount for Post 58 and Nick Addona gets his fourth rbi of the night, his fourth in the 7th and 8th inning to give Post 67 a 6-5 lead which will be the final score.

A very young Post 58 takes Veteran Cary Post 67 to the wire tonight but lose 6-5.  They head right back to the field Tuesday at Post 39 in Greenville.  That game will be played at 7.00pm at Pitt CC in Winterville.  Post 58 returns to Nash Central this year's home Wednesday at 7.00pm and then again Friday at 7.00.

Post 58 has a 23 game schedule and are in the same conference with Ahoskie, Edenton and Wilson.  They will play all three of their conference foes three times a piece for nine conference games  before the playoffs start after July Fourth.  A surprisingly spunky Post 58 plays well before bowing to Cary Post 67 6-5.

Wins Are Not The Only Rewards

The Rocky Mount High School baseball team over achieved this season. They had one pitcher and  three other seniors.  It seemed the rest of the team was fresh out of Junior High which a couple were as freshman on this year's team.  Despite their extreme youth they managed 18 wins  which was two of every three they won.

Kent Cox seemed to be more relaxed as coach this season in his second season as the head Gryphon. Not a bad start to a coaching career to be 40- and 12 in your career. Cox got everything out of this year's team that they had and more.  Monday when the Gryphons clean out their lockers and turn in their uniforms there should be smiles on their faces for a job well done.

The playoffs have that suddenness to it that is shock when you lose and there is no practice on Monday or a game on Tuesday.  I bet when Thomas Berry and Benton Moss  are old and gray they will remember this team as much as the 2008 team in which they were freshman on the State Championship team.

There is truth to the saying "It is not whether you win or lose but how you play the game".  This team with not enough veterans but a whole lot of youngsters built a foundation for next year.  Next year will be the team that will play in the old stadium for the last time.  The foundation is there for next year.

Mount Olive College beat UNC-Pembroke in the winners bracket game Saturday and only has to win one game today to advance to the NCAA Division II World Series in Cary.  Mt Olive is the official host school for the event.  UNC-Pembroke lost Saturday night to Francis Marion 5-4 in the  bottom of the ninth.  FM now must beat the host school Mt Olive twice Sunday to move on to the World Series themselves.

The ACC baseball tournament starts next week at The Durham Bulls Athletic Park.  Virginia,Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Florida State, Miami, Clemson, North Carolina State and Wake Forest are the eight teams taking part.  Durham is a perfect place for the ACC baseball much like Greensboro is perfect for basketball.  Last year without Carolina in the tournament  it was one of the most attended tournaments of all time.  Now that Carolina is one of the best this year the tournament could be sold out.

Three Head To Third Round

Unlike the Big East baseball teams all three Big East girls softball teams that made it to the second round will play one more time after all three won Friday night.

Southern Nash the #4 from the Big East  and sporting a 8-13 record traveled up north of Greensboro to take on Morehead high school and the Lady Firebirds have done it again winning 6-3.  Up next Tuesday will be SW Randolph the #1 seed from the Mid-Piedmont who will be sporting a 23-4 record.

The #2 seed from the Big East Nash Central knocked off Havelock  by the same score that Southern Nash won by 6-3.  South Central of the Coastal and the #2 seed knocked of West Brunswick the #1 from the Waccamaw last night 2-0  and since the Big East has seeding priority over the Coastal conference this year the Lady Bulldogs will get another home game in the third round Tuesday.

The Big East #1 had their hands full on Friday meeting C B Aycock but the Lady Warriors prevailed 3-2.  Hunt will host D H Conley who will feature a 21-4 record while the Lady Warriors are now 21-3.

Just a follow up to the One Voice  Talent Show held last Friday at the Rocky Mount High School Auditorium.  Don't hold me to the exact figures but last year they raised almost $1,000 and this past Friday they raised nearly $1,700 which is going to the UNC Pediatric and Oncology Department.  It was a really good show and I hate you missed it.  The Gryphon Nation has many talented people that don't  play sports and they were on display last week.

The American Legion Baseball season begins Monday night at Post 58 host Cary a team that 58 has met the last two years on the way to the State Tournament.  Nash Central will be the home field for Coleman Pitt Post 58 this year.

Thursday night is the end of the year sports banquet for Rocky Mount High School.  It is $10 per person if you eat but if you just come to watch the awards given away it's free.