Post 58 Back On Track

Last night with the #1 seed in hand Post 58 emptied their bench and gave those that have become the backup players on this team their chance to get playing time because as they say you may be one play away if an injury occurs to be in the starting lineup.

Eight errors and Post 58 suffered a 17-1 lost and in the six years I have been the PA man I can not remember any worse of a licking.  You have to remember all the players in the lineup last night started for a high school in our area this spring.  It is not like we played scrubs. I  also realize that we were less than 24 hours from having clinched the first prize that we were after and that is the #1seed  from our division.  We hold the home field advantage at least in the first two  rounds and probably the first three but that is a long ways off yet. I know emotionally we were not ready to play.

That is a problem for any team when you play what seems like every day.  It is hard to show up for work everyday as pump up as the day before, but that was last night and tonight Post 58 made a trip to the Albemarle Sound  to Edenton and all I can tell you about tonight's game is we won 7-5  Still not all of our starters played but more than last night and Coleman Pitt Post 58 remains undefeated in Division play at 8-0.They finish the regular season Sunday night at Wilson .  Tonight's victory was #14 in 19 tries.

Last night we miss played two fly balls to center field which we should have caught but were lost in the lights.  This is the first time it has happened to any of our players but it has happened several time to visitors  who in some cases have never had any idea where the ball is.  I wonder whether there is a bad location for a light pole behind home plate or maybe a bad back ground that about when full dark comes the center fielder has trouble picking up the ball coming off the bat.  It has happened too many times to be a coincidence.

I watched a thrilling College World Series Game as Virginia and South Carolina played extra innings and Virginia had the bases loaded in the 12th and 13th innings with either no outs or one and hit into two double plays.  You only get so many chances and South Carolina Beats Virginia 3-2 in thirteen innings.  It will be a all Southeastern finals as Florida will meet South Carolina for College baseballs crown.

Take One For The Team

 Hank Jones pulled  seven starters to the bench tonight in order for the bench players to get their opportunity to shine after clinching the Northern division title last night and  not much shining  as Wayne County Post 11 raps out 20 hits and Post 58 commits eight errors losing 17-1 .

Post 58 has two conference games Friday at Edenton and Sunday night at Wilson to close out the regular season.  This drops CP 58 to 13-5.  The last six games for CP 58 have been three conferences games  and three  out of division game in which those out of divisions games  they rested starting pitching and front line players winning four of six.

Hank Jones pulled out another set of uniforms last night in the game against Wilson.  Post 58 came out in their throw back uniforms  and had the look of a baseball team of the 20's.  Instead of white the  uniforms were cream colored with Boston Red Sox looking  socks with three  stripes.  All the players wore their pants just under the knee exposing  all three stripes.  You know now-a-days teams don't wear their uniforms all alike.  Post 58 looked like a team from the 20's and hit last night like the Bronx Bombers and ran like the Gas House Gang.

Once the playoffs start Post 58 will draw New Bern in the first round.  Through Wednesday's games New Bern has clinched 4th in the Southern Division while the other three teams in that division are still in a dog fight for the top spot.  All four spots are now in place in our Northern Division.  Rocky Mount is 7-0 of course first place.  Wilson has secured 2nd as they stand 5-2.  Edenton is third at 2-5 and Ahoskie is 4th at 0-8.

If the season ended today Wilson would matchup with Kinston.  Edenton gets Wayne County and Ahoskie would draw Pitt County.  Since the top three spots are still up for grabs in the Southern Division these seedings may change by Sunday.

Xavier Macklin is having a good first week of pro baseball for the Burlington Vermont team in the New York-Penn rookie league.  He has gotten a hit in every game he has played which now stands at three .  He is ripping a 357 batting average and  includes one double, a triple and three RBI.

As of this writing still no word on the future of Brian Goodwin.  I hear all kinds of rumors and as the 34th pick in the draft has  a chance to a big pay day. We have all seen this NFL off season that when big money is on the table it takes time to get things ironed out.  I hope negotiations are moving forward for Brian.

Carolina is out at the College World Series.  When I saw this headline last week it bothered me.  Carolina over achieved this season.  I don't mind sports writers and goofy bloggers like myself saying stuff like that but to hear it from the players themselves.  I thought Carolina is satisfied with themselves and will never win the Series this year.  They didn't lose to any shabby teams along the way but regardless of what level you are at you must always want more in order to achieve more.  That is one thing that I have always liked about Tiger Woods.  Even when he was dominating the golf tour he was always  looking to get better tinkering with his swing and such.

Let's welcome to the area Nick your last name would be good at a spelling bee Protrowicz.  Nick is the newest member of the Telegram Sports staff.  A recent Ohio University graduate Nick got an ear full Wednesday night as Wes Bradshaw did play by play for TV in the press box as well as listening to me on PA.  He learned a lot in three hours listening to all our bull between pitches.

Post 58 Clinches

Where do you start when you try to describe this game?  Jeremy Sloop pitches you typical seven inning 13 hitter and wins by ten run rule. Sloop allowed six straight hits  in the second inning and on top of that took two  line drives off his body in which he was able to make outs.   If he hadn't done that there might have been eight straight hits.  He gave up only three runs in the second and only one other Post 13 runner crossed the plate.  Sloop did not walk a batter all night and has two straight seven inning complete games against Post 13 as last Wednesday CP 58 beat Post 13 12-2 at Wilson.

Post 13 sent ten batters to the plate during the game and all ten had at least one hit  and yet they lost by the ten run rule.  Post 58 got only nine hits but were aided by 10 base on balls  and  another four  Post 13 errors.  Coleman-Pitt scored four runs on wild pitches that scored from third.  They scored another run on a first-third steal of second and a wild throw to the outfield.

I talked yesterday about the Berry Factor  for Post 58 and tonight it is front and center as Thomas Berry drove in the first run in the first inning  and after that  CP58 scored  four more and two of those scored on a Khalil Macklin two run homer.  Ahead 13-4 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th inning Matthew Berry who by the way committed just today to play baseball next year at Wilson's Barton College hit a grand slam home run to give Post 58 more than enough than the ten runs needed  as they win 17-4.

Chase Johnson had three hits for CP58 and two rbi.  Jordan Taylor also added two hits and Kyle Pratt supplied a single as CP 58 gets back to their timely hitting . CP58 puts a strangle hold on the top seed in the Northern Division of  Area one East.  They now have a two game lead with two conference games to go but they own the tie breaker having beaten Post 13 tonight.

Post 58 has shown that  they love to be a front runner as tonight they put five on the board in the first and never look back.  They have a solid defense, they are getting steady starting pitching   and are having fun doing it.

Thursday night is the last home regular season game of the year for Post 58 as they host Wayne County who they beat last week at their place 8-4 on a night when Hank Jones pitched the staff .  It would not surprise me if that doesn't happen again Thursday night.

Thursday is cut down day as Post 58 has to turn in their 18 man roster for the playoffs so that leaves coach Hank Jones having to tell a very good baseball player after the game tonight that he can't play in the playoffs.  You might ask why wait this long to let a player continue to play.  The biggest reason is in case someone gets hurt and would be out for the year you still have your 18th player.

I will let you know tomorrow the decision.  Post 58 is now 13-4  7-0 in the Northern Division  and will have a home game in the first round of the playoffs on July 3rd against the #4 seed from the Southern Division who looks like New Bern.  That is a two out of three series.

Friday  CP 58 travels to Edenton and then Sunday they finish up the regular season  with a game at Fleming Stadium in Wilson.

Vanderbilt has beaten Carolina to knock the Heels out of the College World Series.  Once again the SEC has beaten the ACC in a head to head match up

Tonight as I was leaving the game ran into Sam Lilley the Rocky Mount Gryphon pitcher who took the line drive off his face against Wilson Hunt  and it is a miracle what doctors can do.  Looking at Sam there is no visible damage any where on Sam's face.  You would never know he had even been hit.  Praise the Lord for the things he can do.   Oddly enough the player who hit the ball Avery Harper played for Post 13 tonight.

It Takes Pieces To Make The Puzzle.

Matthew and Thomas Berry  are the only two players on this years's Post 58 Legion team from Rocky Mount High.  Legion season started and both were nursing leg injuries sustained in the high school playoffs.  Early on they either didn't play at all or were used as designated hitters and when they hit the ball struggled to get to first.

Early in the Legion Season Coach Hank Jones used various lineups looking to see who he could count on. Post 58 started out 2-3.  Game six came up and both of the Berry twins are now healthy and Post 58 goes on a ten game winning streak averaging 11 runs per game.

Jones also by game six knew better what was his best combination of lineups and how long he could leave a pitcher in the game before they were gassed.  When you add all the little pieces together the puzzle begins to  come together. So far this Legion season the picture of the puzzle has looked very good

Monday night the twins were not in the lineup for CP 58 and they could only muster three runs. That is the lowest total this season in any game. Post 58 lost for the fourth time this year.   Even Coach Britt Johnson has been away this week out on the college recruiting trail.  Britt has had the duty the last two seasons of calling the pitches for our pitchers.

 Last night I had my part.  I had a church meeting that I needed to attend so I did the starting lineups and turned the PA announcing over to Joe Bell to hold the fort until I could get back from my meeting.  Walking down the hill getting back in the bottom of the third we were down 7-0 but we scored as I was walking into the pressbox.

I don't want to say that the team plays better with me behind the mic but let me point out a couple of things.  The last two years at the State Tournament Post 58 is 0-4 without me behind the mic. 

 It is hard to say why certain people make life better for everyone else.  Post 58  surely life works wonders when Matthew hits third and Thomas is behind him in clean up.  It really doesn't matter whether one is the DH or at first base they flip flop about every other game any way.  The stats show with both in the lineup healthy the offense of Post 58 is a scoring machine.

There is good news up and coming the twins will be back in the lineup Wednesday night against Wilson Post 13.  Britt is scheduled back from his recruiting for Lander College.  I'll be up top for the entire game bellowing the batters as they come to the plate.  Now batting for Post 58 S-p-i-r-e-s -M- i-l-l-e-r. 

Wednesday,Thursday and Sunday night Post 58 plays at home and this will end the regular season.  Friday night they make a trip across the Chowan River to Edenton.

If Post 58 finishes first it looks like New Bern would be their opening playoff series opponent.  They at this point are in fourth place in the Area 1 East  Southern Division.  We must finish first in the Northern division for that to happen.  A win Wednesday night and it will happen.

Whether it's me in the pressbox or you as a fan cheering on the sidelines we all feel like we help make a difference.  The only way you can help make a difference is be there to do you part. 

Help pull Post 58 to a regular season crown.  Be there.