Take One For The Team

If you read the Telegram coach Hank Jones was quoted as saying he had no idea who would pitch Monday night in the first game of the semi finals of Area One Western Division playoffs. Raleigh the leagues top team had not played since they beat Post 58 in a doubleheader on June 28th.  Coleman Pitt having used all of their top pitching in the first round against Cary had to make a decision tonight.  Do we sacrifice tonight in order to try to win this round starting with the second game?  The answer is David Williams take one for the team.

Williams who drove from Duke University Monday afternoon after attending summer school classes was ask once arriving at the ball park to do the best you can.  Williams had pitch just 2/3 of an inning during legion season so  the strategy we will take our lumps tonight in order to make us rested for rest of the week.

Williams gave all he had the first three innings in fact when he went to the mound in the bottom of the fourth he was leading 2-0.  Williams had only allowed two singles and the big item no walks but the first batter in the fourth was a hit batter then three walks another hit batter and the dreaded error Raleigh scored seven times before Chase Roupp could get the third out.

Raleigh scored twice in the fifth on two hits and three more in the sixth when Forest Bell took his turn on the mound.  Carson Arthur managed to hold Post one scoreless the rest of the way and Post 58 managed a run in the seventh to make the game go nine innings but game one goes to Raleigh 12-3.
All four pitchers sent to the mound between them had not pitched much more than five innings this Legion Season.  The idea of course there are times that you lose a battle but the purpose is to win the war and I would suspect still the top pitching rotation will not be fully rested but will be better prepared in Tuesday second game.

Raleigh collect 10 hits and Post 58 pitchers walked five and hit four others.  Coleman Pitt had five hits scoring their three runs.  Game two is 7pm Tuesday night at Legion field.  Tonight Post 58 sent David to take on Goliath without a bag of rocks but the way the pitching has been the last week these guys were as good as anybody else.

Hard Week To Endure

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Rocky Mount Little league playing in the  Williamsport Little League for the first time began district play this weekend continuing this week.  The Senior Little League Red team or the National Legue All stars won twice in Elizabeth City and are in the championship waiting for what ever team comes from the loser's bracket.    The Blue team or American League Seniors lost Saturday but won Sunday to stay alive in the tournament.

The  9/10 year olds playing in Greenville the Red team was eliminated while the Blue plays in the championship Tuesday.
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Just eight days ago Coleman Pitt Post 58 stood waiting  to Play Post one in a doubleheader in which two wins Post 58 just might win the top seed. The first game was a 2-1 loss where  with an umpire in the field doing his job just might have been a 2-1 win instead of a loss.  Post 58 had their pitching all set up for the doubleheader and yes a 2-1 loss the pitching was all you could ask.  Game two changes had to be made as the intended starter decided to go on vacation and even as late as the fourth inning P 58 lead 5-2.  Since that point they gave up eight runs in three innings, 11 runs in a season ending lost to Apex.  A three game series with Cary P 58 gave up 15-10 and 9 but managed to win two of three against a team with pitching woes just like us.

Here is my theory as to what has happened to Post 58 pitching down the stretch.  Remember according to the Rocky Mount Telegram All Area team two pitchers are pitching elsewhere this summer.  The staff we have there is not a one who can throw over 85 miles and hour so most of this staff relies on curves and change ups so when you have played one team five times and three days in a row hitters understand to wait on the curve because they can't throw a fastball by me with two strikes. So hitters foul off two strikes until they either hit it fair or they get walked.

Then there is the umpires.  Seems to me this year's umps have squeezed pitchers to having to throw the ball down the middle.  The first game of the Cary series  with threatening skies from Hurricane Arthur you would think the umpire would try to move the game along as fast as possible but the game went three hours and forty five minutes with more than 25 walks.  Once the rains started in the sixth pitchers were throwing wet balls on every pitch.  Please Mr umpire let's try to make the hitters go up to the plate swinging the bat.

All of a sudden Post 58 pitching is tire and depleted and yet they win a series despite giving up 34 runs in three games.  The offense scored 36.  There is lots of talk in college baseball about the bat.  Next year they are trying a new ball to improve hitting.  This year I have seen only three home runs hit and one of those was aided by Hurricane Arthur.  There have been many times when it looked like a hit  heading to the wall would just be a lazy fly.

The 14 innings Post 58 played Raleigh they gave up two runs in one and two the first four innings of the second.  Post  one just did not dominate Post 58.  Round two of the Western Division  Area one playoffs begin Monday night at 7pm at American Legion Field.  This is a three out of five series and there will be a game every night at least through Wednesday depending on the outcome of the first three games.  If necessary game four will be in Rocky Mount so there is a possibility  of four straight nights of playoff ball again this week at home.

If you were there last Thursday or Saturday you got your money's worth of excitement.  The second  round the intensity picks up as Post 58 is a step closer.  They must beat the best in the division and then next week beat the 2/3 bracket winner. There have been times this team was on the verge of being good.  They have just finish one of the worse weeks in years and yet they survived and advanced.  Come out and see if Post 58 can continue to score 12 a game or see if they can hold Raleigh under 10.  It could be exciting.

Somehow P 58 Advances

If you came to all three playoff games with Cary then you saw exciting games.  Neither team being able to get the other out.  If you came to watch quality baseball you went to the wrong place.  As far as exciting goes Colemain Pitt  scores two runs after two were out in the bottom of the eighth to take a 10-9 lead.  Then in the ninth Blake Helms got Cary three up and three down which was the only time that happened all night.

Post 58 scored single runs in the first three innings and starter Cody Smith stayed in trouble with walks but heading into the fourth lead 3-0 but 7 walks in three plus innings and an throwing error opened the door for Cary to score 6 times.  MJ Jones put out the fire in the fourth and lasted until the seventh  before he needed help from Blake Helms. By to his time it's 9-6 Cary.

Twice P 58 cut the lead to one at 6-5 and 9-8 but heading to the bottom of the eighth  a strike out started the eighth followed by another but David Williams reached base when his strike three went to the back stop.  Chase Roupp walked another strikeout sent Luke Mills to the plate who hasn't hit it out of the infield on the night. He promptly laces a single to right scoring David Williams who remember reached after a strike out.  Now tied Linwood Jones laces a single scoring  what proves to be the winning run.

Coleman Pitt walked ten batters while Cary put nine freebies on base. CP 58 had eleven hits on the night while Cary had nine.  P 58 committed three errors and all three helped runs score.  Cary only had one but they too help P 58 plate runs.

Coleman Pitt Post 58 advances to take on the number one seed Raleigh Post 1 in the second round of the western division playoffs.  This is a three out of  five series and if necessary the first four games will be in Rocky Mount.  Raleigh will be the home team in games 1 and 3.  If the series goes to a fifth game  Raleigh has rented Fleming Stadium in Wilson should the series go five.  game one is Monday night at 7pm in Rocky Mount.

There Will Be A Game Three

Coleman Pitt Post 58 matched  the run total they aquired last night and put 13 on the board but unlike last night 13 was enough to win their first game of the two out of three series to even the series with Cary in the opening round with one win each.

This was another hit fest as P 58 put four on the board in the first.  Rocky Mount added two in the second and one in the third to lead 7-0 before Cary scored four times in the third.  Coleman Pitt added three more in the sixth and another in the seventh before Cary knock P 58 starter Paschal Ammons out of the game scoring thrice. Will Edwards relieved Ammons and got P58 into the ninth inning before Chase Roupp pitched the last two thirds of and inning.  P 58 scored twice in the top of the ninth  so the ninth was almost like last night with Coleman Pitt  leading 13-7 and having to hold on.

Game three of this two out of three will be decided Saturday night at 7pm at American Legion  Field.
The winner Saturday night will meet Raleigh Post One  in a three out of five series starting Monday July  7th.  Should Post 58 win then all five of the Raleigh series will be played in Rocky Mount.  If Cary wins Saturday the games 1-3-5 will be in Rocky Mount as Raleigh has no home field so a Legion Field will serve as their home during the playoffs.

Benton Moss announce on his face book today that he will return to UNC and graduate his senior year for North Carolina.  Moss who was drafted in the 15th round by the San Francisco Giants after negotiations has decided  to return to Carolina.

Moss had a 19-6 career record for the Tar Heels.  Wouldn't you love to have the options he has had to return to Carolina on the Morehead-Cain scholarship.  After next season for the TarHeels  he will be back in the 2915 baseball draft.

They Call This Playoff Baseball?

They both finished in the second division in Area one western division.  Tonight I think I saw the worse played baseball game I have ever seen.  There was the subplot of Hurricane Arthur coming and would we even start the game.  By the third inning can we at least get 4 and a half in to make it official and by the ninth inning would this sloppily played game  ever come to and end.

When it finally did end Coleman Pitt had made the base running blunder of the century and lose game one to Cary 15-13.  Cary scored twice in the first and one in the second to chase P 58  starter Cody Smith.  Rocky Mount managed by the top of fifth to lead 4-3 and with threatening skies there was the possibility that P 58 just might win the game if the rains came and halted the game.

MJ Jones pitched into the sixth inning before Cary took the lead in the top of the sixth 6-4. P58 got one in the sixth and the rains came.  Not drenching by any means but a steady heavy drizzle aided by the wind.  Will Edwards replaced Jones and by the time he was replace the lead had increased to 11-5.  P 58 got  two in the seventh to reduce the Cary lead to 11-7.

By this time no pitcher can get it across the plate And Cary adds two more run in the eighth and got two in the ninth to lead 15-7.  Cary proceeded to walk six batters and P 58 got two timely hits in the bottom of the ninth to cut the lead to 15-12 with two outs and the bases loaded.  A wild pitch brought home one run but our runner on second tries to keep coming home and was out at home for the last out of the game.  That run was not the tying runner but if on third the bases are still loaded Coleman Pitt still has a shot to win a game they had no business winning.

Coleman Pitt had 14 hits while Cary had 15. P 58 pitchers walked 13 batters and hit two more. Cary walked nine and six in the last inning.  Game two of this series is 2pm Friday July 4th at Athens Drive High.  Coleman Pitt Must will or the season is over.  If they can win game three will be at 7pm Saturday at American Legion Field in Rocky Mount.

Both teams performance had the look of last place teams and there have been many games that I have been to and as I was leaving have either said both teams deserved to win, tonight both deserved to lose but only one did P58.

Rocky Mount Cary Open Legion Playoffs

The goal is to make it to the state tournament but Rocky Mount and Cary will have the longest road from the which to ride if either makes it through four rounds of playoffs.  Thursday night begins a two out of three series which game one and three if necessary will be played at American Legion Field in Rocky Mount.

Game two will be played at Athens Drive High School Friday.  Cary beat Rocky Mount in Rocky Mount 8-5 and three nights later Post 58 beat Cary at Athens Drive 7-1.  We just might sneak this game in as a Tropical Storm soon to be Hurricane Arthur just might arrive to Far East of us and it might be midnight when it hits then.

We are within a couple of weeks of the major league all star game and just about  this time of year players are promoted to the next level if they are playing at a level that justifies moving up to next level.  Hobbs Johnson I think has the best possibility to being bumped up as any local player.  Johnson playing for Brevard in the Florida State league has a 9-6 record.  The first time this year his ERA has jumped over three at 3.23.

Brian Goodwin is batting 219 in Syracuse and he is in the season far enough now that his batting average will not rise much getting three hits in a game.  Another problem Washington has sent two in recent weeks to the big club bypassing Brian.

Xavier Macklin is hitting 216 in Gate City  Ill.  Xavier is striking out about once in 2.5 at bats which is keeping X man down in the Frontier League.

Interesting  development from a former Rocky Mount player from the Past Bill Merrifield.  Back when the University of South Carolina was winning back to back national titles they were lead by Whit Merrifield Bill's son.  About a month ago Whit was promoted to AAA Omaha the Triple A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.  The 22 games Merrifield had played at Omaha he is hitting 391.
He keeps that pace up and he'll be in the big leagues by years in.

P 58 Clinches 4th Without Playing

Tuesday night Cary played their final division game of the season and it turned into a loss.  Cary finished the regular season with a 3-7 division record and heading into tonight's final division game for Post 58 who at this point has a 4-5 division mark so win or lose tonight Post 58 will host Cary in the first round playoffs starting Thursday at 7pm.

There is a great need to pitch the staff tonight and save those we feel are the pitchers that give us the best chance to win rest until the playoffs start.  Forest Bell starts and is followed by a line of others as Paschal Ammons, David Williams, Chase Roupp, M J Jones all get at least an inning each if not more Apex out scores P 58 11-8 as P 58 gets 17 hits while holding Apex to 11.  Khalil Macklin lead the hitting parade getting a triple and double.

Post 58 ends the regular season on a three game losing streak and have an overall record of 9-6-1 and 4-6 in the western division of Area One.

Because of this possible Tropical Storm Thursday just might be in jeopardy.  Joe Bell tried to see if Cary would move up and start Wednesday but logistics could not be worked out for that to happen.

This season Garner and Raleigh both have had to scurry to find a home field to play their games on.  Should Rocky Mount beat Cary and face  Raleigh as the top seed in the second round all five games if necessary will be played in Rocky Mount.  Should Cary advance Raleigh is going to play all of their home games in Rocky Mount.  Regardless of how far Post 58 advances American Legion Field will be the place to be to see west division playoffs.

Got home from work just in time to watch all of the USA World Cup loss.  Just don't understand why America has gone crazy over watching a team play a prevent defense the entire four games.  The U S played some where near 400 minutes and played about 390 backing up.

I would surely rather lose 5-2 but please there is no way any team can win a basketball game letting the other team stay around your goal for almost the whole game without scoring after a while.