Great Day For Gryphons Athletics

Southern Nash coach Todd Brewer the poker player has won every deal this week.  He gambled last night holding his ace For and expected matchup with David Harrison tonight and despite seven errors Monday the Firebirds moved on to Rocky Mount.

Rocky Mount unloaded on Mills in the first getting a leadoff double by Josh Pittman and a bases loaded double by David Harrison scored two runs and again another bases loaded double by Logan Pearce gave Rocky Mount a seemingly unbeatable lead of 4-0 after one.

Southern didn't get Their first hit until the third.  Rocky Mount would only get two more hits off Mills after the three he gave up in the first.  Harrison walked four batters and hit one and the more the Firebirds faced Harrison the more the hits dropped.  Six in 5.2 innings and that dreaded pitch count Harrison was pulled with a runner on first and two outs.

Southern put two runs on the board in the fourth getting  three hits.  They left two runners stranded in the fifth and now in the bottom of the sixth enter Joernest Petway who had pitch the 7th last Thursday at Southern.  Petway walked two batters and in comes Josh Pittman who with two strikes hits Alex Marlowe to trim the lead to 4-3.  Still the bases are loaded.  Pittman gets a strikeout to hold the lead at 4-3.  Southern failed to get the ball out of the infield in the 7th to get the save and David Harrison gets the win.

Rocky Mount advanced to a Thursday night's conference final after Hunt with a compete game from Bryson Worrell beat Fike 3-0.

David Harrison a double and two rbi.  Logan Pearce a double and two rbi.   Leroy Edwards bases loaded single score two for the
Firebird.

Nice crowd got their money's worth as Todd Brewers gamble almost worked.

The opening round of the state tennis playoffs started in Rocky Mount as the Gryphons won all six singles matches on their way to a 7-1 victory over Northwood.  Tuesday May ninth they will host Topsail a 6-3 winner over Western Alamance.

Big East tournament soccer the Rocky Mount girls hosted  Nash Central in the semi finals and the game was stopped early in the second half with Rocky Mount winning 9-0.  Will host championship match Thursday afternoon.

Beating the Weather

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.

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.

A Special Group

Have you ever noticed that since high school athletes in most cases come from a geographical area in which is considered that schools's district.  It is very hard year after year to have special athletes to stay on top year in and year out.

Just maybe Rocky Mount tennis  May be going through one of those special periods.  They are unbeaten in every team  match this season.

Just this week they completed and undefeated season sweeping the conference tournament. Rocky Mount's number one player Tyler Brice a Junior  won the singles title and is the Big East Tournament Champion.   He beat teammate senior Langley Salter and both have qualified  for the East Regional which starts next Friday.

George Shannon Junior and Landon Norwood Sophomore won the conference doubles title.  Ben Osterhout  a junior who plays the Gryphons 6th single spot qualified for the regional. So five Gryphons are in the individual singles and doubles which starts Friday and the duels or the team play starts Tuesday at home.

These stats are regular season stats but look at how deep this team is.  Tyler Brice playing number one slot 11-0. Playing as Number two singles George Shannon 11-0.  Langley Salter number three player 7-4.  The four spot is held down by Landon Norwood 9-2.  The five hole is occupied by Spencer Harris junior 9-2.  Number six player Ben Osterhout is 10-1.  The Gryphons for the year before doubles ever hit the court were leading their matches 5-1 which had already won the match.

The number one doubles team Brice and Shannon were 8-0. Norwood and Salter7-1.  Harris and Osterhout 4-1.  Quinton Mangano freshman and Sam Philips sophomore 1-0.  Harris and Philips 0-1.

There's more: Those who played this season as the third doubles look at these numbers. Spencer Harris and Ben Osterhaut 4-1.  Charlie Lane junior and Sam Philips 2-0.  Spencer Harris and Sam Philips 2-0..  Charlie Lane and Ryan Shrimper sophomore 1-0..  Ben Osterhaut and Sam Philips 1-0.

Whether one two or three doubles team this team was 30-4 in all their doubles matches. Looking at each player did you notice anything?  There is only one senior on the team. Tuesday starts the playoffs and this team looks as if they have a shot to make the state finals.  The sky seems to be unlimited this year.  Just think they could be better next year!

Red Hot Gryphons

• Last night David Harrison annoyed Northern Nash pitching a shutout.. Tonight a three run homer in the first, a double and rbi a single an a rbi and just a plain single was enough right there but the greedy Gryphons pounded out 12 hits in finishing the regular season clipping Southern Nash 12-3.  The Gryphons close the regular season with an 8-2 conference record and 14-6 Mark for the year.

Ben Seracki gave  the Gryphons shutout ball on the mound through four innings but on a hot humid night tired starting in the fifth and was removed with one out in the 6th.  He gave up five hits three walks and two hit batters. One of the walks and hit batters with the bases load scoring two runs.  Southern third run scored on a Trevor Mills sac fly.

Rocky Mount scored in the third after Spencer Ramsey walked advanced to third on two wild pitches and scored. The fourth started with Zack Keeter strikeout but reach base when the ball rolled to the screen.  Lane Butler bunted him to second.  Josh Pittman doubled him home. A single by Spencer Ramsey, a walk to Jamar Ellis and a double by Harrison  which hit half way up the wall drove home only one run as the Gryphons found two men on the third base bag.  Jake Philbeck single brought home two runs Ben Seracki bunt the runners up and Zack Keeter had an rbi single. Five runs crossed the plate making the score 9-0.

The Firebirds scored two in the fifth after AJ Jones singled.  Grayson Rudder doubled.  Ryan Marlowe was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Dawson Sikes walked getting an rbi.  Alex Marlowe was hit by a pitch  to drive in the second run.

The Gryphons tried to end it in sixth inning scoring three times  Jamar Ellis walked David Harrison got his fifth rbi on the night with a single.  Jack Philbeck got two rbi with a single to run the score to 12-2.

Hunter Perry opened the Southern 6th with a double.  A Seracki walk was the end of the night for Ben Seracki . Enter Joernest Petway who was greeted by Grayson Rudder single.  A sac fly by Trevor Mills drove home run number three and a needed 7th inning.  Petway gave up a walk and hit but no runs giving the Gryphons a 12-3 victory.

Rocky Mount next plays Tuesday night and will host the Southern
Nash/Northern Nash winner on Monday.  Nash Central will travel to Fike Monday with that winner meeting Hunt Tuesday.

A shocker Nash Central best Hunt 9-1 to finish conference play at 4-6. Hunt  loses for the first time in conference play 9-1.

Gryphons Clinch Second

There will be no doubt the Knights of Northern Nash hope David Harrison graduated soon. The first time The Knights and the Gryphons met Harrison pitched four innings walking none giving up two hits and striking out five.

Tonight Harrison goes the distance giving up two hits striking out 12  and did not walk a batter.  So for the season 11 innings pitched four hits allowed 17 strike outs and zero walks against Northern Nash.  Rocky Mount wins 7-0.

The last few conference gamesThe Gryphons has had some good hitting nights.  Tonight is a ten hit night including two triples and Northern contributed four errors.

The Gryphons scored in The first after leadoff batter Josh Pittman walked and Jamar Ellis drove him home with a single.  Northern's only threat came in second.  Josh Daniels floated a single to left.  Playing for  sac bunt Aaron Gerlach attempted and Daniels beat the throw your second.  A sac bunt put runner on second and third but Harrison struck out the next two to snuff out any rally.

The Gryphons struck for four in the third getting a single from Josh Pittman, an rbi double by Spencer Ramsey followed by another double by Jarmar Ellis. The second triple of the night by David Harrison plated Ellis.  Harrison scored  on an error.

Ramsey, Ellis and Harrison had back to back to back singles in the fourth to score run six and the Gryphons 7th was aided by two base on balls and an error to round out the scoring.

The win brings the Gryphons to 7-2 and guaranteed two place in next weeks tournament and a semi final home game Tuesday against the Monday 3/6 match up Monday.  We know for sure right now Northern will be the sixth seed.

Rocky Mount's make up Tuesday night's rain out tomorrow night at Southern Nash.  Northern finishes conference play 0-10

There was thrilling baseball played everywhere else in Big East conference play.  Hunt went to 9-0 with a ten inning 2-1 win over Fike.  Fike finishes it's conference play at 4-6.

Southern Nash topped Nash Central 3-2.  The win clinches 3rd for Southern Nash at 5-4 with a game tonight against Rocky Mount While Fike and Nash Central 3-6 will play the 4/5 game in the Big East tournament   Monday. Nash Central host Hunt tonight.

The Rocky Mount boys tennis team have completed their regular season undefeated and this afternoon swept through the conference team title 9-0 to head to state playoffs undefeated.

Rocky Mount boys track and field teams wins the Big East championship while the girls finish second.

FLOODED Out

We are having a hard time recording little league games for WHIG TV.  The night they can record the the ball games right now is Wednesday which is the senior little league.  So far of the three possible nights we have been ready to tape we been rained out once and last night flooded out.

I think the street that runs by the sports complex is Inpendendence Drive.  Coming off Wesleyan Blvd.  There were road closed signs so if you circle around to the YMCA the road close sign is near the playground toward the sports complex.  You can see water running across the road beyond the play ground.

Tuesday night Trea Turner former NC State baseball player and now the starting shortstop for the Washington Nationals hit for the cycle.
He hit a single,  double, home run and a triple.  It is only  third time in Washington National history that a player has hit for the cycle.

He also drove in 7 runs in the game to be only the second player in major league history to hit for the cycle and driven in 7 runs in the same game.  The only other player in major league history Joe DiMaggio.

Tonight is the NFL draft and there is plenty  of conversation  that the Cleveland Browns will pick UNC football quarterback Mitch Trubisky as the number one draft pick in this years draft.,,we will know  later tonight.

Heard over the weekend that Benton Moss threw for the first time since his back injury early in spring training.  He is on the Advanced A  team in Port Charlotte Florida which is the spring training home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

High school baseball resumes tonight after Tuesday's rainouts.
Northern Nash visits Rocky Mount. Southern Nash travels to Nash Central and Fike invades Hunt.