Baseball Advances

Today's game to me gives us a good picture of the future of Gryphon baseball this season. Two conference wins under their belt the Gryphons took to the field this morning at South Johnston High school and opened their Easter tournament.

Standing in their way was Smithfield Selma who has two division one recruits,one heading to State and one to Chapel Hill. The Carolina recruit was on the mound today Tate Parris. Parker Helms pitched the first 4 and a third innings and left trailing 3-2 but only one run had been earned. Jeremy Trevathan came it to finished up and that meant 4 and two thirds innings as this game go extra.

Down 5-3 in the top of the seventh the Gryphons took a 7-5 lead on a Hobbs Johnson grand slam homer. The Spartans would not die and came up with two in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to overtime without a clock.

Matthew Berry gave the Gryphons the lead again only to see SSS tie it up in the eighth. Parker Helms sacrifice fly in the ninth scored Collins Cuthrell and Trevathan held on to give the Gryphons victory 9-8.

The Gryphons pounded out 11 hits in this Topsy turvy affair. Jeremy Trevathan gets the win.

Next action for the Gryphons is Monday afternoon at 4.30 as they play the winner of West Johnston-Cardinal Gibbons game.

One injury to report Thomas Berry legging out a double pulled up lame and had to be taken out of the game. That could really be big if Thomas is out for an extended time as he is the clean up hitter.

Lady Gryphon softball team playing at Glover Park in Nashville today in the Easter Softball Bash

lost to Halifax Academy 13-1

Tournament Weekend

This weekend if you were planning a nice comfortable weekend sitting back and watching basketball then you must not have a child that plays sports that has any thing to do with batting a ball. Nashville will be hosting the Spring Bash where almost all of our local teams including jv's softball teams will be playing. That tournament is Saturday and Monday.

All Big East conference baseball teams will be in a tournament by the end of next week except Southern Nash. Rocky Mount for the first time in many a day will not host their own tournament but instead will be in Four Oaks starting Saturday in the South Johnston Easter tournament.

Baseball plays at 11.00am in Four Oaks and Softball plays at 2.00pm in Nashville at Glover Park.

I need to give you an update on Cousin Lauren Doughtie in her quest to make it on the Futures in Women's golf. The first tournament of the year Lauren shot a 70 opening day and was one shot out of the lead. Then round two and a 84 and she failed to make the cut. Last weekend the tour went from Florida to Baja Mexico and Lauren shot 81 and a 73 to miss the cut again.

Life in the minors regardless of what sport is not fun when you are struggling to grab hold. Golf unless you have a sponsor is every penny comes out of your own Pocket. The Futures tour returns to Florida next weekend and Lauren will on Monday try to be a Monday qualifier. She needs a big payday to make it for a few more tournaments. Futures golf the winner pockets about $15,000. Right now Lauren needs a few tournaments just to play on Sunday and get the minimum check of $579 for finishing seventieth.

Sometimes in life you are such a good athlete that they have a hard time finding a place for you because you are really good at everything you do but.... That is what Russell Wilson is finding out about baseball at N C State. The State football quarterback the last two years loves baseball and wants his life after college to include baseball.

This spring he was in the running at shortstop. They found out over the winter that he has good stuff to be a pitcher and have been trying to work him in. He has been a backup outfielder and right now is hitting over 350. Wednesday was the starting pitcher for N C State in their 7-3 win over Old Dominion. He pitched into the fourth inning giving up three runs.

Spring football practice is on going right now in Raleigh and Wilson is sticking with baseball. Whether he is back on the football team or in the minor leagues will depend on the next thirty games of college baseball. Pro teams draft based on potential so many times. The question for Russell Wilson is at what position is that potential the greatest. A major leaguer or pro quarterback. I wish I had of had that problem.

Gryphons Top Hunt

Gryphon baseball use six strong innings of four hit eight strikeout baseball from Benton Moss to lead the way in a 7-3 victory over Hunt. Hunt scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the seventh off Jeremy Trevathan and Spenser Bell.

Bell got the Gryphons on the board in the second with an rbi single. Collins Cuthrell hit a solo shot for the Gryphons to extend the lead to 2-0. Thomas Berry hit a three run homer in the bottom of the fifth which proved to to be all the Gryphons would need in making the score 5-0. Two more runs crossed the plate before Kent Cox turned to his relievers in the seventh leading 7-0. Every starter had a hit except for Michael Whitehead and he scored twice. Taylor Clontz started in left field other than that the lineup was normal in picking up win #11 against a lone loss.

The next action for the Gryphons is Saturday at 11.00am in the South Johnston baseball tournament. They will play Smithfield Selma and I would assume since the pitching was the way it was tonight Parker Helms will get the call Saturday to pitch.

Gryphons are now 2-0. Hunt drops to 1-1 as they beat Northern last night 11-1 for their first conference win. Fike on Wednesday beat Nash Central 2-0.

Softball lost 12-2 at Hunt which is loss #13 and that is no April Fools.

I hope you were able to see the picture in the paper of the ground breaking ceremony of the new Rocky Mount High. Who has control of those shovels once a ground breaking has finished. You don't find gold plated shovels on the shelf at the hardware store. Every time there is a ground breaking ceremony those shovels appear. There must be someone with them in their garage somewhere.

North Carolina has lost the NIT championship to Dayton 79-68. The Tar Heels set an NCAA record this year with their 17 losses. It is the most losses in a season by the defending NCAA champion ever.

Listening to sport talk radio this afternoon most Carolina fans thought that with a NIT win and a Duke lost they would be the only local champion in the area. Boy Dayton shot that idea down.

Duke doesn't play until Saturday night at like 8.47. The weather forecast looks like a great day to be outside and then hit the recliner after supper and pull Duke through.

Carolina Plays For The Little Title

Confess now, most of you Carolina fans were so disgusted with Tar Heels play last night you went to bed before Rhode Island gave the game away. If there was ever a prime example of Carolina's entire season was the last time out in regulation. Rhode Island had missed four free throws and Carolina has a shot to win in regulation.

Roy calls time out to set up this wonderful play which turns out to be dribble the ball until the clock gets low and throw up a desperation shot. Boy wasn't that their entire season in one play? I have heard from several Carolina fans today that told me their play was embarrassing last night and yet they won. Carolina plays for the title with three letters NIT.

Duke on the other hand is the favorite in this weekends final four of the four letter tournament the NCAA. I'll be pulling for Dook but this is no sure thing. If they play as bad as Carolina did last night they will be home Sunday. I picked Duke to make it to this game but to lose to Kentucky. They are the only team that I picked to make it to the final four.

Softball at Rocky Mount managed to go seven innings Wednesday night against SouthWest Edgecombe but lost 17-0.

Baseball dilemma: Thursday they have a conference game at Hunt and you would suspect Benton Moss takes the mound for the Gryphons. Then Saturday they play Smithfield Selma in the first game of the South Johnston tournament. If I have a choice of the two wins I want this week is both conference games. We won at Nash Central and then there's tomorrow at Hunt. You can bet SS will bring their #1 starter against Rocky Mount Saturday.

Just the way the schedule has played out, we will probably have to throw our three and four pitchers in the first game of the tournament. This game Saturday will go a long ways in telling you how strong Rocky Mount really is this year. If this year's team is better than last then the hitters have got to start producing. You can't wait until your third at bat to figure out a good pitcher and expect to score seven in the seventh every game. You know that every team is going to save their best for Rocky Mount.

Gryphons Win Conference Opener

If you wanted to see weird baseball tonight's Nash Central- Rocky Mount conference opener was a good place to be. Matthew Berry doubled to open the game and came around to score on a fielder's choice by Collins Cuthrell. The next five innings nobody touched home place.

Hobbs Johnson carried a no hitter into the sixth inning helped by a missed play pop up in fair territory in which the Gryphons were able to throw to second and get a force play. Two other pop ups in foul territory were not caught and the second wound up scoring the tying run for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Jeremy Sloop held the Gryphons to three hits over the first six innings but ran out of gas in the seventh when the Gryphons had seven straight runners reach base, six with hits an one base on balls. Johnson now sporting a seven run lead gave up his third hit of the night to lead off the bottom of the seventh and Parker Helms came in to close out the Bulldogs.

Michael Whitehead had two hits and two rbi's. Matthew Berry had two hits and a ribby. Spencer Bell's double in the seventh drove in a run. Collins Cuthrell had on hit on the evening and two rbi's. Thomas Berry a couple of hits and two rbi's. Parker Helms also had two hits.

The Gryphons win their tenth game of the year and are now 1-0 in the Big East. They travel to Hunt Thursday night before they open the South Johnson Baseball tournament Saturday morning at 11.00am.

Hobbs Johnson struck out twelve and gave up three hits in getting the win. Parker Helms shutout Nash Central in the seventh but does not get the save even though the game was tied going into the seventh.

Up the hill Nash Central Lady Bulldogs beat the Lady Gryphons in softball 16-0. Gryphon softball has a 4.30 game Wednesday afternoon against SouthWest Edgecombe which was rained out Monday.

Duke's Women Fall Short

If you watched the Duke women's game last night for the chance to go to the final four then you missed one of the best games this year. Duke took on Baylor lead by Brittany Briner a six feet eight inch player who can play. Briner last night had fifteen points eleven rebounds and nine blocked shots.

This was a game of Duke trying to go inside to get Briner in foul trouble. The first eight minutes Duke couldn't get close enough to see the goal much less make a shot. Finally when Duke started hitting from beyond fifteen feet they got into a rhythm and had as big as a nine point lead. Midway in the second half Briner finally got some help from her teammates and Duke stopped making the outside shots. Baylor 51 Duke 48.

The big question is, is Briner good enough to upset Connecticut and stop their at this point seventy some game winning streak? I think she is good enough but I don't see Baylor as a team being good enough to stay with the Huskies.

Rain washed out Rocky Mount girls softball Monday. That game has been moved to Wednesday night at home. Tonight softball and baseball begin conference play with a trip to Nash Central.

Spring sports like winter has the vacation for Easter Which is next week. School is out starting Friday and all of next week. When it is over it's all conference games until early May when the seasons are over and playoffs begin.

I failed to say any thing about this yesterday but wasn't that a great picture of Mike Gainey all smiles in the paper Sunday?

There is one thing about the NCAA basketball championship tournament I really like. There is no Dick Vitale doing the games. The NCAA tournament's best announcer is Gus Johnson. I don't know how he always gets the down to the wire buzzer beaters.

The best color guy is Mike Giminski. The G man is a Raycon guy during the season and CBS picks him up during the playoffs. Vitale has for so many years been the lead ESPN color analyse. He has always been hype and high fives. Don't look now but Jay Bilas is the best at ESPN. He knows every player in the country and gives you the facts not the hype like the over the hill Vitale.

Three Pointers

Saturday night Kentucky shot 32 three pointers in their NCAA lost. They made four. Even at my old age put a blind fold on me and point me in the right direction I can make five three pointers in 32 tries.

Kentucky trailed almost all of the second half and the one thing three point shots have done to basketball is given us the mentality that the three point shot is the quick fix. They have the best big man in the country and who by the way was having a good game and you can't get him the ball.

I hear executives from CBS are jumping out of windows in New York city now that the Duke-Kentucky rematch is history. If they had of played each other in the semi's of the NCAA which would have happened if Kentucky have of held up their end of the bargain. How many times this week would we have seen the Hill to Laettner last second shot from 1992. CBS goes from their biggest ratings game ever to probably the lowest rated final four ever.

College baseball fans now that basketball is beginning to wind down you had better realize quickly that North carolina and North Carolina State are near the bottom in the ACC baseball standings.

Much like basketball when they play each other in a three game series in two weeks the loser will probably be in last place. Carolina has no pitching and State who I saw play yesterday seems to be just good enough to lose.

When the baseball game was over Brooks and I walked across the street at watch State finish up a tennis match with Georgia Tech. This was my first look ever at college tennis and let me tell you those guys are good.

This is the last week before the Easter vacations for high schools and for high school baseball it's the first week of conference play. Tuesday the Gryphons start at Nash Central both softball and baseball will be playing at the same time Tuesday night.

Next week Rocky Mount will play in an Easter tournament not played at Gryphon stadium. They will be playing in the South Johnston tournament.