Wednesday, June 13, 2007

RM area baseball players at State Games

GREENSBORO - The 2007 State Games of North Carolina are being held in the Triad Area this summer and the high school baseball tournament, with rising juniors and seniors, is being played at three sites: UNC-G, First Horizon Park and War Memorial Stadium.

The state is divided into eight regions by the NCHSAA, and the Rocky Mount area is in Region 3. Two Rocky Mount players and one from Northern Nash are representing this area. Gryphons Jim Leggett and Brian Goodwin and Northern's Tyler Joyner. Leggett is also playing for ImpactBaseball.com's Dirtbags traveling team, while Goodwin and Joyner are staples on the Nash County Post 58 squad.

Region 3 begins play Thursday at 3 p.m. versus Region 1 (northeatern NC) at UNC-G. Friday, it plays a 7 p.m. contest against Region 5 (Triad Area) at UNC-G. Saturday, Region 3 moves over War Memorial Stadium for a 1 p.m. tilt with Region 7 (northwestern NC).

The Gold Medal game will played at 2 p.m. Sunday at UNC-G. The Region 3 team is coached by Dave Kline (Kerr-Vance Academy). For more on the tournament, go to http://www.ncsports.org/.

Region 3 roster

Bryan Bass - Northern Durham
Kevin Bratcher - Ravenscroft
Landon Adams - Middle Creek
Cameron Richards - Knightdale
Jacob Dixon - Roanoke Rapids
Jim Leggett - Rocky Mount
Kris Richards - West Johnston
Tyler Joyner - Northern Nash
Jeremy Dowdy - Wakefield
Blaze Tart - Riverside
Steele Myers - Durham Jordan
Brian Goodwin - Rocky Mount
Zack Howell - Garner
Dylan Kipp - Green Hope
Zac Crumpler - Fike
Jerry Glover - South Johnston
Jake Dailey - Cedar Ridge
Pratt Maynard - South Granville
Cameron Connor - Fuquay-Varina
Corey Thompson - Apex

Rocky Mount without an endowment game - for now!

Due to an oversight, Rocky Mount's 2007 football season opener with Goldsboro (an endowment game) has been cancelled.

A verbal agreement was made with Goldsboro's head coach earlier in the year to play not one, but two endowment games at Rocky Mount the next two seasons. But that agreement was with a head coach who has since resigned.

In the meantime, Goldsboro signed fellow Wayne County school Rosewood to fill out its schedule. It left the Gryphons with no opener - during a time where almost every school has its schedule set for the next two seasons.

Rocky Mount is making efforts to find another endowment opponent. If one can't be found, RMHS will likely play a second scrimmage.

I will keep you informed on RMHS' search for another season-opening opponent.

2007 All-NEW 6 Baseball Team

Here is the 2007 All-NEW Baseball Team as voted by the head coaches of the league:

First team

Jason Gay, Northern Nash (40/82, .488; 9 2B, 12 HR, 32R, 43 RBI)
Andrew Webb, Northern Nash (30 R)
Zach Woodley, Northern Nash (10-2, 1.76 ERA,86K)
Tyler Joyner, Northern Nash (10-3, 128 K)
Chad Womble, Rocky Mount (7-3, 1.60 ERA; .300, 13R, 17 RBI)
Brian Goodwin, Rocky Mount (.356, 29R, 17 RBI, 13 SB, HR)
Bentley Massey, Fike (9-3, 2.28 ERA, 80 K)
Thomas Moore, Fike (.418, 32R, 2 HR, 37 RBI)
Brian Allen, Southern Nash (.389, 23R, 30 RBI; 2-1, 36K)
Xavier Macklin, Nash Central (.368, 2HR, 20 RBI)

Second team

Daniel Moore, Northern Nash
Dillon Cockrell, Rocky Mount
Jim Leggett, Rocky Mount
Chris Berry, Rocky Mount
Jacob Davis, Fike
David Gibbons, Fike
Brian Graley, Southern Nash
Alex Pearce, Nash Centra
lScott Tharrington, SouthWest Edgecombe
Patrick Goodwyn, SouthWest Edgecombe

Honorable Mention

Ben Fish, Rocky Mount
Jeremy Proctor, Northern Nash
Zach Crumpler, Wilson Fike
Ben Wilson, Southern Nash
Cody High, Nash Central

Player of the Year: Jason Gay, Northern Nash
Conference Champion Coach: Pat Smith, Rocky Mount; Al Carter, Northern Nash

Post 58 tops Wilson Co. by a touchdown, 17-10

By Tom Ham
Wilson Daily Times

WILSON - Credit the Wilson American Legion baseball team with enough moxie to avoid being victimized by the 10-run lead rule Tuesday night.

Otherwise, Post 13's 2007 miseries in Fleming Stadium continued with a 17-10 Area One Eastern Division North Conference loss to Post 58 of Rocky Mount-Nash County. Nine Wilson errors led to 13 unearned Post 58 runs as Post 13 tumbled to 5-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference.

Post 58, undefeated in four games, pounded three Wilson pitchers for 15 hits in notching its second conference victory.

"We can't play at home," Wilson head coach Rusty Dail flatly said. "We just can't play right now. It's frustrating.

"We have to make up our minds to come to play. Some of us are just going through the motions. I don't have the answer. If I'd had nine more (players) I would have put them out there."

The contest lingered nearly three hours and the regulation nine innings as the result of Wilson, down 17-4, scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Down to its last out, Post 13 forced the ninth inning on center fielder Zach Moore's two-run single.Leading 10-4, Post 58 sent 11 batters to the plate in pouring across seven runs in the top of the eighth.

Third baseman Chris Berry batted 3-for-6 and drove in three runs for Post 58. Center fielder Daniel Moore, shortstop Andrew Webb, second baseman Brian Allen, right fielder Xavier Macklin and left fielder Dillon Cockrell each collected two hits. Allen scored four runs and Daniel Moore, Webb and Gay three each.

Gay doubled in a run and scored on Macklin's single to stake Post 58 to a 2-0 lead in the top of the opening inning against starting Post 13 pitcher Matthew Watson, a left-hander.But Wilson retaliated with four runs in the bottom of the first.

The bases were loaded when first baseman Thomas Moore cleared them with a one-out triple.
Third baseman Brett Allen singled in Moore.

Post 58 reclaimed the lead for keeps with three unearned runs in the top of the second. The bases were loaded but wound up empty when Watson's pick-off throw toward first base wound up in the right-field corner.

After the opening inning, Post 58 starting pitcher Zach Woodley blanked Wilson on three hits the next six innings. Woodley completed his evening's work by working out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. Woodley, 2-0, had thrown just six pitches the previous three games.

"I hadn't thrown in four weeks (except for the six pitches) and you've got to find your rhythm," Woodley reasoned. The right-hander noted the approach is different for nine-inning Legion games as compared to seven-inning outings on the mound for Northern Nash High.

"I would have liked to have done a little better," Woodley evaluated. "I threw a lot of off-speed pitches after the first inning because I couldn't get the fastball in the zone. I had to try something. We won, we're 4-0 — I'll take it."

Wilson wound up with 11 hits, including two each from Zach Moore, second baseman Joseph Toler and Thomas Moore. Toler also tripled. Designated hitter-right fielder Jacob Davis scored three runs.

Watson, Post 13's ace last season, took the loss to even his mark at 1-1. Right-handers Jeremy Efird and Tony Whitehead followed him to the mound.

"We are just as good as they are," Dail insisted. "They threw their best and we put the ball in play. But we were passive at the plate and you're not going to win against anybody when you commit nine errors."

Wilson steps outside the conference to welcome New Bern this evening at 7 in Fleming Stadium.

Dail's post-game message to his player was brief: "Be here at 4:30."

Post 58 17
Wilson 10

POST 58 WILSON Post 13

AB R H BI AB R H BI
D Moore 5 3 2 0 Moore 4 2 2 2

Webb ss 5 3 2 2 Toler 2b-ss 4 1 2 1
Bn Allen 2b 4 4 2 0 Lamm c 5 0 0 0
Gay 1b 4 3 1 1 Davis dh-rf 4 3 1 0
Macklin rf 5 0 2 2 T Moore 1b 3 1 2 3
Jhnson pr-rf 1 1 0 0 Emdn ph-1b 2 1 1 1
Pierce c 5 1 1 1 Taylor lf 3 0 0 0
Berry 3b 6 1 3 3 Nygard ph-lf 2 1 1 0
Hodges dh 5 0 0 0 Bt Allen 3b 3 0 1 1
Woodley p 0 0 0 0 Jones ss 4 1 1 1
Womble p 0 0 0 0 Massey 2b 1 0 0 0
Joyner p 0 0 0 0 Whithd rf-p 4 0 0 0
Cockrell lf 5 1 2 2
Totals 45 17 15 11 Totals 39 10 11 9

Score by innings:

Post 58 230 023 070 — 17
Wilson 400 000 051 — 10

E-Watson 2, Bt. Allen 3, Lamm, T. Moore, Toler 2, Berry, Webb, Pierce. DP-Post 58. LOB-Post 58, Wilson 7. 2B-Gay, Berry. 3B-T. Moore, Bn. Allen, Toler. SB-Bn. Allen, Macklin, D. Moore 2. S-Webb.

Pitching

IP H R ER BB SO

Post 58
Woodley (W 2-0) 7 6 4 2 3 3
Womble 1 4 5 2 1 2
Joyner 1 1 1 0 1 0

Wilson
Watson (L) 42/3 7 7 2 3 7
Efird 21/3 4 7 2 2 0
Whitehead 2 4 3 0 0 0

HBP-D. Moore (by Efird), Gay (by Efird). WP-Joyner. PB-Pierce 2.