The East Burke junior American Legion baseball team ended its first season on a high note, with four straight victories capped off by a pair of 4-3 home wins Monday over Fred T. Foard.
With EB (6-15) trailing 2-0 entering the fourth of five scheduled innings in Game 1, Zach Lowder connected on a two-out, two-run double to knot things up. The next batter in the order, Tanner Davis, rewarded Lowder’s effort by driving him in on a RBI single.
The visiting Tigers added a tying run in the fifth, and EB couldn’t answer so the game went to extra innings.
After holding Foard in the top of the sixth, EB got it rolling in a hurry with Matt Whisnant leading off the inning with a walk and scoring the winning run with no outs off a RBI double from Tucker Cranford.
Whisnant started and tossed six strikeouts in five innings of work, and Lowder notched one strikeout in a perfect inning of relief.
Alex Kelly was 2 for 2 at the plate, while Cranford finished 2 for 3.
In the nightcap, EB gave up three unanswered early runs before adding four of their own to snatch the lead for good before the second game was called due to lightning in the area.
Whisnant scored EB’s first run off a wild pitch, and Luke Phelps hit an RBI double to cut Foard’s lead to one. A two-run single from Jacob Zimmerman settled it, bringing Cranford and Phelps home for EB’s third and fourth runs of the game.
Starting pitcher Elijah Reese tossed one strikeout, and seven of the nine EB batters reached base successfully in their only inning of offense.
- Jason Baker
Morganton 2, McDowell “B” 1; McDowell “A” 9, Morganton 1 – Monday’s doubleheader in Marion was “same song, second verse,” as for the second time in three days Morganton split a twinbill against the McDowell/Owen/Mitchell squads.
In the opener, Brock Toner pitched a five-inning complete game, striking out eight and walking just one while allowing two hits and a run. Luke Browning provided both Mo-town RBIs, while Chandler Grindstaff (1 for 3, run) and Wyatt Fleming (1 for 3, double) each added solid nights offensively.
Morganton (15-15) outhit McDowell 3-2 and committed no errors compared to the hosts’ three.
Game 2 saw the script flipped, with Morganton kicking the ball around to the tune of three errors and being outhit 6-3.
Four different Morganton hurlers (Browning, Luke Baker, Jacob Rooks, Trenton Totty) each get work in, and Baker (walk, run), Grindstaff (2 for 2, RBI) and Browning (1 for 2) led the team at the plate.
Morganton plays its home finale at Patton High today at 6 p.m. versus Fred T. Foard before closing the summer at Shelby on Thursday.
- Paul Schenkel
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement