Faith Christian falls to Northside Christian
By Ethan Joyce
Sports Writer
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Between Faith Christian and Charlotte Northside Christian, there were two scoring innings combined on Friday.
The Patriots raked in runs in the first, but by the end of the game, they came up short. Faith Christian fell short by one, 5-4, to the defending NCISAA 2-A champion Knights.
Faith Christian (3-1) looked to test itself early during the Patriot Invitational. Faith Christian coach Greg Clifton said the sense among his team postgame was they let a win wander.
“We had some bunt situations where I didn’t bunt, but we had the guys we wanted up there,” Clifton said. “I gave them a chance, and we just didn’t get it done.
“I will beat myself up about that, but if we’d have bunted and we didn’t score, I’d have said we should let them swing it.”
Faith Christian couldn’t have started better. Starting pitcher Landen Roupp mowed through the first inning with nine pitches and a strike out. And the Patriots’ bats created four runs in the bottom of the inning for a quick lead. Alex Crosby hit a one-out single, and Roupp followed with a triple that screamed over the right fielder’s head to score Crosby. Ben Lewis reached on an error that scored another run. Sam Mills blooped a single into right that scored Lewis, and a sac fly from Jacob Pridgen later gave the Patriots their fourth run of the inning.
Clifton said the team sat ready for Charlotte Northside starter Alec Huffstickler, who struggled early. He settled eventually to go five innings. The Patriots couldn’t convert base runners into runs late, including a bases-loaded situation in the fifth against relief pitcher JT Agosto.
Huffstickler pitched against Faith Christian during the playoffs last year, and Clifton said the starts were similar.
“He is the same way as last year,” Clifton said. “He got out there and competed. I didn’t see him hang his head when we got four runs up.
“He just kept fighting.”
Roupp breezed through his first three innings, throwing 32 pitches, striking out four batters and allowing one hit. The fourth, however, bogged down the pitcher. After a single and a hit batter, Huffstickler nailed a ground-rule double and Cory Delair reached on an error to both score a run. Those runs scored before an out had been registered. Grant Lovelace laced an RBI single to add what became the winning run.
Roupp, a UNC Wilmington signee, threw 34 pitches in that inning. Clifton let the senior pitch the entire game.
“That is the first time that has happened in a while with him,” Clifton said. “We try to keep it 15 pitches or less with him. He is one of the few guys that can come back from that.
“Most guys, an inning like that, they are done. He was tired, but he competed out there.”
The Patriots shuffled their batting order before his game, and Clifton joked he looked like a genius after the first frame. But he thinks this was a learning experience for a team with high expectations on the season.
“We are right there, but hats off to them because they beat our No.1 guy,” Clifton said. “It’s like I told those guys: Defending state champions aren’t going to quit.
“I’d like to see us put teams away, and we didn’t.”
By Ethan Joyce
Sports Writer
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Between Faith Christian and Charlotte Northside Christian, there were two scoring innings combined on Friday.
The Patriots raked in runs in the first, but by the end of the game, they came up short. Faith Christian fell short by one, 5-4, to the defending NCISAA 2-A champion Knights.
Faith Christian (3-1) looked to test itself early during the Patriot Invitational. Faith Christian coach Greg Clifton said the sense among his team postgame was they let a win wander.
“We had some bunt situations where I didn’t bunt, but we had the guys we wanted up there,” Clifton said. “I gave them a chance, and we just didn’t get it done.
“I will beat myself up about that, but if we’d have bunted and we didn’t score, I’d have said we should let them swing it.”
Faith Christian couldn’t have started better. Starting pitcher Landen Roupp mowed through the first inning with nine pitches and a strike out. And the Patriots’ bats created four runs in the bottom of the inning for a quick lead. Alex Crosby hit a one-out single, and Roupp followed with a triple that screamed over the right fielder’s head to score Crosby. Ben Lewis reached on an error that scored another run. Sam Mills blooped a single into right that scored Lewis, and a sac fly from Jacob Pridgen later gave the Patriots their fourth run of the inning.
Clifton said the team sat ready for Charlotte Northside starter Alec Huffstickler, who struggled early. He settled eventually to go five innings. The Patriots couldn’t convert base runners into runs late, including a bases-loaded situation in the fifth against relief pitcher JT Agosto.
Huffstickler pitched against Faith Christian during the playoffs last year, and Clifton said the starts were similar.
“He is the same way as last year,” Clifton said. “He got out there and competed. I didn’t see him hang his head when we got four runs up.
“He just kept fighting.”
Roupp breezed through his first three innings, throwing 32 pitches, striking out four batters and allowing one hit. The fourth, however, bogged down the pitcher. After a single and a hit batter, Huffstickler nailed a ground-rule double and Cory Delair reached on an error to both score a run. Those runs scored before an out had been registered. Grant Lovelace laced an RBI single to add what became the winning run.
Roupp, a UNC Wilmington signee, threw 34 pitches in that inning. Clifton let the senior pitch the entire game.
“That is the first time that has happened in a while with him,” Clifton said. “We try to keep it 15 pitches or less with him. He is one of the few guys that can come back from that.
“Most guys, an inning like that, they are done. He was tired, but he competed out there.”
The Patriots shuffled their batting order before his game, and Clifton joked he looked like a genius after the first frame. But he thinks this was a learning experience for a team with high expectations on the season.
“We are right there, but hats off to them because they beat our No.1 guy,” Clifton said. “It’s like I told those guys: Defending state champions aren’t going to quit.
“I’d like to see us put teams away, and we didn’t.”
