Arendell Parrott explodes late, rolls past Carmel Christian
By Junious Smith III / Sports Editor KINSTON FREEPRESS
For Arendell Parrott coach Robert Kravitz, it was better late than never.
The Patriots scored 10 runs in the fifth and sixth innings to break open a tie game and defeat Carmel Christian 13-3 in the first round of the NCISAA state playoffs. Arendell Parrott (17-11) will travel to Rock Hill, S.C. Thursday to face Westminster Catawba Christian in the second round.
“I was proud of the way we were not only able to string together hits, but extra-base hits,” Kravitz said. “I challenged the guys before the game and they definitely responded late.”
Arendell Parrott’s Christian Jones struggled early, walking Brayden Smith and allowing a single to Kyle Habluetzel to open the game. Kravitz would pull JoJo Spear out of the bullpen and after Trey McLawhorn caught Smith stealing at third, Spear would strike out the next two batters, ending the top of the first.
“This is my last year and I love these boys,” Spear said. “I just wanted to come out and throw hard every pitch. My mentality was just to get everyone out.”
In the bottom of the frame, Arendell Parrott went to work with Matthew Huntley drawing a walk and Jonah Beaman following up with a single. McLawhorn hit a grounder and the play was toward home, but a dropped ball during Huntley’s slide gave the Patriots a 1-0 advantage. Two batters later, Jones would make up from his miscues on the mound with a 2-run single.
“JoJo got me straight after I was on the mound,” Jones said. “He told me to just keep playing because it wasn’t about me — it was about the team.”
The team aspect showed more after facing adversity over the next few innings. Cooper King would lead off with a home run for the Cougars (11-6) in the top of the second and an error on King’s grounder two innings later brought Carmel Christian within 3-2. When Habluetzel smacked a full-count two-out pitch into left center for an RBI double in the top of the fifth, the Cougars were tied.
Arendell Parrott responded with McLawhorn getting his second double of the contest to lead off the bottom of the fifth and Zach Vendemia drawing a walk. Two batters later, Braeden White would follow up with a grounder and the ball was sent home, but the catcher dropped another one to put Arendell Parrott ahead 4-3. A Will Lupton sacrifice fly and an RBI double by Spear would help the Patriots tack on two more runs.
Arendell Parrott would do even more damage in the bottom of the sixth. After Huntley singled and Beaman walked to lead the frame, a McLawhorn grounder brought home a run. Vendemia would add an RBI single and consecutive run-scoring doubles by Jones and White put the Patriots up 10-3. After Lupton was hit by a pitch, Spear hit his second RBI double of the contest. Connor Bright would follow with an RBI grounder and an infield error on Huntley’s ball would bring in another run and end the game.
The Patriots are facing a trip more than four hours away, but McLawhorn said the focus will be there.
“We’re looking at this as a business trip,” McLawhorn said. “We’re not playing around — we want to get out there, succeed and keep going until we reach our goal of winning a state championship.”
ARENDELL PARROTT 13, CARMEL CHRISTIAN 3
CC 010 110 — 3 7 3
APA 300 037 — 13 12 2
CC — King, Decker (5), Nielsen (6) and Smith. APA — Spear and McLawhorn.
By Junious Smith III / Sports Editor KINSTON FREEPRESS
For Arendell Parrott coach Robert Kravitz, it was better late than never.
The Patriots scored 10 runs in the fifth and sixth innings to break open a tie game and defeat Carmel Christian 13-3 in the first round of the NCISAA state playoffs. Arendell Parrott (17-11) will travel to Rock Hill, S.C. Thursday to face Westminster Catawba Christian in the second round.
“I was proud of the way we were not only able to string together hits, but extra-base hits,” Kravitz said. “I challenged the guys before the game and they definitely responded late.”
Arendell Parrott’s Christian Jones struggled early, walking Brayden Smith and allowing a single to Kyle Habluetzel to open the game. Kravitz would pull JoJo Spear out of the bullpen and after Trey McLawhorn caught Smith stealing at third, Spear would strike out the next two batters, ending the top of the first.
“This is my last year and I love these boys,” Spear said. “I just wanted to come out and throw hard every pitch. My mentality was just to get everyone out.”
In the bottom of the frame, Arendell Parrott went to work with Matthew Huntley drawing a walk and Jonah Beaman following up with a single. McLawhorn hit a grounder and the play was toward home, but a dropped ball during Huntley’s slide gave the Patriots a 1-0 advantage. Two batters later, Jones would make up from his miscues on the mound with a 2-run single.
“JoJo got me straight after I was on the mound,” Jones said. “He told me to just keep playing because it wasn’t about me — it was about the team.”
The team aspect showed more after facing adversity over the next few innings. Cooper King would lead off with a home run for the Cougars (11-6) in the top of the second and an error on King’s grounder two innings later brought Carmel Christian within 3-2. When Habluetzel smacked a full-count two-out pitch into left center for an RBI double in the top of the fifth, the Cougars were tied.
Arendell Parrott responded with McLawhorn getting his second double of the contest to lead off the bottom of the fifth and Zach Vendemia drawing a walk. Two batters later, Braeden White would follow up with a grounder and the ball was sent home, but the catcher dropped another one to put Arendell Parrott ahead 4-3. A Will Lupton sacrifice fly and an RBI double by Spear would help the Patriots tack on two more runs.
Arendell Parrott would do even more damage in the bottom of the sixth. After Huntley singled and Beaman walked to lead the frame, a McLawhorn grounder brought home a run. Vendemia would add an RBI single and consecutive run-scoring doubles by Jones and White put the Patriots up 10-3. After Lupton was hit by a pitch, Spear hit his second RBI double of the contest. Connor Bright would follow with an RBI grounder and an infield error on Huntley’s ball would bring in another run and end the game.
The Patriots are facing a trip more than four hours away, but McLawhorn said the focus will be there.
“We’re looking at this as a business trip,” McLawhorn said. “We’re not playing around — we want to get out there, succeed and keep going until we reach our goal of winning a state championship.”
ARENDELL PARROTT 13, CARMEL CHRISTIAN 3
CC 010 110 — 3 7 3
APA 300 037 — 13 12 2
CC — King, Decker (5), Nielsen (6) and Smith. APA — Spear and McLawhorn.
