Hicks' complete-game shutout leads Rocky Mount Academy to bounce-back win
By FOSTER LANDER
Sports Writer ROCKY MOUNT TELEGRAM
Friday, March 13, 2015
One of baseball's great joys, at least when compared to, say, football, is often the ability to return to the diamond less than 24 hours after the last out of a tough loss.
After blowing a big lead and falling in extra innings to Kinston Parrott on Thursday night, Rocky Mount Academy got seven innings of catharsis Friday afternoon.
Justin Hicks tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out 10 and walking just one, and Kyle Holland drove in five runs as the Eagles breezed past Freedom Christian Academy, 8-0, at the Faith Christian Tournament.
"[Freedom] had a really young team and we did what it took to win and not much more," Rocky Mount Academy coach Pat Smith said. "We're pleased to win, don't get me wrong, but we're going to have to get better."
Hicks threw 58 strikes in 91 pitches, more than Smith maybe would've liked early in the season, but it was by necessity - Thursday's eight-inning loss had thinned the Eagles' pitching depth considerably.
The way Hicks was going, mixing fastballs and sweeping curveballs, there was really no reason to pull him. He retired the final 12 batters in order, five of them by strikeout.
"Luckily, Justin didn't have to throw too many pitches early because we were so short on arms (Friday)," Smith said. "Good to see him go the distance, and good to see us commit no errors behind him."
Rocky Mount Academy led, 6-0, at the end of three innings, and that was plenty. Freedom Christian did not advance a runner past second base.
There would be no repeat of Thursday, when the Eagles let a 6-1 lead slip away courtesy of seven errors. Smith attributed some of those defensive struggles to the lack of fielding practice done on an actual field in recent weeks.
Regardless, Smith said, seven errors just won't cut it, no matter how you spin it.
"We're still not over (Thursday) night," Smith said. "We had the opportunity to beat a really good team and didn't get the job done. I think (Friday) we played to our level, as opposed to down to someone else's."
Left fielder Kyle Holland powered Rocky Mount Academy offensively, smacking two ringing doubles, driving in five and reaching base in all four of his plate appearances.
Tyson Jones finished with two hits, and Linwood Jones and Paul King - the Eagles' No. 1 and No. 2 hitters in the lineup, ahead of Holland - each reached twice.
"Offensively, we have some guys...Kyle, Linwood, Reid (Johnston) who are off to real good starts," Smith said. "They've done well waiting for good pitches to hit."
Smith cautioned against drawing any major conclusions from the Eagles' win over a young, inferior Freedom Christian team. His Rocky Mount Academy team isn't exactly battle-tested either - at least not yet.
"We're still learning and adjusting," Smith said. "I'm hoping that if we can win enough games to get to the playoffs, that by the end of the year we might be a pretty good baseball team."
By FOSTER LANDER
Sports Writer ROCKY MOUNT TELEGRAM
Friday, March 13, 2015
One of baseball's great joys, at least when compared to, say, football, is often the ability to return to the diamond less than 24 hours after the last out of a tough loss.
After blowing a big lead and falling in extra innings to Kinston Parrott on Thursday night, Rocky Mount Academy got seven innings of catharsis Friday afternoon.
Justin Hicks tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out 10 and walking just one, and Kyle Holland drove in five runs as the Eagles breezed past Freedom Christian Academy, 8-0, at the Faith Christian Tournament.
"[Freedom] had a really young team and we did what it took to win and not much more," Rocky Mount Academy coach Pat Smith said. "We're pleased to win, don't get me wrong, but we're going to have to get better."
Hicks threw 58 strikes in 91 pitches, more than Smith maybe would've liked early in the season, but it was by necessity - Thursday's eight-inning loss had thinned the Eagles' pitching depth considerably.
The way Hicks was going, mixing fastballs and sweeping curveballs, there was really no reason to pull him. He retired the final 12 batters in order, five of them by strikeout.
"Luckily, Justin didn't have to throw too many pitches early because we were so short on arms (Friday)," Smith said. "Good to see him go the distance, and good to see us commit no errors behind him."
Rocky Mount Academy led, 6-0, at the end of three innings, and that was plenty. Freedom Christian did not advance a runner past second base.
There would be no repeat of Thursday, when the Eagles let a 6-1 lead slip away courtesy of seven errors. Smith attributed some of those defensive struggles to the lack of fielding practice done on an actual field in recent weeks.
Regardless, Smith said, seven errors just won't cut it, no matter how you spin it.
"We're still not over (Thursday) night," Smith said. "We had the opportunity to beat a really good team and didn't get the job done. I think (Friday) we played to our level, as opposed to down to someone else's."
Left fielder Kyle Holland powered Rocky Mount Academy offensively, smacking two ringing doubles, driving in five and reaching base in all four of his plate appearances.
Tyson Jones finished with two hits, and Linwood Jones and Paul King - the Eagles' No. 1 and No. 2 hitters in the lineup, ahead of Holland - each reached twice.
"Offensively, we have some guys...Kyle, Linwood, Reid (Johnston) who are off to real good starts," Smith said. "They've done well waiting for good pitches to hit."
Smith cautioned against drawing any major conclusions from the Eagles' win over a young, inferior Freedom Christian team. His Rocky Mount Academy team isn't exactly battle-tested either - at least not yet.
"We're still learning and adjusting," Smith said. "I'm hoping that if we can win enough games to get to the playoffs, that by the end of the year we might be a pretty good baseball team."
