Cozart helps Wesleyan advance
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY
ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — Wesleyan Christian had a couple key chances, and it made Covenant Day pay. The second-seeded Trojans took the early lead and, highlighted by a three-run blast by Caleb Cozart in the fifth, rolled behind a stellar performance by pitcher Luke Davis to beat seventh-seeded Covenant Day 4-0 on a drizzly Friday evening at Ed Price Field in the quarterfinals of the NCISAA 3A baseball playoffs.
“In the playoffs, it’s win and advance,” Wesleyan coach Scott Davis said. “We’ve been practicing since January the third, and our kids know our system and our expectations. The score’s not important. It’s about winning— especially in conditions like today, which I think favored them.
“They had their stud on the mound, an excellent pitcher who’s signed with Charlotte, and he’s as good as we’ve seen all year. So, we got a hit early that drove in a run and then Cozart had a tremendous at-bat with that three-run home run. That was the difference in the game, and Luke threw tremendous.”
Cozart went 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Trojans (24-1), the reigning state champions who are ranked No. 21 nationally in USA Today’s Super 25 Expert Rankings. Jacob Kohns also had a hit and an RBI, while Jackson Prillaman and Brett Kerry each added a hit.
Matt Nusdeo led off the second with a walk and scored on a single up the middle by Kohns to give Wesleyan a 1-0 lead. Then, in the fifth, Mark McLamb drew a one-out walk and Prillaman reached on a tough two-out single in the infield — a close play at fi rst that the Lions disputed even into the final innings.That brought up Cozart, who worked a 3-2 count and blasted a three-run home run deep over the fence in left field for a 4-0lead.
“This game was a grind,” Cozart said. “Their pitcher had three-plus pitches and we got some runners on in the sixth, and I came up in a big situation and executed. That was big — it was a great feeling ... He got behind 3-0 and came back with two really nice offspeed pitches. He missed his spot with a fastball and I capitalized.”
That was plenty of advantage for Luke Davis, who struggled at first but got on a roll — getting particularly fired up following a string of taunts that came from near the Covenant Day dugout. Luke Davis, a Louisburg College recruit, pitched a complete-game three-hitter, striking out nine while walking three.
“The longer he stays in the game, the more comfortable he gets,” Coach Davis said. “And that’s just the way he pitches. He’s a guy who can throw strikes and stay ahead. And we have a good defense behind him. He doesn’t get rattled, and he’s got a great demeanor on the mound. So, he threw a tremendous game.”
Eli Ellington took the loss in five innings for the Lions B(13-16), allowing four runs on four hits while walking four and striking out eight, while Elijah Hunt had three hits, including a double, to lead Covenant at the plate.
The Trojans, who went 6-0 in the PACIS, will host crosstown rival and conference foe High Point Christian on Tuesday after the sixth-seeded Cougars upset third-seeded Charlotte Country Day 1-0.The winner will advance to the three-game championship series Friday and Saturday at Ravenscroft.
