GREENFIELD TRUDGES PAST TRINITY ACADEMY, 19-12
By Jimmy Lewis
jlewis@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807 | Twitter: @JimmyLewisWT
At times, the proceedings may have resembled that of a root canal for the Greenfield School varsity baseball team.
But when the time arrived to turn in a timely defensive play during Monday’s nonconference contest with Raleigh Trinity Academy, the Knights stepped up to keep the visitors away from a potential big inning.
Junior Jacob Wings was extended four innings in relief, and the Greenfield offense used a pair of monster innings to grind its way to its seventh victory in eight games with a lengthy 19-12 victory on its new on-campus diamond.
Senior Justin Holland was 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles and four RBIs, including a bases-clearing, three-run double in the bottom of the first as part of a seven-run outburst for the Knights. Greenfield sent 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the first and tacked on four more runs in the third. Six Greenfield runners touched home in the bottom of the fourth.
“In a game like this, you can kind of put your head down and kind of just go through the motions,” Greenfield head coach Daniel Johnson said. “But they never really did that. We did make some miscues out there, and we struggled throwing the ball consistently over the plate, but like I told them there, I thought we made the big pitch and the big plays when we had to, to avoid the big innings.”
Greenfield of the 1-A/2-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference produced 12 hits, including a two-run single by junior Alex Johnson in the third that helped stake the Knights to an 11-5 cushion. But the 2-A Triangle Triad Athletic Conference Tigers (4-3) pulled to within a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, using a three-run double by catcher Anthony Humble into the gap in left center. Humble’s hit into the cavernous gap of Greenfield’s impressive but incomplete venue greeted Wiggs in relief, who entered in place of eighth grader Tristan Stancil with the bases loaded.
However, Wiggs limited further damage with just an RBI groundout to preserve a lead at 11-9 after the Tigers ran themselves out of the inning with a pair of base running mistakes.
That allowed Greenfield to return to the plate for the bottom of the fourth, where a parade of 12 batters pushed across six runs and brought the Knights to the verge of the 10-run rule. Trinity committed three of its seven errors in the fourth, with Holland’s vicious liner back up the middle off Tigers reliever Tate Farwell one of four runs batted in during the spree.
Wiggs faced just four batters in the fifth and Greenfield had the chance to end it in the fifth following Holland’s second double and a single by Johnson. However, senior Nathan Woodard and sophomore Gavin Price flew out with both runners in scoring position.
Wiggs allowed five hits over four innings, striking out two and walking four. Two of his four runs allowed were earned as the Tigers rarely entertained pitches out of the strike zone. Greenfield pitchers combined for eight walks and three hit batsmen to go along with four errors. Similarly, Trinity extended matters in the two-and-a-half hour affair by offering six walks, seven errors and four hit batsmen.
“They were not giving us any,” Coach Johnson said of Trinity’s approach at the plate. “And Jacob hasn’t thrown a lot because of injuries. He’s just coming back, so he had to knock some rust off. My plan wasn’t to throw him four innings, but it kind of worked out. I’ve been wanting to get him a longer outing, and it’s not the way I planned it. But it did work out.”
Trinity threatened with a big inning in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with one out and seeking to cut into a seven-run Greenfield lead. But Wiggs got Farwell to strike out swinging on a pitch in the dirt and behind the plate, catcher Alex Johnson alertly retired Noah Riggs with a tag between third and home for a double play.
“It wasn’t pretty, but we made the big pitch and the big play when we had to,” Coach Johnson said.
Leading 17-10 in the sixth, Greenfield used consecutive singles from Wiggs and senior William Smith to mount one more charge to end it early. Two runs crossed and junior Jeremy Johnson stood on third following a passed ball, but the Knights couldn’t produce.
Wiggs worked around a three-error display from Greenfield in the seventh as Trinity plated two more runs for the final margin.
Keegan Turbo took the loss for Trinity on the mound, working two-plus innings in a starting role and allowing four hits. Only four of his nine runs were earned.
Alex Johnson went 3 for 5 with three RBIs for Greenfield. Smith was 2 for 3 and had a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
“I think we could have limited the errors,” Holland said. “We didn’t have many, but I think we could have limited that. And strikeouts. We didn’t have many of them, but I think besides that, we did pretty good.”
Greenfield remains home Tuesday, diving back into CPIC play against Wayne Christian.
Trinity Academy 131 401 2 — 12
Greenfield 704 602 x — 19
WP-Jacob Wiggs 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO
LP-Keegan Trumbo 2 IP, 4 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 3 BB. 3 SO.
LEADING HITTERS — Greenfield: Justin Holland 3-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, Alex Johnson 3-5, 3 RBI, William Smith 2-3, RBI;
Trinity Academy: Anthony Humble 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, Jack Strom 2-5, RBI, Luke Kissling 2-4, RBI.
