Firebirds' fast start buries Oakwood
By Paul Durham Sports Editor
As Southern Nash continued to pile up runs in the top of the first inning Monday afternoon against The Oakwood School of Greenville, one of the Firebirds fans seated behind the visiting team's dugout in Fleming Stadium was heard to remark: "What did y'all eat this morning?"
The 3-A Big East Conference Firebirds feasted on the pitching of Oakwood starter Blake Owen as though they hadn't eaten in days as Southern Nash ripped seven hits and scored nine runs. That would prove to be enough as Southern Nash (4-8) handed Oakwood of the North Carolina Independent School Association 1-A ranks its first loss of the season, 9-6, in the second day of action in the Golden Leaf Invitational high school baseball tournament.
"We swung it well right to start with and that helps us tremendously to get off to a good start," said Southern Nash first-year head coach Todd Brewer, whose team ended a five-game losing streak. "We definitely had to sweat it out but we're going to take it how we can get it right now.
I'm proud of the guys. They had a chance, in the middle innings there, to let it go and we didn't. We scrapped it together and we kept fighting."
The same could be said for the Eagles (8-1), whose day began with the team bus getting rear-ended en route to Fleming.
"We got here late. Everybody's OK," Oakwood third-year head coach Axel Smith said. "They were a little shaken up but everybody's OK."
Smith pointed out that he was proud of his team for fighting back to make it a game when it was anything but in the first inning.
"They could have folded up really easily," he said. "I'm prouder of my guys today than I've been in any of the three years I've been at Oakwood. For making a ballgame of it and showing heart and fighting."
Oakwood errors allowed two of the first three Southern Nash batters to reach base before Firebirds junior first baseman Blake Boyd started a string of four straight run-producing singles. Boyd, Hunter Perry, a freshman call-up from the junior varsity team, and senior catcher Cameron Rhodes each cracked RBI singles before sophomore third baseman Alex Marlowe delivered a two-run single to make it 5-0 and chase Owen.
After reliever Alex Goins, who moved over from shortstop, got two outs, he walked Firebirds leadoff hitter Kendall Parker before giving up a two-run triple to Ryan Marlowe, who finished 3 for 4. Freshman Leroy Edwards, the Firebirds starting pitcher who hadn't thrown a pitch yet, completed the onslaught with a single to right field to bring in Marlowe.
"It was a great adrenaline boost for me," said Edwards, who notched his first varsity win after two losses. "I feel like when I have my teammates hitting, I know all I have to do is go up there and throw strikes. It feels great to come back after a little losing slump, to come back with a nine-run lead and take it on to the end of the game."
The instant offense for Southern Nash, however, was shelved by Goins, who retired 15 straight batters. He gave up just two more hits, singles by Parker and Marlowe in the sixth and seventh, respectively. Both were thrown out on the bases.
Goins' effort - and a leaky Firebirds defense - allowed the Eagles to creep back into the game. Charles Corey and Lowie Price sandwiched singles around a pop-up before Edwards got Goins on a liner to Perry at second. That's when the fun started for Oakwood, which used two errors, three more hits and a hit batter to push across five runs - all unearned.
Another two-out throwing error in the fourth led to Oakwood's sixth run.
"You've just got to stay focused and keep your head up because as soon as you let your head down, that's the game right there," said Edwards, who gave up six hits and walked none but hit four batters in the complete game. "We had that one bad inning but we ended up pulling through it. We kept our heads up and didn't give up."
The Eagles threatened again in the sixth when speedy Zarion Sharpe was hit by a pitch with one out and stole second. Price followed with a single but Firebirds senior right fielder Grant Jones fired a strike to Rhodes, who put the tag on Sharpe for the second out.
"You know, that's a senior making a play. That may have been the play of the game," Brewer said.
Instead of a 9-7 game with one out and a runner on base, it was still 9-6 with two outs.
Smith took the blame, saying: "We're down three runs and my kids have fought dearly to get back in the game and that's me being eager instead of letting the game play out."
Edwards negotiated through a single by Goins and another hit batter to escape and finished the job, despite another error in the seventh.
"That's a good win for us and we'll take it for sure," Brewer attested.
By Paul Durham Sports Editor
As Southern Nash continued to pile up runs in the top of the first inning Monday afternoon against The Oakwood School of Greenville, one of the Firebirds fans seated behind the visiting team's dugout in Fleming Stadium was heard to remark: "What did y'all eat this morning?"
The 3-A Big East Conference Firebirds feasted on the pitching of Oakwood starter Blake Owen as though they hadn't eaten in days as Southern Nash ripped seven hits and scored nine runs. That would prove to be enough as Southern Nash (4-8) handed Oakwood of the North Carolina Independent School Association 1-A ranks its first loss of the season, 9-6, in the second day of action in the Golden Leaf Invitational high school baseball tournament.
"We swung it well right to start with and that helps us tremendously to get off to a good start," said Southern Nash first-year head coach Todd Brewer, whose team ended a five-game losing streak. "We definitely had to sweat it out but we're going to take it how we can get it right now.
I'm proud of the guys. They had a chance, in the middle innings there, to let it go and we didn't. We scrapped it together and we kept fighting."
The same could be said for the Eagles (8-1), whose day began with the team bus getting rear-ended en route to Fleming.
"We got here late. Everybody's OK," Oakwood third-year head coach Axel Smith said. "They were a little shaken up but everybody's OK."
Smith pointed out that he was proud of his team for fighting back to make it a game when it was anything but in the first inning.
"They could have folded up really easily," he said. "I'm prouder of my guys today than I've been in any of the three years I've been at Oakwood. For making a ballgame of it and showing heart and fighting."
Oakwood errors allowed two of the first three Southern Nash batters to reach base before Firebirds junior first baseman Blake Boyd started a string of four straight run-producing singles. Boyd, Hunter Perry, a freshman call-up from the junior varsity team, and senior catcher Cameron Rhodes each cracked RBI singles before sophomore third baseman Alex Marlowe delivered a two-run single to make it 5-0 and chase Owen.
After reliever Alex Goins, who moved over from shortstop, got two outs, he walked Firebirds leadoff hitter Kendall Parker before giving up a two-run triple to Ryan Marlowe, who finished 3 for 4. Freshman Leroy Edwards, the Firebirds starting pitcher who hadn't thrown a pitch yet, completed the onslaught with a single to right field to bring in Marlowe.
"It was a great adrenaline boost for me," said Edwards, who notched his first varsity win after two losses. "I feel like when I have my teammates hitting, I know all I have to do is go up there and throw strikes. It feels great to come back after a little losing slump, to come back with a nine-run lead and take it on to the end of the game."
The instant offense for Southern Nash, however, was shelved by Goins, who retired 15 straight batters. He gave up just two more hits, singles by Parker and Marlowe in the sixth and seventh, respectively. Both were thrown out on the bases.
Goins' effort - and a leaky Firebirds defense - allowed the Eagles to creep back into the game. Charles Corey and Lowie Price sandwiched singles around a pop-up before Edwards got Goins on a liner to Perry at second. That's when the fun started for Oakwood, which used two errors, three more hits and a hit batter to push across five runs - all unearned.
Another two-out throwing error in the fourth led to Oakwood's sixth run.
"You've just got to stay focused and keep your head up because as soon as you let your head down, that's the game right there," said Edwards, who gave up six hits and walked none but hit four batters in the complete game. "We had that one bad inning but we ended up pulling through it. We kept our heads up and didn't give up."
The Eagles threatened again in the sixth when speedy Zarion Sharpe was hit by a pitch with one out and stole second. Price followed with a single but Firebirds senior right fielder Grant Jones fired a strike to Rhodes, who put the tag on Sharpe for the second out.
"You know, that's a senior making a play. That may have been the play of the game," Brewer said.
Instead of a 9-7 game with one out and a runner on base, it was still 9-6 with two outs.
Smith took the blame, saying: "We're down three runs and my kids have fought dearly to get back in the game and that's me being eager instead of letting the game play out."
Edwards negotiated through a single by Goins and another hit batter to escape and finished the job, despite another error in the seventh.
"That's a good win for us and we'll take it for sure," Brewer attested.
