Wesleyan edges HPCA on walk-off walk
By GREER SMITH ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — For a split second, Wesleyan Christian sophomore Hudson Lance was afraid he might have made the wrong decision.
After fouling off two high pitches and batting with a 3-2 count and the score tied and no one out in the bottom of the seventh, Lance decided to let a high inside pitch go knowing that he couldn’t make contact.
“It was far enough up that I knew I couldn’t touch it,” Lance said. “I wanted to swing, but I couldn’t get to it.”
At first, he was afraid that it would be called a strike. But, the call was a ball that resulted in a walk-off walk that forced Phillip Griffen across with the winning run as the Warriors came from two runs down in the last two innings and edged rival High Point Christian 3-2 at Wesleyan’s Alumni Field.
Griffen led off the inning with a single, Grant Aycock followed with a single to right that allowed Griffen to go to third and Thomas Bowman was walked.
“Griffen got a big hit and that got us started, and Phillip, I wanted him at third (on Acock’s hit) so if he got thrown out that was on me,” Wesleyan coach Mo Blakeney said. “And it all worked out. We’ve had a hard time laying off high fastball, so if (Lance) doesn’t swing it at the two pitches easier. He laid off a ball that was up and we got the win.”
Wesleyan (4-1) trailed 2-0 until Grayson McDonald smacked a home run that narrowly cleared the fence in right field, McDonald’s shot came with one out after Christian Walker led off the inning with a single and went to second on a wild pitch.
“It was a 2-1 pitch,” McDonald said. “They gave me a couple of sliders and then a fastball up and I didn’t budge. They gave me another slider and I was all over it. It feels awesome to beat our rival. But to do it in that fashion, it demoralizes them and brings joy to us.”
HPCA starter Dylan Story, who worked the first four innings, and reliever Trace Aufderhar, who went the rest of the way, shut down the Trojans until Aufderhar ran into trouble. Before that, the Trojans managed just three hits, all off Story.
HPCA took a 2-0 lead on Yates Sikes’ bases-loaded two-run single off Wesleyan starter Sam Cozart in the second.
In the sixth, the Cougars (3-4) put two on against reliever Will Papciak but with two out, Owen Smith was called for a third strike for leaning into a pitch that hit him.
“It was a tough one, sure,” Gesell said. “We had the lead late in the game and their batter hit one out on a tough pitch. He hit a good pitch. I’m proud of my guys. We played good defense and we played hard. It hurts to lose like that.”
gsmith@hpenews.com
By GREER SMITH ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — For a split second, Wesleyan Christian sophomore Hudson Lance was afraid he might have made the wrong decision.
After fouling off two high pitches and batting with a 3-2 count and the score tied and no one out in the bottom of the seventh, Lance decided to let a high inside pitch go knowing that he couldn’t make contact.
“It was far enough up that I knew I couldn’t touch it,” Lance said. “I wanted to swing, but I couldn’t get to it.”
At first, he was afraid that it would be called a strike. But, the call was a ball that resulted in a walk-off walk that forced Phillip Griffen across with the winning run as the Warriors came from two runs down in the last two innings and edged rival High Point Christian 3-2 at Wesleyan’s Alumni Field.
Griffen led off the inning with a single, Grant Aycock followed with a single to right that allowed Griffen to go to third and Thomas Bowman was walked.
“Griffen got a big hit and that got us started, and Phillip, I wanted him at third (on Acock’s hit) so if he got thrown out that was on me,” Wesleyan coach Mo Blakeney said. “And it all worked out. We’ve had a hard time laying off high fastball, so if (Lance) doesn’t swing it at the two pitches easier. He laid off a ball that was up and we got the win.”
Wesleyan (4-1) trailed 2-0 until Grayson McDonald smacked a home run that narrowly cleared the fence in right field, McDonald’s shot came with one out after Christian Walker led off the inning with a single and went to second on a wild pitch.
“It was a 2-1 pitch,” McDonald said. “They gave me a couple of sliders and then a fastball up and I didn’t budge. They gave me another slider and I was all over it. It feels awesome to beat our rival. But to do it in that fashion, it demoralizes them and brings joy to us.”
HPCA starter Dylan Story, who worked the first four innings, and reliever Trace Aufderhar, who went the rest of the way, shut down the Trojans until Aufderhar ran into trouble. Before that, the Trojans managed just three hits, all off Story.
HPCA took a 2-0 lead on Yates Sikes’ bases-loaded two-run single off Wesleyan starter Sam Cozart in the second.
In the sixth, the Cougars (3-4) put two on against reliever Will Papciak but with two out, Owen Smith was called for a third strike for leaning into a pitch that hit him.
“It was a tough one, sure,” Gesell said. “We had the lead late in the game and their batter hit one out on a tough pitch. He hit a good pitch. I’m proud of my guys. We played good defense and we played hard. It hurts to lose like that.”
gsmith@hpenews.com
