Hunter, Westchester blank HPCA
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY
ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — Westchester Country Day had an approach and executed it well.
The Wildcats, facing one of the top arms in the area, pieced together four runs early and, behind a solid performance by pitcher Alec Hunter, topped High Point Christian 4-0 in a meeting of two of the area’s top NCISAA baseball programs Tuesday at Westchester’s Conner Baseball Field.
“I feel great — phenomenal,” Westchester coach Mickey Williard said of the win. “It was really nice to see our guys come out and execute the plan we put in yesterday. That’s really all you ask for as a coach. My assistant coaches have been unbelievable this year, and they should get the majority of the credit.
“They got our pitching staff ready, and we can’t thank them enough for what they’re doing on the offensive side too. ... We knew we were going to see some velocity tonight. So, we did our best to simulate that in practice yesterday and explain to the them that nothing changes except you get started a little sooner.”
Lucas Compton had two hits for the Wildcats (6-3), who reached the 2A state finals last season after winning three straight titles from 2012 to 2014. Tyrese Hearst, Dalton Ward and Will Herndon each had a hit and an RBI, while Jeremiah Foster added a double.
Westchester, which totaled six hits, scored one time in the second inning and three times in the third, while Hunter (2-0), a left-handed pitcher, rolled through six innings, yielding five hits and two walks while striking out seven. Compton then picked up his first save, facing four batters in the seventh.
“It was a good win,” Hunter said. “That’s a tough team — they’ve always been tough in the past. ... I was just consistent in the zone. My fastball was working, and my changeup was working. I had a little trouble with the curveball at first, but, after a couple innings, I got that down. So, it’s great to know that we can beat a team like that.”
Josh Nifong (1-2), a hard-throwing right-hander who has signed with Duke, took the loss in three innings for the Cougars (3-5), who last year reached the 3A state finals for the second time in program history after winning the 2A title in 2009. He allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks.
HPCA scattered six hits throughout the lineup, but none were in the same inning until the sixth and only Jackson Leck’s double in the seventh was for extra bases. So, the Cougars, even though they limited Westchester in the late innings, couldn’t get enough going to rally from behind.
“I thought their left-hander pitched really well and shut us down,” HPCA coach Corey Gesell said. “He made some really good pitches, and we just never seemed to get comfortable in the box. We hit a few balls hard, but we hit them right at them. You’ve got to overcome that, but he kept making good pitches and we’d pop up or hit it off the end of the bat. So, give them all the credit.
“It’s one of the reason’s we play them ever y year,” he said of the early-season challenge. “Mickey does a good job and he has good players. We want to face good competition. I’m not necessarily worried about the wins and the losses — even though you’d like to win. But if you face good competition and good pitchers, then you hope that makes you better toward the end of the season.”
The Wildcats took the lead in the second on a walk, an errant pickoff and a one-out single by Herndon to right field to score Ward from third. The following inning, following a walk by Seth Polen and double by Foster, Hearst had an RBI single to right. Foster then scored on a wild pitch, and Ward had a RBI single up the middle to give Westchester a 4-0 lead.
Both teams play again Thursday. The Wildcats return to Triad Athletic 1A/2A Conference play at home against Burlington Christian, while the Cougars visit nonconference foe Metrolina Christian.
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY
ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — Westchester Country Day had an approach and executed it well.
The Wildcats, facing one of the top arms in the area, pieced together four runs early and, behind a solid performance by pitcher Alec Hunter, topped High Point Christian 4-0 in a meeting of two of the area’s top NCISAA baseball programs Tuesday at Westchester’s Conner Baseball Field.
“I feel great — phenomenal,” Westchester coach Mickey Williard said of the win. “It was really nice to see our guys come out and execute the plan we put in yesterday. That’s really all you ask for as a coach. My assistant coaches have been unbelievable this year, and they should get the majority of the credit.
“They got our pitching staff ready, and we can’t thank them enough for what they’re doing on the offensive side too. ... We knew we were going to see some velocity tonight. So, we did our best to simulate that in practice yesterday and explain to the them that nothing changes except you get started a little sooner.”
Lucas Compton had two hits for the Wildcats (6-3), who reached the 2A state finals last season after winning three straight titles from 2012 to 2014. Tyrese Hearst, Dalton Ward and Will Herndon each had a hit and an RBI, while Jeremiah Foster added a double.
Westchester, which totaled six hits, scored one time in the second inning and three times in the third, while Hunter (2-0), a left-handed pitcher, rolled through six innings, yielding five hits and two walks while striking out seven. Compton then picked up his first save, facing four batters in the seventh.
“It was a good win,” Hunter said. “That’s a tough team — they’ve always been tough in the past. ... I was just consistent in the zone. My fastball was working, and my changeup was working. I had a little trouble with the curveball at first, but, after a couple innings, I got that down. So, it’s great to know that we can beat a team like that.”
Josh Nifong (1-2), a hard-throwing right-hander who has signed with Duke, took the loss in three innings for the Cougars (3-5), who last year reached the 3A state finals for the second time in program history after winning the 2A title in 2009. He allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks.
HPCA scattered six hits throughout the lineup, but none were in the same inning until the sixth and only Jackson Leck’s double in the seventh was for extra bases. So, the Cougars, even though they limited Westchester in the late innings, couldn’t get enough going to rally from behind.
“I thought their left-hander pitched really well and shut us down,” HPCA coach Corey Gesell said. “He made some really good pitches, and we just never seemed to get comfortable in the box. We hit a few balls hard, but we hit them right at them. You’ve got to overcome that, but he kept making good pitches and we’d pop up or hit it off the end of the bat. So, give them all the credit.
“It’s one of the reason’s we play them ever y year,” he said of the early-season challenge. “Mickey does a good job and he has good players. We want to face good competition. I’m not necessarily worried about the wins and the losses — even though you’d like to win. But if you face good competition and good pitchers, then you hope that makes you better toward the end of the season.”
The Wildcats took the lead in the second on a walk, an errant pickoff and a one-out single by Herndon to right field to score Ward from third. The following inning, following a walk by Seth Polen and double by Foster, Hearst had an RBI single to right. Foster then scored on a wild pitch, and Ward had a RBI single up the middle to give Westchester a 4-0 lead.
Both teams play again Thursday. The Wildcats return to Triad Athletic 1A/2A Conference play at home against Burlington Christian, while the Cougars visit nonconference foe Metrolina Christian.
