Winstead, Daniels pitch Demons past Knights, 5-0
By Jimmy Lewis Staff Writer
With limited preseason practice time a consideration, Greenfield School head varsity baseball coach Daniel Johnson wanted his hitters to be aggressive against Fike pitching in Saturday afternoon's season opener for both teams.
Golden Demon juniors Brandon Winstead and D.J. Daniels were happy to oblige.
Winstead tossed the first five innings and allowed only two hits, while Daniels gave up just one hit over the final two innings as Fike defeated Greenfield 5-0 in the Wilson Tobs Varsity Baseball Classic inside Fleming Stadium.
"They did a fantastic job," second-year Fike head coach Buck Edmundson said. "I liked how they got ahead in the counts and they just stayed really under control. They've been concentrating on their mechanics the last couple of weeks, and it showed today."
Fike of the 3-A Big East Conference amassed 10 hits, with Jase Lamm and senior Joe Ellis each having two. Daniels drove in three runs, and opened the scoring with his second-inning double to right field.
Saturday's game marked the return to baseball for Ellis following a two-year absence, while Edmundson said this week that two Fike players were removed from the team. Thus, opportunities to crack the starting lineup developed for players such as Ellis.
Facing Greenfield right-hander Jeff Hagen, Fike scored both of its runs in the second inning with two outs. Lamm had a leadoff infield single and moved up to second on a wild pitch. Hagen recorded back-to-back strikeouts, but hit No. 9 hitter Lavaris Speight. That paved the way for Daniels, who sent his two-run double over the head of Greenfield right fielder Tristan Kosich to plate both Lamm and Speight.
Winstead retired 15 of the 18 batters he faced, only yielding a first-inning single to senior Dwanya Williams-Sutton and a double to Hagen in the fourth. He struck out three and walked one.
"I was just trying to throw strikes and let them hit the ball," Winstead reviewed. "My team's got my back no matter what."
Johnson had no issue with Greenfield's often quick approaches at the plate.
"We wanted to be aggressive today," he assured. "One thing I've learned is they get passive at the beginning of the year. I really want to be aggressive in the strike zone. We knew Brandon was going to pound the zone, so he did an outstanding job. Our guys were aggressive, and that's our style. That's how we play."
Hagen took the loss, lasting 5 1/3 innings after hitting his prescribed pitch limit. He allowed nine hits and struck out seven, while walking two. Jake Taylor worked the final 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and an earned run.
Fike added another run in the fourth when Daniels bounced into a force play at second that plated Ellis.
In the fifth, Lamm walked and Ellis singled. After Lamm stole third and Ellis trotted up to second on a passed ball, Speight's groundout scored Lamm.
The Demons added their final run in the seventh. Shortstop Charlie Vaughan singled with one out and stole second. But after catcher Will Anderson's fly ball was snagged by Williams-Sutton in centerfield, Vaughan tagged up for third. He reached the bag, and a bad throw to the cutoff man allowed Vaughan to trot home.
Daniels struck out four of the eight batters he faced in relief, although Greenfield threatened to erase the shutout in the seventh. Catcher Luke Taylor led off with a single and Hagen walked. But from there, Daniels got Kosich to ground out to first, and back-to-back strikeouts ended the game.
"We were fired up," Winstead said. "We were ready to go to start the season. That's the only way to put it."
Fike plays host to Greenville Rose on Tuesday, while Greenfield hits the road to oppose Raleigh Ravenscroft.
By Jimmy Lewis Staff Writer
With limited preseason practice time a consideration, Greenfield School head varsity baseball coach Daniel Johnson wanted his hitters to be aggressive against Fike pitching in Saturday afternoon's season opener for both teams.
Golden Demon juniors Brandon Winstead and D.J. Daniels were happy to oblige.
Winstead tossed the first five innings and allowed only two hits, while Daniels gave up just one hit over the final two innings as Fike defeated Greenfield 5-0 in the Wilson Tobs Varsity Baseball Classic inside Fleming Stadium.
"They did a fantastic job," second-year Fike head coach Buck Edmundson said. "I liked how they got ahead in the counts and they just stayed really under control. They've been concentrating on their mechanics the last couple of weeks, and it showed today."
Fike of the 3-A Big East Conference amassed 10 hits, with Jase Lamm and senior Joe Ellis each having two. Daniels drove in three runs, and opened the scoring with his second-inning double to right field.
Saturday's game marked the return to baseball for Ellis following a two-year absence, while Edmundson said this week that two Fike players were removed from the team. Thus, opportunities to crack the starting lineup developed for players such as Ellis.
Facing Greenfield right-hander Jeff Hagen, Fike scored both of its runs in the second inning with two outs. Lamm had a leadoff infield single and moved up to second on a wild pitch. Hagen recorded back-to-back strikeouts, but hit No. 9 hitter Lavaris Speight. That paved the way for Daniels, who sent his two-run double over the head of Greenfield right fielder Tristan Kosich to plate both Lamm and Speight.
Winstead retired 15 of the 18 batters he faced, only yielding a first-inning single to senior Dwanya Williams-Sutton and a double to Hagen in the fourth. He struck out three and walked one.
"I was just trying to throw strikes and let them hit the ball," Winstead reviewed. "My team's got my back no matter what."
Johnson had no issue with Greenfield's often quick approaches at the plate.
"We wanted to be aggressive today," he assured. "One thing I've learned is they get passive at the beginning of the year. I really want to be aggressive in the strike zone. We knew Brandon was going to pound the zone, so he did an outstanding job. Our guys were aggressive, and that's our style. That's how we play."
Hagen took the loss, lasting 5 1/3 innings after hitting his prescribed pitch limit. He allowed nine hits and struck out seven, while walking two. Jake Taylor worked the final 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and an earned run.
Fike added another run in the fourth when Daniels bounced into a force play at second that plated Ellis.
In the fifth, Lamm walked and Ellis singled. After Lamm stole third and Ellis trotted up to second on a passed ball, Speight's groundout scored Lamm.
The Demons added their final run in the seventh. Shortstop Charlie Vaughan singled with one out and stole second. But after catcher Will Anderson's fly ball was snagged by Williams-Sutton in centerfield, Vaughan tagged up for third. He reached the bag, and a bad throw to the cutoff man allowed Vaughan to trot home.
Daniels struck out four of the eight batters he faced in relief, although Greenfield threatened to erase the shutout in the seventh. Catcher Luke Taylor led off with a single and Hagen walked. But from there, Daniels got Kosich to ground out to first, and back-to-back strikeouts ended the game.
"We were fired up," Winstead said. "We were ready to go to start the season. That's the only way to put it."
Fike plays host to Greenville Rose on Tuesday, while Greenfield hits the road to oppose Raleigh Ravenscroft.
