Rivalry resumed: Knights trim Chargers 5-3
By Tom Ham Senior Staff Writer
Baseball teams from two Wilson schools - Greenfield School and Wilson Christian Academy - located two miles apart resumed a rivalry that had been dormant for nearly 40 years in an occasional drizzle in Fleming Stadium on Friday night.
According to information obtained by Wilson Christian head coach Ty Bissett, the Knights and Chargers last tangled during the days of WCA alumnus Greg Turnage, a 1978 graduate.
Regardless of the date of the last meeting, the 2015 Friday the 13th occasion will always be especially memorable for Greenfield junior Jake Taylor.
Pitching in relief, Taylor, a right-hander, blanked the Chargers on two hits in the last four innings and, at the plate, he doubled, hit a pair of sacrifice flies and drove in three runs as the Knights, the 2014 North Carolina Indpendent Schools Athletic Association 1-A runners-up, turned back Wilson Christian, the 2014 North Carolina Christian School Association 2-A champion, 5-3.
Taylor was elated with the outcome in the final game of Friday's Greenfield Invitational action, while head coaches Daniel Johnson of Greenfield and Bissett each spoke of a win-win situation.
With starting Greenfield pitcher Jeff Hagen on a pitch count, Taylor, who started at shortstop, knew he would likely be summoned to the mound. The call came in the top of the fourth inning with the score knotted at 3-3.
"I have pitched about 11 innings," Taylor noted, "and my arm is sore a little bit. But I needed to do it for the team.
"I tried to pitch to contact, mix it up a little bit and let my defense work."
Taylor issued two singles in the seventh, allowed one walk and notched one strikeout in earning the win as Greenfield climbed to 2-1.
Greenfield struck for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fourth against junior right-handed reliever Brandon Krob, the second of three Wilson Christian pitchers.
Fleet senior center fielder Isaiah White led off with a walk and was soon situated at third base after stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. White trotted home on Taylor's sacrifice fly.
White and Taylor combined for an insurance run in the sixth. White tripled into the alley in left-center field to lead off and scored easily on Taylor's fly ball to right field.
"You want to be the winner against a county team," Taylor assured, "and this is a big one for us. But we have the rest of the season to look forward to.
"They have solid players and we knew they would be competitive. We just had to get the job done ourselves."
Said Greenfield's Johnson: "They are a very good ball team. We knew they had good players and would be a competitive team. I'm just glad we got to play it and I'm glad we are playing each other. Games like this are fun for the kids."
Bissett pointed out his Chargers were playing their fifth game (including a scrimmage) since Saturday and that Greenfield has three NCAA Division I players. White and Dwanya Williams-Sutton have signed with East Carolina University and Hagen with North Carolina Central University.
"It was a good game and I'm tickled to death," Bissett added. "We are fortunate to have played five games and still have pitching. I told the guys we had nothing to lose. We are trying to get better. We wanted to win, no doubt, but we have nothing to hang our heads about. I'm excited - the most excited I have been in a long time at Wilson Christian. And we did have a big inning against them."
Wilson Christian's big inning was the third - the last for Hagen.
Designated hitter Will Whitley, sophomore lead-off hitter Kevin Teague, senior first baseman Tripp Bissett, Krob and senior left fielder Darius Coleman all singled and Greenfield's two errors contributed to the three runs. The Chargers left the bases loaded.
Neither did the Chargers exit meekly in the seventh. Teague and junior Brad Batten each singled before a routine fly to center field ended the contest.
Wilson Christian simply couldn't contain the top of the Greenfield lineup.
White batted 2 for 3, scored three runs and stole two bases. As Johnson pointed out, Taylor stayed within himself and got the job done in the No. 2 spot. Williams-Sutton, batting third, went 2 for 2 and stole four bases. Clean-up hitter Luke Taylor, Jake's twin brother, contributed a single in the two-run third inning and stole a base, and Hagen, hitting No. 5, doubled in the two runs in the third.
"The top of the lineup did a great job," Johnson assured. "They put a lot of pressure on people when they get on. They set the stage.
"Jake did an outstanding job. He wanted the ball, threw strikes and let the defense work for him. I can't say enough about his overall game. He came ready to play and had an outstanding game."
In Friday's other invitational contests, Statesville Christian lost 11-1 to Wayne Country Day and bowed 18-7 to Halifax Academy.
This year's invitational, the 10th during Johnson's tenure, will be abbreviated because of Avalon School of Maryland not making the trip and Wayne Country Day requesting to play just one game.
Weather permitting, the event will conclude at 3 p.m. Saturday in Fleming Stadium with Wilson Christian (2-2), with 10 players who can pitch, opposing Halifax.
This post was edited on 3/14 11:06 AM by eastern
By Tom Ham Senior Staff Writer
Baseball teams from two Wilson schools - Greenfield School and Wilson Christian Academy - located two miles apart resumed a rivalry that had been dormant for nearly 40 years in an occasional drizzle in Fleming Stadium on Friday night.
According to information obtained by Wilson Christian head coach Ty Bissett, the Knights and Chargers last tangled during the days of WCA alumnus Greg Turnage, a 1978 graduate.
Regardless of the date of the last meeting, the 2015 Friday the 13th occasion will always be especially memorable for Greenfield junior Jake Taylor.
Pitching in relief, Taylor, a right-hander, blanked the Chargers on two hits in the last four innings and, at the plate, he doubled, hit a pair of sacrifice flies and drove in three runs as the Knights, the 2014 North Carolina Indpendent Schools Athletic Association 1-A runners-up, turned back Wilson Christian, the 2014 North Carolina Christian School Association 2-A champion, 5-3.
Taylor was elated with the outcome in the final game of Friday's Greenfield Invitational action, while head coaches Daniel Johnson of Greenfield and Bissett each spoke of a win-win situation.
With starting Greenfield pitcher Jeff Hagen on a pitch count, Taylor, who started at shortstop, knew he would likely be summoned to the mound. The call came in the top of the fourth inning with the score knotted at 3-3.
"I have pitched about 11 innings," Taylor noted, "and my arm is sore a little bit. But I needed to do it for the team.
"I tried to pitch to contact, mix it up a little bit and let my defense work."
Taylor issued two singles in the seventh, allowed one walk and notched one strikeout in earning the win as Greenfield climbed to 2-1.
Greenfield struck for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fourth against junior right-handed reliever Brandon Krob, the second of three Wilson Christian pitchers.
Fleet senior center fielder Isaiah White led off with a walk and was soon situated at third base after stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. White trotted home on Taylor's sacrifice fly.
White and Taylor combined for an insurance run in the sixth. White tripled into the alley in left-center field to lead off and scored easily on Taylor's fly ball to right field.
"You want to be the winner against a county team," Taylor assured, "and this is a big one for us. But we have the rest of the season to look forward to.
"They have solid players and we knew they would be competitive. We just had to get the job done ourselves."
Said Greenfield's Johnson: "They are a very good ball team. We knew they had good players and would be a competitive team. I'm just glad we got to play it and I'm glad we are playing each other. Games like this are fun for the kids."
Bissett pointed out his Chargers were playing their fifth game (including a scrimmage) since Saturday and that Greenfield has three NCAA Division I players. White and Dwanya Williams-Sutton have signed with East Carolina University and Hagen with North Carolina Central University.
"It was a good game and I'm tickled to death," Bissett added. "We are fortunate to have played five games and still have pitching. I told the guys we had nothing to lose. We are trying to get better. We wanted to win, no doubt, but we have nothing to hang our heads about. I'm excited - the most excited I have been in a long time at Wilson Christian. And we did have a big inning against them."
Wilson Christian's big inning was the third - the last for Hagen.
Designated hitter Will Whitley, sophomore lead-off hitter Kevin Teague, senior first baseman Tripp Bissett, Krob and senior left fielder Darius Coleman all singled and Greenfield's two errors contributed to the three runs. The Chargers left the bases loaded.
Neither did the Chargers exit meekly in the seventh. Teague and junior Brad Batten each singled before a routine fly to center field ended the contest.
Wilson Christian simply couldn't contain the top of the Greenfield lineup.
White batted 2 for 3, scored three runs and stole two bases. As Johnson pointed out, Taylor stayed within himself and got the job done in the No. 2 spot. Williams-Sutton, batting third, went 2 for 2 and stole four bases. Clean-up hitter Luke Taylor, Jake's twin brother, contributed a single in the two-run third inning and stole a base, and Hagen, hitting No. 5, doubled in the two runs in the third.
"The top of the lineup did a great job," Johnson assured. "They put a lot of pressure on people when they get on. They set the stage.
"Jake did an outstanding job. He wanted the ball, threw strikes and let the defense work for him. I can't say enough about his overall game. He came ready to play and had an outstanding game."
In Friday's other invitational contests, Statesville Christian lost 11-1 to Wayne Country Day and bowed 18-7 to Halifax Academy.
This year's invitational, the 10th during Johnson's tenure, will be abbreviated because of Avalon School of Maryland not making the trip and Wayne Country Day requesting to play just one game.
Weather permitting, the event will conclude at 3 p.m. Saturday in Fleming Stadium with Wilson Christian (2-2), with 10 players who can pitch, opposing Halifax.
This post was edited on 3/14 11:06 AM by eastern
