Douglas Smith
It's mid-spring and what could beat a lazy evening at the old ball yard?
Robin and I were expecting just that as we settled into our seats at Pinecrest High's John W. Williams Stadium. If you're watching high school baseball in North Carolina in May, you are watching state playoff action, and with the Raiders recently eliminated from play, we were expecting a good second-round matchup between the Patriots and the Grays Creek Bears of Hope Mills.
And why not? With nearly identical records, these clubs were ranked 8th and 9th in the 4A East tournament bracket. Each team had scored four runs in their opening round victories. Patriots starter Will Chopping, and Grays Creek starter Davis Reed, appeared similarly situated over each of their last two starts.
Yes, a tight pitchers' duel could be in the offing tonight. I looked forward to the low murmur of the crowd; maybe hear some crickets in between fastballs popping the mitts. Surely some miscreant, taking issue with an umpire, would not punctuate the evening's relaxing lull with "Come on, Blue — who's paying ya?"
Well ... think again. Seventy-two hours earlier, I had witnessed a collection of goose eggs on the scoreboard in Raleigh between our Raiders and Leesville Road High. The 1-0 win by Leesville in 11 innings was a pitching gem for fans of low-scoring thrillers. Four pitchers, and the gloves behind each of them, sort of resembled Da Vinci, or Raphael, placing careful brushstrokes on a canvas.
The 22-13 slugfest at Pinecrest proved a delight for aficionados of high- octane offense. Kind of like Ali, Frazier, and heavyweight strokes in 1975's "Thrilla in Manila."
Somewhere in the parade of 88 batters, eight pitchers, 35 runs, 30 hits, 16 walks, and four hit batsmen, I swear, I saw a couple of equipment managers and a bat boy warming in the bullpen.
Pinecrest seized a three-run lead in the opening frame, but the Bears had prowled back by the fourth inning, closing the gap to a single run. Patriots starter Chopping departed after the fourth with a 6-4 lead, but Grays Creek's bats were ready for action. The Bears sent 11 batters to the plate in the fifth inning with seven of them crossing the pay station. When Bears hurler Davis Reed launched a two-run rocket into the Moore County night, over the right field scoreboard, the Grays Creek faithful seemed confident with their 11-6 advantage.
Through the evening, fans of both teams appeared to enjoy the contest and supporting their guys. Naturally, Bears fans grew more vocal as their team's fruitful inning progressed. But episodes of taunting emerged. An element of younger fans, giddy and full of themselves — among other things — did not understand how quickly momentum can shift.
Having chased starter Davis Reed in the fourth inning, it did not appear the evening was finished for Coach Jeff Hewitt and his crew as they feasted on Bears relievers in their half of the fifth. Catcher Liam Dutton's 3-run blast over left-center field capped a nine-run frame.
Even after the inning's nine spot and the momentum shift, however, the four-run lead did not appear safe. Grays Creek struck again, with catcher Ellis Reed's two-run homer pulling them closer at 15-13.
Runs that were priced at a premium in Raleigh on Tuesday evening between Richmond and Leesville Road, came in bunches this evening. A sackful of gold doubloons probably could not have bought a run in Raleigh on May 6. On May 9 at Pinecrest, a wooden nickel would've gotten you a bushel of 'em.
The Patriots seemed to understand that, too, as they rung up seven more of them to ice the game and a ticket to round three against the East's number one seed, D. H. Conley High in Greenville. The Vikings have won 24 games in 25 outings this year. Their only loss was way back on March 1.
Best of luck to our conference brethren in Greenville this Tuesday. Maybe they'll remember to take along a few of those runs.
