“You sleep better at night when you go home and tell yourself, “That’s what I wanted to do anyway,’ ” he said.

In the first seven-inning game of Tuesday night’s South Atlantic League doubleheader against Hagerstown, the Piedmont Boll Weevil manager went with his first instincts and replaced his starter, who was pitching fairly well. It paid off in a 2-1 victory.

In the second game, a 5-4 loss, his instincts left him feeling as though he had been punched in the gut for leaving his starter in too long.

The doubleheader split left the Weevils 13-6 overall, still good enough for first place in the Northern Division. It also left them with a split of the four-game series with the Suns.

“They could’ve won three of four and if we had pulled out that second game, we could’ve won three of four,” said Legg, “It’s just one of those things where both teams are pretty even.”

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In Game 1, the two teams were as even as you could get. Both scored a single run in the fourth, the Weevils getting theirs on Shomari Beverly’s RBIsingle, which scored Nate Espy.

After six innings, Legg decided to replace No. 1 draft pick Brett Myers on the mound with Mark Outlaw.

“It was more of a gut feeling,” admitted Legg. “I wanted Myers to come out with a chance to win or with a no-decision. Plus, I had a ton of confidence in Outlaw. The matchups were great.”

Outlaw, a left-hander from Waco, Texas, did his job in the seventh and eighth, giving the Weevils a chance to win.

“We all love him,” said Legg of Outlaw.“He’s left-handed, he’s from Texas, he’s crazy and he likes to pitch.”

The bottom of the Weevil lineup was due up in the bottom of the eighth but that was a good thing. The 7-8 hitters, Brian Hitchcox and Shomari Beverly, had combined for four hits. Before the inning was over, each would have three.

Hitchcox flared a one-out single to center off reliever Josh Stevens and went to second when Beverly missed a change-up and it got past catcher Guillermo Quiroz.

Beverly, who was struggling with a .185 average coming in, put another soft liner into center. Reed Johnson charged the ball and came up throwing.

Johnson had prevented Piedmont from winning in the bottom of the seventh with a spectacular two-out, over-the-shoulder grab of Jorge Padilla’s long drive with Espy, who had doubled, on second.

“I said, ‘Oh no, he’s going to throw him out,’” whewed Legg. “It was a tough read for Hitchcox with only one out. If (Johnson) makes a diving catch, it’s a double play and we go another inning.”

The ball reached Quiroz in plenty of time, but again, the Suns catcher couldn’t hang on and the Weevils had won.

“I was going to hook-slide on the backside of the plate,” explained Hitchcox, who upped his .370 average with a 3-for-3 outing. “At the last second, he shuffled back. If he catches it, I’m a dead duck.”

Beverly said he just tried to put the ball in play. He had three of Piedmont’s 12 hits.

“I’ve struggled with the bat and I’m trying to get going again,” he said. “I’m just glad he scored.”

“That was a good at-bat for Beverly,” Legg said. “There were two strikes and he put the ball in play. We know he’s capable of playing some good baseball. And Hitchcox is a tough out.”

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Speaking of tough, Legg had a major decision to make quickly in Game 2.

His 18-year old starter Matire Franco couldn’t get the ball over the plate and Hagerstown scored five quick runs.

As he walked his second and third batters in the first, Legg fidgeted on the dugout steps, pondering his moves. His gut feeling was to leave him in.

“If he’s going to be on our roster, he has to pitch,” Legg said. “He’s gotta help. Iwant him to go three, four innings, and he has the ability to go deeper.”

Hagerstown had two hits and was helped by an error. Forty-seven pitches and 34 minutes after Franco took the mound, he was gone. His line was two-thirds of an inning, six hits and four earned runs.

“It was a command thing,” continued Legg. “Once it got to 5-0, it looked like he wasn’t coming out of it. Ihad to think of the team.”

Franklin Perez, Elia Serrano and Justin Fry allowed only three more Suns hits over the last 6 1/3 innings while the bats tried to catch up.

Three Weevil runs came in the bottom of the first. Buzz Hannahan scored on a wild pitch, Marlon Byrd came home on a groundout and Eric Schreimann ripped an RBIsingle. When Schreimann knocked in his second run in the third, it was 5-4. But two relievers held Piedmont hitless over the last three innings.

“It was like an NBA game where you fall behind by 20, rally to get close and then you run out of gas and can’t finish,” Legg sighed. “The ballgame was the first inning. When you’re down 5-0 in a seven-inning ballgame, that’s a tough hill to climb.”

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