Peiffer power
Senior belts game-winning homer in seventh

BY STEVE HANF
SALISBURY POST

But when everything is said and done for the East Rowan Mustangs this season, the bombs Bobby Clester and Brett Peiffer delivered Monday night could be seen as turning points to a state championship run.

East found itself perhaps one error away from being a 20-win team on a three-game losing streak heading into the state playoffs. Instead, the Mustangs snatched a late win away from Northwest Cabarrus and advanced to the semifinals of the 3ASouth Piedmont Conference Tournament. Monday’s 8-5 win, courtesy Peiffer’s walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh, set up today’s showdown against West Rowan.

“We’ve had too many close games this year,”Peiffer said. “It was good to win one when we really needed to.”

The Mustangs badly needed this one. East rolled to a 20-2 record through last week before falling to Providence in the county Easter tournament and to SPC foe Kannapolis. After four innings against the Trojans, the Staton Field faithful wondered just how bad things could get.

Northwest’s Ryan Leister drilled a three-run homer off East ace Brian Hatley in the first inning. Dustin Wyatt connected for a solo shot in the second and Leister’s RBI single in the third made it 5-1. The only run the Mustangs managed was Cal Hayes Jr.’s solo homer to lead off the bottom of the first.

Trojan starter Justin Bonds escaped trouble in the early going, stranding an East runner in each of the first four frames. In the fifth, Hayes scored on an RBI groundout, but Bonds got Peiffer to hit a roller to third base to end the threat.

Or so everybody thought. Third baseman Matt Hudson bobbled the ball and his throw to first arrived late. Clester stepped up and hammered a line drive over the right-center field fence to tie the game at 5-all.

“He just looked at second before the ball got to him,”said East head coach Jeff Safrit of the error. “That was the big turning point right there.”

The Mustangs streamed out of the dugout to congratulate Clester. All the doubts accompanying the mini-slide suddenly were forgotten.

“We were just looking to get guys on base and drive them in,”Clester said of his fourth homer. “I was just looking to drive the ball.”

Hatley (9-2) recovered from his early troubles. As the game wore on, his grunts from the mound intensified, as did the sound of the ball slapping into Drew Davis’ catcher’s mitt. Hatley struck out the side in the fourth inning, gave up one hit in the fifth and retired the side in order in the sixth after two more Ks.

“That’s the sign of a good pitcher, when you don’t have your good stuff early,”Safrit said. “The first two innings didn’t look too good.”

The final innings didn’t look good for Northwest.

“My hat’s off to East. They battled back,”Trojans head coach Joe Hubbard said. “Hatley hung in there and got a lot better as it went on.”

The small matter of finishing the comeback remained. After the hard-luck fifth inning, Bonds retired the side on four pitches in the bottom of the sixth. Northwest then stranded a runner at second in the top of the seventh to set up East’s fabulous finale.

Bonds hit Davis with one out before Hatley lined a single to center field. Peiffer then connected on the first pitch he saw and sent it soaring deep into the trees beyond the left-center field fence.

Northwest’s players sprinted in.The Mustangs sprinted out — to mob Peiffer.

“I thought I knew it was gone, but I wasn’t sure until I rounded second and didn’t see it anymore,” Peiffer said. “You’ve got to get the guys in somehow. Fortunately I got a fastball and hit it.”

Now that losing streak is a distant memory. Safrit hopes Peiffer’s recent troubles at the plate are, too.

“I was real happy for Peiffer. He’s been struggling some lately,”Safrit said. “I hope it gets him some confidence. We’re going to need a couple more sticks coming up here.”

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NOTES: The Falcons and Mustangs will play at about 7 p.m. tonight after the opener between Kannapolis and Central Cabarrus. … Hatley finished with nine strikeouts. Bonds struck out four and didn’t walk a batter, but he did hit four Mustangs. … Northwest ended the season 7-14, while East improved to 21-4.