|
ASHEBORO — It was a good night for a walk — 27 of them — as Rowan County fell to Asheboro 15-14 in a wild AmericanLegion baseball game at McCrary Park Tuesday.
Asheboro won the non-league contest on Lane Hunt’s grand slam home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. His shot to right-center capped off a six-run inning for the home team after Rowan had led 14-9.
Asheboro, which plays in the East Division Northern District of Area III, is 4-1 overall. Rowan, a West Division Southern District member, is 3-1 after its first loss.
Rowan’s three pitchers — Josh Harbinson, BobbyParnell and Michael Blount — walked 14 batters. Eight Asheboro hurlers combined for 13 base on balls. There were also three hit batsmen.
Rowan coach Jim DeHart said, “I’ve never been in a game where we’ve walked that many people.”
Blount, pitching for the first time in Legion ball, pitched three excellent innings in relief and appeared to be on his way to victory until disaster struck in the bottom of the eighth. He had walked only one batter until walking Michael Stefanacci with one out in the eighth. A hit batsman, two more walks, a sacrifice fly, another walk and the grand slam homer by Hunt accounted for Asheboro’s six-run rally.
“The grand slam killed us,” said DeHart.
The Rowan coach pointed out that he was saving other pitchers for games that will count in the standings, like tonight (7:15) against Statesville at North IredellHigh School, where left-hander Julian Sides will be on the mound.
“Both of us were not pitching our best pitchers. We didn’t pitch a single person tonight that’s going to pitch in the regular season. Harbinson might pitch a little bit,” he said. “I thought Harbinson did a good job for two or three innings and Blount did for a couple or three innings.”
DeHart didn’t like home plate umpire Steve Jacobs’ small strike zone and thought that was the main reason for all the walks.
“He squeezed both sides. They were complaining; we were complaining. ... Knowing that this is a non-league game, you should open it up a little bit. We had two 15-year-old pitchers out there, and I’m sure they did, too. These guys are nervous. You ought to give them a little bit. It makes both teams a little bit more aggressive, and it speeds the game up. Here we are 11 o’clock: That’s ridiculous,” he said.
The contest, which began at 7:15, went 3 hours and 39 minutes.
Rowan led 7-2 after 3 1/2 innings, but Asheboro tied it up in the fourth, when Brian Clodfelter got the home team started with a home run to center. Rowan went ahead 8-7, Asheboro scored twice to go up 9-8, then Rowan scored five runs on one hit in the seventh for its 14-9 advantage.
“I don’t know which team wanted it. I don’t think either team did,” said DeHart.
“We got a chance to play everybody (except Matt Butler and Justin Leazer),” said DeHart, who used 19 players. “I looked at some outfielders and some infielders. I want to be fair to these guys and give them a chance, and I did. ... We learned something. We know who can help and who can’t now.”
n
NOTES: Ben Hampton hammered his first Legion home run in the third inning. He had three runs batted in. ... Cal Hayes Jr. and Brett Peiffer each went 2-for-5 with Hayes driving in three runs and Peiffer two. ... Drew Davis and Clay Everson had doubles for the visitors. ... Rowan, after tonight’s league game against Statesville, doesn’t play again until Saturday at Mocksville-Davie.
|
Today's News