KANNAPOLIS — Northwest Cabarrus’ baseball team spotted A.L. Brown a quick touchdown, but somehow rallied for a 12-7 win on Wednesday night.
Down 6-0, the Trojans put together a seven-run third inning to deal the visiting Wonders a 3A South Piedmont Conference loss that seriously jeopardizes their state playoff hopes.
The marathon game featured such a total momentum swing that it reminded everyone of those crazy comebacks the Kannapolis American Legion team kept staging last summer on its improbable run to the state tournament.
No mystery there. When these prep teams collide, it’s a Kannapolis Legion intra-squad game. And the Legion team’s coaches, Northwest’s Joe Hubbard and A.L. Brown’s Empsy Thompson, are in charge of the respective dugouts.
Hubbard and Thompson are the best of friends, but temporarily they became the worst of enemies. They had no choice. Every SPC game is a war.
The math goes like this. Seven of the nine leagueteams have either six or seven losses. Two will join league champ Central Cabarrus in the 3A state playoffs. The other five can buy a ticket and watch.
The dream SPC record is 10-6. Reach that and you’re in. Depending on the outcome of a dozen scraps, 9-7 might get you a tie. But 8-8 means you’d better win the SPCtourney.
The Wonders (8-8, 6-7) entered Wednesday in solid position. They left it hanging by a thread. Now the Wonders max out at that very borderline 9-7.
“We could have put real pressure on some people,” said Thompson. “Now we have to run the table to even have a chance.” That table is set with Piedmont (8-6), West Rowan (7-6) and Harding (7-7). All beatable. All tough.
A 7-3 loss to West on Tuesday, pushed Northwest (9-7, 6-7) to the brink. Even after its latest comeback, Hubbard’s team is the long-shot in this horserace, but at least it’s still on the track.
“We needed this one to stay alive,” said Hubbard. “The kids — they know what our chances are. But they wouldn’t fold up.”
Ahead for Northwest is an almost certain victory against lowly Concord and two games with East Rowan (7-6), hottest team among the contenders. The Trojans must sweep the sizzling Mustangs just to go 9-7.
But don’t expect the guys in orange to quit. The Wonders had them buried and had their ace, Zach Ward, on the hill. They couldn’t finish them.
“We committed the cardinal sin,” said Thompson. “You don’t let a team down six runs back in a ballgame.”
In the last of the third, Northwest sent a dozen guys to the plate, knocking out Ward. Brooks Little and Zeke Gurley had key singles and the Wonders threw in some serious self-destruction with two wild pitches, two errors, two misplayed fly balls and three walks. Both coaches described the inning as a “snowball.”
After the third, Northwest could do no wrong; the Wonders could do no right.
Little, who moved from right field to the mound in the third, dominated with his tricky curveball. He allowed one hit over the last four innings and even banged out three hits of his own.
“Little was the hero of the night,” proclaimed Hubbard.
Little got help from a Trojan defense that started horrendous, but ended stupendous. Left fielder Reid Wilkinson’s leaping, seventh-inning catch of a drive off Wally Tuttle’s bat was a real head-shaker — one of the plays of the year.
Thompson and Hubbard commiserated long after the game, chuckling as Hubbard’s toddler, Cal, bounded around the deserted diamond, showing off his amazing switch-hitting talents. But then the laughter gave way to a final handshake and a pair of grim expressions. Both men need a miracle now — and Cal’s not eligible until 2013.
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