Instead, it went right to their bats.

Coming off an emotional first-round victory over Mooresville — the first playoff series the team’s won in its six years of existence — seventh-seeded South (13-15)poked and punched 18 hits on Monday night to overwhelm Concord 13-2 in a surprisingly one-sided, second-round opener at Webb Field.

“We were all confident,” said South rightfielder Raymondo Brady, who produced more hits (four) last night than he had in the entire Mooresville series (three). “Confidence leads to confidence. We all went up there thinking, ‘Hey, we can hit this kid,’ and then we just exploded.”

“This kid” was Todd Greene, who tossed two great games in sixth-seeded Concord’s first-round upset of Kannapolis. You had to admire Greene’s intestinal fortitude — after all, how many guys can say they pitched a complete-game 18-hitter? — but you wonder how strong the lean right-hander can come back in Game 4 after tossing roughly 150 pitches, at least half of them curveballs.

Speaking of staggering stats, South leadoff man Ronnie Shore made the first and last outs of the first inning, something which may never have happened to him. Shore hardly minded, though, because in between his two harmless groundballs, his teammates piled up six runs.

Matt Morgan walked after Shore’s first out, swiped the first of his team’s nine stolen bases and scored when Greg Deal duck-hooked a soft liner that fell behind the first-base bag for a double. Aaron Safrit’s bad-hop single put runners at first and third. The pivotal play of the game followed when Justin Pinyan sent a room-service bouncer to short that had inning-ending double play inscribed all over it.

Concord (12-13) turned it over, but the timing on the flip was off and second baseman Justin Ridenhour didn’t touch the bag while he had possession of the ball. The umpires (who often punch baserunners out on that sort of play based on an unwritten “neighborhood” rule) noted the faulty footwork and got the call right. Pinyan was out at first, but Safrit was safe at second. Deal had scored South’s second run and the marathon inning was still a work in progress.

“We talk about never giving a team that extra out when we’re in the field,” said South coach Allen Wilson. “Concord gave us one and we capitalized.”

“It wasn’t like they were hitting the ball hard or anything,” sighed Concord star Brian York. “An inch here, a call there. And then you’re standing there thinking, ‘There’s no way things can go any worse.’ ”

But they most definitely could. After Adam Cornelius walked, lefty-hitting Jeremy Alderman sprayed one right over the third-base bag for a two-run double and it was 4-0. Insult was added by former Concord player Brad Matthews, who nudged a nine-hopper through the right side to plate Alderman. Injury was added by Brady, who waited for Matthews to steal second, then dribbled one through the same hole to get Matthews around.

South had hit zero balls hard, but had six runs on the board. But that’s the way things go when you’re on a roll. And South, which has won 10 of its last 14, has some good karma working. The game was essentially over after that crazy first inning, because South left-hander Andrew Morgan has an ERA of 3.12.

“I’ve been in so many 1-1 and 1-0 games, waiting for my guys to score,” said Morgan. “To go out there with a six-run lead was awesome. That made it real easy.”

Morgan (3-3) made it easy on himself by walking just one batter. He fanned four, boosting his program-record strikeout total to 61.

“My fastball was popping pretty good,” said Morgan. “But as you go along in the playoffs, the hitters get better and you’re not going to strike out that many.”

Wilson praised Morgan and pitching coach Ernie Faw, who’s helped the rising junior have a sensational summer.

“Ernie’s done quite a job,” said Wilson. “And Andrew was impressive. He’s a young guy, but he never lost his focus, even with that big lead. He made good pitches, especially to York. York’s a guy who can change a game, change a series, but Andrew did a nice job on him.”

York endured a rare 0-for-4, with three towering flies and a weak groundout to second that was gobbled up by his buddy, Matthews.

The beleaguered Greene settled in after his nightmarish start and shut out South from the fourth through the seventh. But he had little left at the end as South tacked on five more runs in the eighth and ninth.

Shore finished with three RBIs after that dismal start, while Deal had another gold glove game at third base and stroked three hits. The real offensive heroes for South, though, were Brady and Matthews, the No. 8 and No. 9 hitters. They combined for seven hits and six steals.

“Raymondo’s been working hard and we knew he was ready to bust out,” said Wilson. “And I’m so proud of Matthews. I told him to relax and go play and not to try to do too much against his old teammates.”

“It’s not like it was a grudge game for me,” said Matthews. “The Concord guys are my friends and a lot of them play on my high school team (Mount Pleasant). I just came down here to play my best, not to get back at anyone.

“But, you know, it sure does feel good to win.”

Sentiments to which Wilson, whose team was mired at 3-11 not that long ago, added a hearty amen.

“My fear was we wouldn’t be ready to play, that we’d be happy just to be in the second round,” Wilson said. “But we were ready. It was like the guys were saying, ‘Hey, let’s win this round, too.’ ”

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NOTES:The series moves to South for Game 2 tonight. Wilson says he’ll use Mayle (4-2) on the mound, while the hard-throwing York, who can reach 90 mph, goes for Concord. “We’ll go with our best,” said Wilson. “It’s a home game and it’s a big one.” ... Meanwhile, York promised a different Concord team. “We’re a lot better than we showed,” he said. “We’re not worried yet, because this was just one game and this series might go six or seven. If South can play seven games like they did this one, I’ll give them all the credit in the world.” ... Brandon Hiatt and Tim Cook pitched an inning each for South. ... Concord centerfielder Nick Boles made a great throw to the plate in the ninth to get Shore or it would have been 14-2.

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