|
MOUNT ULLA — Every baseball coach in the area offers the same scouting report on A.L. Brown’s talented junior right-hander Zach Ward: great velocity— great curve— shaky control— shaky confidence.
But coaches may have to update the latter 25 percent of the book on Ward after he led the Wonders to a surprising 6-1 3A South Piedmont Conference win over West Rowan on Tuesday.
The glowing descriptions of Ward’s curve and fastball proved accurate and he was definitely enough of a wild child — five wild pitches, four hit batsmen — that no Falcon felt comfortable facing him. Ward’s control can only be described as a work in progress.
But that confidence thing? He might have licked it for good in the seventh inning.
Matt Morgan picked up a one-out single in the seventh — just the third hit for the Falcons — to start the excitement. Then Ward drilled Ryan Schenk in the back. Ward bounced back with his 10th strikeout of the afternoon against Justin Graham for the second out, but then plunked Jared Barnette in the hip with a heater.
Now the bases were loaded and the tying run was on deck. And all the Wonders were starting to have ugly flashbacks to that game they blew Friday against Piedmont.
Then Ward threw three straight balls to fall behind Falcon clean-up man Shawn Trosper, forcing Wonder coach Empsy Thompson to creep toward the top step of the dugout. But Thompson elected to leave matters in Ward’s hands, even though reliever Drew Maher was warm and ready.
Ward came through, firing three straight strikes. Trosper hit the ball well on 3-and-2, but center fielder John Graham made a running grab to end the game.
“I thought it was important for us to show Zach we believed in him,” said Thompson. “He can get down on himself, so we have to let him know we support him.”
Thompson said that even if Trosper had gotten a hit, he would have stuck with Ward for at least one more batter.
“At least one, because he had done well with that next guy (Corey Rolla),” he said. “Maybe more.”
“I’ve sort of got this problem with control — like always,” said Ward, scratching his head and smiling ruefully. “I wasn’t sure if the coaches thought I had it in me to get through it. But they had confidence and I did it.”
So far, SPC baseball is even harder to predict than NCAA hoops brackets. West figured to win this one with its horse, Barnette, on the mound, and with the Wonders coming to town on a two-game slide. But Barnette wasn’t at his best and the Wonders smacked out six hits — good for four runs — in the first three innings.
“Barnette’s a good pitcher,” said Wonder slugger Wally Tuttle, who tripled, doubled and singled. “But we were fired up and mad over losing our last two games. We came in here swinging the bats.”
Tuttle’s triple keyed a two-run first and his two-out single made it 3-0 in the second. Tyson Fink singled for a 4-0 edge in the third.
The Wonders kept things rolling in the fourth against reliever Cory Ruff. Two-out hits by Tuttle and Josh Lee put runners at first and third. Then Thumper Williams singled home Tuttle. A cut-off trapped Williams between first and second, but he stayed in a rundown long enough for Lee to race around the bases for a 6-0 lead.
West scored its run in the fourth on a solid single by Trosper and a two-out throwing error by Ward, who fired high and outside to first baseman Daniel Smith on Ruff’s routine comebacker.
It was a frustrating day for Falcon coach Chris Cauble. West stranded nine and failed to take advantage of Ward’s constant tug-of-war with the strike zone.
“Hats off to Kannapolis,” said Cauble. “They beat us in every phase of the game.”
West has lost two straight after winning its first four games and is 2-2 in the league. The Wonders are 3-3 overall, and also 2-2 in the league. Both are in the chase for one of the SPC’s three state playoffs spots, but have spotted the leaders a head start.
“This game was a very crucial one for us,” said Thompson. “I’m pleased with how we responded.”
n
NOTES:Bright spots for West were fine catches in the outfield by Morgan and Brandon Hiatt and Ruff’s relief pitching. Ruff retired the last nine he faced. ... Williams had three hits for the Wonders, while shortstop Andrew Petty, back in the lineup after being hurt on opening day, made two sparkling plays.
|
Today's News