BY MIKE LONDON
SALISBURY POST

SPENCER — When the going gets tough, North Rowan junior pitcher Brandon Doby asks himself, “What would Dan do?”

“Dan” is lefty legend Daniel Moore, who pitched for North last season before heading for a spot in UNC’s rotation.

“Being in Dan’s spot is a big responsibility,” said Doby, a right-hander who’s nearly as tall as the 6-foot-5 Moore. “It’s like — incredibly hard.”

But Doby’s getting better at it. Thursday night, he didn’t just ask himself what Dan would do, he went out and did what Dan would have done. Doby (3-1) tossed a three-hit complete game and struck out nine as the Cavaliers (5-2, 2-0) beat arch-rival Ledford 5-3 in a key 2A Central Carolina Conference battle.

The Panthers (2-4, 1-2) led twice — at 2-0 and 3-2 — but the Cavs kept coming.

That’s what usually happens in Spencer. North doesn’t lose conference games. At least, it hasn’t dropped one since the 1998 season. Coach Bill Kesler’s squad has won 31 straight over CCC foes. Even when CCC rival East Davidson won a state championship two years ago, the Cavs beat them three times. The glowing North torch just keeps getting passed down and held high. From the Paul Black-Tito McCall bunch to the Moore-Nate Woodburn-Brad Canipe-Cass Jarrett group that led the Cavs to within a game of the state title last season. And now the torch is carried by talented youngsters like Doby.

“People said we’d be an iffy team,” said North outfielder Jimbo Davis, an emerging star. “But we’re not iffy. Not when Brandon steps up like this.”

The Cavs did look iffy early. Ledford, which nearly beat the Cavs in the 2000 state playoffs on their last visit to Spencer, scored two early runs and pitcher Chase Adams looked like he might make them stand up.

But Davis got the Cavs going when he opened the fourth with a sharp double down the third-base line. Then Erik Mowery’s hot grounder skipped off Ledford second baseman Tyler Slabaugh’s glove to score Davis. Two outs later, Aaron Corby singled in Mowery to knot the game at 2.

Ledford went back in front 3-2 with a gift run in the fifth. Slabaugh was ruled to have been hit by a pitch (North coach Bill Kesler hotly disputed the call) and ultimately scored when he swiped third with two outs and North catcher Keith Cauble’s throw skipped past third baseman Tad Ogg into left field.

That put the pressure back on the Cavs.

“Lots of tension,” said Doby.

“It was like the playoff game we had with them here last year,” said Kesler. “Everyone was into it. It was getting louder and louder.”

Apparently the Cavs like noise and stress. They answered with three in their half of the fifth. Jason Barber walked, moved up on Ranon Barber’s bunt and scored the tying run when Aaron Rimer blistered a triple to right-center. That brought up Davis, who had missed a hit-and-run sign in the first inning (Rimer was gunned down at second), and was eager to make amends.

A part-timer last season, Davis, a junior, is batting over .500. There’s certainly no one Kesler would rather see at the plate.

“(Assistant coach Jason) Sparger told me good players want to be in the batters box when it’s crunch time,” said Davis. “I like crunch time.”

Davis proved it with a solid single that scored Rimer with the go-ahead run. Davis scored an insurance run when Mowery doubled over the head of left fielder Matt Shelton, who slipped on the wet grass.

“It was hit, hit, hit,” said Kesler. “We got the bats going and stuck ’em pretty good.”

That three-run frame gave Doby the cushion he needed.

“I wasn’t throwing too good at first, but then it hit me — ‘Hey, this is Ledford. I’ve got to pick it up,’ ” said Doby.

The Ledford dugout helped get Doby jacked up. The always enthusiastic Panthers razzed the hurler hard after a long foul ball down the left-field line. That impressive (but harmless) blast was followed by a couple of ugly deliveries by Doby that bounced off the screen. But he was just mad, not all shook up.

“Ledford’s guys pumped Doby up. They helped him —probably put another five miles an hour on his fastball,” said Kesler.

After the barrage of barbs, Doby pitched hitless ball until Sam Cecil’s two-out double in the seventh. Doby stranded Cecil and ended the game when he got Slabaugh to pop up.

“Honestly, win or lose, I was gonna be pretty happy, because I had a real good time out there,” said a grinning Kesler. “I was pretty psyched.”

But even Kesler couldn’t have had a better time than Doby. It’s a lot of fun when you do what Dan would have done.

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NOTES:Ogg turned in a couple of defensive gems at third, robbing Cecil both times. ... North plays today at High Point Central. Phillip Goodman will pitch. ... Doug Fowler’s triple was the biggest blow for coach Kevin Gillespie’s Panthers, who also lost to East Davidson.