KANNAPOLIS—As one-hitters go, Zach Ward’s effort wasn’t exactly a gem.

But the Kannapolis American Legion team’s ace got himself out of trouble when he needed to and led Post 501 to a 9-2 victory over Mocksville-Davie on Wednesday night.

Ward, down 2-0 after two innings thanks to two errors, two walks, a wild pitch and a balk, rebounded to strike out 10 in seven innings of work. Mocksville’s only hit — off Ward and relievers Andrew Petty and Justin Bonds — came from Chris Seaford in the fifth, a looping liner that fell just fair down the right-field line in the fifth inning.

“He just stuck the bat out and made contact,”Ward said. “Seeing-eye single.”

Regardless of Seaford’s hit, Ward’s performance looked great, especially considering his last outing Saturday night at South Rowan. He got 10 Ks in that rain-shortened affair, but threw 92 pitches through three innings to do it.

On Wednesday, Ward took the mound in the top of the seventh to throw pitch No. 93. He promptly hit Justin Pasquel and Charlie Ross to get in trouble, though.

“Going into the seventh we knew he hadn’t thrown more than that this year,”Kannapolis head coach Joe Hubbard said. “We thought that was probably his last inning and then he hit the first two batters.”

Just as quickly as Ward got himself in trouble, Kannapolis’ defense was trotting back to the dugout for the top of the eighth. Ward ended the Mocksville threat with three straight strikeouts, all on curveballs.

“I’m more comfortable with the curve, more accurate especially if there are more balls in the count,”Ward said. “I’m more of a strikeout pitcher with my curve.”

Ward left with the 9-2 lead and it didn’t get any better for Mocksville against Petty and Bonds, who each worked one frame without allowing a hit.

“This is the first time we’ve had this kind of slump where we’re not even putting the ball in play,”Mocksville head coach Mike Lovelace said. “Early in the game we had some opportunities when they made errors. He (Ward) beared down and did what he had to do.”

Mocksville (2-3 overall, 0-2 Southern Division)scrapped for single runs in the first and second when Ricky Bentley and Ross walked and scored.

Kannapolis (3-1, 3-0) pulled within a run in the second on John Goodman’s sac fly, then broke through against Cody Wright in the fifth.

Goodman got things started with a bunt single and took second on Chris Florence’s slow bouncer up the middle. Wally Tuttle followed with a liner to right field that fell for a single, then rolled all the way to the fence after an error to give Kannapolis the lead. John Graham and Josh McKnight added RBIs to end Wright’s night, trailing 5-2.

“We hit the ball hard at times,”Hubbard said. “We got that break in right field and then got it going from that point on.”

Goodman, leading off the sixth, walked and scored on Graham’s RBI single off reliever Adam Richardson, who gave way to Lonnie Barnes after getting just one out. McKnight, who finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs, ripped a two-run double to close the scoring in the sixth.

n

NOTES: Ward’s balk came in the first when he put his hand up to his mouth while on the dirt of the pitching mound. Hubbard explained that, while the rule stating a pitcher can’t go to his mouth unless he’s on the infield grass applies in high school as well, it’s rarely called, so Ward will have to get used to the Legion umps calling it. … Mocksville pulled off a nice double play in the second on Goodman’s sac fly. Seaford hit cutoff man Bentley, who fired to Casey Stanley at third to gun down Craig Waller. … Despite getting one hit, Mocksville did have seven other base runners on walks and hit batsmen.

n

Contact Steve Hanf at 704-797-4287 or shanf@salisburypost.com .