By David Shaw
Salisbury Post
MOUNT ULLA ó Five NPC games remain for West Rowan’s still-in-the-hunt baseball team ó but it’s already third-and-long for the Falcons.
That’s what made Friday’s 12-4 conference win over visiting West Iredell so important.
“From here out, every game’s a playoff game for us,” coach David Wright said after eighth-place WR (10-9, 5-8) collected a season-best 17 hits and earned its second straight league victory. “Because they all have a major bearing on whether we get that sixth spot or fifth spot or whatever. Really, we can’t afford to lose another game.”
The top six finishers will have the inside track on securing one of the conference’s state playoff berths.
“That’s what’s motivating us right now,” said outfielder Brantley Horton. “We’ve got to keep winning games like this.”
The Falcons didn’t play their best, but they made tasty prey of West Iredell (5-13, 2-11). Horton reached base four times and scored three runs, leadoff hitter Tyler King went 3-for-4 and six WR players had two hits apiece.
“Coach Wright is pushing us to work hard every day and try to get that sixth spot,” right-fielder Carlos Bautista said. “This feels like such a big win. We came alive today.”
Bautista delivered run-scoring hits in the first and third innings, boosting his batting average to .300. He hit an RBI single to left field against to open the scoring.
Bautista added a run-scoring double that put the Falcons ahead for good in the third ó an odd-looking, six-run inning that provided a 7-2 lead. West Rowan’s first eight batters got hits (five singles and three doubles) before ninth-place hitter Zack Simpson flied out to end the inning. In between, two Falcons were picked off base, West Iredell starter Brian Romito yielded a run on a wild pitch, and two errors led to runs.”Yeah, we did all that,” Warriors’ coach Buck Gatton said. “But they deserve the credit. We don’t feel like our pitchers threw the ball that badly.
“They just hit the devil out of it.”
In the meantime, winning pitcher Jake Koontz (2-4) was laboring along. The right-hander hit three of the first seven West Iredell batters he faced and had trouble locating the plate ó he walked four and uncorked five wild pitches in 61/3 innings.
“Koontz was OK tonight,” Wright said. “The thing is, I’m still looking for that game from him, the one we haven’t gotten all year. But he was good enough tonight. We put 17 hits and 12 runs on the board, and that makes it a little bit easier to pitch.”
Koontz and the Falcons carried a 7-4 lead into the last of the fifth against WI reliever Sam Laws. Dylan Andrews ó who had two hits and two RBIs for the hosts ó produced a run-scoring single past third base and advanced to second on an error. Simpson followed with an RBI-single and King drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 10-4.
Facing Brennan Daniels an inning later, West Rowan capped its scoring binge with two more runs ó one on a sacrifice fly by Andrews and another on a throwing error.
“They just got too many hits,” said Gatton. “I think I could go out and throw batting practice for seven innings and not give up 17 hits.”
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Contact David Shaw at dshaw@salisburypost.com.