By Ryan Bisesi
rbisesi@salisburypost.com
LANDIS — It all seems so elusive to South Rowan’s Legion team to start the season.
That would be clutch hitting, pitching and consequently, winning.
South let a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the third go by without scoring and it was all downhill from there in an 11-2 loss to Statesville Monday.
“That probably sealed our fate at that point,” South coach Brian Goodnight said. “We’ve done a terrible job with runners in scoring position this year, specifically with the bases loaded.”
Statesville pounded out 15 hits for its second win and got six innings on the mound from West Iredell’s Brett Pope. Pope had a one-hitter going entering the fifth and allowed just one run in the start. Travis Fetter came on in relief allowed a run in the final three innings.
“I told Brett that we were looking for three solid innings out of him,” Statesville coach Trey Ramsey said. “He doubled that.”
Statesville leadoff hitter Austin Hartness had three hits, driving in two, scoring four and hitting a triple in the eighth.
South’s Josh Martin got through the first three innings without much hassle, working around a pair of hit batsmen. 18 of the first 22 pitches for Martin were strikes.
“I think he did a really good job considering he hasn’t pitched in a while,” Goodnight said. “We just didn’t do a good job behind him.”
In the bottom of the third, Dylan Carpenter and Tyler Fuller drew consecutive walks and Dylan Goodman singled to load the bases. Pope got Matt Miller to strike out on three pitches and Dylan Goodman grounded out to shortstop to end the threat.
Statesville got on the board in the fourth with a trio of singles, the last of which came from Eythan Kramm to score Colby Dishmond. Statesville plated three more in the fifth thanks to a leadoff double from Seth White. Hartness, Dishmond, Sam Laws and Lance Clanton all followed with singles in the frame as Statesville led 4-0.
South got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Fuller doubled and Connor Bridges scored from first. However, Fuller was thrown out at third on a 7-2-5 put out to halt the momentum.
Laws hit a bases-loaded double in the sixth to plate two more and South was down 6-1. Statesville (2-3) added another run in the eighth and four more in the ninth to cap the scoring.
Bridges scored on a passed ball in the seventh for the final South tally.
South lost its fourth straight to open the season.
“It’s almost like some of these guys are playing under a lot of pressure,” Goodnight said. “A win would go a long way. I still think this is a really good team.”
•
South’s previously scheduled tilt with Winston-Salem tonight was called off.