Rocky Mount High baseball squeaks by Southern Nash

Rocky Mount High’s Spencer Ramsey rounds second base and digs for third on Thursday during the game against Southern Nash at Rocky Mount High School. Ramsey hit a triple and later scored.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Rocky Mount High’s Ben Sieracki pitches to Southern Nash on Thursday at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Rocky Mount High’s Spencer Ramsey fields a ground ball Thursday during the game against Southern Nash at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Rocky Mount High had three hits on Thursday. Spencer Ramsey drilled the most important one in his first at-bat.

With the Gryphons hosting Big East foe Southern Nash, the senior launched a shot to right-center field in the bottom of the first. The ball nicked off the glove of diving Firebirds rightfielder Colton Cruz. Rasmey ended up with a triple, and he scored on the next play. That margin would last all game.

Ramsey went 2-for-3 in a 1-0 Rocky Mount victory that morphed into a complete pitcher’s duel. Both starters stayed in the entire game, and neither one gave up more than three hits. It is the second 1-0 victory for the Gryphons (7-3, 3-1 Big East) this week. Rocky Mount beat Wilson Fike by the same margin on Tuesday with three hits.

“We can hit,” Ramsey said. “We come out here and bust balls in practice all the time.

“We know we can hit, but it is just a matter of timely hits and leaving runners on base. I believe we can hit with anybody in the conference.”

No team would hit well on Thursday. Southern Nash’s Trevor Mills and Rocky Mount High’s Ben Sieracki each dominated on the mound in their own way. Outside of Ramsey’s initial hit, Mills left the Gryphons’ swinging. He tallied eight strikeouts, including five consecutive from the last out of the third to the first out of the fifth. Mills gave up only one hit after the first inning.

Southern Nash coach Todd Brewer said it’s difficult to present positives from a shutout, especially when his starter was so strong.

“That was probably the best pitching performance we’ve had all year,” Brewer said. “We played strong D, and we dropped one ball. Other than that, we are right there.

“It was a pitch-for-pitch game . . . After we beat Fike (on March 21), I told the guys every game was going to be close, and every game would be a tight one.”

Sieracki, a freshman, was just as puzzling for the Firebirds (9-4, 2-2 Big East), who saw two doubles leave the infield. Everything other shot nestled into a Rocky Mount glove. Sieracki’s worked with off-speed pitches en route to his victory. He struck out five while finding his way out of hitter’s counts. His 105th pitch, which is the NCHSAA’s mandatory stopping point for an outing, produced the last out.

Rocky Mount coach Pat Smith said Sieracki showed stability in all his starts, even if they resulted in losing efforts. Smith said he demonstrated that quality against Southern Nash.

“He is mighty good for a freshman, and we are trying to grow him up fast,” Smith said. “He’s got to start throwing a higher percentage of first-pitch strikes, and a higher percentage of strikes overall.

“But he is a great pitcher, and he is going to be a good one. I just want him to learn fast.”

Like Sieracki, Ramsey is finding a growth of success lately. Though he has contributed all season, Ramsey worked into the lineup a couple of weeks ago when an injury created more playing time at the corner infielders’ spots. It was a similar situation to last year, when Ramsey wiggled into a starting spot around midseason.

He manned third base against Southern Nash, and he squeezed a pop up for the final out.

“I will play every position on the field, or at least I try to,” Ramsey said. “Coach (Pat) Smith just tells me where to go, and I do it. I do what I am told.”

Smith and Ramsey both mentioned the team’s hitting needs to improve. While they gain confidence in the back-to-back conference wins, winning by one-run margins isn’t something the team can continue to bank on.

“We are real pleased to win and are very fortunate,” Smith said. “We are disappointed in our hitting, and everybody knows it. There is just nothing else to say.

“We have got to start making contact and putting the ball in play more. Hopefully, that is going to happen eventually.”

By ETHAN JOYCE
Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Friday, March 31, 2017