Nash Central beats Rocky Mount High in extras on walk-off wild pitch

Nash Central’s John Michael Kelly (7) reaches to tag out Rocky Mount High’s David Harrison (1) on Tuesday at Nash Central High School.

Rocky Mount High’s Forrest Bell (2) and Will Hedgepeth (6) fumble a ground ball against Nash Central on Tuesday at Nash Central High School.

Rocky Mount High had chance after chance to put Nash Central away and earn a victory in the Big East conference opener for both county rivals, but the Gryphons missed those chances.

The Gryphons had two chances to close out Tuesday’s game, provided they could get through a scoreless half inning, but couldn’t do it.

Nash Central made them pay, tying the game in the seventh on a single by Tyler Sherrod and scoring two in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 5-4 triumph over Rocky Mount High. Bulldogs third baseman Colby Carter tied it at 4-4 with a sacrifice fly to right field, and courtesy runner Cody Cooke, on for catcher Chase Minshew, scored the winning run on a wild pitch by Gryphons pitcher Wesley Drake with two outs in the 10th.

“We’ve had a tough start to the year, losing games to some really good teams, but we’ve been right there at the end with chances to win games late and haven’t done it,” Bulldogs coach Willie Langley said. “But I kept preaching to the guys, get runners on base and let’s see what happens.”

Langley, who coached Nash Central’s junior varsity and was a varsity assistant, took over for Tony Guzzo, who decided to call it quits in January. Langley said he’s a small-ball coach, but the Bulldogs haven’t exactly been adept at playing small ball just yet.

Langley said he added up the 60 innings that Nash Central had played this season, and found that the Bulldogs had managed to get the leadoff batter on base only seven times.

In the two innings that turned Tuesday’s contest in the Bulldogs’ favor, the leadoff man reached. Carter led off the seventh with a single, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Noah Shrock and scored on Sherrod’s game-tying single.

John Michael Kelly led off the 10th by drawing a walk off Drake (Loss, 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 7 K). Drake then hit Minshew and struck out Hunter Robinson before walking Peyton Bass to load the bases with one out. Carter came through with a sacrifice fly to right, deep enough to score Kelly and let Cooke advance to third. With Shrock at the plate, Drake’s pitch went to the backstop and Cooke scored standing up for the win.

“We’re just not getting it done right now,” Rocky Mount High coach Pat Smith said. “We had guys in scoring position and our middle of the order bats had opportunities to drive them in, but went up there and struck out and things like that. (Nash Central) has got some good pitching, so that was part of it and they deserve credit. But, I mean, what can you really say? We’re not doing it.”

Nash Central junior Zach Patterson worked seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits. Patterson walked three and struck out eight Gryphons, though he also hit three Gryphons with pitches.

Patterson, who played fall baseball for the Dirtbags and had dealt with some arm soreness over the winter, finally got back to feeling like himself 10 days ago, when he threw a bullpen session and felt like his normal velocity was returning. He backed that up with a strong outing in a loss to North Johnston last Wednesday, and the usual zip on his pitches was there on Tuesday.

“I think it’s starting to come back, even if it’s not totally there yet,” Patterson said. “I think the secondary stuff, the slider and curveball, was the best it’s been this season for me.”

David Harrison worked six innings for Rocky Mount High, though he wasn’t involved in the decision. Harrison allowed eight hits and struck out nine and also went 3-for-5 at the plate with a walk. Jake Philbeck had three hits and an RBI for Rocky Mount High, which left 14 men on base and committed four errors (Nash Central made five).

“That was a classic ace vs. ace game in the Big East, where a run here or there makes the difference,” Langley said. “I don’t know that either guy was really close to their best tonight, but we’ll take all the wins we can get when it’s our best guy against their best guy, and when it’s Rocky Mount and Nash Central.”

By Foster Lander
Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Tuesday, March 22, 2016