Nash County bombs Cary in Area One Final Series opener
July 20, 2009 By Charles Alston of Rocky Mount High School
- Ben Fish
RED OAK - You would have thought Nash County Post 58 would have been primed for a letdown after its late-charging performance in the American Legion Area One East Division final series winner with Wilson Post 13 Friday night.
But you would have been wrong.
Post 58 responded to its effort Friday by pounding Area One West champ Cary Post 67 15-0 in seven innings in their best-of-five game series opener Saturday evening at Northern Nash High School.
The two teams will resume play in Game 2 at Cary High School Sunday at 7 p.m. The winner of the series will represent Area One in the state tournament which begins this weekend at East Carolina's Clark-LeClair Stadium. The last Post 58 team to make it to the state tournament was the 1986 squad (which featured Rocky Mount Jr. Legion coach Hank Jones).
Campbell University-bound Rocky Mount grad Ben Fish led the Post 58 (18-4) attack Saturday going 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.
The star of the show may well have been T.J. Taylor. Not only did he keep his hot bat at the plate, but the Nash Central product also hit the mound as Post 58's starter. He responded by hurling six innings of shutout ball. He allowed Cary just six hits, walked one and struck out four before giving way to Mike Williams in the seventh.
Taylor also slammed a three-run home run to right centerfield - part of a Post 58 six-run outburst. He finished the evening 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored.
Cary Post 67 batter Eric Brady was silenced by Post 58's pitching. The slugger came into the contest with 19 home runs on the season, but he was 0-for-2 with a walk Saturday.
Dylan Kipp got the loss on the hill for Cary (23-8).
American Legion Baseball
Area One Series Final
Game 1
Nash County Post 58 15
Cary Post 67 0
(7 innings)
WP - T.J. Taylor (1-0; 6IP, 0R, 0ER, 6H, 1BB, 4K)
LP - Dylan Kipp
Leading hitters:
Post 58 - Ben Fish 4-5, 2B, 2R; T.J. Taylor 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, R; Mike Smith 2-2, 2 RBI, 2; Dillon Cockrell 2-3, RBI, 3R; Collins Cuthrell 2-4, RBI; Mike Williams 1-4, 3 RBI, 2R; Xavier Macklin 1-3, RBI, R; Cameron Ramsey 1-2, RBI, 2R. |
NATIONAL
NORTH CAROLINA
