North Pitt’s upset of top-seeded McMichael Tuesday night presented East Bladen’s Eagles with the opportunity to host the Panthers Thursday night at Russell Priest Field in a 2nd round NCHSAA Class 2A Baseball Playoff game. Game time is 6 p.m.
Coach Grant Pait’s Eagles jumped to an early 5-0 lead in their 1st round game against Croatan on Lefredrick Wooten’s bases-loaded triple then rode the right arms of Wooten and fellow senior Zach Meares to a 6-1 victory.
Wooten finished 3-for-4 at the plate with the 3 runs batted in and pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of 1-hit relief. Meares started on the hill and worked 4-plus hitless innings before surrendering an unearned run in the 5th inning. Meares and Wooten combined for 12 strikeouts.
The Eagles, now 10-4, have won 8 of their last 9 games. Senior first baseman Jacob Priest leads the Eagle hitters with a .419 average, a team-high 18 hits, 13 runs scored and 9 RBIs. Meares is hitting .383 with a team-high 18 hits, 16 runs scored and 11 RBIs. Senior Rasean McKoy is batting .375 with 15 hits, 11 RBIs, 10 runs scored and a team-high 9 stolen bases.
Wooten’s 3-for-4 performance raised his average to .354 with 17 hits, 15 runs scored, 11 RBIs, 4 doubles and 4 triples. Senior catcher Brady Hollingsworth bats .306 with 11 hits, 11 RBIs, 3 doubles and a home run. Sophomore Evan Pait owns a .300 average with 9 hits, a double and a triple.
Junior Raymond Autry has a .250 average with 8 hits and 5 RBIs. Senior Drew Sholar bats .243 with a team-high 12 RBIs, 11 runs scored, 2 doubles and a triple.
Meares raised his pitching record to 6-0 and lowered his earned run average to 0.19 with Tuesday’s performance. He has struck out 70 batters in 37 innings. Wooten lowered his ERA to 2.55 and has struck out 27 batters in 22 innings.
Senior Brandon Warren pitched 6 plus innings in North Pitt’s 2-1 win over McMichael, and junior Dawson Ables relieved with the winning run on base and retired the side on 2 pop-ups to the catcher and a strikeout. Ables also knocked in junior Elijah Bonner with the game’s 1st run.
Tuesday’s victory snapped a 2-game losing skid for the Panthers, who tied North Johnston for the Eastern Plains Conference title but received the league’s No. 2 seed due to a 13-3 loss to North Johnston. The Panthers also dropped a 5-2 non-conference game to Farmville Central and are 9-2 overall.
Junior Lonnie Nicholson scored the other Panther run in the McMichael win, and batted 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs in an 8-5 league win over Farmville Central. Nicholson was 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs in an 11-9 victory over Farmville.
Senior third baseman Hunter Forrest batted 3-for-4 with a double and 2 runs scored in the 8-5 win over Farmville, was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored in the 11-9 win over Farmville and doubled and drove in 4 runs in a 12-2 victory over SouthWest Edgecombe.
Senior Gentry Green had a key sacrifice bunt in Tuesday’s win and was 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored in the 11-9 victory over Farmville. Senior Jared Tripp belted 2 doubles in the 12-2 win over SouthWest. Junior C.J. Brown was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI in 8-5 win over Farmville.
Whiteville, the only other Three Rivers Conference team still playing, was rewarded for their 1-0 victory over No. 3 seed Midway with the long trip to Kill Devil Hills to battle undefeated First Flight.
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