Two hot teams keep rolling through state tournament

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on August 6, 2004 1:55 PM

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SHELBY -- Area I champion Garner and Kannapolis, the Area III champs, are proving there is something to said about being hot going into the N.C. American Legion baseball state tournament.

Garner has now won 13 straight after dumping Greensboro 10-4 on Thursday. Kannapolis is 14-2 in the postseason following a 5-2 win over Wayne County.

"We were 5-6 at one point and I think the guys were pressing," Garner coach Moe Barbour said. "We were still trying to get the pieces put together É guys in the right spot É eventually we got things worked out."

Worked out indeed -- Post 232 has outscored its two opponents 20-7 in the state tourney.

Garner is already missing starting first baseman Adam Hamrick, who has started preseason practices with Garner High School's football team. Post 232's Michael Pullen tore his right ACL running out of the batter's box late during the Greensboro game and will miss the rest of the tournament.

Kannapolis has scored only nine runs, but back-to-back complete games by Garrett Sherrill and Blake Ketner have propelled Post 501 into the semifinals against Garner.

Wild finish

Area II champion Pleasure Island saw its postseason end in controversial fashion on Thursday afternoon against Shelby.

Trailing 5-4 with the bases loaded and on outs in the bottom of the ninth, Pleasure Island's Garrett Gore bounced to Shelby third baseman Dusty Quattlebaum, who threw home for the first out of the inning.

Mike O'Beirne slid into home on the play and into the Shelby catcher, provoking the home plate umpire to also rule Gore out for the second out of the inning. That incensed the Pleasure Island faithful, especially after Pleasure Island's Wes Simmons was called out on a fastball on the inside corner for the final out.

Shelby police eventually had to push back several of the Pleasure Island coaches, who followed the umpires down the right-field line after the game.

Two-day leaders

A glance at some of the offensive standouts from the first two days of the state tournament É

Wayne County - Erik Lovett 4-8, 2 HR, 3 RBI; Todd MacCoy 5-8, RBI; Josh Pate 2-7; Garrett Sutton 2-6, 2 RBI.

Garner - Marc Lockler 4-9, 2 HR, 2 RBI; Jesse Duke 3-8, 3 RBI; Barrett Martin 3-7, 3 RBI.

Caldwell County - Kody Hightower 2-7; T.J. Wilson 2-6. Kannapolis - Kyle Seager 3-5, RBI; Garrett Sherrill 2-7, 2 RBI.

Greensboro - Charles Gamble 4-9, RBI; Travis Moore 3-9, 3 RBI; Andrew Hespelt 4-8, RBI. Pleasure Island - Michael O'Beirne 4-9, 2 RBI; Robert Branch 4-8, 2 RBI.

Shelby - Jamie Ray 3-7, 2 RBI; Dusty Quattlebaum 4-8, 3 RBI; Bronson Smith 3-8.

Scotland County - Darren Barfield 2-8; Archie Mudd 2-7.