Chisenhall, W. Carteret too much for Warriors

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 16, 2005 2:09 PM

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The road to the Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference baseball title will undoubtedly go through Morehead City this season, but more specifically Lonnie Chisenhall.

The West Carteret standout threw a steady game on the Eastern Wayne diamond and provided some offensive firepower in a 5-1 victory Tuesday afternoon. The Patriots, ranked No. 2 in the latest ImpactBaseball.com poll, exited 2-0 in the league.

"Chisenhall had a nice game today," Warriors coach Jabo Fulghum said.

Indeed.

A right-hander recruited by numerous NCAA Division I schools, Chisenhall fashioned a four-hitter in six innings on the mound. He struck out the side in the opening inning after yielding a lead-off single to Jesse Lancaster and walking Joey Moye.

Eastern Wayne reached Chisenhall for an unearned run in the third, but couldn't do any further damage. Chisenhall retired seven consecutive batters and 11 of the last 12 he faced overall.

"Chisenhall played well and he pitched well," a disappointed Fulghum said. "I'm going to give them credit. They played hard. They played well."

Senior right-hander Jesse Lancaster started for the third game and surrendered five runs (four earned) on seven hits to go along with 10 strikeouts. Lancaster (0-1) allowed a base runner in six of seven innings and benefited from three inning-ending double plays.

"Jesse gave us a good effort on the mound today and I'm not disappointed in that at all," Fulghum said. "But, we didn't pitch to Chisenhall, didn't throw well to him today at all. He's a guy if you get it out over the plate, he's going to kill it."

Chisenhall batted 3-for-4 with a double, home run and four RBI. The home run, a solo shot to start the sixth, was a low curve ball in the dirt. Chisenhall took a golf-like swing at the pitch and Lancaster looked on in disbelief as it sailed over the right-field fence.

The Patriots collected three extra-base hits on the afternoon. Clayton Pittman provided a run-scoring double in the first inning and concluded the game 2-for-3. Teammate Josh Corbett added two hits in three plate appearances.

Lancaster struck out seven of nine Patriot batters at least once in the regulation seven-inning game. However, he received little offensive support from his teammates.

Eastern Wayne batted 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Fulghum's club stranded four of five runners at either second or third base.

"We didn't manufacture any runs early," Fulghum said. "I was hoping we'd break the ice a little bit and get some runners across. As the game went on, Chisenhall got a little tougher.

"You've got to learn how to hit good pitching."

Chisenhall induced five ground-ball outs, three infield pop-ups and a pair of fly balls to center field. Pittman provided one inning of no-hit relief and threw just five pitches to three Warrior batters.

Lancaster and Moye, Eastern Wayne's No. 1 and 2 batters in the lineup, combined for the Warriors' four hits in five plate appearances. The remaining part of the batting order finished a combined 0-for-20 with five strikeouts.

West Carteret clung to a 2-1 lead until Chisenhall's home run. Chisenhall added a two-run double in the seventh off Eastern Wayne reliever Airlon Vinson.

"This is going to be a very balanced conference," Fulghum said. "Everybody has got good pitching on the good teams, so it's going to be a matter of who plays good defense. It's early in the year and we've got to learn how to compete back.

"Our boys have got to work hard (and) we've got a long ways to go."

Notes: West Carteret is 16-2 against ECC opposition dating back to last season. ... Eastern Wayne C Tyler Ham recorded 11 putouts. ... Patriot C Brad Campen notched six putouts, while 1B Doug Marino had five. ... West Craven comes to New Hope on Friday, while the Patriots entertain winless Goldsboro.