C.B. Aycock baseball team snaps mini-slump

Published in Sports on April 27, 2005 2:01 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Not surprisingly, the weatherman got it wrong Tuesday night.

When the predicted early evening showers never materialized, the Charles B. Aycock baseball team created a two inning scoring storm of their own.

The Golden Falcons snapped a two-game losing streak, besting visiting Kinston 8-3.

The win keeps coach Charles Davis' club in a tie for first place in Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference play with a 9-3 record. Kinston's slate drops to 1-9.

"Although we seemed to lose a little bit of our intensity in the sixth inning, I was very pleased with another conference win," said Davis. "That's what it's all about this time of the year. In addition, we were able to improve on our execution in some areas at the plate, such as the hit and run, bunting, and sacrificing that we hadn't been doing well lately."

Davis also had to be pleased with his team's keeping the ball in play. With the exception of the sixth inning, they committed only one error. Most of all, Davis was beaming about the superb pitching of Grant Sasser.

Aycock had runners on base and in scoring position in every inning. While the top of the batting order scored the runs, the 7-8-9 slots also contributed. Designated hitters Drew McGowan and Greg Tipton were on base or sacrificed each time they were up.

Jackson Massey and Greg Davis walked on their trips to the plate. Had the wind not been blowing directly in, Garrett Davis' fly balls could have fallen for extra bases.

Although Aycock stranded seven runners during the game, they finally got to Kinston starter Josh Tindal in the bottom of the third. Paced by a double by Joseph Toler and a single by Bennett Jeffreys, along with three Viking errors, the Golden Falcons batted around, and scored four runs.

Another error in the fourth paved the way for four more unearned runs. Bradley Taylor scored on Jeffreys' sacrifice fly to center. With two outs, first baseman Travis Bartlett defied the wind, putting a shot well over the 355 mark in dead center for a home run, also scoring Will Spence and Thomas Pilkington.

With a commanding 8-0 lead, Davis left things in the hands of Sasser and an outstanding contingent of defensive players who were equal to the task.

Kinston, who also stranded seven, had runners on base in every inning but two. Center fielder Garrett Davis made catches to end the first two innings. Sasser picked off a runner in the third and got a batter to end the fourth on a nifty 4-6-3 double play.

The sophomore left-hander, who picked up his third win of the year, struck out the side in the fifth, and the last two batters to end the game in the seventh. Operating in a very tight strike zone, he fanned 11 hitters on the night.

"Grant had a good, quality outing tonight," said Davis. "Jeffreys called a great game. Being a left hander, they took full advantage of his outstanding curveball and change up."

It had to be a long, long night for Kinston coach Eddie Loesner. "Come over here to Aycock to play baseball, you had better bring your A game," he said. "When we made mistakes, they just pounced on us."

"We're doing too many things that can get you killed playing baseball" Loesner indicated that he took his starter out "due to our defensive meltdown."

The Golden Falcons travel to Rosewood tonight.