Rosewood starters provide offense against Spring Creek

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on April 8, 2009 1:46 PM

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SEVEN SPRINGS -- There was something contagious in the Rosewood dugout on Tuesday evening.

The Eagles were in no hurry to find a cure. Eight starters collected at least one hit in a 7-1 victory over Carolina 1-A Conference baseball rival Spring Creek. Steven Bostic, Cody Richards, Scott Pate and Josh Davis each contributed two hits in the visitors' 13-hit attack.

Rosewood (8-3 overall, 2-1 Carolina) turned seven hits into four runs in the top of the second inning. Pate's RBI single was the third of four consecutive hits to start the inning and it gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

Jonathon Franks' infield single scored Will Grantham to extend the advantage to 2-0. Taylor Price's single to center brought Dillon Guss around to score. Steven Bostic later tacked on an RBI single.

"I think our team feeds off stuff like that," said Eagles head coach Jason King. "If one guy gets a hit, we just start feeling good. Guys get a little more comfortable at the plate and start to say 'we can hit this guy.'"

The Gators' lone bright spot of the evening came on Eric Evans' RBI single to right field in the home half of the second. Spring Creek (7-5, 1-2) struck out 11 times and went 2-for-23 at the plate. Six batters were caught watching third strikes drop into Franks' mitt behind the plate.

"When we score one run and only get two hits, we're not going to win many ballgames that way," said Gators head coach Heath Whitfield. "We've had 31 strikeouts in our three conference games. Unless we put the ball in play and put a little pressure on opposing defenses we're not going to have a chance."

Matt Neal and Bostic's back-to-back RBI doubles in the top of the fourth stretched the advantage to 6-1. Grantham's RBI bunt single in the top of the seventh capped Rosewood's scoring.

Will Beasley (2-0) earned the mound win for the Eagles. The right-hander allowed one earned run on two hits, walked two and fanned five Gators in five innings.

Beasley induced a ground ball to work out of trouble with runners on first and second base with two outs in the bottom of the second. He used a strikeout and a ground ball to wiggle out of a jam with runners on second and third, and one out in the bottom of the fifth.

"Will just gets outs," said King. "He is a workhorse for us. If we need him behind the plate after he's thrown five innings, he'll do it. He's just done it all."

Richards pitched two scoreless innings of relief with six strikeouts, one walk and no hits.

The Gators entertain North Johnston at 6 p.m. today, while Rosewood plays host to North Duplin at 7 p.m. on Thursday.