Rosewood closes first half strong
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 11, 2011 1:47 PM
PRINCETON -- Rosewood closed out first-half play on the Carolina 1-A Conference baseball scene in methodical fashion Friday evening.
Garrett Burns threw a complete game and eight of nine Eagle starters recorded at least one hit in a 12-1 triumph over archrival Princeton on the Fred Bartholomew Athletic Complex diamond. Rosewood (5-10 overall) earned its second league victory in five tries this season.
The Dawgs (4-8) slipped to 1-4 in conference play.
"We've preached from day one and we just told the guys (in the post-game) that we finally put a complete game together in the field, at the plate (and) on the mound," said Rosewood head coach Jason King. "If we can keep and maintain that level, we can do some good things."
Burns, a senior right-hander, retired the first eight batters he faced and didn't record a strikeout in the 1-hour, 59-minute affair. The Eagle defense turned in a flawless performance behind the 6-foot-1 hurler, who surprisingly didn't log a strikeout in the game.
First baseman Cody Harris recorded 12 putouts against the Dawgs, who had just eight base runners all evening. Burns finished off Princeton with a game-ending double play, one of two turned by the Eagles, on Matt Stigile's screaming, line-drive shot that nearly ripped the webbing out of Burns' glove.
"He's a kid who wants the baseball," said King. "We put him up there and he's able to fight through any tough spells that he might have, and he's able to throw strikes. If you stay in the strike zone, good things will happen.
"He didn't have a single strikeout, which is a big deal. That means we're making plays behind him and he's confident to let them put the ball in play."
Rosewood put the ball in play all evening.
The Eagles tapped out at least one run in six of seven innings against Bulldawg right-hander Forrest Stewart and reliever Trevor Haines. Stewart walked one and struck out three in 6 1/3 innings, but yielded 11 runs (seven earned) on 13 hits.
Ian Speight swatted his first home run of the year -- a one-out, solo shot in the first inning after Jonathan Franks trotted home on Harris' grounder to shortstop. Franks (two RBI), Will Winslow (RBI), Logan Waters (two RBI), Burns and Taylor McGill paced Rosewood's attack with two hits apiece.
"Tip your cap and move on," said Bulldawgs head coach Bruce Proctor. "Rosewood played really well. I didn't think we played bad, but they played better. That's the way the ball bounces.
"They hit the ball where we won't."
Austin Hinton broke up Burns' shutout bid with a two-out, RBI single in the sixth inning. The Dawgs threatened to score again in the seventh until Burns thwarted the rally with the twin killing.