Faith Christian thumps WCDS
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 14, 2012 1:48 PM
One day makes a difference.
After a not-so-stellar defensive performance in a mercy-rule loss against Union Grove just 24 hours earlier, Faith Christian saw the tide turn in its favor Tuesday afternoon.
The Conquerors put the ball in play, capitalized on Wayne Country Day's miscues and claimed a 17-4, non-conference victory. Officials called the game after 4 1/2 innings due to the mercy rule.
"I thought we played well today," Faith Christian head coach Jeff Stocks said. "We made so many mistakes (against Union). There was no energy, no excitement and we played real slack. We did hit the ball.
"(Today) we competed well, didn't make goofy mistakes and put the bat on the ball. We made them make the mistakes and we run as much as possible. After yesterday I was pleased."
Left-hander Hannah Stocks limited the Chargers to four runs (two earned) on five hits and logged seven strikeouts inside the pitcher's circle. She retired nine of 12 batters during one stretch before yielding a lead-off single to Jessica Zhou in the fifth.
Zhou and Jessica Eisenhauer each had two hits.
Faith Christian (3-1 overall) cranked out 11 hits and benefited from nine walks issued by WCDS right-hander Brooke Neal. Catcher Christina Powell batted 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Brianna Champion (three RBI) and center fielder Meredith Clark (three RBI) supplied two hits apiece.
Overall, seven of nine Conquerors in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit. Faith pushed across 12 unearned runs on six WCDS errors.
The Chargers (0-1) seized a 2-0 lead during their first at-bat. Neal drove home Logan Harrell with an RBI single and scored on a wild pitch.
The Conquerors tied the game at 2-2 and broke open the contest with an eight-run, second-inning uprising. Clark, Champion, Brittany Barfield and designated player Courtney Dale combined for six RBI.
"(The first inning) gave us lots of hope and then we had that one bad inning," WCDS assistant coach Tracie Meadows said. "That bad inning ended up dashing some hope (of a win) and that's one thing we have to work on with them, teaching them to be positive and go-getters instead of feeling defeated.
"They have to play through it and see the big picture."
WCDS has no seniors on its roster and has just four players who have only one season of playing experience. Three eighth-graders and two seventh-graders comprised half of the Chargers' starting lineup against Faith Christian, which hopes to contend for the N.C. Christian Schools Association 2-A state title this spring.
"We've been learning everything from the ground up," Meadows said. "But, I'm very positive in the aspect that they showed a lot of promise (today). I'm very hopeful for the future."