C.B. Aycock shows grit against NW Guilford

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on April 11, 2012 1:48 PM

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WINTERVILLE -- Charles B. Aycock head coach Charles Davis was proud of the way his team battled against a future Division I pitcher on Tuesday afternoon.

Davis just wishes he saw that same fight out of his team more often.

The Golden Falcons rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth inning against University of Alabama signee Keaton Haack, but fell short in a 5-4 loss to Northwest Guilford on the final day of the 2012 Pitt County Classic at South Central High School.

Jackson Ballenkus and Matt Bond delivered back-to-back RBI singles in the bottom of the first inning to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead.

Blake Sutton's RBI groundout in the top of the third inning pulled Aycock to within 2-1. The Golden Falcons stranded a runner on third base for the second consecutive inning.

Haack's solo home run to right field in the home of the fourth inning extended Northwest Guilford's lead to 3-1. The Vikings picked up a run on an Aycock error in the bottom of the fifth. Haack added an RBI single.

"That puts pressure on your defense and your pitchers," Davis said. "If we don't overthrow the ball than we win the ballgame 4-3."

The Golden Falcons got a run back in the top of the sixth inning as Adam Pate raced home on a wild pitch. Cameron Taylor also scored on a wild pitch as the lead shrunk to 5-3. Bryant Stafford's two-out RBI single trimmed the deficit to 5-4.

Aycock (10-7 overall) had the bases loaded with two outs, but Northwest Guilford reliever Adam Swim struck out pinch-hitter Greg Johnson to end the threat.

"I'm proud of the way my guys battled against a Division I signee pitcher," Davis said. "If we could do that every time out we've got a chance to be pretty good. That's what I hope we can take from this tournament. If we'll fight like that every time out I'll be happy and satisfied."

Swim struck out the side in the top of the seventh inning to end the ballgame and earn the save. Haack recorded the win on the mound. The senior right-hander surrendered four earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Pate and Taylor earned spots on the All-Classic team.

Aycock entertains North Lenoir on April 17.