McKeel delivers 4 hits in Warriors' season-opening win

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on March 10, 2015 1:48 PM

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cellis@newsargus.com

If Andrew McKeel and his Eastern Wayne teammates were worried about not seeing enough live pitching before their first game on Monday afternoon, it sure didn't show.

After weeks of cold weather that wreaked havoc on preseason preparation, the winter broke just in time for opening day. Those in attendance watched as McKeel and the Warriors put on an impressive offensive showing, defeating North Lenoir, 6-3, in a non-conference matchup.

McKeel, a junior, went 4 for 4 with three singles and a double at the plate. After North Lenoir jumped on EW starting pitcher Tanner Wells early for two runs in the top of the first, McKeel got the offense rolling. He singled to center and came around to score two EW runs that they -- thanks to some shoddy North Lenoir defense -- tallied in the inning.

Leading 4-2 in the bottom of the third, McKeel came up again -- this time he ripped a double into left-center field, which scored both Collin Nix and Lee Daniels. Nix and left fielder Carlisle Smith each and an RBI for the Warriors.

It wasn't a bad start for the Warriors.

"We were looking to come out strong, come out with our heads up," McKeel said. "The weather has been bad and we haven't had much practice on the field. We've been mainly in the cages, so we haven't seen a lot of live pitching."

Although McKeel stole the show, Eastern Wayne head coach Jabo Fulghum was pleased with the way the entire team approached their at-bats.

"We did a good job with two strikes," he said. "We didn't give in with two strikes. We went backside a lot ... I was proud of our guys."

On the mound, sophomore Tanner Wells overcame a rough start to pitch two innings. He allowed two runs on two hits with one walk and three strikeouts. He mixed pitches well, including a devastating two-strike curveball that kept hitters off balance.

"After a shaky start to begin with, he threw the ball good," Fulghum said. "He stayed in there. I was proud of Tanner for not getting down on himself. As a pitcher, you've got to keep pounding the strike zone."

Coy Barnett followed with three innings of three-hit, four-strikeout relief. UNC-Charlotte recruit Zack Smith tossed two flawless innings to finish off the Hawks.

Fulghum and his players acknowledged that there was plenty of work to be done. The Warriors left 11 men on base.

"I told the kids today that I expected 100 percent effort and concentration," Fulghum said. "We were going to make some mistakes ... but we did a good job by putting the ball in play with two strikes and two outs."

Eastern Wayne (1-0 overall) entertains Nash Central on Thursday.