Big pinch-hit single gives North Johnston title

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 11, 2015 11:48 PM

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PRINCETON -- North Johnston head baseball Brian Ford insisted it was "an instinctive move" to give Trey Whitley a pinch-hit chance Friday afternoon.

Ford's intuition certainly paid off.

Whitley delivered the game-winning single in the top of the seventh inning, and the Panthers seized the 2015 Deacon Jones Invitational championship with a 2-1 conquest of county archrival Princeton.

Tied at 1-1 through six innings, Princeton right-hander Tanner Flowers retired the first two North Johnston batters in the seventh. All-tournament pick Steven Worley singled to right and Joseph Wall reached on an infield error.

Whitley stepped into the batter's box.

"The guy he hit for (Kallen Johnson) had been struggling against him (Flowers) and Trey actually handles the bat really well," Ford said. "I brought him just in case we needed a bunt situation. At the time he came up, it wasn't a time to bunt."

Instead, Whitley laced a first-pitch fastball straight up the middle to score Worley. The Panthers (8-3 overall) loaded the bases, but Flowers escaped further damage with an inning-ending strikeout.

"That was big," NJ pitcher Michael Stott said of Whitley.

Named the Invitational's Most Valuable Player honors, Stott (4-1) polished off his first complete game of the season by retiring Princeton in order in the seventh. It was the Panthers' third win over the Bulldogs this season, including two results that were decided by a total of three runs.

Stott sprinkled three hits, yielded a game-tying earned run in the first inning and posted five strikeouts. Just two of Princeton's final 11 batters reached base during the last four innings. North Johnston catcher Garrett Littleton threw out a runner at second base in the fifth.

"I've pitched against them a lot, know all of these guys and how they can hit," Stott said. "I just tried to throw strikes the best I could and get my curveball working. It was a different atmosphere (today), they wanted to win really bad because it's their tournament and we wanted to win it.

"We're rivals."

Stott's RBI single put the Panthers ahead 1-0 in the top of the first inning.

Princeton answered on Tyler Ricks' one-out single that bounced into right field in the bottom of the first.

Neither team scored again as Stott and Flowers waged a pitching duel on the mound. Each right-hander consistently pounded the strike zone and forced opposing batters to hit grounders, or fly balls that got caught up in a breezy, swirling wind that challenged the outfielders.

Flowers finished with 10 strikeouts in a complete-game effort and earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

"A gem," PHS head coach Bruce Proctor said of Flowers' effort.

"He looked good and I'm glad to see that. Daughtry looked good last night (Thursday), so I feel good about things going back into the league next week."

Proctor felt his players were jumping at pitches against Stott, who put three runners aboard on walks. The Bulldogs stranded six runners with three in scoring position, and left the bases loaded in the first.

"When opportunities are limited, you have to make them count," Proctor said.

Also named to the 10-player all-tournament team were Daughtry and fellow Bulldog Nick Phillips, who had two hits in the title game. Stott was joined by Worley, Dallas Krob and Dylan Radford.