Aycock uses 5-run inning to defeat Northeast Guilford

By Allen Etlzer
Published in Sports on May 14, 2015 1:46 PM

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aetzler@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- It was the only time Hank Smitherman will be allowed to not run out of the box after contact.

When the Charles B. Aycock shortstop popped up a bunt attempt, he thought it was going foul and stood in the box. When he realized it would stay fair he couldn't decide if he should start running or stay there.

"For some reason I just thought it might benefit me to stand in the box," Smitherman said.

He stayed in the box, the ball bounced off the catcher and trickled away. Smitherman reached first safely and the Rams never recovered in the inning as Charles B. Aycock piled on all five of its run en route to a 5-2 victory in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A playoffs.

"I told him that is the only time he can hit a ball and stand there like that," CBA coach Charles Davis said. "It ended up being a nice break for us."

Smitherman's decision to stay in the box turned out to be a good one. Had the senior ran out of the box he could have been called out for interference. But, because he was ruled to still be in the box, he was protected from interference.

That set the table for Bobby Hampton to reach base on a bunt and a throwing error to bring in the first two runs of the game. Charlie Robertson drove in a run with a single. Bryce Anders and Brandon Palmer each drove in a run with two outs.

With Aycock ace Bobby Hampton on the mound, the five-run lead was more than enough. The Appalachian State threw a complete game five-hitter and struck out 12 batters. Hampton had an extra weapon in the repertoire as his changeup was better than it has been all year for him.

"It's the most I've thrown it all year," Hampton said. "It's gotten better a lot better from last year and worked well tonight."

Hampton made just one mistake -- hanging a fastball to No. 3 hitter Jacob Brown, who pounded a two-run home run.

"Yeah I left that pitch up and he hit the crap out of it," Hampton said. "Props to him man, he's a good player and played a great game."

Brown pitched for Northeast Guilford, and was good in his own right. He surrendered just four hits, and all five runs he gave up were unearned. He used a sharp slider to keep Aycock's hitters off balance on a day where Davis wasn't thrilled with the way the team played.

"I just thought for whatever reason we weren't as focused as we should have been," Davis said. "But, survive and advance in the playoffs and that's what we did."

But ultimately, playoff baseball comes down to the team that gets the breaks. On Wednesday night, Aycock was that team. And Hampton knew it might come down to just one inning.

"That's always how the playoffs are," Hampton said. "Coach is always telling us in playoff time he'd rather have a lot of luck than a lot of skill. We know it's going to come down to one or two plays."