DEACON JONES INVITATIONAL: Where did Princeton-NJ finale rank?

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on April 5, 2016 5:56 AM

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By RUDY COGGINS

rcoggins@newsargus.com

PRINCETON -- The greatest game ever?

Princeton head baseball coach Bruce Proctor took off his cap and scratched his head for a second.

"It's hard to say 'best game ever' because there's been so many good ones," Proctor said moments after his Bulldogs claimed the 2016 Deacon Jones Invitational championship with a 5-4, 10-inning conquest of county archrival North Johnston.

"I can remember back in the 90s, it was some dogfights (between us). It's fun. They've been having the upper hand. It was nice for us to squeak a couple out."

It was a rematch of last year's title game won by North Johnston, 2-1.

Princeton won its fourth Invitational title in eight championship appearances.

A senior moment

After the Bulldogs posed as a team with the championship trophy, moms armed with iPhones and cameras wouldn't let the players slip away so quickly.

They had to do a senior photo.

And when they lined up side by side, it looked as if the whole team had stayed to enjoy another moment frozen in time. The 10 seniors stood silently.

It's the most-experienced team Proctor has put on the field in quite a long time.

"It's a good group," Proctor said. "I've said this before ... you're supposed to win with seniors and we've got 'em -- 10 and they're all juniors after that. We're as old as we've ever been.

"I've never had a team this old."

Poised in the clutch

Mason Rachels was one step away from the on-deck circle when teammate Hunter Mitchell made perhaps the gutsiest play of the game.

On a sacrifice bunt attempt, the Panther defense left third base uncovered. Mitchell quickly noticed the blunder and never stopped as he rounded second base and headed to third.

His feet-first slide kicked up some dirt and sent the Princeton faithful into a frenzy.

"It was good base running on his behalf to get to third off that bunt," said Rachels, who earned a nod on the all-tournament team.

Gaining experience

Cape Hatteras made its first-ever appearance in the Invitational, and despite two losses, seemed to have the time of its life while playing on one of the area's most scenic baseball facilities.

The players posed for a team photo outside the middle school baseball field. Not a single frown appeared on their faces.

"We talked about before we ever came up here, we look at tournament games like this as opportunities to get better and I feel like our kids did that today," said head coach Keith Durham, whose Hurricanes fell to Princeton and Spring Creek.

"We played two good 1-A teams. With the exception of one inning in the first game (against Princeton), I really feel like we competed the whole day.

"Right now, that's what we're after -- learning how to compete, how to make plays, how to develop a positive, winning attitude even when the scoreboard doesn't reflect it."

Located on the Outer Banks, Hatteras has just 174 students and competes in the Coastal Ten 1-A Conference.

Let it go

Spring Creek can't reflect on its two disappointing outings during the Invitational.

A bigger picture lies ahead.

The Gators continue defense of their Carolina 1-A Conference title at Rosewood on Tuesday. Both teams enter the game 4-0 in league play.

The Eagles finished 1-2 in the third annual Golden Leaf Invitational, but dropped two games in extra-inning fashion. Rosewood is 8-5 overall.

"Rosewood is probably one of the hottest teams right now," SC head coach Heath Whitfield said.

RHS has the league's top-scoring offense -- in conference and out-of-conference play. The Eagles have plated 47 runs against league opposition, and 100 total.

Hobbton is the next-closest team in total runs with 96.

Appreciate the game

Whitfield stood along the right-field fence and looked toward his players, who gathered their gear and walked off the field.

"(They're) taking it for granted that they get to put on that uniform every day," he said. "We tell them there are people out there all the time who can't do it for whatever reason (but) they'd love to be in their shoes.

"You can't take it for granted that you get to come out every day and do something that you love. That's what disappoints me."

Spring Creek (6-6 overall) placed third in the Invitational for the third consecutive year after making back-to-back appearances in the championship game in 2012 and 2013.

The Gators are 12-14 all-time in Invitational play since 2004.