Eagles run-rule Lakewood in baseball

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on April 22, 2016 1:48 PM

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Welcome to Eagles' baseball, land-speed edition.

Rosewood High, which averages eight-plus runs per game on the diamond this season, exceeded that mark last night in a hasty, 10-0 mercy-rule victory over Carolina 1-A Conference rival Lakewood.

Ended abruptly by Hayden Amodeo's titanic, fifth-inning walk-off homer, the decision moved the Eagles to 13-6 overall and 9-1 in league play. Further, it kept the hosts a game behind league leader Spring Creek, with whom a showdown lingers next Thursday.

It all occurred in the tidy span of 90 minutes.

Rosewood starter Nick Neal worked briskly on the mound, allowing three hits and one walk over five innings of work. The senior, whose earned run average (ERA) now rests at a paltry 1.48, tossed just 57 pitches en route to the complete game victory.

Neal is 6-1 this season.

"He's been doing (this) all year," head coach Jason King said, "Gives us a chance every time he takes the mound. They (Lakewood) got him a couple of times, but he kept throwing strikes."

Not that it mattered.

The purple and gold struck early and often, posting a pair of runs in a swift opening frame. Derek Neal's whip down the left-field chalk plated Ethan Chapin from second base, and Jonathan Peacock's sacrifice fly made the score 2-0.

It was the precursor for a siege.

As Neal continued his quick work from the hill, his teammates ramped up their battering of Lakewood starter Josh Carter. It was a brutal outing for the sophomore, who surrendered seven runs on four hits over four innings.

Rosewood's Tucker Chapin plated two runs in the bottom of the penultimate frame, landing a bloop single in front of Lakewood left fielder Toby Spell. The effort, part of a three-run outburst for the hosts, made the score 5-0 and set the stage for Amodeo's theatrics.

And like everything else, they escalated quickly.

The senior, who inked a national letter-of-intent to Rockingham Community College in March, stepped into the box to face Lakewood reliever Chandler Ray.

Following a couple of down-and-away offerings, Amodeo found the seams of a fastball left up in the zone -- and offered the bus keys to Lakewood.

The blast -- a walk-off, bedlam-inducing three run shot -- hung in the air over left field for what seemed an eternity. When finally signaled a home run, his mates cleared the dugout and formed a bouncing mob at home plate.

It was a welcome sight for King, who was glad to put the evening to bed.

"Hayden's actually been in a little bit of a slump," King said of his senior. "So it's fun to see him come out of it like that... win the game on a big hit."

Rosewood puts its five-game win streak on the line next Tuesday at North Duplin. Lakewood (4-11 overall) fell to 1-9 in conference play.