Rosewood ousts N. Duplin from 1A baseball playoffs

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on May 11, 2016 1:48 PM

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jhayes@newsargus.com

No frills, just baseball.

Adjust if necessary.

Rosewood employed both propositions Tuesday night, vanquishing Carolina 1-A conference rival North Duplin, 4-1, in the opening round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association baseball playoffs.

The Eagles improved to 16-8 overall.

Kolby Harris assumed the cliff for the hosts, promptly establishing a workman-like tone for the affair. The sophomore was simply immovable, frustrating North Duplin batters and allowing just three hits and one run over seven disciplined frames.

The complete-game, seven-strikeout victory improved his record to 3-1 on the season.

Following a 1-2-3 opening half by the Rebels, the purple and gold went to work offensively. Boone Moody reached on a North Duplin error, and later scored on Derek Neal's warning track blast to left field -- one of two gallant shots by the junior on the night.

At the end of one, Rosewood held a 2-0 advantage.

North Duplin's Colby Bass formed the visitors' charge in the third, scoring Ricky Cameron on an RBI to right field. The blast -- an awkward, seeing-eye rope -- glanced over the shoulder of Rosewood first baseman Tanner Bradley, dancing along the chalk and trimming the Eagle lead to just a single run.

They would get no closer, however.

Rosewood officially salted the victory in the fifth inning, as Bradley scored Chapin on an RBI punch to left center field. The run was an exclamation point for Chapin, who went 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI.

Harris, meanwhile, became stronger under the brightening house lights. The righty dealt an impeccable finish, spilling to all parts of the strike zone with fluidity. Over his last four innings, Harris induced three fly balls and fanned a quartet of Rebel batsmen.

Rosewood head coach Jason King lauded the effort -- to a point.

"We knew they would be aggressive," King said. "(And) we talked about staying in the strike zone, trusting your stuff.

"Nothing special."

But it was, and issued deafening silence to a dangerous, powerful-in-spots North Duplin lineup. In total, Rebel bats skirted just three balls past Rosewood's infield.

"We didn't hit the ball great," ND coach Charles Crumpler said. "And if we didn't hit the first pitch he offered to us, it was tough. They've (Rosewood) just played more baseball... but that's going to change."

As does everything this time of year.

The business-class victory earned Rosewood a travel date with neighboring foe Spring Creek, the two-time Carolina 1-A Conference champ, this Thursday.

Winless against the Gators this season, the Eagles will likely adhere to what has made them successful to this point -- solid management of its details.

No frills.

North Duplin finished the season 10-11 overall.