BASEBALL: Aycock's Davis gets 500th career win

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on March 27, 2017 9:59 AM

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By JUSTIN HAYES

jhayes@newsargus.com

WILSON -- As usual, the pregame talk was economical.

Its content, a scripted bit of baseball simplicity known cold by his players, didn't budge a chalkline from the norm.    

Win every pitch, he explained. Win every play.

Let there be no confusion on the bases.

When you play varsity baseball for Charles Davis, it seems, one notion reigns supreme -- never make clutter out of a cinch.

And so it was Saturday, when his powder blue outfit of diamond savants leveled Southeastern Home School of Wilmington, 18-0, during second-day action of the fifth annual Tobs Classic at Fleming Stadium.

Lopsided in nature from the beginning, the triumph also served as something more -- the 500th victory in the skipper's sure-fire Hall-of-Fame coaching career.

The run-out took significant shape early, as starting pitcher Chandler Matthews threw by the Cardinals in an opening half that featured two strikeouts and lasted a mere six minutes.  

From there, Aycock lit up the scoreboard with a revolving-door display of at-bat discipline, base-path speed and volume run production.

The Falcons drew six walks and were plunked twice in the opening two stanzas. They used Southeastern's miscues to plate 10 runs and leave no doubt whatsover as to the outcome.

The Cardinals juggled their lineup in hopes of finding an arm to curb the terror, only to witness Aycock cross six more runs in a parade-like third frame that featured 11 CBA batsmen.

Game in hand, Davis and Co. made wholesale substitutions to their lineup, which scored twice more in a slightly less-potent form in the fourth inning.

Done and done.

Aycock was paced offensively by Bradley Pate, whose 1-for-3 effort included a towering three-RBI triple in the third inning. In total, CBA registered 11 hits and had seven players drive runs across the plate.

Matthews, rock solid from the cliff throughout, earned his first victory of the spring. The senior allowed no runs, gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out five.

As for the post-game celebration? There was none.

After a few quiet moments with his boys and a couple of pictures with family, Davis immediately turned his sights toward the team bus -- something he'll do no more after this season.  

"As a high school coach," he said, "I don't think you should be judged by your number of wins or championships... character, and the way you produce young men -- that's what I've always tried to do."

And that number, without question, dwarfs 500.