South Caldwell - Providence

Yep, in my opinion, ND is the best team in the state. Of course, South Caldwell was before last night.

 

ND Strong

Having looked at their lineup I can see why the South Caldwell guys were worried about ND...did they look ahead past Providence a little bit?

 

No. That is not Coach Parham's style. He had and has tremendous respect for Providence. The fact is Providence scheduled as many strong teams they could find at the beginning of the year to prepare them for the playoffs. They were extremely confident going up to Sawmills. You have to keep in mind, Providence has won all their playoff games on the road. You have to be pretty dadgum good to do that.

They are a very, very good team capable of winning the State.

 

Give Providence Credit

I agree - Providence played some tough games early and is benefitting now from that experience. They are peaking at the right time.

Lets see who has the hot bats tonight...
Whoever wins the game tonight will have a great series on their hands!

 

Hey thats baseball------congrats to providence and good luck forward!!!!

 

Lenoir Newspaper Write-up

Repeat bid thwarted

By Adam Zuerndorfer, Sports writer

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 12:26 AM EDT


It took the South Caldwell Spartans one grueling offseason, one nearly flawless regular season and three intense playoff games to advance to the fourth round of the North Carolina 4-A baseball playoffs. Tuesday in Sawmills, all that hard work came undone.

Providence dethroned the defending state champs 10-4, thanks in large part to one highly uncharacteristic Spartan half inning in the top of the fifth.
“We just had a meltdown there,” South Caldwell coach Jeff Parham said.

One hit batsman, one error, one misplayed fly ball and one balk were just some of the contributing factors in the half inning that ultimately spelled South's demise. Providence also reached base on a swinging third strike turned passed ball, a bloop single and an infield single, as the Panthers quickly turned a three-run deficit (3-0 after four innings) into a three-run advantage. The six-run explosion stunned the Spartan Field crowd.

​

“We just broke down,” Spartan catcher Brad Chavis said. “One mistake just led to another mistakeŠ Everything was just going too perfect, I guess.”

The Spartans (24-2) had won 18 straight games and hadn't allowed a single run in the postseason until that point. Once the floodgates opened, however, the team just couldn't shake its untimely struggles. South Caldwell left the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, and even Spartan ace Jimmy Messer couldn't stop the bleeding when he came on to relieve starter Cody Penny in the sixth. Messer surrendered one walk and one hit before another passed ball scored Will Helms to extend the Providence lead to 7-3. Two more Spartan errors came in the top half of the seventh, and Tyler Zupcic capped the night with a successful straight steal of home for the Panthers' 10th and final run.

“We just kind of fell apart,” Messer said. “We usually pull through in those situation but it just wasn't in God's will, I guess.”

The win ultimately provided vengeance for a Providence team that lost 7-1 at the hands of the Spartans in the second round last season.

“We came up here last year and Madison Bumgarner beat us when we had a hell of a club. And they were better than us,” Providence coach Danny Hignight said. “We didn't forget that.”

Clemson signee Richie Shaffer came to pitch the last three innings for the Panthers, turning the game's last third into a potential ACC preview (Messer is headed for UNC- Chapel Hill). Shaffer allowed one run and struck out six in earning the save.

“I came in and I just tried to get ahead of every batter and to help us get the win,” Shaffer said. “Thankfully, we just kept piling on runs.”

Helms (an Appalachian St. signee) got the start for Providence, falling behind 3-0 in the early innings when Cody Prestwood smashed his second home run of the postseason and Lucas Jackson sparked a third-inning Spartan rally. Helms settled in during the fourth, however, ultimately handing the three-run lead over to the Panther ace. That proved to be more than enough.

It was an emotional post-game separation for the Spartans, who will lose many contributing seniors to graduation (including South Caldwell staples Messer and Chavis).

“It's tough,” Chavis said. “This is a team that really grew togetherŠ Everybody is just flooding the field (with tears) out here.”

The fourth-round loss marks the first time in three years that the Spartans have not reached the state final.

 

hey braves, can you describe this voice in the crowd you are talking about

 

Yeah, but I don't want to get him in trouble. He still has to live in Lexington

 

You know he lives in lexington?

 

What's your point