Dynamic 17/16u World Series at ECU

8 am game scores

Canes North 15u 14 Hitters Whse 16u 4
Carolina Crush 16u 2 South Canes 14u 0
Tidewater Drillers 16u 9 Mid Atlantic Pirates Gold 16u 1
Rock Solid 17u 10 Huntington Hounds 17u 5
Tri State Aresenal # 1 17u 7 TSI Titans 17u 3
NC Fungo 15u 1 Canes Central 15u 1
SBA Charlotte Hurricanes 17u 6 TP Elite 17u 0
Virginia Knights 16u 4 Diamond Pros 16u 3

 

Day 2, Game 2...

We are underway here at ECU as the Carolina Cubs Red 17u take on last week's "Battle at the Beach" champion Hitters Warehouse 17u. Head Coach Tim Druzgala sends Ryan Bennett to the mound, while Cubs Head Coach Matt Russell counters with Zach Holton. Bennett gives up one hit to the Cubs in the top of the first, but settles in and retires the Cubs without yielding a run. Headed to the bottom of the first...

Bottom of the first and Hitters' bats are still rolling along. 3B Michael Donovan(VMI) starts it up with a single and then steals second. SS Josh Mason(William & Mary) drew a walk and both advanced on a wild pitch. With runners now on second and third, LF Brian Beard does his job as he delivers a groundout to the second baseman giving the Hitters their first run of the game. 1B Micheal Kroll follows Beard with a RBI single up the middle to score Mason. Catcher Kyle Rosso draws a walk and Jeff Swoope courtesy runs for him but is double up when 2B Steven Swoope drills a liner to the second baseman and the Cubs escape without giving up anything else.

I think there is smoke billowing out of the Hitters' dugout, as the bats are still on fire. After back to back singles by CF Justin Erby and Donovan and a walk to Mason, the bases are cleared after Brian Beard picks up RBI's 2,3 and 4 with a scud into the left center gap scoring Erby, Donovan and Mason. After a backside groundout by 1B Kroll moves Beard to third, Rosso comes through with a 1 out RBI single up the middle scoring Beard. The inning comes to an end as the Hitters Warehouse score 4 more and lead 6 to 0 after three complete innings.

Bottom of the fourth, and the lumber in the Hitters' dugout is still on fire. EH Michael Wharton leads off the inning with a single and is followed by DH Taylor Erby with a double. After a pop up to the first baseman, both Wharton and Erby scamper home on a botched grounder off the bat of Donovan. Mason is then plunked in the leg and then Donovan scores and Mason moves up to third on LF Beard's second double of the game. Hitters are now leading 9 to 0 with only one out and threatening for more.

Looks like we can put a bow on this one and wrap it up here at ECU. Hitters stay red hot as they down the Cubs 9 to 0 in a slaughter rule game. Ryan Bennett goes the distance for the "House" allowing only 2 hits while striking out 5.

 

Way to go Bulldogs!!

 

10:30 game scores

Hitters Whse 17u 9 Carolina Cubs Red 17u 0
IY 6 Spiders 0 Canes North 16u 0
Lake Shore Gray Sox 17u 3 Canes North 17u 2
SBA Charlotte Hurricanes 17u 12 Patriots of Nova 17u 1
Charlotte Hurricanes White 17u 7 Dominion Dragons 17u 4
South Jersey Sand Sharks 17u 5 GBC Orange 17u 3
Patriots of Nova 16u 9 Hitters Whse Elite 16u 8
Long Island Whalers 16u 4 Maryland Hurricanes 16u 1
Myrtle Beach Stars 17u 8 Long Island Tigers 17u 5
South Charlotte Panthers 16u 9 Long Island Tigers 16u 4

Leaving Wesleyan College headed to Tarboro Stadium! Maybe it is colder in the country!!!!

 

Game of the day?...

Looking forward to this game that will all but determine the winner of Pool E in the 17u tournament. The South Charlotte Panthers 17 roll in having scored 15 runs and only allowing only 2 in three games played. The Panthers will face some stiff competition from the Mid Atlantic Pirates Black 17, who have scored 8 runs while only allowing 1 run in two games played.

The Pirates run Cooper Jones out to the bump to face the very dangerous line-up of Coach Danny Hignight's Panthers. And we are underway here at Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Panthers are off and running in the top of the first, 1B Jacob Rothman draws a walk, followed by RF Kyle Whitman(Clemson) with a poke single to left, an infield hit by CF Preston Tiller(App. State) and then DH Trent Thornton(UNC) crushes a double to right center to score Rothman and Whitman. 3B Payden Honeycutt(Weddington HS) drills a single in to left and scores Tiller and Thornton. The Panthers do no further damage, but stake College of Charleston commit Nathan Helvey to a 4 run lead. Going to the bottom of one...

The Pirates knock on the door, getting two on, but come up empty handed. Going to the top of the second, it is the Panthers 4 and the Pirates 0.

Top of the second and Coach Jimmy Anderson is having to make a move to the pen, bringing in Taylor Gomer after the Panthers put runners on first and second with a couple of singles by LF Jake Cochrane and Rothman. Whitman moves both runners up 90 feet with a sharp single to right. Bases loaded and only one out and now Tiller draws a bases loaded walk. Mark up another tally in the run column for the Panthers. Add one more as Thornton crushes another one, but right at the CF and pushes a run home with a sac. fly. Different inning, same result for Honeycutt as he puts two more on the board with another two run single. Panthers now lead 8 to 0 and looking for some more. No more runs are scored in the second by the Panthers and looks like Helvey will be able to sit back and pound the strikezone.

A couple of walks to C Andrew MacLatchie(Providence HS) and PH AJ Larson(Butler HS) and an error on a 2B Tyler Chadwick(Coastal Carolina) grounder loads the bases for Rothman who delivers a sac. fly to left scoring courtesy runner Michael Herbert(Providence HS) and then Larson scampers home on an overthrow at first on Whitman's grounder. After two and a half, the Panthers now lead 10 to 0.

After Travis Johnson reaches on an error, Aaron Flanagan crushes a two out, RBI triple to deep left center to get one back for the Pirates. As we head in to inning five, the Panthers lead this one 10 to 1.

The Pirates scratch for one on triple by Domenic Ferrante and a overthrown play at first base on a Kyle Bynum grounder. That is all the Pirates can muster and the game is ended after five because of the slaughter rule.

Well, Helvey and the Panthers make the Pirates walk the plank and take total control of Pool E after they destroy the Mid Atlantic Pirates 10 to 2. Looks like Hignight's Panthers will be a team to be reckoned with in the playoffs.

 

I love this kind of update....thanks Fish for doing so

 

I nominate Fish for an ESPY.

 

Game 4....

Game 4 is on tap here at ECU where the Carolina Cubs Blue 17 look to slay the Dominion Dragons 17. The Cubs look to win Pool F and advance to the playoffs. The voice of showcase, Mr. Bill Petty, just announced that the game will begin "exactly at 3:15". So we look forward to getting this one underway.

The Dragons make some noise here in the top of the first, but come up with nothing after C Corey Phillips reaches on an error and then moves up to second on a poor pickoff throw, but is gunned down at the plate by the Cubs LF Zach Orrison after Dragons CF Andrew Selby had slapped a single into left. Cubs are coming to bat...

The Cubs get on the board first, after a costly Dragon error on a fly ball off the bat of SS Dalton Britt and then a solid single by C Stephen Hawkins. CF Jonathan Aparicio(ECU) follows with another solid single to right and the Cubs are threatening for more. Hawkins comes streaking home after a third straight Cubs single, this one by P Adam Huffman. The Dragons escape any further damage and head to the top of the second trailing 2 to 0.

The Cubbies are growling again here in the bottom of the third as Adams leads the inning off with a single, EH Hyland Tyler lays down a sac. bunt that is mishandled, Britt draws a base on balls and Hawkins delivers the first run of the inning with an infield single. After Aparicio grounds into a fielders choice, forcing out the runner at the plate, Huffman goes down on strikesand 3B Matt Towarnicky pops out to end the threat. The Dragons are hanging around as we go to the top of the fourth, Cubs lead 3 to 0.

The Dragons are trying to claw their way back into this game as they load the bases, then have to take an automatic out as one of their players had to leave the field due to the heat. After two wild Cubs pitches that scored both P Bernie Mayflower and RF Sam Weaver, the Cubs get out of it and the score is now 3 to 2, Cubs, going into the bottom of the fourth.

The Dragons knock on the door once more, but cannot scratch out the tying run as Aparicio comes up gunning on a single to center by Dragons CF Sam Weaver, hits cut off man Matt Roach who relays to Cubs catcher Hawkins and nails the tying run at the plate to end the inning.

The Dragons are breathing fire here in the top of the sixth! After having to surrender the first out of the inning because of the sick player, 2B Conor Cousins and SS Brandon Bast both draw walks and C Corey Phillips comes up huge with a humpback liner down the rightfield line that scores both Cousins and Bast. Cousins is promptly caught napping off second base on a bloop single by Andrew Selby. Selby then steals second and advances to third on a wild pitch. After 3B Keaton Tettelbach draws a walk, he steals second and Selby scurries home giving the under-manned Dragons a 5 to 3 lead going to the bottom of the sixth.

The Dragons show lots of heart, as they pull out the victory, 5 to 3.

*Side note... Big props to Cubs Head Coach Ricky Keith, who had one of his substitutes play LF for the Dragons after their player went down. Shows that no matter what, sportmanship should always come first. Thanks for showing all of the kids the right way to play Coach Keith.

 

This just in...

Our roving reporter, Stretchy, sends in this tid-bit of information. South Canes 17 infielder and University of North Carolina commit Alex Rayburn goes big fly twice this afternoon at Tarboro Stadium as the South Canes 17 defeat the Long Island Tigers 8 to 6. Now the Canes must turn around and play the South Jersey Sand Sharks 17 to determine the winner of Pool B.

 

South Charlotte Panthers 17's

Doesn't surprise me that they have swept thru their pool & head to the tournament phase maybe as the top seed. (top seed probadly not decided yet). I've always been impressed with their program when I've seen them play. They are coached well, usually play great defense, & the pitchers compete. Always very fundamentally sound.