Prep Baseball Report

Around the Bases: NC State Championships



BY PBR NC Staff
Prep Baseball Report of NC

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Prep Baseball Report of NC will run a weekly blog, looking into games from across North Carolina’s High School scene.  All scores and stats are unofficial, but have been collected by PBR’s staff while attending games, watching scoreboards, talking to coaches, talking to scouts, and in other various ways.

View in-depth player reports on the NC High School Scout Blog.

4A State Championship Series

Game 1 - Friday June 2nd

New Hanover               1
T.C. Roberson              3

  + TC Roberson takes a 1-0 lead in the best of three series
  + Game 2, and if needed, game 3, will be played on Saturday

Recap:
TC Roberson HS, NC, took Game One of the North Carolina 4A state championship series with a 3-1 win over New Hanover HS, NC. Pitching and defense were the keys to the game as there were just seven hits between the two teams. New Hanover took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when 1B Blake Walston led off with a walk and came home on a fielder’s choice by CF Alec Cortner.

Roberson answered in the bottom of the inning when CF Jacob McCarthy got a two-out single to turn the lineup over and 3B Collin Watt smoked a home run to left field to put the Rams up 2-1. They added another run on a single by Luke Wood in the sixth.

LHP Eric Wallington started for Roberson, going 5.1 innings and allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out four. He gave way to SS Garrett Blaylock with one out in the sixth, who needed just 18 pitches to record the final five outs for the save.

The top of the fifth was a key point in the game for Roberson. Wallington allowed a leadoff walk, followed by a fly ball double that put runners on second and third with no outs. He got a strikeout and then loaded the bases with a walk. Cortner chopped a ball to third that Watt snagged, stepped on the bag and then through to first. The throw was low and pulled Will Butcher off the bag allowing a run to score. The Rams were inches from escaping the inning with no damage. Nonetheless, they kept it to one run and their offense answered.

Wallington was 80-81 early with a 68-70 breaking ball. Spinner, 2/8 shape. Erratic command.

Blaylock was mostly 87-90, 91. 71-73 curveball with depth, 12/6 shape. 18 pitches to get five outs. 6-3, 1-3, 1-3, 1-3, K.

Caleb Bishop started for New Hanover and was 83-84 early. 65-67 breaking ball with slurvy break.

Game 2 - Saturday June 3rd

T.C Roberson              10
New Hanover                4

  + TC Roberson wins the best of 3 series 2-0
  + TC Roberson is the 2017 4A State Champion
  + The Rams busted out with a 4 run 1st and 5 run second to open the game up early
  + Will Butcher hit a grand slam in the first, following 3 walks
  + Butcher followed with an RBI single in the 2nd and an RBI double in the 4th
  + Garrett Blaylock was 2-2 with 2 runs scored and an RBI
  + Ram hitters accounted for 5 doubles on the day
  + Jack Galbraith started and worked 3IP, 4H, 3R, 0ER, 3K, 2BB
  + Devin Dickens worked 3IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 3K, 1BB
  + Garrett Blaylock worked the 7th, 2H, 1R, 0ER, 0K, 0BB

3A State Championship Series

Game 1 - Friday June 2nd

Crest                         2
Northern Guilford      4

  + Northern Guilford takes a 1-0 lead in the best of 3 series
  + Game 2, and if needed, game 3 will be played on Saturday
  + Northern Guilford took the lead in the 2nd with one run on a double by JC Ouzts, followed by a single from Brandon Bledsoe
  + After seeing the game tied, Northern Guilford would plate two in the fourth.  A JT Jarrett single to CF scored both runs
  + Cameron Cotter gets the CG win: 7IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 6K, 2BB
  + Riley Cheek pitched well in the loss: 6IP, 6H, 4R, 3ER, 6K, 3BB
  + Ben Ledbetter paced the Crest offensive attack with 2 hits.

Game 2 - June 3rd

Northern Guilford      2
Crest                                4

  + Crest evens the best of three series at 1-1
  + Game 3 would be played later on Saturday
  + Down 2-1 in the 4th, Crest would score 1 in the 4th and 2 in the 6th
  + With the bases loaded and no outs in the 3rd, Northern would hold Crest to 1 run
  + JT Jarrett doubled to LF in the 4th to give Northern a 2-1 lead, with 2 RBI.
  + RBI single by Riley Cheek tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth
  + In the 6th, an infield single and walk setup a SAC Bunt.  After another walk, Nick Melton reached on an error, scoring two. 
  +Northern outfielder T Minor limited the damage in the sixth, throwing out a runner at the plate on a fly ball to right field.
  + Crest would turn their own double play in the 7th, with the bases loaded, getting a line drive at second baseman Riley Cheek who doubled off the runner at 2nd.
  + Dylan Izzi started for Crest working 5.2IP, 8H, 2R, 2ER, 5K, 2BB
  + Nick Melton induced the line drive double play for the save.

Game 3 - June 3rd

Crest                        1
Northern Guilford     2

  + Northern Guilford wins the best of 3 series 2-1
  + Northern Guilford is the 3A State Champion
  + Crest scored one early in the first... Northern answered with 2 in the second.
  + Joe Millwee gets the win, going 5.1IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 4K, 2BB
  + Josh Pike gets the save with 1.2IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0K, 3BB
  + Logan McNeely pitched well in defeat, 6IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, 0K, 1BB
  + Crest jumped on the board after Riley Cheek led off with a single and scored on Nick Melton's double to left
  + In the 2nd, Northern got a 1 out walk and followed it with a triple from L King.  King later scored on a Ben Bledsoe ground out.
  + In the 7th, Pike worked out of a jam, after walking three with 2 outs to enduce a fly ball to right field to end it.

2A State Championship Series

Game 1 - Friday June 2nd

R-S Central                  1
John A Holmes             3

  + Holmes takes a 1-0 lead in the best of 3 series
  + Game 2, and if needed, game 3 will be played on Saturday

Game 2 - Saturday June 3rd

John A Holmes              7
R-S Central                   2

  + Holmes wins the best of three series, 2-0
  + John A. Holmes wins the 2A State Championship
  + Each team scored one in the first.  Holmes added 2 in the third and 3 in the fifth to open the game up.
  + Harrison Powell goes 2-2 with 2RBI and 2 runs scored
  + Luke Hoggard goes 2-2 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored
  + Matthew Benfield gets the CG win, 7IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, 8K, 3BB
  + Jace Crowe paced R-S Central going 2-4 with an RBI

1A State Championship Series

Game 1 - June 2nd

Whiteville                 10
Murphy                      0

  + Whiteville takes a 1-0 lead in the best of 3 series
  + Game 2, and if needed, game 3 will be played on Saturday

Recap:
In the nightcap, the Game One of the 1A final was The MacKenzie Gore Show. He was simply dominant and took the mound with a 3-0 lead after hitting a two-run home run of his own in the top of the first and getting another run on a single by Joey Kurtyka.

Gore started out 90-93 for the first couple innings, mixing in his sharp curveball at 77-78. In the middle innings, he ranged from 87-92, but was mostly 90-92 in the sixth and final inning as Whiteville induced the run rule with a 10-0 win. Gore struck out 13, including four in one inning after a batter reached on a strikeout and wild pitch. He allowed just two hits, a leadoff single in the first and second innings. After that, the only baserunner came in the fourth on the strikeout. He threw a couple changeups at 79-80 with fade and occasionally mixed in his slider/cutter at 80-82.

In the second inning, Gore came to the plate with runners on first and second with two outs. Naturally, Murphy put him on intentionally, leaving the bases loaded for Cameron Cartrette. He immediately made them pay with a triple into the right field corner that made it 6-0. Whiteville put up two more in each of the fourth and sixth innings.

Gore finished 2-for-2 at the plate with a home run, double and three runs scored. Cartrette was 2-for-3 with a run and five RBIs.

Game 2 - June 3rd

Murphy              8
Whiteville           9

  + Whiteville wins the best of three series, 2-0
  + Whiteville is the 1A State Champion
  + The Wolfpack scores five in the bottom of the 7th to claim the championship
  + Jake Harwood delivered the game winning single
  + Brooks Baldwin delivered a 2 RBI single to tie the game in the 7th
  + Baldwin had 3 hits in the championship game
  + Whiteville's lone senior, MacKenzie Gore was named MVP of the championship series for the 3rd time in his career
  + Murphy built an 8-4 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th, having scored 4 in the top half
  +