By Toby Thorpe

for the SNAP

The North Stanly baseball team, facing elimination in the second game of the NCHSAA 1A Western Regional Series, routed the visiting Murphy Bulldogs 12-2 on Friday night at Joe D. Kelly Stadium.

Senior captain Will Moore earned the win with a complete game performance, shortened to five innings via mercy rule. He allowed only four hits, three of which came in a rocky first inning.

Over the final four frames, Moore gave up only one hit and one walk, while striking out four.

Murphy jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first. After the first two Bulldogs were retired on a flyout and a groundout respectively, Joey Curry singled, then scored when Royce Peterson followed with a double.

Starting pitcher Caleb Irwin then gave himself a two-run cushion when he singled in Peterson.

Coming to bat in the bottom of the first, North immediately showed the offensive firepower that has propelled the Comets into the states final four 1A teams.

Kolby Lamp worked Irwin for a walk, then moved to third on a double by Carson Lowder. Holden Davis tied the game with a single to left, and advanced to second on the throw home. Moore singled Davis to third, bringing Jordan Howard to bat.

Davis then scored on a wild pitch, with Moore advancing to second. Howard then coaxed a walk from Irwin, and Cobb Russell followed with a double, scoring Moore.

Down five runs with no outs, Murphy coach Adam Clonts sought to stop the bleeding by bringing starting designated hitter Travis Seabolt to the mound. Seabolt appeared up to the task as he produced a groundout and a strikeout from the first two hitters he faced.

Jacob Clayton stepped to the plate with two outs, and on a 2-2 pitch his bat tipped the catchers mitt as he delivered an apparent single, scoring Russell.

However, a balk had been called on Seabolt just prior to the pitch and the subsequent catcher obstruction violation.

As a result, Russell scored on the balk, but Clayton was returned to the batters box since the catcher obstruction occurred after the ball had become dead on the balk. Clayton eventually walked, but was cut down attempting to steal second, and the Comets took the field for the second inning up 6-2.

The Bulldogs stranded their only baserunner in the second inning.

With the top of the order up again for the bottom of the second, the Comets tallied twice more.

Lamp walked and went to third on a single to right by Lowder. Davis was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Moore hit a grounder to third, forcing Lamp at the plate, and beating the throw to first by an eyelash. Howard then delivered a two-run single, but was cut down at second attempting to stretch the hit for an extra base. Russell grounded to the mound and North was up 8-2 after two innings.

After two quick outs, Moore allowed a hit to Peterson, but got a popup from Irwin for the final out.

In the bottom of the third, the Comet offense remained hot and received some assistance from the Bulldogs as well. Hunter Sells led off with a single, but was forced at second on a grounder by Garrett Clark.

After Clayton flew out to left, Lamp ripped a line drive off the left field fence to score Clark, then moved to third on a Lowder single.

Seabolt then balked, failing to come set before delivering to the plate, bringing Lamp home and advancing Lowder to second.

Davis ripped a double to score Lowder, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on Seabolts second balk of the inning. Moore reached on another catcher obstruction call, but Howard fanned to end the inning with the Comets up 12-2.

After a pop out to start the fourth, Murphy placed runners on first and second when Lamp and Lowder committed back-to-back errors. Moore then fanned Colton Posey and got a fly out from Luke Garrett to quell the threat.

The Comets posted their only offensive goose egg in the bottom of the fourth, despite an infield single by Garrett Clark and a walk by Clayton.

Needing to keep Murphy scoreless to end the game and send the series back to Murphy, Moore showed his first signs of fatigue as he walked Bulldog Jeremiah Clark on four pitches. Curry then hit a bullet to Comet third baseman Rhett Lowder, who knocked the ball down and fired to second to force Clark. Peterson followed with a grounder to short to force Curry, after which Moore ended the game by striking out Irwin.

Asked if the team had a different mindset for this game as opposed to Thursdays contest, Comet coach Will Davis said, We just decided to go out there and have fun. We had nothing to lose.

Carson Lowder, who led the Comet offense with a three-for-three performance, echoed Daviss sentiments on the situation.

We just thought, hey, were down a game, lets just swing the bats and see what happens. I got two fastballs and a curve ball, and was able to hit each of them hard.

In gaining his second playoff victory, Moores approach on the mound was simple and effective.

I wanted to keep the ball low, get ahead in the count, and let my defense work behind me, he said.

My goal was to try to keep my pitch count down to 15 or so per inning so I could go the whole game if I needed to.

In addition to Lowders perfect night, Davis was two-for-three for the Comets. Peterson was the only Bulldog with multiple hits, going two-for-three with one RBI.

Irwin sustained the loss, giving up six runs, four hits and two walks. Seabolt pitched 3.2 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and three walks.

Toby Thorpe is a freelance contributor for The Stanly News &Press.

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Comets dominate Game 2 | Sports | thesnaponline.com - Stanly News & Press