By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS ó Sirens wailed throughout the night outside Veterans Field, but Kannapolis pitchers never were arrested for wildness.The charge would have stuck.
Kannapolis hurlers walked a dozen, and Mocksville walked away with a 20-15 Southern Division of Area III victory that was every bit as ugly as it sounds.”We jumped on them early, just the way we’re supposed to do, but then we got a little comfortable,” Mocksville catcher Hernan Bautista said. “Then Kannapolis fought back hard.”
Mocksville scored eight in the first before Kannapolis (2-3, 2-1) had a chance to swing.
Kannapolis fought back to as close as 9-8 after four innings before Mocksville (4-0, 2-0) put up nine runs in the fifth.
“Coming into this season I had no idea what we’d have, but the guys are coming together,” said Mocksville coach Mike Lovelace, who has a mix of college players, Davie players, West Rowan players and even a North Iredell player. “Offensively and defensively, I can’t ask for much more than we’ve been getting so far. We’ll go as far as our arms hold up.”
Lovelace sent D.J. Webb, Ryan Carter, Nick Burwell and Jake Koontz to the mound against Kannapolis, which has a scary middle of the lineup full of college guys. Roughly 31/2 hours after Webb got the first out, Koontz got the last one on a groundball to third baseman Tyler King.
Webb, who had a great high school season at West, was an inch from earning a victory. Kannapolis leadoff man Jordan Phillips barely beat a play at first base to make it 18-9 in the bottom of the seventh. Had Phillips been called out, it would have been a seven-inning, 10-run rule game. Webb, who worked four innings, would’ve been the winner. Instead, Carter was credited with the victory.
Lots of batting averages went up.
Mocksville leadoff man Matt Leonard had three walks and three singles in his first six plate appearances before he finally grounded out on the seventh one. He scored five runs.
Carlos Bautista, another West product, slapped five hits, although one of them was strictly a scorebook hit that struck a baserunner.
Zack Russell-Myers, who will start on the mound against South Rowan tonight, smacked a three-run, wind-aided homer in the first inning.
Daniel Welch had four hits for Kannapolis, Jacob Wright powered a two-run homer and Wes Honeycutt scored five runs.
“We were stroking with the sticks,” Honeycutt said. “But it’s hard to play an intense game with that many walks.”
Intensity did escalate several notches in the sixth when Kannapolis’ Hunter Pate bulldozed Mocksville backup catcher Jonie Bautista at the plate. Pate was ejected, and a mature Mocksville team showed good composure the rest of the way.
“Our offense never quit, but we were behind from the start,” Kannapolis coach Matt Stack said. “Our bullpen was walk, walk, walk, and that made our guys antsy in the field.”
Kannapolis sends ace John Tuttle to the mound against Rowan County tonight.