Staff report

MOORESVILLE — With infielders Hayden Simmerson and Blake Hill stationed in the outfield corners, the Rowan County American Legion team was looking for big offense on Monday — and found it.

Rowan County took charge early and bludgeoned Mooresville 15-0. Simmerson, credited with the pitching win in Friday’s opener, singled, doubled, homered and scored three runs to lead Rowan County to a 15-0 victory.

Rowan also managed to slide Aiden Schenck into the lineup at DH, with Morgan Padgett manning first base. So Rowan has the most power it’s had in the lineup in quite a while, and the defense figures to be sound with infielders Luke Graham, JT Taylor and Cole Johnson and catchers Matthew Connolly and Cameron Burleyson.

Rowan had 15 hits. Rowan’s seven-run seventh included two-RBI pinch hits by  Zach McNeely, Krys Hernandez and Drew Burton.

Pitching depth is always the biggest challenge, but so far, so good. Rowan used four hurlers in the opener without allowing a run and did the same thing again against Mooresville.

Simmerson, Burton, Corbin Bailey and Alex Hagler pitched in the 2-0 opening win against Concord at Newman Park when Rowan was still very short-handed.

Mikey Beasley, who pitched the first three innings, Maverick Walters, Corbin Hales, a strike-thrower who handled two innings with 16 pitches, and Hagler got the job done in Monday’s road game.

Rowan hurlers held Mooresville to one hit and Rowan didn’t make any errors.

 

 

Upcoming games

May 24 Randolph County, 7 p.m. (Newman Park)

May 25 Mooresville, 7 p.m. (Newman Park)

May 26 at Davidson County, 7 p.m. (Holt-Moffitt Field, Lexington)

 

Game 1 — Rowan Co. 2, Concord 0

W —Hayden  Simmerson (1-0). S — Hagler (1).

2 hits — Aiden Schenck, Elijah Palmer

2B — Schenck (1), Luke Graham (1), Drew Burton (1)

RBIs — Palmer (1), Schenck (1)

Runs — Graham (1), Burton (1)

Game 2 — Rowan Co. 15, Mooresville 0

W — Mikey Beasley (1-0)

3 hits — Simmerson

2 hits — Schenck, Graham

2B — Simmerson (1), Zach McNeely (1)

HR — Simmerson (1)

RBIs — Simmerson 2 (2), Burton 2 (2), Cameron Burleyson 2 (2), Krys Hernandez 2 (2), Cole Johnson (1), Morgan Padgett (1), Schenck (2), JT Taylor (1)

Runs — Simmerson 3 (3), Johnson (1). Schenck (1), Blake Hill (1), Logan Dyer (1), Padgett (1), Cody Russell (1), Burton (2), Matthew Connolly (1), Palmer (1), JT Taylor (1), EmoryTaylor (1), Hernandez (1)