By Mike London
Salisbury Post
LANDIS ó Hitting a ball that falls between South Rowan’s swift outfielders is tougher than tackling LaDainian Tomlinson, but Mooresville senior Aubrey Meadows did it on Tuesday night.
Meadows’ two-out, two-run, seventh-inning single to right-center lifted Mooresville to a 6-4 victory over South and locked up second place in the NPC for the Blue Devils (17-4, 12-4).
If Meadows’ soaring liner had hooked or sliced at all, right fielder Ryan Bostian would have gotten there or center fielder Blake Houston would have gotten there. Both were in hot pursuit, both were flying and both were ready to lay out on the outfield grass, but the ball stayed straight as a clothesline on an unwavering path toward the 400-foot sign.
“Blake and I just stood there looking at each other after it fell because it was just right between us and there was nothing we could do,” Bostian said. “That ball couldn’t have been hit in a better spot for them.”
South coach Linn Williams thought someone might catch Meadows’ drive because Bostian, Houston and left fielder J.D. Bare get everything that’s in the air.
“As long as it stayed up there, I really thought Blake might get it, and he did everything he could do, Williams said. “Unfortunately, it just stayed on a line.”
Millimeters decided things all night between two good teams.
South (16-6, 10-6) had two on in the seventh, but Mooresville second baseman Nathan Abraham plucked Maverick Miles’ soft liner from the sky and flipped to shortstop Dylan West for a game-ending double play. If that ball falls, South’s in business.
“It was kind of a blooper and I didn’t think it was as high as it was, then I had to jump at the last second,” Abraham said.
Starting pitchers Meadows, a lefty headed to Charlotte, and South right-hander Michael Morgan, who lost for the first time, worked into the seventh inning.
Both were in early trouble.
Billy Nantz’s triple keyed a two-run first for Mooresville before Morgan settled in.
South, which lost to Meadows 3-1 earlier, got a run back in its half of the first and would have gotten more had a diving Abraham not smothered Caleb Shore’s bouncer up the middle. Abraham turned a two-run single into a run-scoring fielder’s choice.
“That kid at second base didn’t just save the game for them in the seventh,” Williams said. “He won this game for them a couple of times.”
Dylan West’s second line-drive sac fly of the game ó Bostian made a terrific catch on a ball he smoked in the first inning ó gave Mooresville a 3-1 lead. But South made it 3-3 when Bostian and Matt Ingold got South’s running game into high gear in the third.
Mooresville’s Jon Crucitti homered in the fourth to break the tie. South’s Jordan Corriher answered with a long ball for a 4-4 deadlock.
Morgan and Meadows made the pitches they had to in the fifth and sixth, and it stayed even on a cold night.
In the seventh, two one-out walks got a tiring Morgan in a jam. Shore relieved, walked Abraham to fill the bases, then struck out Nantz. Then Meadows smacked his first pitch for a game-winning single.
“We hit balls hard all day, but South’s outfielders are awfully impressive and they just ran down everything,” Mooresville coach Jeff Burchett said. “Aubrey finally came through the way you want your seniors to do.”
Meadows wanted a complete game and survived one seventh-inning mound visit from Burchett. But Burchett turned to Greg Beaver when Meadows walked Bostian for the third time to put two on with one out.
Beaver threw one pitch. Miles hit it, Abraham stabbed it, and the Blue Devils owned second place.
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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com.