Staff report
Wesley Barker and Dusty Agner came through in a big way, and North Rowan smashed third-place North Moore 12-0 in six innings in Robbins on Friday night to share the YVC championship with South Stanly.
Barker blasted his first two homers of the season, while Agner (5-1), who was treated roughly by Lake Norman in the Cliff Peeler Baseball Classic, tossed a five-hit shutout with six strikeouts.
“Dusty came back from his worst outing of the season to pitch one of his best,” said assistant Bill Kesler, who helped guide the Cavaliers while head coach Aaron Rimer served the final game of his two-game suspension for being ejected in the Peeler Classic.
North Rowan (18-5, 14-2) broke on top with a run in the second, took charge with a three-run third and was headed for a 10-run rule victory after a six-run sixth.
“The kids played this game for Patrick Snider, and that’s something that they’ve really been doing all year,” Kesler said. “This is a great win for a lot of people.”
Barker powered a two-run homer and a solo shot. Dakota Brown had three hits, including a double. Matt Mauldin added two hits.
“Overall our defense was pretty good, and we hit the ball well up and down the lineup,” Kesler said.
North has won eight of its last nine games, with the only loss in that stretch coming against 4A powerhouse Davie County. The Cavaliers have won 12 straight YVC games since losing early to South Stanly and West Montgomery.
North Rowan has claimed the eighth regular-season title in school history. Other champions were the 1976, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2006 squads.
This team will likely be the first to win 20 at North since the Kesler-coached 2000 team was 23-7 and 2A state runner-up. That team also set the school record for wins, and the Cavaliers have a shot at it.
North has enjoyed quite a turnaround under Rimer after finishing 4-17, 5-16 and 10-15 the previous three seasons. North tied for sixth place in its first season in the YVC in 2010.
The Cavaliers start YVC tournament play on Monday night. The top-seeded Cavaliers will play host to No. 8 South Davidson.
North Rowan is seeded No. 1 because it swept third-place North Moore, while South Stanly split with North Moore.
The tournament host is West Montgomery. Semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, with the championship game on Thursday.