Menu

Connor Adams

Post 45 Hunter Atkins swings in June2023 v Cleveland County

Post 45 blasts off, keeps season going in Southeast Regional

, , , , , , , , , ,

Hunter Atkins, above, and several of his Randolph County Post 45 teammates had strong offensive games in Friday’s Southeast Regional game. (Randolph Record file photo)

ASHEBORO – Hunter Atkins drove in three runs and six of his Randolph County Post 45 teammates racked up two runs batted in a 17-1 whipping of Owensboro (Ky.) Post 9 in Friday afternoon’s elimination game of the Southeast Regional at McCrary Park.

The American Legion baseball game ended after five innings. Post 45 (25-7) scored in every inning, including seven runs in the top of the fifth.

For the second year in a row, Randolph County has advanced to the second-to-last day of the regional. It will be one of four remaining teams when Saturday’s action begins at 4:30 p.m.

Tanner Marsh, Tyler Parks, Josh Meadows, Connor Adams, Carson Whitehead and Pierce Leonard all knocked in two runs. Adams had three of Randolph County’s 10 hits and he also scored three runs. Marsh rapped two doubles.

Post 45 drew six walks and had six batters hit by pitches.

Braxton Walker pitched the first four innings and Drew Harmon threw in the fifth for Post 45.

Owensboro finished with a 21-12 record.

The Randolph County / Owensboro game was the first of three games on Friday’s schedule. Post 45’s opponent Saturday will be the loser of Friday’s nightcap between Florence (S.C.) Post 1 and West End (Va.) Post 361.

Post 45 Josh Meadows catch July 9 2023

Moving on: Post 45 set for Area 3 semifinals series

, , , , , ,

Randolph County Post 45 first baseman Josh Meadows makes a catch against Davidson County Post 8 with catcher Grat Dalton looking on in Game 1 of that playoff series. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Randolph County Post 45 is moving on to the semifinals of the Area 3 playoffs and it shapes up as a significant showdown.

Post 45 (21-3) and Rowan County Post 342 (32-3) will match up in a best-of-5 series beginning Thursday night at Catawba College in Salisbury.

Monday night at Lexington, Post 45 won 6-1 vs. Davidson County Post 8 to complete a sweep of the best-of-3 first-round series. Tanner Marsh homered, Connor Adams scored two runs and Samuel Asbill pitched six innings with eight strikeouts without issuing a walk.

Rowan County, which was the South Division regular-season champion, already had a spot in the semifinals based on Foothills Post 123 forfeiting the first-round series.

Randolph County was the second-place team in the North Division.

Post 45 and Post 342 played three times during the regular season, with Randolph County winning the final two of those meetings. Each team had a one-run victory and Post 45 also won 10-5.

Game 2 comes Friday night at McCrary Park in Asheboro with Game 3 back in Salisbury on Saturday night. If necessary, the fourth and fifth games are set for Sunday and Monday, respectively.

Last year, Rowan County defeated Randolph County in the Area 3 final.

In the other semifinals series, High Point-Thomasville Post 87 meets Kannapolis Post 115.

Post 45 Pierce Leonard batting spring2023

Returnees help Post 45 hit early groove

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pierce Leonard takes a swing for Randolph County Post 45. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Randolph County Post 45 has been off a strong start to the American Legion baseball season.

The team has a good core of returning players who’ve produced across the first couple of weeks of the season.

Post 45 had a 7-1 record – capped with a 5-4 victory at Davidson County last week – before a five-day break in the schedule. The team is slated to be back in action this week.

The lone loss came by a 3-2 score at Rowan County. Twelve days later, Post 45 avenged the loss with a 10-5 home victory.

Tyler Parks drove in four runs in that triumph, while Ethan Frye and Braylen Hayes homered. Samuel Asbill was the winning pitcher.

Parks, Hayes, Tanner Marsh, Adam Cole, Josh Meadows, Drew Harmon, Connor Adams, Alex Martinez and Robert Garner are returnees from the 2022 team who’ve been key contributors this season.

Hayes homered twice as part of an 8-RBI night and Marsh scored four runs in a home romp past Davidson County. Meadows homered in a game at Mocksville-Davie County.

Cole won’t be with the team much longer as he reports for classes this month at East Carolina, where he’ll join the football program. Post 45 manager Ronnie Pugh said he welcomed Cole’s participation this spring even though he knew it would be on a short-term basis.

Outfielder Carter Brown, since helping Uwharrie Charter Academy to a Class 1-A state championship, has been produced upon joining Post 45. He drove in three runs in the Rowan County and Davidson County games.

Pitcher Drake Purvis, who was coming off surgery and didn’t pitch until late in the high school season for Randleman, has been a boost to the pitching staff along with high school teammate Austin Lemons.

Other Post 45 newcomers include former Randleman standout Hunter Atkins plus Ethan Frye and Pierce Leonard from Eastern Randolph’s team.

Because of delayed completion of renovations at McCrary Park in Asheboro, Post 45 has played home games at Randleman High School. The team has practiced at McCrary Park and should be playing games there by the end of next week. Last Wednesday’s home game against Mooresville was cancelled because of weather-related concerns.