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Post 45’s season ends with 11-inning loss in Southeast Regional

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ASHEBORO – It took most of Saturday night before Randolph County Post 45 was dismissed from the Southeast Regional.

The host team battled for 11 innings with Florence (S.C.) Post 1 before suffering a 5-4 loss at McCrary Park.

“We’ve been playing all night,” Post 45 manager Ronnie Pugh said. “This was a classic. Our guys sucked it up and played.”

Florence (29-5) is unbeaten in the double-elimination regional and will play Fuquay-Varina Post 116 (30-6) at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. If Fuquay-Varina wins, another winner-take-all game will follow.

Post 45 ended the season with a 25-8 record, going 2-2 in regional play for the second year in a row.

This one came with an array of twists and turns.

“I thought for sure we were going to win it,” shortstop/pitcher Hunter Atkins said. “That’s how it goes. There was ups and downs.”

Post 1’s Josh Williams tripled to begin the 11th and scored on Noah Moore’s sacrifice fly.

Post 45 tried to match it, with Carter Brown starting the bottom of the inning with an infield single and moving to second on Caleb Dunn’s sacrifice bunt. Tanner Marsh drew a two-out walk and then a wild pitch moved up the runners before Atkins walked. Tyler Parks, who held the hero’s tag several times during the game, fouled out to end it.

“You can’t ask for anything else out of your team,” Parks said.

Atkins threw 87 pitches, the most he has thrown in a game at any level. He struck out seven in six innings of relief.

“We played a baseball game here and everybody was into it,” Pugh said. “I would much rather go out in a game like this than get beat 7-1. … We were capable of winning this tournament.”

Post 45’s dramatics cranked up in the fifth inning. Florence reliever Collin Minshew walked Marsh and Atkins before Parks lofted a home run to left field to put Randolph County ahead 4-3.

Marsh pitched five-plus innings, giving up singles to the first two Post 1 batters in the sixth. Atkins worked out of the jam.

“You had to be tough (in this game),” Atkins said. “You couldn’t be mentally soft.”

Parks, the third baseman, had spectacular glove work in the seventh after Post 1’s Collin Minshew led off with a double. Parks made a sliding catch of Jackson Moore’s foul popup for the first out. Minshew scored on a two-out wild pitch, but Parks’ play might have prevented a big rally.

Parks was at it again in the 10th, starting a double play with a nifty stab and throw after the first batter reached on a single.

Atkins led off the bottom of the 10th with a double and Parks was intentionally walked, but Post 45 couldn’t produce the winning run.

Randolph County’s Pierce Leonard went 3-for-4 with a walk. Parks and Brown each had two hits.

Earlier, Williams hit his second home run of the regional to open the scoring. Zach Hunt rapped a two-run double in the third.

Post 45 put its first two batters in the third inning on base with singles by Alex Martinez and Marsh. But Florence right field tracked down Atkins’ deep drive and Parks grounded into a double play.

Randolph County loaded the bases with one out in the fourth and scored on Dunn’s walk, but another double play ended the threat.

This marked the first extra-inning game in the regional.

In Saturday’s first game, Fuquay-Varina drilled West End (Va.) Post 361 by 14-2 in a game reduced to five innings by the mercy rule.

American Legion Southeast Regional logo

Glitch in plan pins loss on Post 45 in Southeast Regional opener

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ASHEBORO – Parts of a plan for Randolph County Post 45 played out well on the first day of the Southeast Regional for American Legion baseball.

But there were a few things that Post 45 couldn’t anticipate Wednesday night at McCrary Park and that was part of the downfall.

Columbia (Tenn.) Post 19 had two big innings and those turned into a 7-5 victory.

“We had a plan and we executed it for the most part,” Randolph County manager Ronnie Pugh said. “They had two big hits.”

Now Post 45 takes on Belleview (Fla.) Post 284 in an elimination game at 12:30 p.m. Thursday. It’s a double-elimination tournament, which wraps up Sunday.

“Win one and go to the next day,” Post 45 outfielder Carter Brown said of the objective.

Post 19’s No. 9 batter Baylan Tuten blasted a bases-clearing two-out triple over right fielder Tyler Parks’ head to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 7-4 lead in the fifth inning.

Post 45 had trouble generating much with its seven hits. The team had been off since July 17 when it failed to reach the Area 3 final.

“Hitting, a few of us didn’t have it,” outfielder Connor Adams said.

Post 45 was without center fielder Braylen Hayes because of an injury and catcher Grat Dalton because of a family situation. Pitcher Drake Purvis was absent due to another baseball endeavor.

Pugh said Randolph County has enough personnel to extend the season to the weekend.

“It’s tough coming off losses, but so is (Belleview),” he said. “We’ve got to win one game a day.”

Randolph County used Robert Garner for three innings as the starting pitcher. Reliever Samuel Asbill breezed through the fourth inning before trouble brewed in the fifth. A one-out single and two two-out walks triggered Columbia’s rally.

Earlier, Columbia loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning but a popup and two strikeouts allowed Post 45 to escape.

Randolph County didn’t waste its chances in the bottom of the inning, with Josh Meadows’ one-out single driving in two runs. Braxton Walker followed with a run-scoring triple.

Columbia converted in the second on Cam Vaughn’s one-out ground-rule double to pull within 3-2 and tacked on two more runs in the inning. In the third, Hunter Atkins doubled and scored on Meadows’ groundout before Walker’s single put Post 45 back ahead.

Walker was the only Post 45 player with more than one hit.

So after the layoff, the offseason looms unless Randolph County can make a quick turnaround.

“It was a long break, but we’re all happy to get back,” Brown said.

“We want to win it,” Adams said, suggesting the energy could increase a notch with the season the line.

In Wednesday’s earlier games, Owensboro (Ky.) topped Evans (Ga.) 5-1, West End (Va.) edged Belleview 7-4, and Florence (S.C.) defeated North Carolina state champion Fuquay-Varina 9-5. There are also games Thursday at 9 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Post 45 Pierce Leonard fielding July2023

Leonard takes baseball path with Post 45; Southeast Regional set to begin in Asheboro

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 Second baseman Pierce Leonard of Randolph County Post 45 makes a play in the field earlier this season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – Pierce Leonard is a first-year member of the Randolph County Post 45 baseball team. There’s a reason that he pursued American Legion baseball this summer.

Having finished his final high school year at Eastern Randolph after transferring from Uwharrie Charter Academy, Leonard chose baseball as a preference in terms of a sport to play in college.

“I figured I could go farther with baseball than I could basketball,” Leonard said.

He said he’ll play baseball at Guilford Tech.

But first, Leonard will be part of the Post 45 team aiming for a resurgence in this week’s Southeast Regional at McCrary Park. Games begin Wednesday.

Leonard, who was a defensive back in football, was one of the standouts in Eastern Randolph’s key players during a record-setting basketball season that extended into March in the Class 1-A championship game.

Days later, he was on the baseball field for the Wildcats.

“I hadn’t played baseball since my freshman year,” Leonard said. “I feel baseball is natural to me. I’m just loose up there.”

Leonard, after fouling a ball off his shin, was out for most of the recent Post 45 postseason games. Randolph County manager Ronnie Pugh said Monday that Leonard was pretty much at full speed at a weekend practice in advance of the regional.

“He should be good to go,” Pugh said.

Post 45 holds a 23-6 record, with four of those losses coming to Rowan County and the other two to High Point-Thomasville. Randolph’s spot in the regional was secured because of an automatic bid reserved for the host team.

When Post 45 failed to advance to the Area 3 finals, it meant the team would have more than a two-week layoff before the Southeast Regional.

Post 45 has numerous players with experience from last year’s regional. Among those are lineup regulars Tanner Marsh, Braylen Hayes, Tyler Parks and Josh Meadows plus Alex Martinez and Robert Garner.

Martinez, a catcher and utility player, is with Post 45 after a season with Brunswick Community College. He didn’t play much in the spring, in part because he was behind Tatum Marsh, a former high school teammate at Asheboro and ex-Post 45 mate. 

Checking the regional …

The five-day regional includes teams from seven states. It’s a double-elimination format.

There are four games the first two days and then three games Friday, two more Saturday and one or two games Sunday.

Post 45 will play the nightcap each day if it’s in the winner’s bracket. Randolph County opens Wednesday against Columbia (Tenn.) Post 19. That game is set for 7:30 p.m.

Other first-day games are Evans (Ga.) Post 192 vs. Owensboro (Ky.) Post 9 at 9:30 a.m.; Belleview (Fla.) Post 284 vs. West End (Va.) Post 361 at 12:30 p.m.; and Florence (S.C.) Post 1 vs. Fuquay-Varina Post 116.

Belleview, Evans, Owensboro and Columbia all played in the regional last year at McCrary Park. Post 45’s only game against any of those teams came with an eight-inning victory against Evans on the second day in a winner’s bracket game, but Randolph County lost its next two games and was eliminated.

Fuquay-Varina won the North Carolina state tournament, topping Wayne County Post 11 in Saturday’s final in Buies Creek.

The regional winner advances to the American Legion World Series next week in Shelby.

Post 45 Samuel Asbill at Chatham County June2023

Post 45 learns hard lessons as winning streak ends

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Samuel Asbill of Randolph County Post 45 throws a pitch during a victory at Chatham County. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – A dose of reality during the past week might not be as bad as it looked for Randolph County Post 45.

The American Legion baseball team had breezed through much of its schedule for the first month of the season. Then in a pair of Area 3 North Division games against High Point-Thomasville Post 87, things didn’t go its way.

“Ego got too high,” catcher Grat Dalton said. “We beat everybody. We thought less of this team and should have played a lot better.”

Post 87 made it a two-game sweep by winning 6-3 on Friday night at McCrary Park.

“Two pretty good ball games and they played better than we did,” Randolph County manager Ronnie Pugh said.

The first of those was Post 87’s 8-5 victory Tuesday night. Post 45 entered the stretch on a 13-game winning streak.

It’s far from a crisis for Randolph County, which improved to 17-3 with Saturday night’s 10-0 victory at Foothills Post 123.

“We’ve been playing real good so far,” Post 45 shortstop Tanner Marsh said of the season as a whole. “We just struggle hitting sometimes.”

Randolph County had gone more than a month without losing before the matchups with High Point-Thomasville.

“We seem to hit kind of a plateau,” Pugh said. “It will happen, and we’ll work through it. Sometimes you have to work your way through it.”

Pugh said player availability will fluctuate with some players having college coursework commitments. Plus, third baseman Hunter Atkins missed Friday’s game because of illness, Pugh said.

“You always think you’re going to win all of them,” Pugh said. “Sometimes you find some things out about your team and it can pay off later on.”

Dalton pointed to mental mistakes as contributing to the shortcomings vs. Post 87.

“Things have got to pick up,” he said. “Play with more intensity.”

High Point-Thomasville scored two third-inning runs, beginning when Jake Little lofted a misplayed double to deep right field and scored on Yates Sikes’ hit. Tanner Royals’ groundout plated the next run in the inning. Sikes stole home for the third run.

In the bottom of the inning Braylen Hayes’ two-out, RBI double and Tyler Parks’ run-scoring single tied the game. Post 87 went back ahead with three runs in the fourth and Randolph County’s only response came on Hayes’ RBI groundout in the fifth. Starting pitcher Drake Purvis of Post 45 took the loss, giving up five runs in four innings before Drew Harmon finished on the mound.

For Post 87, the week might have marked a turnaround.

“We finally started playing like a team and found a way to finish,” said shortstop Landon Mowery, a Trinity product who had two hits and a walk Friday night.

Tuesday night at Finch Field in Thomasville, Randolph County gave up seven runs in the Post 87’s last three at-bats in an 8-5 loss. The big blow was Tyler Shafer’s three-run homer in the fifth.

Post 45 didn’t get much going, scoring two runs in the third and two in the sixth – all on two-out fielding blunders that resulted in two runs on each play. It was 5-4 going to the bottom of the sixth, when Post 87 tacked on three runs off reliever Robert Garner. Dalton’s RBI single in the seventh accounted for the last run. Starting pitcher Austin Lemons took the loss despite benefitting from three double plays.

Post 45 bounced back Thursday night to defeat Chatham County Post 292 by 7-2 behind Samuel Asbill’s pitching as he worked into the seventh inning in Siler City. Marsh had three hits, including a two-run homer.

And after the second loss of the week, there was a strong showing against Foothills. Josh Meadows smashed a grand slam, Marsh homered and Garner threw six shutout innings. Connor Adams threw in the seventh to complete a one-hitter.

Sunday’s makeup game against Greensboro Post 53 has been cancelled as Post 53 has called off the rest of its season.

Post 45 Pierce Leonard batting spring2023

Returnees help Post 45 hit early groove

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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.

Post 45 Tanner Marsh makes tage May 2023

ZooKeepers, Post 45 wait on McCrary Park

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Randolph County Post 45 shortstop Tanner Marsh makes a tag at second base against Davidson County during an American Legion game last week in Randleman, where the team is playing home games temporarily. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – The Asheboro ZooKeepers and Randolph County Post 45 baseball teams are playing relocated home games for perhaps a few more weeks as the latest renovation project at McCrary Park is keeping the park off limits to spectators.

The ZooKeepers, a collegiate summer team, have reworked the early portion of their schedule and already have played road games. The team will play select home games at UNC Greensboro, beginning with Friday night’s game vs. Forest City.

Post 45, which won five of its first six games, is playing American Legion games at Randleman High School.

Ronnie Pugh, who’s part of the family ownership group for the ZooKeepers and the manager of the Post 45 team, said challenges exist for both teams.

“As hard as it is with the Legion team, it’s more (difficult) with the ZooKeepers,” Pugh said. “There’s so much more to it and we’re playing at a university facility and there’s things that go on with using that. But everyone has jumped in and tried to make it work.”

First-year ZooKeepers general manager Melissa Godwin is wife to Billy Godwin, the UNCG baseball coach.

Pugh said McCrary Park should be open for games by June 22.

“We may very well be in before that,” he said. “It’s all a work in progress. We’ll see some improvement every week.”

The new grandstand is completed, Pugh said, but parking and grounds outside the gates need more work before it’s safe for spectators.

In some ways, the inconveniences are a recurrence of several weeks of the 2022 season when the first phase of ballpark’s renovations for the playing surface and dugouts were delayed. The ZooKeepers rescheduled numerous games, while Post 45 played home games at Southwestern Randolph.

For the ZooKeepers, the team will bus to “home” games at UNCG. The Coastal Plain League team’s other operations and interns remain based in Asheboro.

Among schedule revisions, the ZooKeepers also will have games June 13, 16 (a doubleheader), 19 and 21 at UNCG. The latest revision shows the McCrary Park home opener coming June 22 against the Boone Bigfoots.

Three ZooKeepers games, either non-league or exhibitions, have been cancelled. The regular season ends Aug. 5. The home finale is Aug. 1.

Unlike a year ago, the teams are able to hold practices at city-owned McCrary Park. An official re-opening for the ballpark is set for July 4, Pugh said.

** Post 45 has players from throughout the area, representing numerous schools. Randleman is an ideal alternative site, Pugh said.

“It’s a good place to play until we get back into McCrary Park,” he said. “We’ve worked with the high schools before.”

Up to four members of the Uwharrie Charter Academy baseball team, which won the Class 1-A state championship during the weekend, will be joining the Post 45 team, Pugh said.

Tanner Marsh with Blue Comets in spring2022

Marsh finds Liberty destination as Asheboro baseball prospects set futures

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Asheboro shortstop Tanner Marsh makes a throw during the 2022 season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Asheboro’s baseball prospects make various choices

ASHEBORO – Tanner Marsh said he had lots of guidance when determining his best path in baseball after he leaves Asheboro High School.

That ultimately led the versatile player to signing with Liberty during the fall signing period.

“All of my brothers are in college playing baseball and I had good advice,” Marsh said.

He also had extensive playing time in the summer, largely with Randolph County Post 45. He said manager Ronnie Pugh and the staff helped him boost his profile.

“They know a lot about baseball,” he said.

Marsh, who’s frequently a lead-off batter, said he’s expecting to play as a shortstop at Liberty. He’s also a pitcher for Asheboro and Post 45.

“Before I started getting recruited, I didn’t know Liberty was a thing,” Marsh said, noting that he received a boost when college recruiters saw him during the State Games of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. “They liked the way I carried myself on the field.”

Asheboro has other college prospects under coach Brett Hoogkamp. Davis Gore, a catcher among other positions, signed with Division II Belmont Abbey.

“He does well at numerous positions,” Hoogkamp said of Gore, who also has spent time as a third baseman, outfielder and pitcher.

Josh Meadows, a power hitter who’s a first baseman and outfielder, could land on the college level.

Tanner Marsh’s signing added to a family tradition.

Tristan Marsh began his college stops at Coastal Carolina. Trevor Marsh is in the UNC Wilmington program, and Tatum Marsh is set for another season at Brunswick Community College.

Hoogkamp said that family factor has served the youngest Marsh well.

“He’s always trying to compete with this,” Hoogkamp said. “He has figured a lot of things out. He’s loaded with talent. He does pretty well in all areas of the game.”

Tanner Marsh, 17, has more to accomplish for the Blue Comets. He’s a starting guard on the basketball team and another baseball season in the spring.

Gage Miller, a third baseman and pitcher, left the Asheboro program for his senior year to join Holly Springs-based Pro5 Academy. He’s a former North Carolina State commit, but in late November he announced his intention to attend Division I newcomer Queens of Charlotte.

Post 45 player Alex Martinez in Aug2022

Post 45 could have core of roster back next year

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Alex Martinez, shown here batting for Randolph County Post 45 during the Southeast Regional earlier this month in Asheboro, could be among the team’s returning players for 2023. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

ASHEBORO – When the season ended for Randolph County Post 45 earlier this month, it was a downer.

The team lost back-to-back games to be eliminated from the Southeast Regional in American Legion baseball in its home ballpark.

Yet there might have been a ray of hope regarding the future that day at McCrary Park.

“Only three of our 17 players are gone,” Randolph County manager Ronnie Pugh said. “We could have a lot of these guys back.”
Post 45 ended up with a 31-13 record this year. It was an automatic regional entrant based on its role as the host team.

Given the experience on Randolph County’s team, it might have seemed strange that only three of the players will age out. Pugh said that trio is right fielder Blake Marsh, second baseman Tatum Marsh and catcher/utility player Trey Way. All three of them were pitchers as well.

Granted, those are significant losses because all three usually occupied spots within the top five pegs in the batting order.

Blake Marsh (Catawba) and Tatum Marsh (Brunswick Community College) spent the 2021-22 school year at post-secondary school stops, while Way was a 2022 senior on Randleman’s second consecutive Class 2-A state championship team. Way is beginning his freshman year at Virginia Tech.

Several other Post 45 players will be heading to post-high school programs during the school year that’s just starting. That includes center fielder Braylen Hayes at UNC Greensboro, catcher Alex Martinez at Brunswick Community College and pitcher Robert Garner at Wake Tech.

Other Post 45 starters are rising high school seniors. That list includes left fielder Adam Cole (Southwestern Randolph), third baseman Tyler Parks (Southwestern Randolph), shortstop Tanner Marsh (Asheboro) and first baseman Josh Meadows (Asheboro). Several other players still in high school – such as Grant Little (Uwharrie Charter Academy), Drew Harmon (Montgomery Central) and Connor Adams — were part of this year’s postseason contributors.

In some cases, the 2023 college players or high school seniors might opt for other summer destinations rather than American Legion baseball.

After losing the Area 3 title game to Rowan County, Post 45 went 2-2 in both the state tournament and the Southeast Regional.

“We’ll get back out there and start recruiting,” Pugh said of encouraging eligible players to participate in American Legion baseball.

So there would be a strong quest for Post 45 to contend for a spot in the 2023 American Legion World Series in Shelby.

Earlier this month in Shelby, Troy Post 70 became the first Alabama entry two win the American Legion World Series since 1967 by defeating two-time defending champion Idaho Falls (Idaho) Post 56 in the championship game.

Camden (S.C.) Post 17, which won the Southeast Regional in Asheboro, went 1-2 in World Series bracket play and failed to advance to the semifinal round. Camden’s lone victory came against eventual champion Troy.

Post 45 final handshake

Season fizzles on Post 45 in elimination loss

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Randolph County Post 45 team members go through their final postgame handshake line of the season Saturday at McCrary Park.

ASHEBORO – This Randolph County Post 45 baseball team seemed built for big things.

Too many big innings for opponents became the undoing for the host team in the American Legion’s Southeast Regional.

“I definitely think we could have had a better season than this,” left fielder Adam Cole said.

The end came with a 15-5 loss to Wilmington Post 10 in an elimination game Saturday at McCrary Park. The game was reduced to five innings by the mercy rule, with Wilmington racking up the final 15 runs.

With back-to-back losses, Post 45 (31-13) was finished. That left three other teams from the original eight-team field left to determine the qualifier for next week’s American Legion World Series.

“I thought we were going to run through this,” Randolph County center fielder/pitcher Braylen Hayes said. “It’s all about how you play as a team.”

Just like the state tournament a week earlier, Post 45 began with two victories and then exited with losses in its next two games.

“A tough two weeks,” Post 45 manager Ronnie Pugh said. “With all the injuries, it’s pretty remarkable really that we were able to come out and win a couple games (in each tournament).”

The ailments had piled up, with a pitching staff reduced by injuries, shortstop Tanner Marsh limping around all week, Blake Marsh dealing with a sore wrist and catcher Alex Martinez hampered by a bashed finger.

Yet the most unpredictable development involved Post 45’s Trey Way, who had played five positions in the field across the first three days of the regional and was slated to be the catcher Saturday. Hours before the game, Way became ill because of an allergic reaction. He was held out of the lineup and then departed during the second rain delay for additional care.

Even with that, it started well for Post 45. Randolph County scored two runs before the first out, beginning the game with three singles and notching the first run on a wild pitch. Cole drove in a run with a single, but Hayes was thrown out at the plate on the play. Martinez roped a two-out, two-run single and Tyler Parks followed with an RBI single.

A 9-minute rain delay preceded starting pitcher Robert Garner throwing his first pitch in the bottom of the inning. Wilmington’s Logan Ponnett hammered a two-run homer in the bottom of the first before an out was recorded. After five Post 10 batters took their turns, there was a 53-minute halt.

The frame ended with a 5-3 score and Wilmington leaving the bases loaded.

Connor Kane’s grand slam on an 0-2 pitch from Garner with two outs in the bottom of the second inning gave Wilmington its first lead. Post 10 scored in every inning, with Post 45 using three pitchers but none could slow down Wilmington’s 14-hit barrage.

“We came in here lacking pitching,” Hayes said.

Still, Post 45 was stacked. There were veteran players along with newcomers Hayes and Way, who were standouts on Randleman’s second consecutive Class 2-A state championship team from the high school season. North Carolina recruit Tyler Parks was available for the postseason, Blake Marsh and Tatum Marsh had been in college programs, and Pugh could field a team with all-star credentials at about every position.

“We won 30-some games,” Pugh said. “Stuff hit at times. Maybe we were a couple of arms short.”

Blake Marsh and Cole both had two hits in the finale.

Much of the core of the team is eligible to return. Players have called it a positive experience.

“I loved it,” Hayes said of American Legion baseball. “Every second was fun for me.”

Saturday’s results

Wilmington 15, Randolph County 5 (Randolph County eliminated)

Rock Hill, S.C. vs. Camden, S.C., delayed

Post 45 coaches at states

Problems pile up on Post 45 in first regional loss

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Randolph County Post 45 coaches Ryan Hill, left, Ronnie Pugh and Andrew Conner will need a plan to win three more games in the Southeast Regional. (File photo)

Randolph County needs turnaround to extend season

ASHEBORO — It didn’t start well for Randolph County Post 45. Then it got worse Friday night.

Yet if there’s a good omen for the host team in Southeast Regional for American Legion baseball, things are bound to get better this weekend.

Or else the season will come to a disheartening conclusion.

“It’s an eye-opener,” Post 45 catcher Alex Martinez said after the 12-7 loss to Camden (S.C.) Post 17 at McCrary Park. “We have to come play and play harder. Need a lot more energy.”

The eight-team field in the double-elimination tournament has been cut in half, with only Camden with an unblemished mark.

Post 45 (31-12) meets North Carolina state champion Wilmington Post 10 in Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. elimination game. Camden, which is guaranteed of advancing to Sunday, takes on South Carolina state champion Rock Hill Post 34 in Saturday night’s nightcap.

Randolph County pitchers gave up 15 hits and five walks and were dinged by the team’s three fielding errors.

“A couple errors lead to more errors,” Martinez said. “Things started to fall apart. Not a lot of energy going on.”

The miscues extended to offense. Three Randolph County innings ended with base-running blunders.

“I don’t think I want to really replay that one,” Post 45 manager Ronnie Pugh said of the game. “When we’re on, we’re good. But we were sure bad (in this game).”

Camden scored two unearned first-inning runs. By the time Post 17 put on a third-inning hitting clinic to score five runs, it was 8-1.

“I felt they swung the bats really well and they were hitting it,” starting pitcher Tatum Marsh said. “We’ll learn from it.”

Trey Way, Connor Adams, Drew Harmon and Braylen Hayes were also used on the mound, with only Adams, who worked one inning, going unscored upon.

Yet Post 45 racked up 11 hits, with Tatum Marsh, Blake Marsh, Adam Cole and Josh Meadows all recording two.

Randolph County got on the board on Tatum Marsh’s two-out single in the second. Cole stroked an RBI double in the third.

Post 45 closed within 10-5 on Tyler Parks’ two-out, two-run single in the fifth. A wild pitch resulted in another run.

Adams worked into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth without yielding a run.

In the bottom of the inning, Tanner Marsh’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded made it 10-7, but that’s all Post 45 got when Cole lined out to right end to end the threat.

Randolph County and Wilmington didn’t meet in last week’s state tournament.

Friday’s results

Rock Hill, S.C. 7, Belleview, Fla. 3 (Belleview eliminated)

Wilmington 18, Evans, Ga. 0 (Evans eliminated)

Camden, S.C. 12, Randolph County 7

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