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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 team gathers after Game 3 loss at Rowan County July2023

Post 45 falls in decisive Game 5 in series vs. Rowan County

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Members of Randolph County Post 45 gather after a loss in the Area 3 semifinal series in Salisbury. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

SALISBURY – Randolph County Post 45 will have a gap in its schedule before resuming play next month in American Legion baseball.

Post 45 wasn’t able to reach the Area 3 championship series based on Monday night’s 5-0 loss to Rowan County Post 342 in Game 5 of the best-of-5 semifinal series.

Rowan County won Games 1 and 3, so it won each of its home games at Newman Park on the Catawba College campus.

Randolph County (23-6) will have more games this season after a layoff of more than two weeks. Post 45, as the host team, has an automatic spot in the Southeast Regional that runs from Aug. 2-6 at McCrary Park in Asheboro.

Rowan County (35-5) plays High Point-Thomasville Post 87 (17-3) in Thursday night’s winner-take-all Area 3 final. Both teams advance to next week’s state tournament in Buies Creek. Post 87 swept Kannapolis Post 115 in the other semifinal series.

Rowan County goes for a repeat because last year it topped Randolph County in the Area 3 title game.

Randolph County was limited to two hits in Monday night’s game. Those were by Grat Dalton and Hunter Atkins.

Samuel Asbill was the losing pitcher in the decisive game. Rowan County, aided by a pair of errors, plated five runs in the first inning. Atkins and Tanner Marsh combined for five shutout innings in relief for Post 45.

The first four games of the Area 3 semifinal series were defined by lopsided scores.

Randolph County Post 45 catcher Grat Dalton makes a tag on Rowan County’s Lucas Graham during Game 3 of the Area 3 semifinal series. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

The series began last Thursday in Salisbury, where the game was suspended with Rowan County leading 6-1 and completed the next day in Asheboro with Post 342 winning 8-2.

Later Friday, Post 45 got even with an 11-0 result that included two home runs and six runs batted in by Atkins in a 10-run six-inning. His grand slam ended the game via the mercy rule. Meanwhile, pitcher Drake Purvis threw a no-hitter with six strikeouts and two walks. The game’s first run didn’t come until Carter Brown’s solo homer with two outs in the fifth.

Rowan County responded Saturday night in Salisbury, scoring five first-inning runs off Austin Lemons on the way to a 10-0, five-inning rout.

Randolph County had answers Sunday afternoon at McCrary Park by overcoming a two-run deficit. Post 45 pulled within 2-1 in the third inning before another 10-run sixth.

Marsh’s grand slam followed by Atkins’ homer put Post 45 in control. Brown drove in two runs. Robert Garner pitched a complete game with five strikeouts.

Post 45 Josh Meadows catch July 9 2023

Moving on: Post 45 set for Area 3 semifinals series

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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.

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Samuel Asbill

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Eastern Randolph, baseball

Asbill gave a strong pitching performance in one of Eastern Randolph’s two road victories last week in the Class 1-A state playoffs.

Asbill, a junior right-hander, was listed for throwing 103 pitches when the Wildcats defeated Mt. Airy.

This marks the second year in a row that the Wildcats have secured two victories in the state playoffs. Before that, they hadn’t won a state-playoff game since 2013.