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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.

Post 45 Hunter Atkins swings in June2023 v Cleveland County

Post 45 blasts off, keeps season going in Southeast Regional

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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 Austin Lemons pitches July2023

Lemons pitches gem as Randolph County Post 45 stays alive in Southeast Regional

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Austin Lemons throws a pitch earlier this season (Randolph Record file photo)

ASHEBORO – Austin Lemons made sure Randolph County Post 45’s season has a little more life.

Lemons threw a four-hitter as Post 45 defeated Belleview (Fla.) Post 284 by 3-0 in Thursday afternoon’s elimination game of the Southeast Regional for American Legion baseball.

Lemons, a former Randleman High School pitcher headed for UNC Greensboro, walked three batters and struck out seven. The game lasted only 79 minutes at McCrary Park.

The outcome puts Post 45 (24-7) in another must-win matchup at 12:30 p.m. Friday against the loser of Thursday’s game between Owensboro (Ky.) Post 9 and Florence (S.C.) Post 1.

Randolph County, which dropped Wednesday night’s game to Columbia (Tenn.) Post 19, bounced back behind several extra-base hits.

Tanner Marsh’s second-inning triple with two outs drove in Connor Adams, who began the inning with a single.

Josh Meadows homered with one out in the third. Hunter Atkins made it 3-0 when his two-out single in the sixth drove in former Randleman teammate Caleb Dunn, who reached on a lead-off single.

Atkins, who doubled earlier, and Dunn both finished with two hits. John Dobkowski had two of Belleview’s hits.

In Thursday’s first game, North Carolina state champion Fuquay-Varina Post 116 sent Evans (Ga.) Post 192 home with a 6-1 decision in an elimination game.

UCA wrestling happy bench 2023

In review: UCA’s state titles highlight top area moments

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Members of the Uwharrie Charter Academy wrestling team celebrate a dual team state championship last winter. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

There were championships and near misses and an assortment of other superlatives associated with the 2022-23 school year for Randolph County high school teams.

Uwharrie Charter Academy racked up a pair of team state championships in Class 1-A.

The Eagles secured the dual team wrestling title and a few months later picked up the baseball crown.

** Eastern Randolph’s boys’ basketball team had its most successful season ever by advancing to the Class 1-A state championship game. Wilson Prep won the game.

Then in baseball, the Wildcats ended up one round away from a spot in the state finals. They were denied by UCA in the West Region finals.

Those might have been surprise postseason runs, but Eastern Randolph’s football success seemed normal. The Wildcats won the Piedmont Athletic Conference, received a first-round bye in the Class 1-A state playoffs and won two playoff games before they were derailed by Mount Airy.

** Wheatmore’s girls’ soccer team also played for a state championship, but its bid to repeat as the Class 2-A titlist was thwarted in the final by Manteo.

** Asheboro’s boys’ soccer team made it to the Class 3-A West Region final, falling to Hickory.

** Randleman’s baseball and girls’ basketball teams both reached the fourth round of the Class 2-A state playoffs. In baseball, the Tigers were the two-time defending state champions.

** Providence Grove’s football team won one game in the Class 2-A state playoffs. That was notable because it was the school’s first victory in a postseason football game.

** In softball, Southwestern Randolph won three games in the Class 2-A state playoffs before a 10-inning loss to West Wilkes. UCA and Eastern Randolph also reached the fourth round in Class 1-A.

Notes of interest

** Brecken Snotherly of Eastern Randolph was the PAC’s Runner of the Year in girls’ cross country, Player of the Year in girls’ basketball and the Most Valuable Track Athlete for PAC girls’ track and field.

** Shortstop / pitcher Tanner Marsh of Asheboro was a top honoree in two sports in the Mid-Piedmont Conference. He was dubbed the Defensive Player of the Year in boys’ basketball and the Player of the Year in baseball as a senior.

** Connor Carter of Eastern Randolph was the state individual runner-up for the past two seasons in Class 1-A boys’ golf.

** Infielder Hunter Atkins of Randleman was the Player of the Year for PAC baseball in 2021 and 2023. He’s heading to UNC Greensboro, though first he’s playing this summer for Randolph County Post 45 in American Legion baseball.

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.

Post 45 Alex Martinez makes outfield catch v Chatham 2023

Post 45 seeks strong push in Area 3 playoffs

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Alex Martinez of Randolph County Post 45 makes a catch in the outfield earlier this season against Chatham County. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – There have been some gaps in the schedule for Randolph County Post 45, but the American Legion baseball team might be back in a good groove.

Post 45 finished second in the Area 3 Northern Division by the time the regular season wrapped up last week.

The team won its final two regular-season games at home and then opened the Area 3 playoffs Sunday night by defeating visiting Davidson County.

That best-of-3 series was to continue this week. The Area 3 semifinals begin later this week in a best-of-5 format.

In the series opener, Randolph County’s 8-1 victory was boosted by two-run home runs from Braylen Hayes and Tanner Marsh. Hayes ended up with four runs batted in that helped support Robert Garner’s six innings of pitching before Marsh worked the seventh from the mound.

The goal for Post 45 is a state championship, but there are other benefits for extending the playoff run. The team is tournament host with an automatic bid for the Southeast Regional that’s scheduled for Aug. 2-6, so to avoid a huge break in the schedule it’s beneficial if Randolph County can keep going in the Area 3 playoffs.

Last week, Randolph County topped Foothills Post 123 by 7-3 and then defeated Chatham County Post 292 by 5-3.

Against Foothills, five pitchers went to the mound for Post 45. Carter Brown had two hits.

In the Chatham County game, Post 45 rallied from 3-0 hole as Hunter Atkins drove in two runs and Connor Adams scored two runs. Atkins and Marsh both had triples for Randolph County, while Austin Lemons was the winning pitcher with three innings of relief and Marsh recorded a save by logging a perfect seventh inning.

So that meant that Randolph County completed the regular season with a 19-3 record, including 6-2 in Area 3 divisional play. High Point-Thomasville Post 87 went 8-0 in the division to claim the top seed.

Davidson County was the third-place team in the Southern Division.

Rowan County Post 342 has already advanced to the Area 3 semifinals based on Foothills forfeiting the first-round series. It takes on the winner of the Randolph-County-Davidson County series.

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 Grat Dalton out at plate v Cleveland County June2023

Post 45 makes most of home action

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Randolph County Post 45’s Grat Dalton reaches for the plate but is tagged out by Cleveland County Post 82 catcher Hagan Hoyle. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

ASHEBORO – Randolph County Post 45 won all three games it completed in its first games this year at McCrary Park in Asheboro.

The weekend victories against three different opponents pushed Post 45’s record to 14-1.

With stadium renovations incomplete, the Randolph County team played road games or at Randleman High School in the first few weeks of the season. Then games early last week were rained out.

The three-day event at McCrary Park began with a game with Morgantown (W.Va.) Post 2 suspended by lightning Friday night with Post 45 up 4-0 in the third inning. The game ended up being cancelled.

Post 45 defeated Cleveland County Post 82 by 4-1 with Samuel Asbill logging six innings and Tanner Marsh finishing on the mound in Saturday’s first game. Marsh doubled twice and drove in two runs.

The dramatics came against St. Mary’s (Md.) Post 255 on Saturday night. Braylen Hayes hit a game-winning three-run home run to complete a comeback to lift Post 45 to a 7-4 victory.

Post 45 rallied from a 4-1 deficit. The four-run seventh included Hunter Atkins driving in the tying run. Robert Garner was the winning pitcher with three innings of no-hit relief.

On Sunday, Hayes knocked in three runs in a 14-5 triumph against Morgantown. Connor Adams was the winning pitcher. Hayes, Marsh, Atkins, Pierce Leonard and Josh Meadows were all credited with two hits.

Asheboro baseball Tanner Marsh swing 2023

Mid-Piedmont Conference all-conference spring lists

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Tanner Marsh of Asheboro was named the Player of the Year for Mid-Piedmont Conference baseball. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Here’s a list of the Mid-Piedmont Conference’s major award winners plus Asheboro’s all-conference selections for spring sports:

Baseball

Player of the Year: Tanner Marsh (Asheboro)

Pitcher of the Year: Garrett Roark (Ledford)

Coach of the Year: Kevin Goss (Ledford)

Asheboro: Connor Adams, Davis Gore, Tanner Marsh.

 

Boys’ golf

Player of the Year: Aidan Wilson (Oak Grove)

Coach of the Year: Randy Mercer (Ledford)

Asheboro: David Elliott, Luke Payne

 

Girls’ soccer

Offensive Player of the Year: Keelan Moore (North Davidson)

Defensive Player of the Year: Reese Sullivan (North Davidson)

Coach of the Year: Jose Duarte (North Davidson)

Asheboro: Carlisle Dozier, Natalie Flores, Madison Luck, Natasha Mederos, Tess Moody.

 

Softball

Player of the Year: Alex Gray (North Davidson)

Pitcher of the Year: Alissa Russ (Oak Grove)

Coach of the Year: Danielle Diluzo (Oak Grove)

Asheboro: Morgan Coward, Taylor Davis.

 

Boys’ tennis

Player of the Year: Logan Thoma (Ledford)

Coach of the Year: Caleb Robertson (Central Davidson)

Asheboro: Patrick Piansay.

 

Boys’ track and field

Sprint Events MVP: Valentino Mark (Asheboro)

Distance Events MVP: Hunter Creech (Oak Grove)

Field Events MVP: Brecken Crotts (Central Davidson)

Coach of the Year: Calvin Keller (Oak Grove)

Asheboro: Connor Adams, Nicolas Chavez, Lance Everhart, Valentino Mark, 1,600 relay.

 

Girls’ track and field

Sprint Events MVP: Azaria Martin (Montgomery Central)

Distance Events MVP: Jillian Parks (Central Davidson)

Field Events co-MVPs: Rebecca Wilson (Asheboro), Emma Hadley (Oak Grove)

Coach of the Year: Shawn Loggins (Oak Grove)

Asheboro: Lia George, Sion Murrain, Jalaya Showers, Rebecca Wilson, 400 relay, 800 relay.

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