Post 29 takes down Rutherford
Jun. 26—GRANITE FALLS — Post 29 is on track.
Post 423 is not hitting the panic button.
Caldwell defeated Rutherford County 5-2 in Saturday night's American Legion baseball action at M.S. Deal Stadium.
"We said it at the beginning of the season, it's when you get hot — and our guys are starting to get hot," Post 29 manager Philip Hamby said. "It's one through nine, actually one through 17 now, guys are coming in and playing their part and starting to learn what their part is."
Caldwell's Blake McElyea fired in a four-hitter and the two runs were earned. He struck out seven, walked two and hit a batter in his 6 2/3 innings on the hill.
"They're executing," Hamby said. "Blake's coming in, doing a big job on the mound while we've got some pitchers gone. That lefty Sloan who comes in, who knows he's as good as he is. He's had two shutout games at the end."
Alex Sloan, a left-hander, closed in pitching the final out.
"We had (umpire Jason) Padgett behind the plate," Post 423 manager Curtis Snethen said. "He was all around the plate from the first batter. That's frustrating for hitters.
"That's frustrating for pitchers, when you're not getting spots you were getting before."
Zane Dorsey got Post 29 (5-6) rolling in the first inning with a solo home run. Mason Reising followed with a double, and was singled in by Nathan Pope to give Caldwell a 2-0 advantage.
"I can't be more proud of them," Hamby said. "That's the No. 1 team right there, and that's a big step from where we were at the beginning of the season.
Rutherford (6-4) trimmed the deficit to 2-1 in the third with Hayden Wilson's run-scoring single.
"It is what it is," Snethen said. "Close little game. We just didn't execute."
Rutherford's Coleman Tisdale doubled in the fourth, before being thrown out at home by the shortstop Dorsey.
Post 29 increased its cushion to 3-1 in the fourth on Easton King's run-scoring single..
"As hot as these guys are getting right now," Hamby said, "as long as we don't have injuries or anything, we feel real confident about going into the playoffs."
Post 423 pulled within 3-2 in the fifth on Isaac Lee's solo homer. Isaiah Hopp followed with a double, but was stranded.
"Caldwell hit it a little bit," Snethen said. "We split with them, so we're 1-1 for the season. We're OK. We'll strap them on tomorrow."
The onslaught was completed in the fifth on Cooper Critcher's two-run double.
"They're at the top of the division, and that's a good thing," Hamby said. "We took a butt whooping from them early on. It's just a matter of our guys clicking and starting to come together."
Dorsey batted 2 for 3 and scored two runs, as did Reising. Nathan Pope was also 2 for 3.
"They're starting to do that," Hamby said. "From top to bottom, pitching to hitting. From fielding, I didn't see an error tonight. In the first game we had, we had three or four errors — and there was a major difference in that game."
Rutherford turned a double play in the sixth. After a Jackson Gowan strikeout, the catcher Wilson picked off Ashtin Early at first base.
McElyea retired two batters in the seventh, when he hit a batter before the pitch count ended his night.
"A major difference on the mound," Hamby said. "Guys just going up there and dogging it out. We knew we could get there. It took longer than we wanted it to.
"They got there at the right now, and I think we're going to move through at the right time."
Rutherford's Avery Strange hurled four innings, scattering four hits and yielding three earned runs. He fanned seven and walked three with two wild pitches and a hit batter.
Seth Ranta lasted only 1/3 of an inning. He was touched for three hits and two earned runs, while walking one.
Gowan was on the mound the final 1 2/3 innings. He struck out a pair and walked one..
Post 29, which lost at Burke County 11-4 on Sunday night, wraps up its regular season on Wednesday at Cherryville. Burke cut loose for nine runs in the second inning in the win over Caldwell.
Rutherford, which lost to Hickory 11-8 on Sunday, plays host to Cherryville on Tuesday.
