Southern nine tops Grace in scrimmage
Feb. 28—It won't count on the official record, but Southern Lee opened the 2023 baseball season with an impressive performance Friday evening.
Led by a strong senior class, the Cavaliers expect to contend for both Sandhills Athletic Conference and 3A state championship honors this spring. While teams could not play official games last week, Southern got together with Grace Christian for a preseason scrimmage and showed its highly regarded pitching staff was no joke, as it handcuffed the Crusaders on just four hits in a 12-5 victory.
The scrimmage was played under game conditions, a full seven-inning contest with scope being kept, although the teams ran pitchers out after a few innings each. The Cavaliers jumped ahead early, but reigning NCISAA 1A state champion Grace battled back in the later innings to make it 6-5 going to the bottom of the sixth. At this point, Southern put up a six-run inning to break it open.
After Kale Scruggs pitched his way out of a first-inning jam, the Cavaliers took the lead in their half of the first when Cameron Richey led off with a double against Grace starter Alex Larson. Ashton Donathan got hit by a pitch, both runners moved up on a wild pitch, and then Jalan Jones drove in the first run with a groundout. A two-out single by Marcus Tate-Blanks scored Donathan for a 2-0 lead.
Scruggs struck out the side in the Grace second, and then Cooper Harrington came on and did likewise in the Crusaders' half of the third. Southern extended the lead to 3-0 in bottom of the third when Richey doubled again and later scored on a wild pitch.
Three consecutive one-out singles by the Cavaliers' Scruggs, Harrington and TJ McAuley set up another big inning in the fourth. McAuley's hit scored Harrington, and he later scored on a wild pitch that made it 5-0.
Grace began to fight back in the top of the fifth. Griffin Matthews and Zack Hare walked to set the table, and after an error loaded the bases, a walk to Boaz Harper put the Crusaders on the board. Jarret Crabtree made it 5-2 with an RBI single to plate Hare, and then walks to Brandon Crabtree and Matthews drove in a third run.
Donathan reached on an error and later scored in the bottom half of the fifth. Grace responded again, with a walk to Landon Jones and a Matthews double setting the table. Pierce Bouwman almost pitched his way out of the jam, but with two out, an error allowed both runners to score and the Crusaders got within 6-5.
Southern pulled away again in the sixth. Harrington, McAuley and Caleb Waters all walked. Cooper Moss rapped a 1-0 single into right for two runs, and then the Crusaders unraveled, allowing two more walks and misplaying a fly ball, then uncorking a wild pitch and passed ball while allowing another walk.
Both teams issued a high number of walks, and the only player with multiple hits was Richey, who was 2-for-4 with his two doubles and three runs scored. Harrington, Donathan and McAuley all scored twice for Southern Lee, while Moss drove in two.
Bouwman, Scruggs, and Harrington combined for 15 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings of work, allowing no earned runs.
For the Crusaders, 12 walks were the difference in the game as the pitchers all showed early-season rust. Five different hurlers toed the mound for Grace and all issued at least one free pass.
Southern officially begins the season Wednesday against Rolesville High School, and travels to Leesville Road the next day. Grace plays its first official game March 7 at Chatham Central.
