Sports - May 2003

Wolves fall

Cavaliers edge out LHS Friday night to sweep 2A Conference play

By STEVE KAY, LTN Correspondent

CATAWBA — The East Rutherford Cavaliers made it a clean sweep in the Midwest 2A Conference, with a 4-2 win over the Lincolnton Wolves in the championship tournament game at Bandys High Friday night.

East had already won the regular season title and the J.V. championship. With the win, the Cavaliers will be the No. 1 seed this week in the state playoffs.

With the loss, the Wolves’ season comes to an end. Had the Wolves won, they would have made the state playoffs as the No. 2 team. But Lincolnton, again, left too many men on base.

Lincolnton actually out hit their opponent 8 to 6, but stranded 11 runners, while East left only 4 men on.

“We played well tonight,” said Wolves coach Bobby Martin, “just left too many runners on, left the bases loaded in the first, left two on in the second and two more in the fourth.

“Another hit in those innings would have made a big difference and put a lot more pressure on them (East).”

Wolves starter Justin Keever pitched well and worked all six innings in the game, this coming after hurling a complete game victory over Bandys on Monday night.

Keever walked only two and struck out two. The junior ace of the Wolves only made a couple of mistakes on pitch location when he got some pitches up in the strike zone. The Cavs took advantage, lining two long doubles to the fence in the first and third innings.

Lincolnton got off to a fast 2-0 lead in the top of the first, when third baseman Brain Ebert stroked the first of a game high four hits — an infield single. After reaching third base with two outs, Ebert came home on a ball four, wild pitch by starter Chad Flack. And, after Matt Kuster singled to center, Wise scored on Colby Burgin’s misplayed grounder to second.

Jose Leon then singled to load the bases, but Flack struck out the next LHS hitter to end the rally and the inning.

East Rutherford bounced right back with two runs of their own to knot the score at 2 — the big hit being a two RBI hit by Marcus Covington. The defending State 2A champs collected half their hits in the first.

East took the lead for good in the third frame, when again the CAVS collected their other three hits and a LHS error to go up 4-2.

Again Covington figured in the scoring with his second hit of the contest.

That would be all the East pitchers would need, holding the Lincolnton squad off the score board the remainder of the way.

The Bobby Dale Reynolds-coached squad used three pitchers in the game. Starter and league player of the year Chad Flack, pitched the first three innings. Chris Whitemore hurled the next three innings and Marcus Covington nailed down the win, with a scoreless seventh.

Wolves senior Jason Hammond said the team had the effort, just not enough clutch hits.

“East Rutherford has a good team and we just came up short tonight,” Hammond said. “East got men on and got them home. Our sticks were not there when we needed them, but we played our hearts out.”

Brandon Scott, a fellow senior, agreed that the team played well Friday night and throughout the tournament.

“We came up a little short against a very tough team,” he said.

Lincolnton finishes the year with a 11-15 record. Two juniors made the all conference team: Justin Keever and Matt Burgin. Also, making the team was junior Brandon Jones from West Lincoln.

Martin was rightfully proud of his team’s play this season.

“The kids have played very good baseball. These last five or six games and got us to the conference championship game — and no one gave us a shot to do that. Had we played the entire season like the last two weeks, we probably would have a playoff spots.

“But that’s baseball. You have to accept it and move on.”

Chambers was philosophical about the end to his high school baseball career.

“I’ll never forget it,” he said. “It’s been fun and I’ll always remember it. It’s just hard to walk away knowing this is it.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

Terms and Conditions