Around the Diamond

It was a tough week for the county's middle school “base runners,” who played some of the best teams in their respective conferences and finished with no wins.

As the weather warms and the players get more practice and game experience, opponents could be seeing a better Avery and Cranberry.

Avery baseball
The brightest spot of the week, though a loss, came with the Avery baseball team Monday, in their 2-0 loss hosting Cane River.

Ty Polsgrove did very well, pitching the entire seven innings and allowing no earned runs.
Pitching was great also in Friday's game, a 4-0 loss to Harris at Mine Creek, as Chance Watson and Ty Polsgrove together allowed no earned runs. Watson, Polsgrove, and Daniel Childress all got action in two games last week.

The other games last week were a 14-0 loss to Cane River in Burnsville on Tuesday, and a 13-1 home loss to East Yancey Thursday (called in the fifth inning due to rain).

Though the runs have been few, Avery is hitting better and avoiding strikeouts more than earlier this season. "We're definitely progressing at the plate," said Coach Donnie Johnson.

On defense, the Panthers have been dealing with errors. "We're treading water as far as fielding goes," he said. Avery will next host Harris on Wednesday, April 7 at 4 p.m.

Cranberry baseball
Cranberry's team, meanwhile, had a bigger loss on Monday. The East Yancey Rebels got a 17-1
victory in Newland.

They're the best team in the conference, coach Philip Greene said, but he believes his team should have competed better than they did. "It probably should have been 5-1," said Greene. "I know we made at least six or seven errors."

The lone score came from Gabe Stanley. Greene was insistent that the game was not an embarrassment.

"I don't think my team has anything to be embarrassed about," he said. "They [the Rebels] are the kind of team that takes advantage of mistakes. They took advantage of every error we had, and scored at least one or two runs off the errors each time. I think it's a learning experience. This is our worst game of the year, and I'm glad it came against the best team."

Austin Daniels started the game, giving up only two earned runs. Sam Atcheson-Adams also pitched, and Jeremiah Vance pitched one batter and struck him out.

Greene said he would focus on fundamentals of the game and mental awareness in practice, and work on situational drills, in preparation for the rematch. "The last thing they see was a team that fell apart," said Greene. "I don't think we make the same mistake again."

Cranberry will also play on Thursday, hosting Cane River at 4 p.m. After that, the next game is Wednesday, April 7, at 4 p.m., a home game against Harris.

Avery softball
The Avery softball team also played the best team in its conference Monday. That team, Cane River, won the game 10-0.

Last week, Avery played and lost 16-1 against the same Lady Rebels team in Burnsville. They also lost to East Yancey in Newland on Thursday, and 15-5 at Harris on Friday.

The girls' fielding has been good, Coach Chris Lecka said; hitting has been the weak spot. "We're going to work on that in practice," he said. "We're putting the ball in play, but we're not getting a lot of hits."

About pitching, Lecka said: "It's a work in progress. The more we get outside, the better it's getting."

Ashlie Yoder pitched Monday's game. Shannon Smith and Morgan Lecka pitched Tuesday and Thursday's games, and all three pitched in Friday's game. Avery plays next on Wednesday, April 7, hosting Harris at 4:00 p.m.

Cranberry softball
Cranberry's girls had no games last week, and began this week with a 15-0 loss (in 3 innings) to East Yancey in Newland on Monday. Emily Brown pitched Monday's game.

"We had a hard time with pitching today," said Coach Angel Dugger. "We had a lot of walks."

The girls didn't make it on base during the game, having a few hits that were thrown out at first base. But only two girls didn't connect with the ball at the plate, said Dugger.

Bethany Clawson had "an awesome game" as hind-catcher, Dugger said.

Cranberry is scheduled to host Cane River on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.