Windsor Post sweeps Currituck

Published 4:38 pm Monday, June 4, 2012

BARCO – Broom-time.

Windsor’s Post 37 junior American Legion baseball team, playing in just the fourth and fifth games of their inaugural season, took a pair of contests Sunday from Currituck County Post 531 in a double-header sweep by scores of 5-4 and 10-4.

In the first game, Terrance Jackson had a pair of singles while Adam Cowhand, Patrick Castelloe, Alex Harmon, Dallas Belch and Michael Scott also collected base hits.

Jackson also collected the win on the mound in relief of southpaw starter Austin Lee, while Harmon registered the final pair of outs to get the save.

Lee went four innings, allowing just a single unearned run. He no-hit Post531 over that time and struck out 11 batters before exiting the game with back stiffness.

Windsor failed to get Lee’s effort any run support before things turned for the visitors in the top of the fifth inning.

Trailing 1-0, Scott got a one-out base hit to left field.  Matthew Weaver then worked a walk to put runners on first and second. Scott then stole third and came home with the tying run to make it, 1-1.

With the game knotted at a run apiece Jackson singled to right to score Weaver, then stole second and moved to third on a passed-ball.

Cody Elliott then drew a walk and both he and Jackson scored on a throwing error thanks to a failed Currituck pick-off move that made it, 4-1.

Jackson then replaced Lee on the mound in the bottom of the fifth and surrendered a pair of runs that pulled Currituck within one at, 4-3.  He then worked a scoreless bottom of the sixth before the pivotal seventh.

In the top of the frame, Scott walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Weaver.  Cowand then delivered a run-scoring base hit to left, allowing Scott to cross the plate and make it 5-3.

The extra run would prove critical as Currituck loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh and scored a run on a wild pitch to pull within a run and looked poised to complete the comeback.

Harmon then came on to relieve Jackson and after a hit-batsman induced a fly-out to rightfielder Christian Bland and Post-37 dodged a bullet to put their third win of the year in the books.

In game two, Windsor opened with three runs in the first inning.  Weaver and Lee opened the frame with back-to-back singles before Elliott moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice ground-out.

Jackson followed and drew a walk to load the bases before Harmon collected a pair of runs-batted-in, scoring Weaver and Lee.

After a fly-out, Belch sent a shot to center scoring Jackson, but Harmon was gunned down trying to take third base.  However, Post-37 led it, 3-0.

Currituck chipped away with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to make it, 3-2, before sneaking across the equalizer in the bottom of the second and tying the game at 3-all.

Back came Windsor with three runs in the top of the third.  Elliott “took one for the team” and went to first as a hit-batsman before stealing second.  Jackson then walked and both runners pulled off the double-steal to get into scoring position.

Harmon then doubled into the gap in left to score Elliott with Jackson being thrown out at home.  Harmon went to third on a wild pitch before Tyler Baker’s ground-out allowed Harmon to score and make it. 5-3.

Belch kept the inning alive with a two-out single to right field.  He would then steal second and come round to score on a Josh Ambrose base hit to center that doubled the score to 6-3 in Windsor’s favor.

Meanwhile, starting pitcher Hunter Wynns was cruising on the bump en route to a complete game win, posting a pair of scoreless innings in the third and fourth.

Windsor got four more runs in the fifth. After Harmon and Baker walked and advanced on wild pitches, Ambrose brought in both with a single.  He and Bland later ended up scoring on wild pitches to make it, 10-3.

Wynns later surrendered a run in the bottom of the fifth before his final line was three hits, three earned runs, and four strikeouts in the five-inning win.

With the sweep Windsor’s juniors improve to 4-1 and will host Albemarle Post-84 tonight (Tuesday) at the Bertie High School field.