Windsor junior team moves to 5-1

Published 12:17 pm Wednesday, June 6, 2012

WINDSOR – It’s the little things, coach John Wooden once said, that become the right things.

Windsor’s Post 37 junior American Legion baseball team did those little things Tuesday night and it added up to a 6-4 home field win over the Albemarle “Wildcats” of Elizabeth City Post 84.

It was the Bertie County-based team’s fifth win of the season, raising their mark to 5-1.

The juniors did it by banging out seven hits, four of them for extra bases.

Patrick Castelloe led the attack, going 2-for-3 and driving in a run. Matthew Weaver, Alex Harmon and Josh Ambrose each went 1-for-3, with Harmon driving in a pair and Ambrose bringing home another. Quinton Reynolds also had an RBI.

Lefty Dallas Belch got the win on the mound as the southpaw gave up four runs on six hits, with five walks and seven strike outs. Austin Lee came on in relief to register the save.

“He (Belch) threw a great game on the mound and a big job by Austin to come in and nail it down for us,” said Windsor coach Bobby Harmon. “Hats off to Albemarle for battling there at the end, but I was really proud of how our guys came through.”

The Wildcats’ starting pitcher lasted less than an inning as Windsor went to work early. Three straight one-out walks loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning before Castelloe drew the fourth base-on-balls of the frame to plate the game’s first run.

Harmon followed and blasted the first of four doubles by the home team that scored two more in the form of Reynolds and Cody Elliott. However, a double-play ended the scoring, but had Windsor in front, 3-0.

Post 37 got another run in the bottom of the second when Lee led off the inning with the game’s second two-bagger.  He would later score on the third double of the game, a two-out deep shot to right field off the bat of Reynolds.

Windsor’s fifth run came in the third inning. Castelloe singled, but was erased one batter later as Harmon reached on a fielder’s choice. Designated hitter Ambrose then ripped the fourth double of the game into the gap in left-center allowing Harmon to reach third. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Lee to make it, 5-0.

Albemarle got on the board in the top of the fifth; pushing across a pair of runs to cut the deficit to three at 5-2.

Windsor’s final run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth.  Matthew Weaver got a base hit, stole second, reached third on a wild pitch and came home on a passed ball.

The Wildcats made it interesting in the seventh.

They loaded the bases and walked in one run, but in a showdown of Lawrence Academy teammates, Belch bested Albemarle’s J.B. Williams, getting the right-handed slugger to strike out.

However, that at-bat also finished the night for Belch and set up a save situation for Lee, who walked in another Albemarle run before ending the night and the game with a strike out.

“I can’t be prouder of these guys,” said Harmon. “This being our first season and the first time most of these guys have seen each other, they’re starting to jell together real nicely.”

Windsor’s next game is a double-header with Currituck back at Bertie High School field on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m.