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PHS pitching, defense holds in 8 inn. thriller

30 May 2007 — Princeton’s pitching has kept opponents close in the playoffs until the offense could muster a game-winning run. Last Tuesday two Princeton pitchers needed a lot of help.

Princeton advanced to the Eastern 1-A baseball finals with an exciting eight inning 3-2 triumph over Topsail.

Ryan Daughtry had taken over for Colin Parker in the sixth after Topsail had loaded the bases and Parker walked in the first run of the game. Daughtry came on to get the strikeout to end that inning and hold the Pirates to that single run.

The Bulldogs came back in the bottom of the sixth. Michael Radford reached on a walk, and then Daniel Gerrell and Daughtry singled, advancing Radford home with the tying run.

Two innings later the Pirates threatened to end the Princeton streak. A double, a wild pitch and a ground out got a go-ahead Topsail run home, and then Daughtry ran into more problems trying to stop the rally. The Pirates loaded up the bases and with only one out, would easily pad the lead when their designated hitter lofted a fly to Parker, now playing his normal center. Parker uncorked a great throw home with his strong left arm, completing the double play that would get Daughtry out of the inning, still one run down.

Gerrell, the catcher who got the tag for the final out in the top of the eighth, led off the bottom of the inning. He reached base on an error. After the next batter went down on strikes, Adam Nethercutt did his job, advancing Gerrell with a single.

Andrew Cobb followed Nethercutt, and he fell behind in the count, only to drive a 1-2 pitch into left for a single, bringing Gerrell home and tying the game at 2-2.

Dustin Pate, the Dawgs home run leader, looked ready to end the game with a mighty rip, but after two strikes, he stopped pressing, just trying to make solid contact. His solid contact on a 3-2 pitch flew over the left fielder’s head, and Nethercutt came trotting home with the fatal run to fell Topsail.

Pate, Parker and Daughtry led Princeton with two hits apiece.

Parker rang up seven strikeouts in his 5 2/3 innings of work on the mound. He yielded four hits and a single walk. Daughtry gave up just two hits and a walk while striking out two in 2 1/3 innings.

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