Rockets’ rally

surprises Pioneers
By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

ASHEVILLE — All seemed well for Watauga during the sixth inning of their game at A.C. Reynolds Tuesday night. The Pioneers held a three-run lead, were playing well and seemed poised to win their fourth Northwestern 4-A Conference game.

It didn’t take long for that to change.

Two stalwarts of Watauga’s NWC success, pitching and defense, struggled at the wrong time. A.C. Reynolds took full advantage and claimed a 4-3 victory, which knocked the Pioneers back into a tie for first place in the conference.

Watauga had a game scheduled at NWC foe East Burke before playing in an Easter tournament in Kinston Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, but it was postponed until March 31 because of East Burke’s wet field.

The Pioneers rode the momentum of an emotional 1-0 victory over No. 5 South Caldwell Monday, but it didn’t add up to a win Tuesday.

“We didn’t execute defensively,” Watauga coach Pete Hardee said. “We had a three-run lead and pretty much gave it away, but we’ve got to bounce back Thursday. It’s a long conference season. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

Watauga (5-3, 3-1 NWC) had things going its way when the Pioneers faced the bottom of the sixth inning. They led 3-0 and pitcher Ethan Moyer had controlled the Rockets’ bats with seven strikeouts.

But the Rockets, who left the bases loaded in the fifth inning, started to figure out Moyer even more in the sixth. Phillip Treadway doubled, Matt Overby singled and Jake Hill drove in Treadway with a single to cut Watauga’s lead to 3-1.

It was enough to get Pete Hardee to bring in Jon Sharpe for Moyer, who got Thomas Sexton to ground out to second base. However, Overby scored on the play, which sliced the Watauga lead to 3-2.

Watauga’s defense made its first error in the game on an overthrow to first base on a ball hit by T.J. Fussell.

However, Watauga first baseman Trey Dunnigan retrieved the ball and threw Hill out at the plate when Hill tried to score from second.

Watauga’s fortune was short-lived when Conner Cox doubled in Fussell, tying the game 3-3. One inning later, Treadway scored on a Hill double with one out to give the Rockets the win.

“They did a good job,” Hardee said. “(Moyer) got tired and we didn’t make plays behind him the last couple of innings.”

Watauga did not get the big run it needed to bury the Rockets for good. Baine Martin scored two runs, one on a Reynolds error in the first inning and another on a double steal in the fifth. Austin Story stole second base and when Reynolds catcher Daniel Anderson threw the ball to the base, Martin scored easily from third.

Watauga also got a solo home run from Trey Dunnigan in the third inning. Dunnigan hit a home run last year off Rockets ace Sam Runion that helped the Pioneers beat Reynolds.

On Monday, Watauga settled for seven hits off Rockets pitcher Jeremy Sluder. Moyer was the only Pioneer to have two hits and Church was the only Pioneer to hit a double.

Sluder struck out six during his six-innings on the mound. Ryan Jones finished off the Pioneers by setting them down in order in the seventh inning, striking out two in the process.

A.C. Reynolds 4, Watauga 3
Watauga 101 010 0 — 3 7 1
A.C. Reynolds 000 003 1 — 4 7 2
Moyer, Sharpe (6) and Church. Sluder, Jones (7) and Anderson. W—Sluder, L—Sharpe, S—Jones. LOB—Watauga 8, A.C. Reynolds 7. 2B—Watauga, Church; A.C. Reynolds, Treadway, Cox. HR—Watauga, Dunnigan. SB—Story, Martin 2.