East Burke puts

WHS title on hold
By Steve Behr

ICARD — Watauga’s Northwestern 4-A Conference championship celebration will have to wait at least one more day.

East Burke saw to that by beating the Pioneers 10-5 in the completion of a game that was delayed from Friday because of a lightning storm. East Burke held a 3-2 lead, lost that lead to the Pioneers, but scored six runs in the sixth inning to win the game going away.

Watauga (14-6, 9-2 NWC) can clinch a tie for the NWC championship Tuesday when it hosts Alexander Central. Should the Pioneers beat the Cougars, they can do no worse than tie South Caldwell. However, since Watauga beat South Caldwell twice, the Pioneers would earn the league’s No. 1 seed in the state 4-A playoffs and in the NWC Tournament.

“I told them just to forget about (Monday) night,” Watauga coach Pete Hardee said.

“It’s totally irrelevant and it’s time to move on. We have the opportunity to do something we haven't done since 2001, and when we play at home, we’re undefeated. We’ll have our ace on the mound, so I feel good about,” Hardee added.

The Pioneers could have done all of that Monday night, but East Burke rallied from a 5-3 deficit by sending 11 batters to the plate in the sixth inning. Corey Rhoney doubled in a run, Bryson Cook singled in another and two more Cavaliers received RBI walks.

Two more East Burke runs were scored on a Watauga error. When the Cavs were finished, they had rapped out four hits, received three straight walks and got help with an error.

Watauga found itself in a 3-1 hole thanks to the pitching of Rhoney, who finished with 12 strikeouts. The Pioneers got to Rhoney in the fifth inning when Baine Martin drove in Jake Wallace and eventually scored on a passed ball.

David Martin also had an RBI single, giving Watauga three runs in the inning and a 5-3 lead.

East Burke struck back in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI fielder’s choice by Brad Keller. Rhoney made sure that once East Burke took its lead, it would not give it back. Rhoney gave up back-to-back singles to Cal Hardee and Adam Church, but then set the next three Pioneers down in order.

It is the sixth time in seven tries that Watauga has lost at East Burke.

“It was unexpected, but that’s been par for the course for us at East Burke,” Pete Hardee said. “I don’t think we’ve ever played well there, to be honest. We didn’t play well at all. We didn’t play well defensively and we looked bad at the plate.”
Rhoney scattered seven hits, three by Hardee, and gave up just two earned runs. Hardee allowed 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings before giving way to Jon Sharpe, who recorded just one out in the sixth before Will Littlejohn came on to finish the game.
“We’ll try to rebound and try to win the conference if we can,” Pete Hardee said.

East Burke 10, Watauga 5
Watauga 020 030 0 — 5 7 2
East Burke 300 016 X — 10 12 1
Hardee, Sharpe (6), Littlejohn (6) and Church. Rhoney and Hudson. W—Rhoney (6-2), L—Sharpe (6-2). LOB—Watauga 7, East Burke 9. 2B—Watauga, Hardee, Shelton; East Burke, Rhoney 2, Cranford. SB—Watauga,