Up against the wall
By Steve Behr
 
CHERRYVILLE — Corey Parks tossed a complete game and led Cherryville to a 4-3 victory over Caldwell County Post 29 in the American Legion baseball Area IV playoffs Wednesday night.

Parks scattered nine Caldwell hits, three by Zac Greer, who went 3-for-5 with two doubles. Parks got out of a ninth-inning jam after Caldwell pulled to within 4-3 and had a runner on third base.

However, that runner did not reach home and Cherryville, which has won four out of five games with Caldwell this season, held on.

Cody Poarch took the loss for Caldwell. He went six innings, giving up nine hits and striking out three. Parks went 8 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking two. Adam Benfield struck out the two batters he faced to collect the save.

The teams play Thursday night at M.S. Deal Stadium in Granite Falls.

Caldwell 8, Cherryville 4 (10)
GRANITE FALLS — Caldwell County Post 29 American Legion baseball team has seen a walk-off grand slam during the 2009 season. The problem was that Post 29 was the victim of one.

Tuesday night, Dalton Hall made sure Post 29 was on the good side of one. Greer blasted a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Caldwell an 8-4 victory over Cherryville in game two of the Area IV playoffs at M.S. Deal Stadium.

Hall, who went to South Caldwell High, smacked his home run over left-centerfield wall at M.S. Deal. It allowed Post 29 to tie the series 1-1 and also gave them another home game.

“Give credit to Dalton Hall right there because that is a situation that kids live for,” Caldwell coach Gary Hamby said. “It was big for us and he made the biggest play of the season for us right there.”

Hall delivered his home run with two outs after Lucas Jackson walked and David Evans was hit by a pitch.

Jon Grey led off the inning with a single.

It also came after Greer belted a two-run triple to tie the game 4-4. It was Greer's lone hit of the game, but it also came off relief pitcher Drew Reynolds, who came on for Jake Watts.

Watauga graduate Adam Church gave Caldwell a 2-1 lead with a two-run double in the fifth inning. Church finished with two hits, adding one in the seventh.

“He threw me an off-speed pitch and I hit it over third base,” Church said. “I thought it was foul for a little bit, but it dusted up the chalk. It felt good because it drove in two runs for us and put us up 2-1.”

Caldwell got 8 2/3 innings pitching from Cody Penny, who scattered eight hits and struck out 10. Poarch came on in relief and struck out four Cherryville batters in 1 1/3 innings.

Cherryville, which swept Caldwell during the legion season, took a 1-0 lead on a pair of doubles by Trey Drewery and Tyler Buffs. Watts and Drewery each hit RBI singles in the eighth inning and Seth Freeman added an RBI single in the ninth to put Cherryville in front 4-2. Greer tied the game with his triple.