🍀 Wentworth Baseball Night -- Sanford Spinners @ Reidsville Luckies 🍀
Luckies take down division leaders in mercy rule
In Reidsville’s first game against the Sanford Spinners, the hot bats of Andrews Opata, Gavin Grouppuso, and the rest of the lineup led the Luckies to an 18-7 division victory.
Justin Webb was the starting pitcher. One who hasn’t seen much action over the season did a fantastic job, completing the game with six strikeouts and just one run allowed.
The first inning featured some steady batting by the Luckies. Groppuso hit a two-RBI double, and the lead was up to three. At the end of two, Reidsville was ahead, 3-1.
In the third inning, with the bases loaded, Groppuso came up to the plate, once again. The bases were loaded, and Grouppuso drilled it to bring home two more runs. The Luckies finished the inning with four runs, as rain poured down and fans crossed their fingers, hoping that the fourth inning would pass, validating the score, before the game could get cancelled.
The rain poured down, but eventually passed over, as a remarkable amount of fans stayed to watch their Luckies. Reidsville tacked on one apiece in the fourth and the fifth, heading into the sixth with a 9-1 lead.
That’s when things got interesting. De’Yon Cannon, Kanyon Gagich, Coleman McGuiness, and Adam Joseph each scored for the Sanford Spinners, effectively cutting the lead in half.
Reidsville didn’t let this rattle them. Despite two fairly quick outs, Hammond, Opata, and Highsmith got home again. Groppuso continued to deliver, while Dalton Fryer, Hudson Powell, and Blake Freeman followed suit, each making it home for their first time of the night.
Eddie Thompson of the Spinners continued to struggle, as the Luckies had scored seven runs on the inning, gone through their entire lineup, and had enough for a seventh-inning mercy rule. Rine Rodrigues, pinch hitting tonight, then came in and hit a 2-RBI double right off the bat, no pun intended, to bring Hammond and Opata home. It was 18-5 at the end of the inning.
Sam Melton, who had come in from the bullpen to finish the job, allowed runs from Cannon and Gagich, but that wasn’t enough for them to evade the mercy rule. The Luckies stopped the Spinners at seven runs, securing the massive divisional win.
Lucky of the Game: Andrews Opata — This was a close one, as Groppuso had a spectacular showing. However, you can’t argue with a triple, three singles, a walk, two stolen bases, and five runs. He went four-for-four, and every time he came up to home plate, he returned to home plate. Opata notches his very first Lucky of the Game award.
Moment of the Game: Groppuso knocks in two runs in the third inning to extend the lead to four — One of the top two players named Gavin on the roster had four RBIs in three innings, and two of them were from this nice double, right down the line, with nobody near it, that brought home Opata and Highsmith. Without Groppuso, the Luckies may not have won. His glove work is outstanding, he’s at his best with runners in scoring position, and he’s one of the most consistent Luckies on the roster.
Fun Events — The Wentworth baseball team was on display tonight. Over a hundred kids walked the bases, met the players, and were even able to get autographs. Many of the kids made sure to get every Lucky on the team to sign their shirt, and, fifteen minutes after the game was over, there were still kids in the dugout.
Even more fun was when coach Chenzo Scanio tried to help throw out some red Luckies t-shirts, and it got trapped on top of the cage. Joe Dexter then announced, “Good thing he’s a coach!”
Notes — I spoke on the broadcast about how much parity there is in the Central Division, which is undoubtedly the best in the league. But, the Spinners have dropped two games in a row, and the Bogeys are also floundering. The Luckies are now one-and-a-half games out of first place in the division, and, with wins against the Kinston Wingmen and the High Point Hushpuppies, they could move up into playoff position.
On-Deck — As mentioned, this is a pivotal week for Reidsville. If they can win against the Hushpuppies on Tuesday, and beat two teams who haven’t beaten them yet, the Oak City Gliders and Spinners, then they could very well be atop the division, especially if the top two teams continue their freefall.