Whether it was solid pitching from a Starmount product, or players from Elkin contributing to Foothills Post 123, local players have helped area American Legion baseball programs make a push towards the upcoming American Legion playoffs.
The postseason is slated to begin on July 8.
Below is a list of the legion programs that had players from the Buckin’ Elks, Falcons and Rams on them and how they performed in this week’s games.
Note: If anyone knows of someone who is playing on a legion team not listed below (or in a different summer baseball league), please email: zwcsports@gmail.com
Foothills Senior Post 123
Foothills suffered its first loss of the summer in an 11-6 defeat at Eastern Randolph on Sunday night and dropped to 9-1.
In the defeat, Post 123 battled back from a 6-2 deficit after five innings and tied the game with four runs in the top of the sixth. Eastern Randolph battled back with five runs in the bottom of the inning.
Elkin graduate Landon Jackson had one of Post 123’s eight hits in the game as he went 1-for-2 with an RBI single in the top of the sixth to tie the game 6-6.
Reece Hagwood went 0-for-3 at the plate and scored a run.
Prior to Sunday, Foothills posted an 8-3 win over High Point in nonconference play behind a strong game from Jackson.
The rising Surry Community College sophomore finished 2-for-3 at the plate as he had two of Post 123’s 12 hits.
Now 2-1 in Area III North play, Foothills faced North Stokes Sandy Ridge in a doubleheader Wednesday night at North Stokes High School.
Foothills Junior Post 123
A trio of Buckin’ Elks helped the Foothills Junior Legion team to a perfect 3-0 week and move above .500 for the first time this summer.
After wins of 12-1 and 14-2 on Friday night over West Forsyth Gray and West Forsyth Blue, respectively, Post 123 defeated Surry Pride, 14-2, on Monday evening to improve to 8-7.
Foothills, which pounded out 15 hits in the win, used a pair of five-run innings in the second and fourth innings to pull away for the win.
Smith Ray did a little bit over everything for Post 123 on Monday. The rising Elkin junior earned the win on the mound as he allowed a pair of hits and no earned runs (two total) in three innings of work. At the plate, Ray went 1-for-4 with a run scored.
Buckin’ Elk teammate James Steele went 1-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in. The rising junior put Foothills up 6-0 in the second with a two-run single.
Elkin’s Caleb Morgan scored in the first inning when he stole home.
Mocksville Post 174
Despite a 12-2 loss to Kannapolis on Sunday night, the Mocksville Post 174 baseball team won two games earlier in the week.
In the loss to Post 115, current Elkin baseball product Christian Brown went 0-for-1 at the plate.
Mocksville previously defeated Concord, 7-2 and 5-2, on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
While no local players saw action in Saturday’s game, both Brown and Darren Shore were in the starting lineup for Post 174 on Friday night.
Brown went 0-for-3 at the plate with a walk.
But Shore turned in a solid pitching performance. The rising Starmount senior earned the win on the mound, he scattered five hits and two runs with five walks and five strikeouts in five innings of work to earn the win.
Matthew Glenn, a member of Forbush’s JV squad last spring, and Elkin’s Major Bryant are also a members of Post 174 but did not play this past week.
Post 174 is now 6-11 overall and 2-1 in Area III South play.
Mocksville-Davie Juniors
After a week hiatus, the Mocksville-Davie Junior baseball team returned to the diamond and went 2-2 for the week, including a 8-6 win over Surry Pride on Friday night.
With its performances, Mocksville-Davie improved to 3-5 overall and 3-1 in Area Junior Legion-North standings.
In the win, Eli Pauca, who played on Forbush’s JV team last spring, went 0-for-2 at the plate in the game.
Pauca went 0-for-1 at the plate in a 17-2 loss to Kannapolis. Mocksville turned around the next night and posted a 9-8 win over Lexington; Pauca did not register any statistics in the win.
Pauca then went 0-for-1 in Mocksville’s 12-2 loss to Carson Junior this past Monday.
Forbush JV member Jesse Willard is also a member for Mocksville-Davie but did not register any stats for the week.