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The Pirates have also now jumped in ranking to 4th in the state on the
North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association poll for 1A soccer.
In the game against Gramercy, Topsail maintained control of the game from
the beginning. Four minutes into the match, Pirate captain Hillary Peterson beat
the goal keeper to the middle and pounded one into the net to score the first
goal of the game.
Still in control, Topsail continued to hammer away at the Gramercy
defense. At the 14 minute mark, Peterson crossed the ball to Kailey Johnson on
the right side. Johnson followed up with a shot that rolled past the goalie for
the second goal of the night.
Pirate midfielder Megan Fouty worked to punch through the Gramercy back
line and at the 35 minute mark took a shot from the left. The high arcing ball
flew into the net as the goalie scrambled to get back into position. With a
score of 3-0, Topsail was all but certain of the win. However, not willing to go
to the half empty-handed, Gramercy’s Bethany Koran capitalized on a dropped
ball by the Topsail goalie and scored in the closing minutes. Both teams would
go to the break with Topsail on top 3-1.
The beginning of the second half saw a slight shift in momentum, as
Gramercy forward Samantha Koran scored off a shot from the 30 yard line. Topsail
buckled down as they realized the score had tightened to 3-2.
The fight intensified and it would be another 20 minutes before a goal
was scored when Pirate mid-fielder Lindsey Brill crossed to Johnson who headed
it in for the fourth and final goal of the game. Topsail would take the win 4-2.
Topsail has this week off for spring break but will return next week to
play Pender at home on Tuesday, April 15 and at home against Gramercy on
Thursday, April 17.
The game was called after five full innings of play, but Topsail would do
all of their damage in the top of the second and third innings.
Although the game ended well for the Lady Pirates, Jones Senior’s
defense kept the usually active bats of Topsail quiet in the first. Topsail’s
offense went down quickly in a three-and-out first inning.
Fortunately for the Pirates, the second inning would bring opportunities
in the way of base runners as Jones Senior’s fielders and pitcher would begin
to struggle.
Freshman clean-up batter Katie Gratale would reach first on an error in
the field and Jones suffered a snowball effect of unlucky play from there.
Sophomore Hannah Geizentanner would walk, and sophomore Sam Montgomery
would bring in a run with a sacrifice fly. This would give Topsail a 1-0 lead, a
position they would maintain for the remainder of the game.
Jones would walk the bases loaded when Topsail’s freshman Mary Evans
would hit an RBI single making the score 2-0 with bases loaded and only one out.
The pitcher for Jones would continue to struggle allowing the bases to
clear and the lead to spread to 5-0 as a result of wild pitches and heads-up
base running by the Lady Pirates.
From this point, two more Topsail players would reach on balls. Senior
Courtney Cavanaugh would bring one of those with an RBI single; she would be
followed by Junior Christina Vaughan who would bring in Topsail’s final run of
the inning on a fielder’s choice single. Topsail would take the field in the
bottom of the second with a 7-0 lead.
Topsail’s defense would subdue any hopes of a comeback from Jones Sr.
only giving up one hit in the bottom of the second. This would be the only hit
Jones would earn off of Cavanaugh, who pitched the entire game getting eight of
the games 15 necessary outs by way of strike-outs.
Jones would take the field scoreless in the top of the third, and Topsail
would bury them with one last offensive attack.
Topsail’s freshman Mandi Wall would reach with a single once again
putting two runners on base.
At this point, the pitcher for Jones would show the fatigue of throwing
so many pitches. She walked the next three batters and hit the fourth being
relieved with bases loaded and Topsail up to a 13-0 lead.
The relief would not have the best start walking two more runs in for
Topsail.
The final runs of the inning would be scored when Brock came to the plate
the second time that inning. With bases loaded, Brock hit a solid double for two
RBI’s and 17-0 nothing lead.
Jones would earn their one run in the bottom of the third without ever
getting another hit. Their lead-off batter would be hit by a wild pitch by
Cavanaugh and steal her way to third base. She would later score due to a one
base advancement earned due to a balk.
The offense on each side would be scoreless for the rest of the game, but
the hard work and aggressive play early on by Topsail would allow the coaching
staff to play everyone on their roster.
Topsail ended last week and the first half of their season with 9-2
record, 3-2 in the conference; this last victory gave them a winning conference
record.
Due to the rain last week, Topsail was not able to play their Friday
night game against Pamlico; however, the game will be made up on Thursday, April
17.
The Lady Pirates will enjoy a well earned spring break this week, but
because of their make-up game against Pamlico, will be playing three games in
three days the week they return, North Brunswick the day before and Trask the
day after Pamlico.
Former
Topsail High standout Jonathan Batts, pictured working with Trask pitcher Trey
Smith, is making the transition from player to coach as the Titans assistant
coach. - photo Ken Clarke
The process of teaching others what made them great can be a frustrating
and daunting task and one that Topsail High School graduate and UNCW baseball
standout Jonathan Batts is currently attempting to do at Trask High School.
In his four years at
Batts statistics had Major League Baseball calling, albeit in the late
round, in his junior year. It was the 49th round when the San Francisco Giants
selected him in the MLB draft. Thinking his senior year would raise his draft
stock Batts declined to leave school early.
The following year no teams showed any interest, even after he switched
to the catcher position on the advice of several scouts.
“It was a big surprise for me, I had just a good senior year as my
junior year, I had figured I‘d be drafted my senior year,” said Batts.
After failing to capture the interest of any MLB team Batts refocused on
his academics, electing to stay at UNCW to finish his teaching degree. After
graduation he became a student teacher in his home county, but not at Topsail at
Batts said he has always known he would be a coach somewhere, a goal he
said he has had since entering college.
“I knew I wanted to get into coaching,” he said. “I wanted to be a
PE teacher and coach baseball at the same time. If I was not going to play I
knew I wanted to stay in sports and that’s coaching.”
As Batts attempts to share his knowledge of the game with his new team,
in a new role, there have been a few stumbling blocks.
“I have caught myself over coaching,” he said. “I just need to get
them to learn the basics and advance them from there.”
In finding his footing in his new role Batts said he has not been shy to
reach into his past and ask advice from his high school coach at Topsail Bill
White.
“He has been very supportive, and we talk to each other once or twice a
week,” said Batts. “He has told me to take it step by step. Get all the kids
on the same playing level and advance from there.
“I’m teaching the advanced level to some of the kids, especially my
seniors, and they teach the younger ones to get at that level.”
Batts also wants to teach the team about the college experience and give
them a first hand account on what to expect at that level if they decide to play
college ball.
“I have learned a lot in college and I want to pass that information
along,” he said. “If the kids go to college they will know what to expect
and it won’t be a shock to them.”
As he enters a new phase of his life Batts is realizing coaching is much
different than playing, both are intense but each has different responsibilities
and pressures.
“When I was playing the intensity of the game was greater, but I feel
more pressure coaching than playing,” he said. “As a coach, if the team is
not playing well it reflects on you. Your players are a direct reflection of
you.”
In the search to understand his new role Batts recalled a recent
conversation with Trask head basketball coach Scott Slocum, a poster child for
intensity and passion on the sidelines. Batts said Slocum told him that after
his team loses, he can’t get sleep that night, the game always plays on in his
head.
That conversation did not resonate at first with Batts but after an early
season close loss to Topsail at home, where the Titans held the lead into the
final inning, Slocum’s comment became clearer.
“After we lost that game, a game I know we should have won, I got maybe
three four hours of sleep that night,” he said. “I could not stop thinking
about it.”
While Batts likes working at Trask he realizes his future there is
uncertain, but he is hopeful that a PE teaching position will open so he can
stay and eventually be the Titans head coach.
Now engaged to his girlfriend Amber Norris of over two years, Batts said
he now feels some pressure of landing a job where he can stand on his own two
feet.
“My main goal is to find a job that pay’s,” he said. “I’d love
to find a job anywhere, where I could be the head coach.
“I would like to stay here for awhile, but I will have to take it from
one year till the next.”
Topsail’s
Brock Jaeger gets the man out at third before throwing an ill-advised throw to
first resulting in an error and eventually Pamlico runs. - photo Ken Clarke
Topsail’s Thomas Jones took the mound Friday night against the
Hurricanes and despite a defensive error to start the game, which yielded no
consequence, the Pirates looked sharp.
In the bottom of the first inning the Pirates wasted no time in getting
on the board.
A two out walk by Dan Redinger, who was playing behind the plate, put a
runner on base for Jones, hitting cleanup, who slapped a homerun over the right
field fence. The Pirates ended the inning leading 2-0.
In the top of the second Jones began struggling with his control, walking
the first and third batter he faced in the inning but a heads up play by Jones
on a sacrifice bunt and two strikeouts got him through the inning unscathed.
Throughout the game Topsail had little trouble getting on base but once
there, players missed signals from Topsail Coach Bill White.
“You just can’t miss signals the 12th game of the season,” said
White.
In the top of the third Jones troubles continued on the mound.
After walking the first batter, Jones threw a pitch that got past
Redinger, advancing the runner to second. After striking out the batter, Jones
gave up an RBI triple, a walk and another passed ball gave Jones two outs with
two men in scoring position. Another passed ball gave Pamlico another run to tie
the game at 2-2.
In the top of the fourth the wheels came off for both Jones and the
Pirates. A leadoff single was followed by an error at second, followed by
another error on a throw to first immediately following a sacrifice bunt out at
third. A subsequent walk would load the bases.
Faced with bases loaded and two out Jones would give up a single to
center scoring two runs and giving Pamlico the lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, James Brandt would hit a two out single
before being driven home on a single by John Morris.
Casey Justice would relieve Jones in the top of the fifth, allowing no
runs, striking out two, while facing just 10 batters.
Topsail had a chance to score in the bottom of the fifth with two runners
in scoring position but with two outs the Pirates failed to get across the
plate.
After the game, White was not happy with his teams play.
“We are simply not doing the things we are supposed to do,” he said.
“We have too many mental and physical errors.”
Jones finished the game throwing four complete innings, giving up four
runs, while collecting seven strikeouts. At the plate he went 1-for-3 with a
homerun and two RBI’s
John Bossio went 2-for-3 at the plate with two singles and Brandt went
2-for-2 with two singles,