Holly Springs baseball holds off Middle Creek, sits atop SWAC
The Holly Springs baseball team got some good news before Friday night’s game, then took advantage of it.
The Golden Hawks’ 5-3 win at Middle Creek, coupled with an 8-7 upset by Athens Drive of Green Hope earlier in the day, puts Holly Springs (13-5, 8-3) atop the Southwest Wake Athletic Conference with three games to go.
“It feels good but we’ve still got a lot of work to do,” Holly Springs coach Rod Whitesell said. “(The conference) may not be as dominant at the top, but I think all the way through we are as competitive as we’ve ever been.”
The Mustangs (12-6, 6-5) had won the first meeting 12-2 and are in fourth, one game behind Green Hope and Fuquay-Varina.
Turning point: Holly Springs pushed across four runs in the top of the fourth to break up a scoreless game. After six straight strikeouts by Mustangs righty Sammy Chapman, the Golden Hawks used four hits, a hit-by-pitch and error to their advantage.
Three who mattered
Chase Hetzel, Holly Springs: Had an RBI double to score starting pitcher Michael Kalinkas – who got the win – in the top of the fourth to start the scoring, then tacked on an RBI single in the fifth. Derek Beale and Alex Rangel added RBIs in the fourth.
“The second time through the order, it’s a littler easier against kids,” Hetzel said. “He started throwing first-pitch fastballs and we started hitting them.”
Matt Lusuriello, Holly Springs: The relief pitcher came in for Kalinkas with one out and the bases loaded in the top of the fifth, but only allowed one run across on a bases-loaded walk to Tucker Rogers. He allowed five hits in 2 2/3 innings.
“I love situations like that,” Lusuriello said. “I love being able to compete. I love being able to get my team out of a hard situation. It’s part of the reason why I play the game.”
Langdon Wilson, Middle Creek: The Mustangs’ third pitcher of the night settled things down and gave his team a chance. Wilson pitched the last 2 1/3 innings, allowing no hits and striking out four.
By the numbers
6: Consecutive strikeouts by Middle Creek’s Chapman from top of the second to the fourth inning.
3: Middle Creek runners thrown out at third or home. Holly Springs’ Tyler Babin gunned down two of the three at third, while center fielder Patrick Wheeler threw out a runner at home.
12-8: The Mustangs outhit Holly Springs 12-8, but the running mistakes were too costly. The only two Middle Creek hits that went for an RBI were Zeke Barefoot’s single in the fifth and Nathan Farakash’s single in the seventh.
“We just couldn’t get some timely hits late when we needed them,” Middle Creek coach Wesley King said.
7: Of Holly Springs’ eight hits, seven were in the fourth and fifth inning.
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This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 9:20 PM with the headline "Holly Springs baseball holds off Middle Creek, sits atop SWAC."