Diamond Elite finishes strong over Post 49
Published 6:00 am Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Diamond Elite pitcher Brad Fox has a meeting with his catcher to discuss strategy.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Brad Fox of the Diamond Elite prepares to fire a pitch to home plate.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Diamond Elite second baseman Wade Wilder set to make a throw to first base to retire a Post 49 baserunner.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Carter Davison of Post 49 is tagged out at second base after attempting to steal the bag.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Pedro Calvaga of Post 49 steals second base with a head first slide as the shortstop of Diamond Elite attempts to secure the baseball.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Post 49 pitcher Jack Farris stretches toward the plate ready to deliver a pitch.
BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN
STAR CORRESPONDENT
After playing seven games in a baseball tournament over the past weekend, the coach of the Diamond Elite team thought his squad would be tired or depleted.
That was not the case as they took a 20-1 victory over a lackluster Watauga Post 49 squad.
Post 49 tried four different pitchers – none of whom was able to navigate the strike zone – who walked 13 batters, hit three others and just were not able to get out of the second frame as Elite put up 13 runs and had the bases loaded with no one out when the umpires decided to call for a scrimmage.
“We end the season with a win,” Diamond Elite manager Travis Dingus said. “These kids love to play the game and will do anything we ask them to do.
“We moved kids to different positions today and let some kids get out on the mound who don’t get to as much as they should. We’re so deep and it’s a great bunch of kids. I can’t say enough about that.
“They hang together when not playing ball and are the best of friends off the field as well.”
Noah Smith opened the game with an infield single and Brad Fox was hit by a pitch.
Pitcher Carter Kinch drove home the first run with a single to center and after two more free passes the Elite led 2-0.
Wade Witcher and Evan Mutter each drove home a pair of runs with solid singles as D-E opened a 7-0 first inning advantage.
The high point for Post 49 was a leadoff blast from Jack Farris into the netting in left field that gave Watauga a little something to root for.
Farris’ home run cut the deficit to 7-1 but Kinch struck out the next three Post hitters to move to the top of the second.
If the wheels hadn’t fallen off the wagon for Post 49 already, it did in the second frame.
A total of nine bases on balls and a pair of hit batters forced home 10 runs with Smith and Fox getting the only RBI base hits in the stanza and when the run count reached 20 home plate umpire Hunter Rice called the game and allowed Post 49 to go through their lineup to see what they could produce in a scrimmage-type situation.
They managed to push a run across with Alex Gouge forcing home a run with a bases-loaded walk.
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American Legion 15U
Diamond Elite 20-1
D-E 7 (13) – 20
Post 49 1 0 – 1
W – Kinch. L – Edmundson.
