West slugs Terry Sanford 12-2 in baseball tournament opener

SHALLOTTE—West Brunswick brought more firepower than a SWAT team and used a second-inning assault to wallop Terry Sanford 12-2 Friday night.

The Trojans’ opening-round game in the Touchstone Energy Beach Diamond Invitational Baseball Tournament ended early, in the sixth inning, because of the 10-run rule.

“We swung the bats well tonight, and our pitching performance was real good,” said West coach Mike Alderson.

The Trojans unleashed 12 hits, including six in the second inning when they batted around. Third baseman Evan Ponds had two singles and three runs batted in during that frame.

The Bulldogs changed pitchers but still couldn’t stop the hemorrhaging.

Winning pitcher Jay Gause, Ponds, Seth Roberts, Joey Granados and Wally Kamfolt pounded out hits. The Trojans took advantage of those and five walks to score seven runs.

“West Brunswick had one big inning that we had trouble getting out of,” said Terry Sanford coach Richard Seagroves. “Other than that, it was a pretty even game.”

The Trojans had not started the game well, falling behind 2-0 as the Bulldogs scored a pair of unearned runs on two errors and a single. But that would be the last time Terry Sanford crossed the plate.

The Trojans answered with a vengeance in the second.

“Sometimes we get down, but we know how to get back up,” said Gause, who allowed only one hit in four innings.

His change-up was working well, and so was his bat.

After Wally Kamfolt walked, Gause singled up the middle to put runners on first and third, and Ponds drilled a hit to left field to bring in Logan Tripp.

Brock Holmes walked to load the bases, and Roberts drove in Blain Turner.

Three batters in a row walked, and the Trojans seemed to keep the bases loaded even after the Bulldogs brought in A.J. Dickerhoff to pitch. Joey Granados drove in a run, Kamfolt blasted a two-RBI single up the middle and Ponds slugged in two more runs with his shot to left field.

West went up 9-2 after two innings.

In the fourth, Gause, a sophomore, aided his own cause again with another single, and his courtesy runner went to second on a passed ball. Then Roberts drilled a RBI-double to deep right field to make it 10-2.

The defensive play of the game occurred in the fifth inning when West catcher Blain Turner threw out Keller Hopkins, the Bulldogs’ leadoff man, trying to steal third. Ponds tagged him out.

West also notched a double play in the sixth thanks to shortstop Pat Kamfolt’s snare of a line drive and quick throwing response.

In the bottom of the sixth after Holmes walked and took second on a wild pitch, Pat Kamfolt just about took Chip Lewis’ head off with a smack up the middle, but the third Bulldog pitcher of the night ducked just in time.

Holmes scored, and the game ended when Turner launched a shot to deep right-center field to score Kamfolt.

Despite his disappointment, Terry Sanford coach Seagroves said, “This is a first-class event. I was down here five years ago, and they've certainly improved their facilities. From the time we were invited to now, it has been a very impressive, well-run tournament.”

LINESCORE

TS 200 000—2 3 1

WB 090 102—12 12 2

WP—Gause. LP—Catlett.

Leading hitters—WB: Gause 2-for-3, Roberts 2-for-4 (2B), Ponds 2-for-4, Turner 1-for-1 (2B), Spivey 1-for-1, Hill 1-for-1, W. Kamfolt 1-for-1, P. Kamfolt 1-for-3. TS: Graham 1-for-3.