HIGH POINT – Strong pitching and timely hitting will win teams a lot of baseball games. It did for Wesleyan Christian against rival High Point Christian.
The Trojans pushed across single runs in the first, fifth and sixth innings to gain the advantage. Sam Cozart struck out 13 in pitching a three-hitter to take full control. And Wesleyan shut out the Cougars 3-0 in a meeting of perennial contenders Thursday afternoon in PTAC baseball at Oak View Baptist Church.
The Trojans, who reached the NCISAA 4A championship series last year, have won seven of their last eight – including six in a row – after a 1-5 start.
"We're playing good baseball," Wesleyan coach Mo Blakeney said. "We still have to continue to brush up on some things. But I love where we are. I wouldn't have changed the way the season went for nothing. First time we had to sit here and dig our way out of something.
"We're digging and I'm digging it," he said with a smile.
Nick Papciak had a pair of hits for the Trojans (8-6 overall, 6-0 PTAC), ranked No. 67 in the state overall while HPCA is ranked No. 72. Thompson Holloway, Blake Goff and Will Gaynor each had a hit and drove in a run. Cole Bowman added a double as Wesleyan strung together hits in key moments.
"I felt really, really good," said Cozart, a hard-throwing righthander who's signed with Texas. "After the first two innings, I really started to lock in on the mound. And the bats continued to fight, no matter what we were facing. The scoreboard might not reflect it, but we had really quality at-bats.
"We ran up Heath Craver's pitch count, got him out after five innings – which was our goal. I gave a goal to the team of: Get him out by the fifth and we're going to win. I knew I was going to do my job – I just wanted a few points on the board."
Goff singled in Holloway, who reached on an error and advanced on a walk, in the first. Holloway drove in Josh Hammond, who walked and advanced on a single, in the fifth. And Gaynor plated Goff, who walked and reached third on a wild pitch and a sacrifice, in the sixth.
That was plenty for Cozart as he allowed just a pair of two-out singles in the first and second and a one-out single in the third. HPCA moved a runner into scoring position in the fifth, following a hit batter, a dropped third strike and a wild pitch. But another strikeout in a performance filled with them ended the threat.
"Emotional control is huge in these kinds of games, especially crosstown rivalries," said Cozart, who walked none. "It allows me to center myself, especially when those one-off hits happen. I take a breath, refocus and allow myself just to focus on that batter. Because I know I'll be able to get back at it and those hits were just a fluke. So, I control my emotions and allow myself to refocus."
Heath Craver, a junior righthander, had a solid performance for the Cougars (10-5, 4-1) – five strikeouts while allowing two runs on four hits and three walks in five innings. HPCA just couldn't generate much against Cozart and the Wesleyan defense, which played its part well when it needed to.
Hunter Kelley, Prince Zion Odom and Ty Hayes each had a hit for the Cougars, who feature some good, young talent that are gaining experience against tough competition.
"You're not going to face too many better high school pitchers," Cougars coach Corey Gesell said. "You're going to have to try to look for a mistake or hope he walks a guy or two.
"Then you're able to get a bunt down, move runners and get a hit. He's typically not going to make mistakes on the mound. So, everything's really hard. But I felt like we battled."
The Trojans will next play Regis Jesuit in ...
