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Who would have thought the team who finished fourth in the SMAC 2A/3A standings would win the 2A State Title? Apparently, the East Rutherford Baseball team could do so.
East captured it's sixth title in 15 years as they charged through the 2A bracket over South Granville in the best of three series.
The Cavs came out swinging in game one and took advantage of a number of errors as they won 8-0. They put up six of those runs in the fourth inning. Ethan Stewart shut down South Granville on the mound and Kendall McGowan was the catalyst on offense.
East would fall 9-3 in the second game, but game three was all Cavaliers.
East Rutherford went up 8-0 in Game three during the second inning with Nick Strickland's two-RBI double. Kaleb Green held his own on the mound before turning this over to Stewart again. Stewart picked up the save and MVP honors, while Green got the win.
East Coach Bobby Reynolds continued to strengthen his credentials by joining three other coaches with six state titles under his belt.
It just goes to show, when you get hot at the right time, anything can happen. East Rutherford had just one error in their two wins, while South Granville had five in the two losses. East went on to win nine of their last ten games and despite seven losses coming into the playoffs, it wouldn't matter in the end. Congrats to the Cavs!
Rutherford County Legion Post 423 just picked up their first win of the season with a 7-6 victory over Burke County. Post 423 has struggled so far at 1-5 this season.
As for the Coastal Plain League's boys of summer in the Forest City Owls, they sit 2-1 early in the season. So far, they lead the league in pitching with a 1.33 ERA and sit mid-pack in offense and fielding. It's way too early to tell how things will go, but it's not a bad start at all.
It is sad to talk about the passing of Muhammad Ali. Ali was a gracious man that did so many great things in his life. Despite Parkinson's, Ali's spirit and goodwill never faded in life. Boxing was his calling though. He won 56 of 61 fights, as he delivered 37 knockouts in his career. He won three Heavyweight Championships and an Olympic Gold. Many consider him the greatest fighter ever. It's hard to argue with a 91.8 winning percentage.
