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Playoffs are in full swing and the glass is half full or half empty depending on how you want to look at the situation.
The postseason game of the week for me came at McNair Field this past week as Thomas Jefferson baseball hosted Elkin in the first round of the playoffs.
I haven’t been able to see them much this season, so why not check them out in the playoffs.
It was a great, hard fought game, but Thomas Jefferson baseball fell 3-1 to Elkin. Caleb Bishop, who pitched in his last game as a Gryphon took the loss on the mound. Bishop who was effective all year long, struck out nine but gave up 10 hits. Unfortunately, it was Elkin’s Jamey Cranford that was even better on the mound in throwing a three-hitter and retiring 11 on strikes. The only TJCA run came on Cole Bennett’s single and a RBI ground out by Mac Martin scored him as they cut the lead to 2-1.
TJCA had a golden opportunity and the most sickening moment came in the first inning as they loaded the bases with no outs, but couldn’t find a way to plate a runner in the frame.
The Gryphons will lose key senior leadership this summer due to graduation, but they have lifted the program in past four years along with Coach Chris White.
After the loss, White wasn’t making excuses by losing in the first round of the 1A playoffs.
“Elkin played better than we did today and it’s tough to swallow and it hurts to say it like that,” White said.
On the better side of the equation, Logan Hawkins hit a grand slam as East Rutherford baseball beat Pisgah, 10-5 in the first round. They hosted Bunker Hill on Tuesday and if they won that game, would travel to either West Lincoln or Draughn for a Friday third round game.
Meanwhile, R-S Central baseball held a 1-0 for most of the game, but the Cougars scored three runs in the fifth inning and one each in the sixth and seventh. As a result, the Hilltoppers season ended with a disappointing 5-1 loss to Asheville at home. A two-run error really opened the door for Asheville as Central never got the bats going in the loss.
In softball, East Rutherford barely squeezed out a 2-1 win over South Iredell and hosted East Lincoln on Tuesday and potentially could have to go to Pisgah on Friday.
And the surprise of the season, may just be the turnaround of the Lady Hilltoppers softball team. They had won seven of their last ten games before the playoffs and found a way to steal a 3-2 over Erwin on Friday. They traveled to Foard on Tuesday.
As for Chase softball, they lost 6-3 to a pretty good Smoky Mountain team. They end the season losing five seniors and return eight ladies next season.
And just in time, Thomas Jefferson’s girls soccer team is making some noise in the 1A playoffs. The Lady Gryphons move into the Elite Eight after beating Highlands and East Montgomery by three goals each. They played Hendersonville or Bishop McGuinness on Wednesday and if they win, it would be a trip to Lake Norman Charter or Union Academy on Saturday. It would be a return trip to the state finals in consecutive years if TJCA wins those two contests.
Finally, longevity certainly matters in sports. As a matter of fact, if Jeff Gordon competes in every race from now until the end of 2015, he will break the consecutive starts record held by Ricky Rudd at 788.
Gordon made his 700th consecutive career start in the Nextel Cup Series at Darlington this past week and finished third. While many have loved to hate the guy, the older Gordon has gotten, the more respect he has earned. Nearly 42 years old, I don’t think we will see him racing at 50. I base that just in previous talks with him at the track and in the way he perceives the question in interviews. One day, I will be able to share a couple of stories from the Jeff Gordon archive, but I leave that for another time.
