Nash County Post 58 leads Area I Series 2-0

July 20, 2009

By Charles Alston of Rocky Mount High School

CARY - Former Nash Central standout Xavier Macklin scored from first on a double by Ben Fish in the ninth inning to give Nash County Post 58 a 7-6 victory over Cary Post 67 in Game 2 of the American Legion Area I Final series Sunday evening at Cary High School.

A win Monday in Rocky Mount (Northern Nash HS) will give Post 58 its first Area I title since 1986. Post 58 won Game 1 of the series 15-0 in seven innings Saturday evening.

Tied at 6-all to lead off the ninth, Post 58 recorded two outs before Macklin legged out an infield single. Fish, a Rocky Mount graduate, then sent a rocket to the fence in right-center that narrowly got Macklin all the way home for what turned out to be the winning run.

Mike Williams, who will play next spring at UNC Pembroke, got the win going 7.1 innings. For the second straight night, Post 58's starting pitcher also homered. Saturday, T.J. Taylor did the deed. Sunday, Williams, a Northern Nash product, slammed a two-run shot to right-center in the sixth to help his cause.

Taylor, Macklin and Fish all had two hits each on a night that Post 58 (19-4) had just eight hits - one of its lowest efforts of the season. But five of them were for extra bases (four doubles, home run).

Dylon Kipp and Chris Perry each homered for Cary (23-9). Brian Rhino absorbed the loss.


N.C. American Legion Baseball
Area I Final Series
(best of five)  

GAME 2  

Nash County Post 58  7
Cary Post 67  6  

Post 58   200 013 001 - 7  8  1
Post 67   210 010 020 - 6 11 2  

WP - Mike Williams (7.1IP, 6R, 6ER, 10H, 1BB, 1HB, 6K)
LP - Brian Rhino
S - Bill Clark  

Leading hitters:  

Nash County Post 58 - T.J. Taylor 2-3, 2B, 2R; Xavier Macklin 2-5, 2B, R; Ben Fish 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI; Mike Williams 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R; Dillon Cockrell 1-5, 2B, RBI, R.  

Cary Post 67 - Hunter Carr 3-5, RBI; Chris Perry 2-4, HR, RBI, R; Dylon Kipp 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, R.  

Records: Nash County Post 58 19-4; Cary Post 67 23-9.