The Nashville Graphic from Nashville, North Carolina • 6

THE NASHVILLE GRAPHIC. NASHVILLE. N. C. TUESDAY, APRIL 6.

1982 Favored Knights Play Host To Gryphons PAGE 6 FTll 'rWn Fn nwa yxTI A EDDIE COATS GEORGE KELLEY BEN HARRIS when you're losing, you just want practice to end so you can get home. But our kids will be up." There's more at stake than pride. Despite Rocky Mount's dismal start, there's still time for a turnaround. The Big East season is still young. "Every team has lost at least one game except for Rose," Kelley pointed out.

"Obviously we have to start winning some games to get back in it, but the Big East gets two playoff bids this year. If we win today, we're only one game out of playoff contention at this point." Kelley will send junior Barry Butler to the mound today. The right hander is currently 0-3, but had given up only two earned runs prior to facing Rose's big bats last Thursday. Weaver and the Knights plan to counter with right hander Kevin Payne. Payne is 2-0 and has been impressive in a pair of appearances.

Payne, the Knights' regular shortstop, will bat third in the order. Weaver was not especially happy with his team's play in a Thursday win over Beddingfield. The Knights scored a 9-4 win over the Bruins in eight innings. Carl Richardson and Steve Smith broke the game open with homers in the extra frame. "We've been playing flat recently," Weaver said.

"This game will be a chance for Rocky Mount to turn things arodnd, but I'm hoping it will give us a boost, too. We need a game we can get up for." Smith, the Knights' first baseman, has been the most consistent power hitter to date with four home runs. Richardson and Billy Godwin are also threats to send the ball traveling at any time. Payne and Thomas Mabry have been getting on base to set the table for the Northern slug- STEVE PHILLIPS When you're 1-7 overall and 0-2 in Big East Conference play, there is no better way to turn a season around than to knock off your biggest rival. Rocky Mount coach George Kelley knows that, and so does Northern Nash coach Danny Weaver.

A typical Gryphon-Knight battle could be in store this afternoon at 4 p.m. when Rocky Mount travels to Northern Nash. The Gryphons have struggled all season and currently wear a six-game losing streak around their necks. The latest setback came last Thursday afternoon when Greenville Rose shot Rocky Mount down by a 7-0 count. Northern, on the other hand, has fulfilled preseason forecasts of a strong hitting team.

The Knights are currently 5-1 overall and 1-1 in Big East play. The only loss was a 10-inning decision to undefeated Rose last week. Considering the fact that Northern Nash is scoring runs at a pace of nearly 10 a game and Rocky Mount has been shut out four times to date, the Knights have to be a heavy favorite on paper. Paper will only carry one until the first pitch is thrown, however. Weaver feels the Gryphons are due, and that has him worried.

"They are better than what they've been showing," the Knight coach said. "They should be more emotionally ready to play today, and I feel like they will play as well as we do." According to Kelly, the Gryphon players stayed out until 7:30 in last night's chilly weather to take extra batting practice. "I think that shows how much they want this game," he said. "A lot of times, CARL RICHARDSON the underdogs," he commented. "They will feel a lot like we did in football last fall (Northern upset the STEVE SMITH heavily favored Rocky Mount gridders)." "It will be a new situation for us to go into the Nor- cerned.

As Weaver aptly puts it. "It's still Northern anH Rnolrv Mmint Win Over Methodist thern game with them a heavy favorite." said Kelly. "I will be interested to See how our kids respond." travel to St. Andrews Wednesday afternoon for another Dixie Conference Bishops Grab Reins In Dixie NCW Softball Keeps Rolling The North Carolina Wesleyan softball team tuned up for today's showdown with UNC-Greensboro with a doubleheader sweep of Methodist Monday afternoon in Rocky Mount The Lady Bishops took both ends of the twinbill by 8- 3 and 11-1 scores. The wins upped Wesleyan's overall record to 17-3 and 9- 1 in the Dixie Conference.

A doubleheader with UNC-G is set for this afternoon in Greensboro. UNC-G has lost only once in Dixie play, that setback coming to N.C. Wesleyan two weeks ago. Joyce Young was a remarkable seven-for-seven in The Bleachers' Singing Baseball's If the response is what Kelley hopes it will be. the afternoon rnnlH ka in.

teresting for everyone con- test. Brian Bullard (5-0) is scheduled to get the starting nod. On Thursday, the in Monday's sweep of Methodist Young, who bats first in the Wesleyan order, contributed homers in both contests. The Lady Bishops banged out 12 hits in the first game. In the nightcap, the Lady Bishops collected 18 hits and ended the game in five innings.

Priscilla Ricken-backer and Young were both four-for-four. Kim Cooper turned in a three-for-four today and pitcher Cindy tailings had two hits. tailings took the win in both contests. Her record, like that of Wesleyan, is now 17-3. relatively pleased with the performance of his mound-smen, however.

"We're not striking a lot of people out, but in a lot of cases our pitchers are making the batters hit the ball where we want it hit" he commented. "We're just not backing them up in the field." In an effort to beef up the defense. Perry has been shifted to the infield in recent contests. Perry and Best alternate at the shortstop position, with both seeing action on the mound. Defending conference champion Ayden Grifton handed the Firebirds a 104 setback Friday afternoon in Stanhope.

The game was deadlocked 3-3 in the sixth inning before the Chargers Rob Waddell's sacrifice fly brought home Methodist's first run and cut the lead to 4- 1 in the bottom of the sixth. Charles Simpson slammed his seventh homer of the season in the top of the eighth to make the score 5- 1. Deleone raced home on Toby Holliday's infield hit in the top of the ninth to give the Bishops a 6- 1 lead. "We got the unexpected," Guzzo pointed out. "They were keying on our two known hitters, Greg Clark and Dan Hilling, but we were able to get homers from two of bur freshmen and two hits from Holliday, who we don't normally look for the hits from.

That's what you have to get in these games." The Bishops turned over double plays in both the eighth and ninth innings to keep Methodist at bay. A Monarch run scored on the ninth inning twin killing, but by that time Parr and the Bishops were in control. The win upped Parr's record to 5-1. Parr's performance was the second Wesleyan mound performance worth noting in two days. On Friday afternoon.

Bruce Rhodes threw a no-hitter for eight-and-a-third innings before Southern Maine finally broke the ice. The Bishops coasted from there and claimed an 11-4 win. Wesleyan. now 19-5, will The month of April represents the stretch run in the Dixie Conference baseball race, and North Carolina Wesleyan cleared a big hurdle over the weekend. The Bishops scored a 6-2 win over Methodist in Fayetteville on Saturday.

The triumph over the Monarchs, ranked seventh in Division III NCAA polls, gave Wesleyan a 4-0 conference mark and established the Bishops as a clear favorite to repeat as Dixie champions. "This was a big win for us in a big game," Wesleyan coach Tony Guzzo said. "We've won several key games this season and I think that will help us down the stretch. We won't be afraid to put our record on the line." The Bishops, ranked second nationally, got a sterling performance from junior lefthander Larry Parr in Saturday's game. Parr threw a five-hitter and did not allow a Monarch hit until an infield single in the bottom of the fifth.

Parr fanned five batters. Wesleyan got on the board in the second inning when Greg Hardison tagged Monarch ace Terry Tolbert for a two-run homer. It was the Snow Hill freshman's first round tripper of the year. Wesleyan added single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to take a 4 0 lead. Bishops will travel to Raleigh to take on N.C.

State. Lady Bishop coach Debbie Allison has been pleased with her team's hitting in recent games. In last Friday's sweep of St. Andrews, Jet McClain turned in a four-for-four day and crashed a grand slam homer. Cooper, a reserve for most of the season, has come on and hit the ball well and is pushing the regulars for playing time.

"When we hit well, that takes the pressure off our defense," Allison said. "I feel like we are hitting the ball better than we did earlier in the season. We're out of our slump, but we need to beat UNC-G broke the game open with a six-run uprising. Southern charged back with three runs in the final two frames as Best and John Dew homered, but the Chargers' 10-run output proved two much to overcome. Southern figures to face another tough challenge this afternoon when C.B.

Aycock makes its way to Stanhope. Aycock is regarded as perhaps the team to beat in the E.C.C. and posted a 20-0 win over Southwest Edgecombe last Thursday. Southern will face Southwest Edgecombe at home Thursday before opening play in the Rocky Mount Breakfast Optimist Tournament Saturday Hitting No Problem Firebirds' McMahon Looks For Defense And Pitching DANNY WEAVER gers when they haven't been delivering key hits of their own. While hitting has been a problem for the Gryphons this season, outfielder Ben Harris and shortstop Eddie Coats are threats to break out at any time.

Kelley feels Rocky Mount can be a good offensive team by tightening up on its defense. "We can't afford to get three or four runs behind against Northern early like we have in other games," he said. "When we do that, it takes away our hit-and-runs and steals. We can't take advantage of our quickness, and that's what our whole game plan was based on in preseason." Weaver feels the fact Northern scored a pair of close wins over the Gryphs last year only adds fuel to Rocky Mount's competitive fire. "They'll want to beat us and they'll feel like they're Praises Tryouts at the Babe Ruth Field.

Girls Softball for ages 8-12 on or before Aug. 1. Tryouts at the Softball Field. 1 p.m. National and Minor League.

Any player who will attain the age of 9 years before Aug. 1 and who will not attain the age of 13 yean before Aug. 1, 1982, For more information, call Christy Cutrell at the Recreation Office. 459-4511. By DAVID GUTH The late columnist Red Smith hit the nail square on the head when he said, "Perfection is ninety feet between the bases." In that simple phrase Smith was able to catch the beauty of the sport we lovingly call our national passtime.

Abner Doubleday's game is not all that difficult to understand. The team that scores the most runs wins. Three strikes and you are out. The tic goes to the runner. There is not a lot about baseball that can not be described in just a simple sentence.

I like to think about baseball as a thinking man's game. In no other sport is the strategy so obvious. Although some may complain that the game is slow. I would venture to guess that those same people are not using the time between pitches to map out strategy. It is not my fault that they do not know how lo use their time wisely.

In football, it seems to come down to brute versus brute force. Basketball is too fluid, it moves too fast, for the spectator to think of what may happen two or three plays ahead as he can in baseball. And hockey's rules require a Philadelphia lawyer to figure them out. As a sport, it is baseball that reflects our society better than any other. It has been modernized to suit the times: night games, coast to coast travel and multi-colored uniforms made from synthetic materials.

Yet, baseball still hangs on to its timeless traditions: the seventh inning stretch, the throwing out of the first ball and welding of rural youth and city kids into a team. Baseball has also accurately reflected social trends. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier at a time when the country's conscience was beginning to seriously feel the pangs brought forth by racial segregation. A feeling of national impotence brought forth by war and scandal in the last decade led to the brief expulsion of the Tiawanese from the Little League World Series. Last summer's Major League Players Association strike was nothing more than a reflection of the increasing endless struggle between labor and management.

Yet, with all of the trials and tribulations that seem to surround the sport, baseball is more popular now than ever. It is virtually impossible for one to go out for a drive on any spring or summer evening in Nash and Edgecombe counties without seeing a group of people engaged in a pick-up game of baseball or its popular spin-off, Softball. I was amazed last summer when, in the midst of the baseball player's strike, I saw so many baseball fields from the air as I flew on a business trip to Washington, D.C. Go to any convenience store and you will find them on the counter, at the same place you found them when you were a kid: the baseball card. Of course, baseball's traditions are firmly established in this area.

Rocky Mount and Wilson once flourished as centers of minor league baseball before another social trend caught up with the sport: inflation. Many of those who saw Phil Ford play basketball at Rocky Mount remember that he may have been an even better baseball player. Rocky Mount has been fortunate enough to have several state championship baseball squads. A strong program is being built at Northern Nash. Let us not forget, too, that the current number one NCAA Division III baseball team in the nation wears the name "North Carolina Wesleyan College" on their shirts.

Oh yes, let us not forget that this is the area in which Jim Thorpe lost his amatuer eligibility and later his gold medals. This was also the area which was home to perhaps the worst minor league baseball team of all time, the 24 114 Rocky Mount Pines. The start of football season means the summer is ending and winter is on its way. The start of the basketball season means is is time for us to take our sport inside a shelter from the cold But the start of baseball brings with it the spring; the annual renewal of life. It is a time of a fresh new beginning.

So, with the start of the major league baseball season, the time has come to sing an ode to spring and its sport. And that is exactly what I have just done. By STEVE PHILLIPS At the outset of the season. Southern Nash coach Rick McMahon said that the first month of the season would tell a lot about, his young Firebird baseball team. Eight games have come and gone.

The Firebirds are 2-6 overall and 1-1 in Eastern Carolina Conference play. The Firebird coach finds a degree of both the positive and the negative in evaluating his squad's performance to date. "We are hitting the ball well." he said. "We are scoring six and seven runs a ball game. Last year, that might have been good enough to have won the conference.

This year, we're giving up runs. too. and that has hurt us." Indeed the Firebirds, who put enough runs on the board to down 4-A foe Wilson Fike in 11 innings earlier in the season and scored a 12-11 win over North Pitt, have several players who are swinging the bat McMahon cited George Horrison, Elvis Perry, Terry Best and Dennis Bissette for their offensive contributions to date. Perry sent two out of the park In a gamo against Wilson Hunt several weeks ago and Harrison has been among the Eastern Carol! aa Conference loaders la batting. One might look at the scores of firebird games and sesame pitching has been the team's Achilles' kooL Mehtahoe has been Tryouts April 17 ink Exercise Classes Planned The Heart Fund will hold exercise classes from 7 p.m.

to 8 p.m. Monday. April 5, through Wednesday. April 7. at Edwards Junior High School gymnasium in Rocky Mount.

The cost of each class will be $2. Registration will begin at 6:45 p.m. before each class. Volunteer Coaches Needed The Nashville Parks and Recreation Department is in need of volunteer coaches for Youth Baseball. Girls' Softball, and "T-Ball." -Anyone interested in coaching or assisting a coach is asked to call Christy Cutrell at 459-4511: Tennis Tournament Planned The Nashville Parks and Recreation Department will sponsor a tennis league and tournament for men starting the week of April 19.

Deadline for entering is Thursday. April 15. Participation fees are $2.50 for Nashville residents snd 15 for non-residents. Registration is being taken at the Recreation Office at 111 Boddie St, during business hours. If any women are in-' rested in a league, please call and leave your name and number.

i For more information, call 459-4511. i if Baseball The Nashville Parks and Recreation Department will hold tryouts for National and Minor League Babe Ruth Baseball. Ball" and Girls Softball on Saturday. April 17. at the J.

W. Glover Memorial Park. In case of rain, the tryouts will be held at the Nashville Elementary Gym. All players, new or returning, must be registered by Friday, April 16, in order to participate in the summer. Fees this year are $5 for Nashville residents and $10 for non-residents.

You may register at the Nashville Recreation Office located at 111 Boddie Street. Nashville. Only new players need to try out. Returning players are automatically assigned to the same teams as last year. Times for tryouts are as follows: 9.30 a.m.

T-Ball." for ages 6-8 on or before Aug. 1. 8TAT LEADER N. C. WesJeyaa's ChariU Skapeea 5 earreatly imn the Dixie leroaeo La law sffeaehi categories.

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