By Charles Curcio, Sports Editor
CNHI
Thursday, March 11, 2010 — When asked to describe Albemarle's nail-biting 6-5 victory over South Davidson Tuesday, coach Jaime Kimrey took a deep breath and just heaved a big sigh of relief. No other comment was needed. It was that kind of game.
The Bulldogs gave away a comfortable three-run lead in the top of the seventh, but won the game thanks to two super plays: one with the glove and the other with the bat.
The game was somewhat sloppy in the first few innings. Albemarle scored two in the first, after Hunter Williams singled to lead off. Two errors, a stolen base, two wild pitches, and a walk issued to Nat Dunlap gift wrapped the lead for the Bulldogs.
Albemarle returned the favor in the fourth when Jordan Wells doubled and then moved to third on a passed ball. South inserted Cory Dahlenburg as a pinch runner, who scored on a wild pitch.
The Wildcats scored again in the fifth when Alex Buie singled, stole second, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a throwing error to tie the score 2-2. That was more than coach Kimrey could take, as he let his troops know in the dugout.
The Bulldogs responded by holding the Wildcats scoreless in the top of the sixth, with starter Corey Dick striking out the side. Albemarle then scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-2 lead heading into the seventh.
That's when things got interesting. Dick had gone six strong innings but was relieved when the first three batters reached base. Normally reliable Alex Robichaud then came into a tough situation and just couldn't find the strike zone as the next three batters drew walks and the Bulldogs watched helplessly as three runs trotted home and their lead disappeared. Kimrey quickly popped out of the dugout and signaled for Eathan Harter. With the bases still loaded, Harter got the first man he faced to hit a flare that second baseman Shane McConlogue snared going to his left and then alertly raced to first to double up the runner. It was a great play at just the right time.
Albemarle then headed into the bottom of the seventh needing to score again to avoid extra innings. The Bulldogs played it perfectly with Harter leading off and reaching first on an error. Bradley Poplin then layed down a sacrifice bunt to move Harter into scoring position. Up came senior Charlie Coggins, who calmly nailed the first pitch he saw past the outstretched glove of second baseman Chase Causey and into centerfield to bring in Harter and end the game.
Sophmore Hunter Williams paced Albemarle, going 2-3 and scoring 2 runs. Dick,Harter, and McConlogue also had base hits for the Dogs.
