SED / Tidewater Week 2

This week its Nansemond River and Grassfield with the grinder.

NR v Hickory and WB v Grassfield will be excellent gauges of where teams are at this point.  WB v Grassfield hold more weight being its a conference game   Expect both teams to go all out for the win.  Will be a fun week.  

I don't believe the WB v Grassfield game is considered a conference game in the standings. The conference is only playing 4 conference games that count in standings.

You're right.   Official conference games are in May.   

The conference 2  tournament takes 5 teams and is at Western Branch.

GF vs WB is game of week. Will they P their #1's since it is non-Conf?

I would guess they will.   Both teams want to beat each other any chance they can get.   

Who are their number 1's

Pretty sure WB is Klak.  Grassfield I think is Stallings with a strong #2 in Perdue.  Guessing though.   

BaseballDad757 posted:

Pretty sure WB is Klak.  Grassfield I think is Stallings with a strong #2 in Perdue.  Guessing though.   

Over at Grassfield, they really do have a 1(a) and 1(b) situation, don't they!  Given they will be competing against one another later in the year (conference play, tournament time), I wouldn't be shocked if they threw someone other than their 1s though.  Give a good team multiple looks at the same guy and they will figure it out, regardless of how good the arm is.  It will be interesting to see what happens.  This is not to suggest that they all don't want to win.  They will play to win the game.  Same goes for NR/Hickory now that they're both 5A.

By the way...let's not sleep on Indian River.  They have been young the last couple of years.  They have some kids who can play. 

New state rankings out....

http://www.prepbaseballreport....ams/2016VADCRankings

I would guess that Grassfield keeps the same rotation with Perdue going Tuesday vs IR and Stallings Thursday vs WB. Klak and Stallings is a potentially great pitching matchup. 

NR/Hickory today. Matthew Holt vs.Crossons/Hunter Gregory.that maybe a good matchup.

Will be good.  I'd be in it more for the batting lineups personally.  Those pitchers are good, but the lineups present more appeal.    Will be interesting to see the outcome. Great early season showdown!

OS/DC   OS 6-0

GF/IR  GF 3-0

Hickory/NR 15-5 Hickory

I saw hickory knocked the snot out of the ball.   Who pitched for GF and IR?

Perdue went 5 for GF. Pretty much all stress free. 

Jamie Spainhour pitched for Indian River.

bolz717 posted:

OS/DC   OS 6-0

GF/IR  GF 3-0

Hickory/NR 15-5 Hickory

GF has been true to expectations - 2 Games and zero runs allowed and 4 runs scored.  The game Thursday with WB should be excellent if no one holds back on the pitching.

OS and GB (8-0 over Lakeland) did what they were expected to do.  Hickory's big game against NR is a little bit of a surprise.  4 HR's in the game according to the Pilot.

Early season still but SED looks like 3 groups (WB/HH/GF) (GB/IR/OS/NR) (LL/DC/KF).  The teams in the 2nd group are capable of beating the top 3 but are underdogs most of the time. 

We might find out a little more on how good the district is when WB is in FL next week.  They are scheduled to play a Top 10 Nationally ranked team while they are there.  GF, Hickory and GB have been going to SC in recent years but not sure what they are doing this season.

Regarding the NR/Hickory game,  NR pitching simply couldn't throw strikes and was constantly working from 2-0 and 3-1 counts.  In addition, NR made a few really simple and costly defensive mental mistakes (most of which by the pitchers), and a few on the base paths, which allowed the score to get out of hand.  All three of NRs pitchers against Hickory threw a total of zero meaningful varsity innings last year.   Of course, NRs top two starters have thrown a combined 3 innings so far this season, due to non pitching related tweaks.  

That should change in the coming days.  Having said that...the pitching beyond the top two is good enough to beat any of the others in the top half of the district when they get ahead in counts and field their position!  

Not sure where the others are going this season (outside of WB) but NR will be playing in the Coach Bob National, in Phoenix, AZ over Spring Break.  A slate that includes perennial state/national powers Simi Valley, CA, as well as O'Connor, AZ.

Spring Break will certainly be a tremendous test.  But for now...a quality Indian River group, and congrats to Hickory on a nice win.

I recall posts last year saying very similar things when it came to NR (defensive issues, pitching woes).  It was said they made silly errors last year too, as most teams do.   I think many of us have been waiting for NR and GF to finally play to potential.  My guess is that NR will be just fine once they get their pitching in order.  They always improve as the season goes, but they will have to prove they can take out Hickory.  

As for GF, so far so good.  Not much offense, but when has that ever been much of a strong suit for them?  It's early, for all teams.  Everything will order itself out come May.   

WB beats Kings Fork, 7-3. 

Oscar Smith beat Lakeland 10-0.

Who pitched for WB last night?

Marchand/Patto.  

Then Klak should pitch for WB against Grassfield. 

Grassfield 2, WB 1 in 8 innings. Klak and Stallings went the distance. 

NR over Indian River 5-4.  Fuqua threw for IR, and was very good.  Had a no-hitter thru 3 innings.  NR broke the drought with one run in the 4th.  Two more in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3.  In the 6th Dion Jordan hit a 2-run HR to give NR a 5-3 lead.  Indian River would manufacture a run in the 6th to cut it to 5-4, and that would end the scoring.  Matt Holt threw his first three innings of the season, while Michael Blanchard finished the final 4 innings.

I think the WB vs Grassfield game went as expected. Pitchers duel into extra innings. Klak simply ran out of gas. He threw 107 pitches in a game in March.....a bit much early in the year but that's what was needed tonight to keep it close.

Both pitchers matched each other inning to inning basically. Stallings threw a lot of early strikes and mixed his speeds well. It came down to who had more in the tank at the end, give the nod to Stallings. Round 2 in May, will be fun. Grassfield has the 1-2 punch that is pretty powerful.

Deep Creek 10-0 over Lakeland

Hickory 6-0 over Oscar Smith

Great Bridge over Kings Fork 10-0.

I saw in the Pilot this morning that GB won the Hanrahan Iniv. in SC going 3-0 and that Grassfield went 3-0 winning the Deep Run tournament.  GF has now allowed only 2 runs in 7 games unless I missed something.  That will usually work. 

BaseballDad757 posted:

Pretty sure WB is Klak.  Grassfield I think is Stallings with a strong #2 in Perdue.  Guessing though.   

Stallings is # 1 for sure. 3-0 with no runs allowed and a perfect game last outing.

Heard Hunter Perdue is on the DL. Anyone no why? He did not play in any games over spring break.

GF vs GB 

Who will pitch this game. Coming off spring break?

Infiekd posted:

Stallings is # 1 for sure. 3-0 with no runs allowed and a perfect game last outing.

 

Love it.

GF went with their #1 and he went to town with a complete game. Not so good for GB.

Friday Schedule
1.Indian River @ Deep Creek

2.King's Fork @Grassfield

3.Lakeland @ Hickory

4.Great Bridge @Nansemond River

5.Western Branch @ Oscar Smith

GF 8-1 over KF

WB beats Oscar Smith 10-8.