Big Matchups - Big Wins for Ledford, East Forsyth, & Myers Park
March 27, 2017
By Brandon Hall
Director of Scouting, PBR NC
Follow us on Twitter & Instagram: @PrepBaseballNC
Prep Baseball Report has a team of scouts covering all of North Carolina. This past weekend, PBR NC Director of Scouting, Brandon Hall was on the road to see several teams making noise in the early part of the year.
On Friday, a double-dip was on tap with Ledford HS visiting Asheboro HS and East Forsyth HS visiting Glenn HS. Ledford and Asehboro entered the Mid-Piedmont 3A matchup with a total of two losses between the teams. In the most recent PBR-NCBCA Team Poll, Ledford was ranked No. 2 with Asheboro receiving votes. With both teams playing so well, don’t be surprised to see both ranked when the new polls come out on March 28th.
The nightcap on Friday included a high end draft prospect and a young team making waves with their steady play. Glenn HS, ranked No. 5 in the PBR-NCBCA Poll hosted East Forsyth, who entered with a 9-1 record.
The final game of the weekend trip featured a North Carolina power, Providence HS, facing off with a Myers Park squad that is building a nice resume with a new coach and an aggressive culture.
For in-depth player reports from each game, visit the NC HS Scout Blog.
For daily scores and highlights, visit Around The Bases.
Ledford Flexes its Muscle Over Asheboro
Chris Villaman (LHP, 2019) is one of the top players in the country in the 2019 class. Already committed to North Carolina State, Villaman showed an ability to take a game over, very early. Billed as a top pitching match-up, Villaman took the mound for Ledford HS with a top uncommitted 2017, Tristan Marsh (RHP/MIF, 2017), on the bump for Asheboro HS.
Villaman made his mark early, in the top of the first, launching a full count fastball over the right field wall for a 3-run HR. A no doubter off the bat, Villaman showed quickness and strength with the swing, timing up the offering after being late early in the at-bat.
On the bump, Villaman was dominate in stretches. Showing an ability to upgrade his stuff when needed, a steady mix of fastball to the arm-side and change-ups to right handed hitters kept Asheboro off balance. Villaman finished with nine strikeouts, and only allowed one hit over the 5-inning complete game.
The Ledford offense has depth and shows an ability to score runs with power and speed. In the fifth, leading 5-0, the Panthers exploded for seven runs, putting the game away. Villaman ended the game with two hits and four RBI’s. Cameron Mills, in the leadoff spot, worked three walks and had two RBI’s. 2017 MIF Anthony Cuozzi (UNC Asheville commit) went 1-2 with a walk and 2 RBI’s as well.
Ledford 300 27X X 12 – 7 – 0
Asheboro 000 00X X 0 – 1 – 0
Win: Chris Villaman 5 IP, 1 H, 0R, 0 ER, 9 K, 1 BB
Loss: Tristan Marsh 3.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 K, 5 BB
Leading Hitters:
Ledford: Chris Villaman – 2-3 with a HR and 4 RBI’s
Anthony Cuozzi – 1-2 with 2 RBI’s
Ledford hitters worked 9 total walks
Asheboro: Austin Curry – 1-2 with a double
East Forsyth Grinds a Win at Glenn
East Forsyth HS is a young team that is playing with an identity. Scrappy, with athleticism, they work to play clean and simple on the defensive side while executing to score on the offensive side. The first inning played to the narrative.
Danny Fish (MIF/C, 2019) led off the game with a single, stole second and worked to third on a ground ball. Connor Norby (MIF, 2018, East Carolina commit) scored Fish with a SAC fly to right. It’s a simple line to get the first run on the board, but this is what makes the Eagles good.
On the bump, Luke Kimrey (RHP, 2018) built on the team narrative, trusting his defense to make plays and making a few big pitches when necessary. Kimrey worked a complete game, punching three, and throwing over 72% of his pitches for strikes. Keeping the Bobcat hitters off balance throughout the night, Kimrey worked ahead of 18 of the 25 hitters he faced.
In the fourth, Glenn’s Kier Meredith (OF, 2017, Clemson commit) leadoff with a single to center field off Kimrey. Working to steal second, Meredith advanced all the way to third on a ground ball to short, giving the Bobcats life. A double off the bat of Tyler Dombek (3B, 2017) scored Meredith. With two outs in the inning, a pop up to short right field was mishandled scoring Dombek and cutting the Eagle lead to 3-2.
East Forsyth would answer with a run in the fifth. Kimrey kept Glenn at bay over the last three innings.
East Forsyth 102 010 0 4 – 7 – 2
Glenn 000 020 0 2 –2 – 1
Win: Luke Kimrey 7IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 1 BB
Loss: Jordan Ward 7IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 K, 3 BB
Leading Hitters:
East Forsyth: Brendan Emery – 2-4 with a tripile, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored
Connor Norby – 0-1 with 2 RBI
Glenn: Kier Meredith – 1-3 with a run scored
Tyler Dombek – 1-2 with a double, RBI, and run scored
Copps Keys Big Victory for Myers Park
Rivals met in a non-conference matchup at Providence as Myers Park looked to continue building on a good start to the 2017 season. Senior LHP Owen Copps (Tufts commit) set the tone early, attacking the Providence hitters and showing an ability to keep the Panthers off balance, especially with runners on base. Myers Park took the win 7-3.
Copps worked all seven innings in the win, working around six walks in the 105 pitch outing. The six walks were kept at bay as Copps worked ahead of 21 of the 30 batters he faced. The Panthers scratched 4 hits in the game.
Offensively, the Mustangs were sparked by John Owens and Will Cordes, each with 2 RBI’s. The offense forced Providence to control all aspects of the game. Owens, Cordes, and Copps each hit doubles. The Mustangs showed a willingness to be aggressive on the bases and to play small ball. The aggressive nature allowed the Mustangs to grind runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings, building a 4-2 lead. In the seventh, the consistent nature of good at-bat, after good at-bat paid off with three runs on two hits, blowing the game open.
Providence would answer with a home run in the seventh off the bat of Cole Revels (INF, 2017) cutting the lead to 7-3. The Panthers would add two singles and a walk to load the bases, but Copps induced a ground ball to end the game.
Myers Park 021 100 3 7 – 8 – 1
Providence 100 100 1 3 – 4 – 0
Win: Owen Copps 7IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 K, 6 BB
Loss: Ethan Reese 3IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 K, 2 BB
Leading Hitters:
Myers Park: John Owens – 2-4 with a double, 2 RBI’s, & 2 runs scored
David Hutto – 2-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored
Will Cordes – 2-3 with a double, 2 RBI’s & 2 runs scored
Providence: Ray Torres – 1-2 with a double and 1 RBI
Cole Revels – 1-3 with a HR