No. 6 South Lenoir Walks It Off Against No. 27 Northwood to Advance in 2A Playoffs
DEEP RUN — South Lenoir survived a first-round scare Tuesday night, using a walk-off RBI single from senior Matthew Rhodes to defeat No. 27 Northwood 6-5 in the opening round of the NCHSAA 2A Baseball State Playoffs.
The Blue Devils, seeded sixth in the East, improved to 17-3 on the year and will host No. 22 Southeast Alamance in the second round Friday. Southeast Alamance is coming off a 9-6 upset of No. 11 Franklin Academy and won two of three meetings against Northwood during the regular season.
South Lenoir entered the bottom of the seventh with the game tied 5-5. Jake Howard reached on a perfectly laid down bunt moving Barnett who was hit by pitch to second. Austin Clements bunted into a fielder choice with choosing to get the lead runner at 3rd. Gage Howard was intentionally walked, South Lenoir loaded the bases with one out. Following a pair of bunt attempts and a hit-by-pitch that added pressure, Rhodes ended the game with a sharp grounder to short that brought in the winning run.
Rhodes finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Gage Howard reached base four times, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs, and an RBI. Jake Howard went 1-for-2 with two runs scored, while Christain Coples and Reed Davis also added hits for a South Lenoir offense that continues to produce in key moments.
On the mound, Rhodes tossed three innings in the start, giving up one earned run on five hits with three strikeouts. Braden Barnett earned the win in relief, throwing four innings with two strikeouts while allowing one earned run on five hits.
South Lenoir totaled eight hits and drew four walks while committing two errors in the field.
Northwood (13-9) didn’t go quietly. The Chargers collected 10 hits and played error-free baseball. Riley D’Angelo and Camden Miller led the offense, each going 3-for-4. D’Angelo scored three times and added a double, while Miller drove in two runs. Kaleb Howell chipped in a 2-for-4 effort. On the mound, Finn Sullivan threw 4.1 innings, giving up five earned runs. D’Angelo took the loss after pitching the final two frames.
The win pushes South Lenoir one step closer toward its championship goals. The second round now brings a matchup with Southeast Alamance, a battle between two teams riding emotional first-round victories.
Post game interview:
