In other respects, the baseball game played at Pinecrest High School just plain had the look of something good in the making. The Sandhills Diamond American Legion senior team is in its fourth year, but this is the first year for junior legion baseball in the county.
“With the rivalry we have between both high schools, this is good for the community, the families and the kids,” said Ken Stocum, the athletic officer of the Union Pines team as he visited with Larry Solomon his counterpart with the Sandhills squad. “Win or lose, it’s a good time. What better way could you spend a Thursday evening than watching a good ball game among family and friends.”
Union Pines was led by Sam Buie who pitched six innings of one-hit shutout baseball in relief and contributed two of his team’s six doubles in the game. Second baseman Ralph Nickens backed him with a pair of hits, including a double and three runs scored. Bruce Koenig doubled twice for Sandhills.
The non-league game began with the hitters on both teams punishing the starting pitchers.
A leadoff walk by Nickens and a single to center by Glen Moore was followed by back-to-back two-out doubles by Buie and Brandon Allen, giving the visitors a 3-0 lead. Sandhills got one run in the bottom half on the first of Koenig’s two-baggers and a single to right by Dexter McLemore.
With the aid of a couple of errors, Sandhills took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the second as Koenig knocked in two of the runs with another double, this one hitting high off the center field fence. Buie came on in relief of Union Pines starter Jacob Stocum and escaped without further damage.
Doubles by Buie and Scott Dimaio in the top of the third off Sandhills starter Ryan Summerford helped Post 296 score twice and retake a lead it did not surrender again. They scored in each of the last four innings while Buie and the Union Pines defense took care of the rest. The only hit off Buie was of the infield variety by Brandon Formyduval in the fifth. He allowed only one other base runner in the last five innings, that on an error.
“He doesn’t usually start, but he’s been coming into games and hitting spots and doing a great job,” said Nickens of Buie, who moves from New Century Middle School to the ninth grade at Union Pines in the fall. “Tonight was the best night we’ve had hitting the ball.”
Union Pines Post 296 (Vass) improved to 3-3 overall. The team is 2-0 in league play. They play in the Eastern Conference, a part of the Southern Division. Other teams in the conference are Spring Lake, Stedman, Stedman-Cape Fear and the Tri-City Blues.
Sandhills Post 72(Aberdeen), like the senior team, calls itself the Diamond and is 3-1 on the season. Their first game in the Western Conference is at home tonight at 7 p.m. against Scotland. Other league foes are Hamlet and Hope Mills.
Post 72 coach Carl Boykin, the junior varsity coach at Pinecrest, said that his team hadn’t played in a week. He thought that showed.
“I’m not going to take anything away from Marty (Post 296 coach Buie),” he said. “Marty’s doing a wonderful job. I can tell they are well coached.
“The community showed a lot of support. It was like a varsity game because we had so many people here. “
Coach Buie said that he has been coaching in AAU ball the past seven years. He said that only three of his players, other than Nickens who played for the Union Pines varsity in the spring, have other than recreational ball experience.
“My energy is going to be going into the Legion program now,” he said. “Every practice these kids come wide-eyed eager to learn. We’ve got a great group of parents that have come together and supported us. I can’t walk away, I’ve got to give them everything I’ve got.”
His team won’t have very long to rest on its laurels in the neighborhood competition. Sandhills is scheduled to travel to Union Pines on June 19. Stay tuned. R H E
Union Pines 3 0 2 2 1 1 1 — 10 9 4
Sandhills 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 — 4 5 3
Stocum, Buie (2) and Haley; Summerford, Lewis (4), Muirhead (6), E. Shinn (7) and Formyduval; 2B- (U) Buie 2, Nickens, Stocum, Allen, Dimiao (S) Koenig 2; SB- (U) Jones 2, Nickens, Moore, Buie (S) Foreman, Johnson; SAC- (U) Nickens, Stocum (S) Kirk; HB- (U) Stocum (S) Formyduval; RBI- (U) Buie 2, Allen 2, Stocum, McLean, Dimiao (S) Koenig 2, McLemore; Leading hitters – (U) Nickens 2-3, walk, 3 runs, Buie 2-4, 2 runs (S) Koenig 2-4, run; WP- Buie LP- Summerford.
