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Post 29 rolls

Caldwell will face Cherryville in second round

John M Setzler Jr.

Caldwell Post 29 starting pitcher Cody Poarch throws to the plate against Huntersville Post 321 during Thursday’s game.

By W.D. Fisher | Hickory Daily Record

Published: July 3, 2009

GRANITE FALLS - Many questions surrounded Caldwell Post 29 as it entered the Area IV American Legion playoffs, but the team seems to have hit their stride at the right time.

"We have got to believe that this will boost our confidence," said Caldwell manager Gary Hamby. "Coming in I know that there was something there in the back of our minds, and in my mind that what happened after last year could we shake this thing?"

Dalton Hall had four hits, two runs scored, four RBIs, and Cody Poarch limited Huntersville Post 321 to three hits and struck out 15 leading Post 29 to a 10-2 win in Game 4.

"Cody is one of the better pitchers in North Carolina," said Hamby. "He (Poarch) faced a very good hitting team, dominated them, found himself and the confidence he's been looking for."

After dropping the first game in the series, Caldwell (14-9) won the final three games to win the best-of-five series 3-1 and advance to the second round.

Caldwell faces two-time defending Area IV champion and top-seeded Cherryville in the next round.

Game 1 is slated for Sunday at Cherryville with Game 2 at M.S. Deal Stadium on Monday.

In the regular season, Cherryville swept Caldwell in both meetings winning at Cherryville 7-3 (June 8) and at Caldwell 16-3 on June 24.

"I do hope that we can get into the Cherryville series, get a break or two and continue to climb the ladder and become a better team as we move along," said Hamby. "We are going to need to play a lot better to have a chance against Cherryville."

Hamby said the momentum swing came in the second game of the Huntersville series which Caldwell won 11-5 to even the series at 1-all, snapping a four-game losing streak to Post 321.

"Once we did, and got a victory under our belt on Tuesday night you could see a difference on everybody's faces," said Hamby. "I believe that any leftover effect from anything that happened leading up to this point is gone now."

Post 29 closed out the regular season dropping five of its last seven games, and were swept 3-0 in the first round by Huntersville in 2008.

After a scoreless first inning, Caldwell took a 2-0 lead after three innings with a run in the second and third innings.

Huntersville (11-11) narrowed the difference to 2-1 with a run in the fourth, but that would be as close as Post 321 would get.

Caldwell scored in each of its next four at bats to take a 10-1 lead after seven innings.

Post 29 scored the deciding run in the fourth on a two-out solo home run by Lucas Jackson for a 3-1 Caldwell lead.

That was all that was needed as Poarch held Post 321 to one hit and one run over the final five innings.

Poarch struck out 11 of the final 18 batters he faced. He recorded six straight strikeouts during that stretch and struck out at least two in four of the final five innings.