Warriors split first two games of series

Lawrence Academy split the opening games of the N.C. Independent School Athletic Association state baseball championship series with Kerr-Vance Academy.

The championship series took place on Bauer Field on the campus of N.C. Wesleyan University.

The Warriors won Game One 5-4 in eight innings and then suffered a 3-2 setback in Game Two, setting up the third and final contest.

In the first game of the series, Zander Mizelle and Patrick Lundy combined for the victory. Mizelle tossed 4.2 innings while Lundy went 3.1. They scattered six hits in the eight frames.

Mike Lee and Nike Wiggins led the Warriors offensively, with each going 3-for-4. Carter Hoggard and Carter Wells each added two hits for the Warriors in the win.

Luke Foster, Conner Ferebee and Mizelle each had one hit in Lawrence’s victory.

In Game Two, Wiggins started with a single and moved to second on a base hit by Mizelle. Wiggins was erased a fielder’s choice, but Mizelle raced home on an RBI-double by Lee to give Lawrence a 1-0 edge.

Kerr-Vance answered in the home half of the first frame.

Tim Hudson walked and went to second on a single by Nathan McDaniel. M.J. Wright then reached on an error, which loaded the bases.

A single off the bat of Jack Wiggins plated Hudson before a walk to Tanner Rigsbee sent McDaniel home to give KVA a 2-1 lead with no outs.

Ferebee rallied on the mound, however, and limited the damage, striking out two of the next three and getting the third on a fielder’s choice at the plate.

Both teams went quietly in the second stanza, but the Spartans scored in the bottom of the third.

Wright walked and went all the way to third on a double by Wiggins. He scored when Rigsbee laced an RBI-single to center to make it 3-1.

The Warriors came back in the top of the fourth when Lee delivered a one-out single down the third base line. He moved to second when Hoggard reached on a walk and scored when Lundy laced a single to center, making it 3-2.

The Warriors got a runner on in the fifth frame, but couldn’t get him home.

In the top of the seventh, Foster got aboard via a walk.

Then, Wells hit the ball and it was fielded by the shortstop who erased Foster at second. His throw to first appeared to clearly pull the first baseman off the bag, but Hoggard was called out anyway, ending the game.

Lawrence second-year skipper Stacy Mizelle said he felt both teams were quality, but that the Warriors were prepared for the third game.

“They have a good team and are well-coached,” Mizelle said of Kerr-Vance. “We had played fairly well, but not like we were capable of going into the last game, but I felt we had a good game in us.”