Mount Airy’s historic season came to an end in Game 3 of the 1A West Regional Championship on May 25.
Visiting Uwharrie Charter broke open a tight 0-0 ball game with a trio of runs in the top of the fifth inning. Late struggles at the plate held Mount Airy scoreless, while the defending 1A State Champions held strong in the sixth inning before exploding for nine runs in the seventh.
No. 2-seeded Uwharrie Charter’s 12-0 win on Saturday lifted the team to a 2-1 series victory against top-ranked Mount Airy.
“It was a high energy game, and it felt like whoever could score first was going to win,” said Mount Airy coach Josh Wilson. “The score doesn’t reflect how intense and close the game actually was. We just couldn’t get anything going offensively the entire series. We kicked it around a little bit, and they took advantage of it.”
Each team put four hits on the board through four innings. Neither side had given up a base on balls, and both put players in scoring position but left runners stranded.
Mount Airy’s best chance at scoring came in the bottom of the second inning. A grounder up the middle earned Brison George a single, then a hit to right field by Landon Gallimore moved George to third. Both runners were left on base following a ground out.
It was Uwharrie’s turn to put a pair of runners on in the top of the third. Jake Hunter and Troy Carver each singled for the Eagles (26-6) with no outs on the board, but the Bears got out of the situation when Rylan Venable struck out back-to-back-to-back batters.
“Rylan was throwing the ball well for us,” Coach Wilson said. “I’ve said it before, but he’s just one of those guys that thrives in those big moments.”
The game’s momentum shift occurred in the fifth inning. Mount Airy picked up two outs across Uwharrie’s first three batters thanks to a strikeout and fielder’s choice, then the visitors got on the board for the first time with an RBI double. Caleb Stickle hit a ground ball down the left field line that Granite Bear fans claimed was foul, but the umpires disagreed and play continued. Walker Wilkins put Uwharrie up 1-0 by scoring from first base.
Carter Brown followed the RBI by earning the game’s first base on balls, then another walk loaded the bases. Mount Airy committed an error on a hit from Grat Dalton to bring in another run, then Uwharrie made it 3-0 by scoring on a wild pitch.
Following Uwharrie’s three-run fifth, Mount Airy only recorded one hit across the final three innings.
“We just needed to put together some quality at-bats and just go up there swinging,” Coach Wilson said. “We were pressing offensively trying to make something happen instead of letting it happen like it has for most of the year. We’re a good offensive team that just went into a lull at the wrong time of the year.
“We hadn’t been good offensively in about five games, so I think when Uwharrie scored three in the fifth our guys felt like it was a hundred runs. The end was just an emotional roller coaster, and we didn’t show who we really had been all season.”
Uwharrie went on to record 11 hits in the game to bring their series total up to 20. Mount Airy posted five hits in game one, but failed to string together multiple hits in the same inning. The Bears then won Game 2 at Uwharrie with just two hits, but used a strong defensive performance to clinch the 1-0 victory.
“I felt like there were two pretty equal teams on the field each night, and it was going to come down to who made a mistake and whoever capitalized on that mistake,” Coach Wilson said.
Rewriting the History Books
The Granite Bears were led by eight seniors: Brison George, Rylan Venable, Cameryn Wilson, Daniel Smith, Ian Gallimore, Kamden Hawks, Landon Cox and Brayden Durham.
Most of the team’s seniors took on starting roles as sophomores and helped the team to its best season in recent memory by going 19-9. Untimely injuries led to a 13-12 record in 2023, but then the team returned in 2024 and finished 1A West Regional Runner-up.
“I knew when I took the job here that this group would be special,” Coach Wilson said. “There was never any doubt that — if we could stay healthy — we’d have a chance to compete for a state championship. I think we really should have been this good the past three years, we just had some bad luck with some injuries.
“I’m going to miss this group of seniors dearly. They made me a better coach and a better person; I just hope I impacted their lives as much as they have mine.”
This year’s Granite Bears set a new school record for single-season wins by finishing 26-3. The previous record of 21 wins was set during the school’s 1931 state championship season, then was tied eight years later when the 1939 team also won a state title (via Mount Airy sports historian Doug McDaniel).
The Bears’ 25-consecutive wins from March 4 to May 17 tied a school record, and the previous record was accumulated across the 1938-1940 seasons.
Mount Airy swept the Northwest 1A Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships. The regular season title was the team’s first since 1968. Mount Airy also set a school record for single-season shutouts with 11.
“What an amazing ride this season was,” Coach Wilson said. “I will forever be indebted to the players, my assistants, my administrators and the community for this season. The success we had this year would not have been possible without each and every one of you.”
Pitching
Uwharrie Charter
Logan Wilkuns — 7 IP, 3K, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 5H, 0R
Mount Airy
Rylan Venable — 5 2/3 IP, 6K, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 6H, 3R
Brison George — 1/3 IP, 0K, 2 BB, 0 HBP, 1H, 3R
Landon Gallimore — 1/3 IP, 1K, 1 BB, 0 HBP, 2H, 4R
Ian Gallimore — 0 IP (three batters faced), 0K, 1 BB, 0 HBP, 1H, 2R
Eli Ayers — 2/3 IP, 2K, 0 BB, 0 HBP, 1H, 0R
Scoring
(2) Uwharrie — 0, 0, 0, 0, 3, 0, 9 — 12
(1) Mount Airy — 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 — 0
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