Morales escapes the yard to push Durant over Newsome
Durant’s Noah Morales’ home run in the sixth gave the Cougars the edge in a 2-1 win against Newsome (813Preps file photo).
By Brandon Wright, Features Writer
PLANT CITY – Durant’s Noah Morales and Newsome’s Wade Walton have both committed to continue their baseball careers at High Point after the pair graduates in 2024. Chances are the topic of Thursday night’s thriller will come up a time or two.
Morales took his future college teammate deep in the home-half of the sixth to break a tie game and Durant starter Preston Rogers went the distance as the Cougars captured its second-straight district title with a gritty 2-1 win against visiting Newsome last night.
“I knew it would be a tight game and (Walton) is a really good pitcher,” Morales said. “He (struck me out) my first at bat but it really feels good to have my guys on my back like that. That’s really all I want to do. Just support them and win the title for the second time in a row. The emotion with everyone just yelling and screaming was crazy.”
With one out and the count level at 1, Morales turned on a middle-in changeup and blistered it toward the left field corner. A prevailing wind had been blowing in briskly all night from right field and the biggest question was whether or not it was high enough to clear the fence.
Just barely.
“He fooled me on a curveball on the second pitch,” Morales said, “and I thought he was probably going to throw it again, but he happened to throw the changeup. Bad spot.”
The eventual game-winner, however, was in doubt for a brief moment. The entire Cougars team met Morales at the plate and in the chaos, he missed the plate and had to return to touch it. Newsome argued but the umpires upheld the homer.
“I’m not even sure what happened,” Morales said. “I was jumping and everyone was there and the other dugout was talking a little smack, looking at me. So, I had to make sure they knew I was there.”
Rogers then wiggled out of a jam in the seventh to close it out. Newsome’s Anthony Devito slapped a one-out single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and eventually stole third with two out. But Rogers, staring down the barrel of his pitch count, punched out the final batter on a 3-2 count to set off a wild dogpile on the Cougars’ mound.
“That was his last batter. He was done,” Durant coach Butch Valdes said. “That was it.”
Durant pitcher Preston Rogers (813Preps file photo).
Rogers was outstanding in the complete-game win, surrendering just two hits while striking out 11. He twice fanned the side in order.
“Preston Rogers pitched one hell of a game,” Valdes said. “He was getting angry and when he gets angry he really gets going. The velocity picks up.”
And he had that chip on his shoulder all night. Rogers was knocked around by the Wolves in a 9-4 loss near the end of March before being shut down for three weeks with a back injury. Last night, he effectively mixed a power fastball with a wipeout breaking ball.
“I was a little upset after that (9-4) game and it had been on mind,” he said. “When I found out we were facing them (tonight), I told coach I wanted them. I was still a little nervous which is okay. Because I like that feeling. Not knowing what is coming. I usually throw my slider more but tonight they were on the plate and taking that away. So, I threw more curves and I have such a big break, most people just buckle up.”
Walton was nearly as good on the bump, striking out nine and scattering five hits through 6 and 2/3 innings. Only one of the two runs he surrendered was earned.
“Wade did a great job over there, he really did,” Valdes said. “He controlled the outside and kept us quiet for a while. Once we got the opportunities, we tried to take advantage of it with Morales at the plate.”
Devin Suero’s textbook safety squeeze drove in Aidan Welsh to give the Cougars (20-5) a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth but Newsome (16-11) responded in its next at bat. Evan Dempsey drew a one-out walk and came home on an Andrew Mega single to right center that just eluded a diving Blaine Rowland.
⚾ 7A-6 Final ⚾
#3 Durant 2, Newsome 1
N 000|001|0 – |1|2|3
D 000|011|x – |2|4|2
W – Rodgers (3-1); L – Walton
2B – Morales, Oderio (D); HR – Morales (D). Records – N (16-10); D (19-5).
