Fike High freshman outfielder Charlie Maddrey had no idea how much impact his two-run double, which expanded the Golden Demons’ lead to 10-5, would have with his team just three outs away from a nonconference victory Monday evening on the Fike diamond.
Somewhat to his dismay, Maddrey found out the top of the next inning.
Hitters from SouthWest Onslow of the 2-A East Central Conference, shelled senior right-hander Jake Flowers, the Demons’ closer, in the top of the seventh, or last inning.
But with the aid of Maddrey’s double and a controversial play at third base in the top of the seventh, Fike escaped with a 10-9 victory.
The teams agreed to schedule the game because four Fike contests and three Stallions’ contests had been canceled. The teams played one another in a preseason jamboree.
The Demons upped their record to 6-9, while Southwest Onslow departed a frustrated 7-8.
“Any run is important,” Charlie Maddrey reasoned. “You can never be too safe. But I trusted Jake that he would get out of it.”
Fike returns to 3-A Quad County Conference play Tuesday against East Wake.
Leading 7-5, Fike struck for its first of three runs in the sixth on senior catcher Caleb Maddrey’s single, sophom*ore Connor Spencer’s bunt single and the Stallions’ infield error. After a fly out for the second out, Charlie Maddrey stepped up and hammered the two-run double.
“It was a fastball up and away,” he said of the pitch of which he connected against Southwest Onslow right-handed reliever Kannon Huffman. “I was sitting on a fastball.”
Fike head coach Jay Wheeler commented: “How good is it for a freshman to be at the plate in that situation — and succeed. It has been hard to keep him out of the lineup the last couple of weeks. He’s had three or four multi-hit games. Charlie has played his way into the lineup for sure.”
Flowers, a side-arming right-hander, took the mound in relief of sophom*ore Landon Cuddington, who notched his first varsity win after limiting the Stallions to one hit and one earned run in 3 ⅔ innings of relief.
But Stallions’ second baseman Tate Whitehead greeted Flowers with a double and designated hitter Jaden Davist walloped a two-run home run. Catcher Carter Dudley doubled and, with one out, the huge break that benefited Fike occurred.
Outfielder Nick Sanders blasted a double and attempted to stretch the hit into a triple. Maddrey relayed the ball to sophom*ore second baseman CJ Summmerlin, who fired a strike to junior third baseman Evan Ferrell. Ferrell applied the tag and got the “out” call against Sanders, who was sliding head-first into third base.
Stallions’ head coach Roy Jarman issued a strong protest, while the Fike side didn’t seem prepared to protest if the call had gone the other way.
“We work on those things three times a week,” Wheeler said of the successful relay. “The kids need to see it happens in games, and it matters.”
“I think it was a good call,” Charlie Maddrey expressed. “Me and CJ did our job getting that ball to Evan at third.”
But the mad Stallions, trailing 10-8, kept slugging. Cole Jarman singled and pint-sized outfielder Deonte Roberts smashed a triple over senior center fielder Thomas Buchan’s head. Fike’s lead had melted to 10-9.
“He smoked it,” Charlie Maddrey commented of Buchan’s blast. “Thomas wasn’t expecting it.”
Stallions’ lead-off hitter Tyler Randolph hit a smash toward first base that Fike sophom*ore Daniel Holloman handled for the final out.
“They hit their way back into the game,” Wheeler commended Southwest hitters. “They definitely earned those four runs.”
The coaches noted Flowers’ downfall was the fact his sinker was not sinking.
“He did get it working at a good time,” Wheeler declared.
Fike owned a 5-4 lead after two innings. Flowers unloaded his first 2024 homer, a two-run shot in the first. Three walks were critical in the three-run outburst in the second.
Dudley singled and scored for the Stallions in the second. Dudley then slugged a three-run homer in the third. Neither starting pitcher lasted past the third inning.
“We played great as a team,” Charlie Maddrey contended. “We are starting to pick it up with the bats, and we are playing more like a team.”
“I was pleased,” Wheeler added. “The past three-four games, we have hit the ball really well. We are really starting to barrel some balls up. It’s good to see us swinging offensively; we had been swinging defensively a lot.”
Seven conference games remain for the Demons.
“We are battling for fifth place, and we are facing everybody around us,” Wheeler said, pointing out that fifth place was good enough to earn a spot in the 3-A playoffs two seasons ago.
Score by innings:
SW Onslow 013 010 4 — 9
Fike 230 023 x — 10
W-Landon Cuddington (1-0) 3 2/3 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO. L-C.J. Marshburn 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO. LEADING HITTERS — Southwest Onslow: Tate Whitehead 3-4, 2B; Jaden Davis 1-3, HR, 2 RBIs; Carter Dudley 3-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI; Nick Sanders 1-2, 3B, RBI; Cole Jarman 1-3, R; Deonte Roberts 1-3, 3B, RBI. Fike: Thomas Buchan 2-4; Jake Flowers 2-4, HR, 2 RBIs; Caleb Maddrey 2-4, 2 R; Connor Spencer 2-2; Charlie Maddrey 1-3, 2B, 2 RBIs.
