TARBORO —
Tarboro Vikings junior starting pitcher Keith Williams had command of the SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars Friday night at Municipal Stadium in Tarboro. WIlliams was the winning pitcher in the Vikings 8-2 win over the Cougars in Eastern Plains Conference action.
Tarboro improves to 7-4 overall and 4-1 in conference while the Cougars fall to 0-9 overall and 0-5 in conference.
Williams battled from the outset of the game. He struck out at least two batters every inning except in the fifth inning and finished the game with 14 strikeouts. He gave up two runs on six hits, while he walked three which all came in the fourth inning.
"Keith wanted the ball all week and it just happened to be his turn in the rotation and he stepped up and threw a great game for us," Tarboro head coach Justin Smith said. "He threw the ball better than he has all season. We need for him to continue to give us performances like that each time he steps on the mound. I am proud of the way he gave us six strong innings. He didn't want to come out but he had reached his pitch limit."
Tarboro scored a run in the first inning when Chase Johnson drove in Layne Brewer with a base hit up the middle. Brewer had reached base after singling to left field.
The Cougars responded right back in the top of the second inning, when Philip Webb led off with a single down the first baseline and Tarboro's right fielder bobbled the ball which allowed Webb to take second base. Brooks Parisher then singled to move Webb over to third. Williams then threw a wild pitch which allowed Webb to score and Parisher to advance to second. Williams got out the jam after he struck out Damien Bryant and Chris Owens. He got Jared Pridgen to ground out to him as well.
"I was proud of the fact that we battled like did but the 14 strikeouts is unacceptable," Tolson said. "We work so hard on hitting the ball and to get away from that and strike out that many times is something that bothers me. I have to look at what we are doing and rectify what we are doing at practice."
Tarboro came in fired up after SouthWest had tied the game up at 1-1.
Cougars starting pitcher Philip Webb struggled to start the second inning. He walked Austin Holland and Williams. Then he hit Travis Martin to load the bases. SouthWest head coach Tommy Tolson had seen enough and relieved Webb with Justin Letchworth.
"I was torn in whether to go with Justin or Stephen but I felt like Justin could get us out of that inning and then I was going to go with someone else and it didn't work out," Tolson said. "Stephen did a great job for us in relief when I brought him in."
With the bases loaded, Brewer hit a single that drove in Holland and Williams to give Tarboro a 3-1 lead. The Vikings weren't done. Will Dupree then reached after Letchworth mishandled the bunt, which loaded the base again for Tarboro. Tyler Wooten then hit a single to drive in Martin. Johnson then capped off the inning with a single to drive in two more runs which gave Tarboro a 7-1 lead. Letchworth gave up two more hits and then Tolson relieved him with Stephen Thompson.
"I told the guys after that big second inning Tarboro had that it was time to bare down and keep playing like I knew we are capable of playing," Tolson said. "I have seen life in my guys over the past week or so. We are getting to where I want us to be but we have to start putting things together and get the hits we need them at the right times."
Williams who was sitting on cruise control gave up one more run in the fourth inning. He struck Webb out, then Parisher singled. Williams then walked three straight Cougars which allowed Parisher to score and cut the Vikings lead to 7-2.
Thompson seemed to have command of Tarboro. He didn't allow another run until Tarboro scratched another run across in the sixth inning when Johnson singled home another run, which was his fourth Rbi of the game and his third hit.
Coach Smith was not sure if Johnson was going to play, because he hurt his ankle Thursday and wore a walking boot all day Friday. He was game time decision.
"Chase had a great outing for us," Smith said. "We weren't sure if he was going to be able to play. He did everything he could to get on the field and when he did he performed fantastically. He was a big key for us in the win."
Tarboro out hit SouthWest 13 to 6. The Cougars stranded seven runners on base and four of them were in scoring position, which has been a problem for them this season and Tolson is still trying to figure out why his team can't get the runs in during the game like they do in practice when working on situations.
Tarboro has a big week ahead of them in the conference. With one loss in the conference the Vikings could shake up things if they can beat Farmville Central and North Pitt this week which will put them in first place.
"We have our biggest week in our schedule coming up with Farmville Central and North Pitt in the same week," Smith said. "We have to be absolutely focused and ready to play. We need to battle in every inning of every game. This coming week will decide what happens in our conference this coming week and I hope our guys are ready to play."
SouthWest will be back in action Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they travel to Kinston to play the Kinston Vikings at Grainger Stadium.
Tarboro will be back in action today when they play Southern Nash. The varsity game will start after the JV game is completed. The JV game starts at 4:30 p.m. at Municipal Stadium.
Leading hitters - Tarboro - C. Johnson 3-4 4 Rbi, L. Brewer 3-5 2 Rbi, A. Holland 1-2, T. Martin 1-3, W. Dupree 1-3, T. Wooten 1-4 Rbi, K. Williams 1-2 SWE - B. Parisher 2-3, C. Owens 1-2 Rbi, P. Webb 1-3, S. Thompson 1-4
Pitching - WP K. Williams 6 IP 2 R 6 H 14 K 3 BB LP P. Webb 1 1/3 IP 4 R 2 H 3 BB
Sports
Related Photos
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Tarboro Vikings senior Layne Brewer tries to hold up on his swing Friday against the SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars at Municipal Stadium. Brewer collected three hits and 2 Rbi in the game.
Williams, Vikings defeat Cougars
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14-Under softball tryout
The Tarboro Parks and Recreation Department and Edgecombe County Girls Softball League will be having tryouts for 14-under girls fast-pitch softball Wednesday, May 29 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at Farmington Park in Rocky Mount. The is located at 319 Wellington Dr. There will also be a tryout Thursday, May 30 at Indian Lake Sports Complex on field 1 in Tarboro from 6 - 7:30 p.m. There is a $10 fee for Tarboro residents and a $35 fee for non-residents. For more information call the sports complex at 641-4202, Kathy Webb 252-813-4697 or Jamie Lindsey 252-883-0883 or sftbllgrlunc@hotmail.com.
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Thorne tabbed Regional Player of the Year
Tarboro Lady Vikings forward Shayla Thorne is still learning about the game of soccer. She has turned into one of the best female soccer players in school history. Every time she takes the field she gets better and better, because of her hard work and the help of her teammates. Her hard work paid off for her during her junior year as she led the Vikings with a winning record, co-confoerence championship and into the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
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Cobb, Rhodes inducted in Cougars Hall of Fame
PINETOPS – The SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars athletic department inducted two legendary coaches into their Hall of Fame Monday night. Former football coach Raymond Cobb and former baseball coach Bruce Rhodes were the recipients of the awards.
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SWE Athletes of the Year
SouthWest Edgecombe Cougar Dawson Gould was named Female Athlete of the Year and Kenneth Plummer was named Male Athlete of the Year Monday night at the Cougars annual athletic awards banquet. Gould played volleyball, basketball and softball. Plummer played football, ran indoor and outdoor track.
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Pinetops 300
PINETOPS – With the threat of rain during the weekend, it put a little damper on the Pinetops 300 Tractor and Truck Pull attendance. Friday night there was a large crowd in attendance, but not the amount it has been the last several years. There was 500 less people in attendance Friday then there was a year ago, but it didn't stop the pullers from slinging mud everywhere. The fans in one section even had a chance to see what it looked like when a belt breaks on a fine tuned machine. During the Mini Modified run, Thomas Coleman, of Stoneville, had a belt break on his KB 526 Pure Hell ride and the belt slung into the crowd. No one was injured.
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Vikings, Cougars compete in 2-A state meet
The Tarboro Vikings and SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars had six girls apiece competing in the NCHSAA 2-A state track meet in Greensboro Friday at North Carolina A&T State University.
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Six Tarboro girls to compete in track finals
Motivation is a big part of the Tarboro Viking girl's track team's success this season. They enjoy working hard during practice for their coach Rickie Dozier and get fulfillment when they compete in events. Friday will be no different for the six girls that are headed to Greensboro to compete in the NCHSAA 2-A state championship meet at North Carolina A&T State University. They will compete in three relay events and the long jump.
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BIG FISH
Camden Grant and her boyfriend Ricky Davis, Jr. caught a 10 pound carp at a state wildlife pond Wednesday morning off of Highway 33 just outside of Tarboro. Grant said she caught the fish on a piece of shrimp around 10:30 a.m.
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Vikings ousted from playoffs by Jaguars
CARRBORO – After defeating the No. 1 seed in the playoffs Friday, the Tarboro Vikings forgot one thing, they had to hit the ball again Tuesday against the Carrboro Jaguars or their season would be over.
Tarboro failed to be productive at the plate and were eliminated from the NCHSAA 2-A playoffs after losing 8-0 in the second round. Tarboro never gave in after getting down early, but they just couldn't catch a break offensively and get anything going after trailing by five runs after the second inning. -
Cougars finish 7th in state golf match
The SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars went through the regionals and won by four strokes. They just couldn't get it going in the state golf championships Monday or Tuesday at Longleaf Golf and Country Club in Southern Pines. The Cougars finished seventh as a team after shooting 658 over the two day period.
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14-Under softball tryout
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