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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

The Mocksville Senior Legion baseball team lost in as painful a way as you could draw up.
Last-place Mocksville had the area’s freight train – the unbeaten Davidson County Hawgs – against the ropes on June 18, but the visitors couldn’t cross the finish line in 4-3 defeat.
“We almost pulled a Houdini,” coach Mike Lovelace said after Mocksville gave up three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. “We were right there. I’m so shorthanded right now. We didn’t have but 14 players. They’re good. They have four Division-I arms. I mean, they are 13-0 for a reason and we had them beat tonight.”
Mocksville and Davidson played four times in four days. The first meeting at Rich Park on June 17 was a complete dismantling as the Hawgs won 13-0 in five innings. Two hits and six errors was a bad, bad combination for Post 174. David Thiel added to his incredible run by going 2 for 2 and boosting his average to .548 (17 for 31).
Davidson 4, Mock 3
One night after that anemic effort, Davidson County got everything it could handle from pitcher Charlie Young and Mocksville.
The rising junior from Mt. Tabor took a major step in his young career by working into the fifth. After appearing in five games as a reliever, Young started on the bump for the first time. He was effectively wild, walking seven but holding the Hawgs to three hits and one run.
“Charlie gave up one solid hit,” Lovelace said. “The other two hits he gave up were bunts. That’s unbelievable against seven college hitters. He went toe-to-toe with a UNC-G signee from West Davidson (Thomas Hester). That’s big time for a sophomore to be able to do that. Charlie ate (a Guilford College player) for lunch. I’m telling you, he was unreal. He does not throw 75 (mph), but he had his curveball, his changeup and he just carved them up. He’s your typical crafty lefthander. This was his first career Legion start and he goes against the No. 2 team in the whole area.”
Center fielder Noah Owens made a diving catch that led to a double play (Lovelace appealed that the runner at third tagged up early and the plate umpire called him out), Mocksville’s patience at the plate pushed up Hester’s pitch count and its bats rudely greeted the Davidson County reliever in the fourth.
“We had (Hester) at 49 pitches through two innings (thanks in part to long at-bats by Luis Sanchez and Jordan Turner),” Lovelace said. “That’s what we wanted to do to get to their bullpen.”
Turner opened the fourth with a ringing double. After the first out, Joseph Johnson got an infield hit. Sanchez’s bouncer to third brought home Turner, and the third baseman’s throwing error plated Johnson. It was 3-0 after a run-scoring single by twin brother Jonus Johnson.
It was 3-1 in the sixth when Davidson County loaded the bases. Mocksville seemed destined for the upset when Owens got a strikeout to preserve the two-run edge. Owens gutted out two innings in relief.
“He threw very well,” Lovelace said. “He got hit by a pitch on the wrist on his throwing hand, and he didn’t even tell me. After the game, he had a huge knot on his wrist.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Davidson started with a double, but Owens got the next two – a groundout to third baseman Sanchez and a line out to shortstop Joseph Johnson. With one out to go, Mocksville had it. With the No. 7 batter coming up, Mocksville had it, only to wind up losing in agonizing fashion.
A two-strike single to center made it 3-2 and brought the winning run to the plate. The tying run advanced to second on a wild pitch. Two pitches later, a singled tied it. A hit pushed the winning run into scoring position. The fourth consecutive hit gave Mocksville a heartbreaking loss.
“We had two ground balls in the seventh to close the deal,” Lovelace said. “They were both bang-bang and both were safe calls. (Manny) Morales was not there tonight and that hurt us.”
James Spencer went 1 for 2 with a walk. Owens, David Thiel, Turner, Joseph Johnson, Sanchez and Jonus Johnson all went 1-3.
Notes: Thiel’s hitting streak grew to eight games. “Thiel hit a rocket that about knocked the shortstop down,” Lovelace said. “He’s got to be one of the best two-strike hitters I’ve ever seen. He just finds a way to make an adjustment. He’s just a machine and he’s good at first.” … Turner made his usual impact behind the plate. “He’s just a game-changer,” he said. “He threw behind the runner to get the third out with runners at first and second. He controls the entire running game.” … Hunter Daywalt, who has been sidelined by a fracture under his eye and has missed the last nine games, could return soon. “They gave him a face guard,” he said. “They don’t want him playing the field, but they said he can DH. I’ll put him in the leadoff spot and let him swing.”
Davidson 16, Mock 1
The next night at Rich Park saw an absolute annihilation as the Hawgs beat Mocksville in five mercy-rule innings. Davidson piled up 10 runs in the third, collected 16 hits and handed Mocksville its seventh loss by double-digit margins.
Connor Kennedy, the first of four pitchers for Post 174, became the 15th different pitcher for Mocksville this season. Mocksville was held to four singles – one each by Joseph Johnson, Spencer, Nik Nelson and Joshua Phelps.
Davidson 11, Mock 6
The fourth matchup in four days saw the Hawgs spoil Spencer’s 4-for-4 game with two doubles and a homer. It was quite an outburst for a guy who entered the game 2-4 with three walks on the season. It was Mocksville’s first long ball in nine games; Daywalt has the only other two homers for Post 174.
Visiting Mocksville rallied for a 5-5 tie in the fourth, but Davidson (15-0) scored six of the last seven runs to win going away.
Spencer, Owens (2-2, walk) and Joseph Johnson (2-2, double) paced an 11-hit attack. Brayden Carter (1-4), Jonus Johnson (1-3) and Ryan Robinson (1-4) helped Mocksville outhit the hosts, but that advantage wasn’t nearly enough on a night when Mocksville committed four errors and three arms handed out 14 walks.
“We outhit them, but we were without Thiel, Turner and Daywalt,” Lovelace said. “And Noah got hurt (knee).”
A silver lining was the catching of Gabe McMurray, who moved up from the junior team to fill a void.
“We had an eighth grader catch,” Lovelace said. “He’s a rising ninth grader for Davie and he did well in his debut. I think he will be a good player for Davie down the road.”
Notes: Thiel is still far and away the top hitter at .486. … Joseph Johnson is second at .388 and first in runs (12), doubles (five) and RBIs (13). … Owens is next at .333. … Mocksville (3-13 overall, 1-6 Northern Division) hauled a seven-game losing streak into the week. … The team ERA is a dreadful 9.41.