Ron Whitlock scores on a wild pitch.

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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

A look back at Davie sports 40 years ago …
Ronald Foster blasted three home runs in one Davie baseball game. That’s not a misprint. The astounding feat has only been done three times in Davie’s 69-year history.
Here’s the short list: Foster went deep three times against North Rowan in 1985. In February of 2007, Zach Howard hit three bombs at Rich Park in an 18-5 dismantling of Starmount. In April of 2011, Joe Watson cracked three dingers as the War Eagles buried West Iredell 12-1.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Foster said.
In a track meet in 1985, Robert Jones (long jump), Jeff Burchette (shot put) and Gary Greene (pole vault) were winners for the Davie boys. For the girls, Cindy Reavis captured the shot put and discus, while Nikki Zamori took the 1600 meters.
Davie softball destroyed Asheboro in a doubleheader, winning 13-4 and 16-0. In game one, Dawn Dyson roped three hits and Michelle Shore two. In game two, coach Aileen Steelman got two hits from Carla Presnell, Regina Swicegood, Stephanie Miller, Dyson and Amy Keaton.
Sophomore Kevin Baker fired a 79 to pace Davie in a golf match at Corbin Hills. Three War Eagles broke 80 at Lexington: Mike McGee 75, Shane Fleming 77, Keith Stiller 79. And the sophomore canned a hole in one on No. 4 at Twin Cedars as Baker used a 3-iron on the 216-yard hole. Stiller was Davie’s top player that day with a 77.
Reavis (shot put, discus), Zamora (1600) and Sandy Stroud (800) were the Davie winners in a track meet.
Robert Martin, Tony Tatum and Foster homered as Davie baseball clubbed Salisbury 13-2. Bob Richardson, Foster and Charles Kurfees collected three hits each in the wipeout.
Davie golf clinched runner-up in the NPC at Twin Cedars. The scorers were Fleming (83), Stiller (85), Austin McGuire (86) and Rodney Nail (87).
Davie baseball flexed its muscles in a three-game week, launching nine homers in wins over Thomasville (6-4), North Rowan (11-0) and West Rowan (5-0). Jerry Riddle and Martin connected against Thomasville. Foster’s jaw-dropping, three-homer performance came in the 11-0 belting of North Rowan, the same day that Martin homered, Tim Bowles threw a three-hitter and Danny Marion supplied three hits and four RBIs. Tatum, who tossed a four-hitter with nine strikeouts and also homered, and Martin (two homers) were the big reasons for the 5-0 win over West Rowan.
Foster went 3 for 3 with a walk on his historic day at Rich Park.
“I can’t remember if the walk was my second or third at-bat,” he said last week. “I know I did not have a chance to hit the fourth home run. I remember it well; I will never forget that. In my first at-bat, I remember the pitcher. We battled and we battled, and I kept fouling them off. And finally, he just laid one down the middle. I hit it to right-center and it landed almost on the softball field. There was no mention from anybody saying I was the first one (to hit three HRs in a game).”
Ron Whitlock supplied two hits and Bowles tossed a three-hitter as Davie closed a 10-10 season with a 2-1 win over Lexington.
The R&J Sports men’s softball team kicked butt in a 41-team, Class C tournament in Charlotte, going 9-1 to grab first place. MVP honors went to left fielder Jeff Pardue. R&J’s top hitters were Bill Summers (.696), Pardue (.648), Dink Smith (.607), Craig Seaford (.567) and Sam Maphis (.515). Team members included Billy Cornatzer, Greg Dunn, Russ Spry, Paul Ijames, Mark Marshall, Brent Burton, Ed Smith, Bart Reece and Bobby Smith.
The Mocksville American Legion baseball team opened the season in a freefall (0-5), but it broke into the win column when Bowles fired a four-hitter and Foster banged a pair of hits to extend his hitting streak to six. Foster was just a hitting machine; a week or so later he blasted a grand slam in a 13-5 loss at Mooresville.
Sam Beck’s North Davie baseball team had a banner year in 1985, going 13-1 to win the conference title. The ace pitcher was Wesley Mock (6-1, three saves). The mound rotation included Allan Newsom (four wins) and Richard Bowles (three wins). The offensive stars were William Armsworthy (team-high .490 average), JC Hendrix (.479), Jeff Cornelison (.450), Jerry Prater (.409) and Benny Howard (.406). Hendrix and Howard did not strike out all season. Third baseman Tim King, shortstop Danny Shore and second baseman Craig Nestor turned 11 double plays.
“Shore has to be one of the best I’ve ever coached,” Beck said.
The Wildcat squad included Robbie Bostic, Bobby Staley, Freddie Fisher, Todd Kiger, Matt Mecham and Erik Blankenship. Mike Dinkins was the assistant coach.
Making all-conference for Davie baseball were Riddle, Kurfees, Karl Naylor, Foster and Martin. The all-NPC players from Davie softball were Rhonda Smith, Dyson, Gina Hendrix, Michele Deal, Regina Swicegood, Michele Shore and Presnell. Scott Gantt was all-conference in tennis, while Fleming and Stiller made it in golf.
Buddy Jenkins’ pitching for Mocksville Legion in a 12-0 blowout at Thomasville was something to behold: a three-hitter with 19 strikeouts. Richardson had three hits in a 10-inning loss to Statesville. Whitlock drove in Richardson in the ninth to tie the game. Mike Dickerson hurled a six-hitter and Mike Wyatt and Jenkins homered as Mocksville punished Kannapolis 9-2.