Big East battle Gryphons down Hunt behind small ball gem from Hart

Over the course of a season, a postseason, a summer and a four-year high school career, some games and individual performances that don’t pop on paper can get pushed to the back of the mind.

So on Tuesday, a few minutes after a double play spun by shortstop Lane Butler ended a Big East contest — a 6-1 home victory for Rocky Mount over Wilson Hunt that put RMHS in sole possession of second place in conference — first-year coach Carter Varnell seemed to make mental note of another sharp and poignant performance from freshman pitcher Evan Hart, both navigating their ways through a first season with a varsity team.

“It’s truly amazing to see a freshman pitcher come out and give you the same quality performance. I would say he struggled at times — he was missing some spots. He had some deeper counts. Usually he works ahead a lot. He just battled and kept battling,” Varnell said. “We always preach, throw strikes, let your defense work. He did that, but there were some pressure pitches in there.”

Hart’s final line: Seven innings pitched, five hits allowed, one earned run, six strikeouts, two evaded bases-loaded jams and eight Warrior runners left on base. It was his fifth win of the season, and it dipped an already sub-two ERA even lower.

He entered the seventh inning with a pitch count in the 70s, inducing a pop-up to start. But he hit the next batter and the next reached on an error, prompting a mound visit from Varnell.

“He told me just to act like I was throwing with my catcher,” Hart said. “My legs were getting tired.”

But a few pitches later came the double play fielded by Butler, who stepped on second and fired to first to end the game.

“I wanted to hug him,” Hart said, laughing. “I don’t know what would have happened afterwards. Pretty sure that was the best play of the night.”

The Gryphons (9-8, 5-2) got ahead on Hunt (11-7, 4-3) with two runs in the second and three in the third. After hitting an entirely unusual six home runs against Northern Nash last week, they did it this time with manufactured runs, bunts and sac flys, smacking seven hits, all singles.

And to begin the game, Varnell got a spark from an unexpected source: The No. 8 and No. 9 hitters, and, to extend the improbability, the No. 8 hitter, freshman and designated hitter Jackson Tedford, had played in the junior varsity game right before, going 2-for-4.

He and Garrett Craig reached base their first four times up, with Tedford getting a two-out, two-strike hit that started a second inning rally. He walked in the third inning to extend the frame, then Craig, with the bases loaded, singled up in the middle for an RBI.

On that hit, Hunt’s center fielder allowed the ball to go through his legs, and two other Gryphons base runners scored, as well.

“I didn’t know I was DHing until game time, but I knew I was coming up today,” said Tedford, who had seen some time earlier in the season with varsity. “I wasn’t expecting to play here, it’s a dream that I get to come up and do this.”

For Varnell, who had a sophomore at third base and a freshman pitching to a freshman catcher, it was usual for the course in an up-and-down season with an exceptionally young roster.

“He’s still green, a freshman, he’s young,” Varnell said. “But he’s a guy that has quality at-bats in any situation. The moment doesn’t get to him.”