By Ken Bradley
MaxPreps.com
After suffering through a lopsided game that resembled a football score more than a baseball outcome, you could understand if Robinson High School baseball coach Jason Sarvis and his squad weren’t too excited about their rematch with Hopewell.
After all, Hopewell dismantled the Bulldogs 23-6 just more than one month ago.
“I started my No. 1 and we played them on a day where they hit anything that crossed the plate,” Sarvis said of the March 14 meeting. “I could have pitched John Smoltz and I wouldn’t have had a chance. They had a great day at the plate and we didn’t have enough offense to play with them that day.
“It was a tough day for us and a huge wake up call that we need to get better in many aspects of our game.”
What a difference a month makes.
Earlier this week, Robinson did the improbable. The Bulldogs not only beat Hopewell, but they held them scoreless.
Sophomore left-hander Corbin Cochran went the distance, pitching as if he had not witnessed what happened the first go-around against Hopewell.
“He impresses me more and more each time he toes the rubber,” Sarvis said. “The key for him (Tuesday) was challenging the Hopewell hitters with his fastball and having great command of his off-speed pitches.
“He is a true competitor and he had everything working against Hopewell.”
Sarvis said Cochran had two quality starts against good offensive teams (Mount Pleasant and Weddington) prior to his gem against Hopewell.
“He is only a sophomore and there’s no telling how good he could be,” Sarvis said. “He has that swagger you want in a pitcher who wants the ball in big situations and he proved that.”
Sarvis said the win not only did a lot for Cochran’s confidence, it’s also the type of victory that could supply the Bulldogs’program with a jolt of energy.
“This is one of those wins that is good for the entire program – JV and varsity,” Sarvis said. “This hopefully shows our players that we can play with the bigger and better schools (Hopewell is ranked No. 7 in the current Observer Sweet 16 poll). I am so proud of our guys, and they deserve a big win like this.
“I am trying to get our kids to understand that you have to learn how to win, especially the close games. Hopewell is a powerhouse in the state of North Carolina, and I have used them as an example to our guys all year about how to play the game. They are probably one of the best hitting teams I have seen at the high school level.”
Now, Sarvis said his team needs to remain focused as the conference tournament nears. The Bulldogs will need strong outings on the mound from Cochran and Colby Bartlett.
“We also have to put up some runs because we have been struggling with run production as of late,” Sarvis said. “We also must execute the short game (bunting), which has been a struggle all season. We will have to almost play perfect baseball every night to be able to make a run in theplayoffs.”
The 1-0 win against Hopewellis a perfect start.
Boys Lacrosse: Charlotte Team Witnesses Scary Event
Last weekend, the Providence Day lacrosse team was in the middle of a tough match against Cardinal Gibbons.
Then, something unexpected, and nearly tragic occurred. A Providence Day player whipped a shot toward the goal. But the shot hit Gibbons defender Alex Beuris in the chest. Beuris went down. His heart had stopped beating.
“No way to really put it into words,” Providence Day coach Bobby Thompson said of the incident. “When he first went down, nobody on our sideline really had any idea how serious the injury was. Time seemed to stand still.”
According to the Raleigh News & Observer, Beuris’ teammate, Rory O’Brien signaled to the stands, where his father, Dr. Patrick J. O’Brien, the medical director at WakeMed rehab, was sitting. Two more physicians stepped into to assist.
O’Brien applied chest compressions, Dr. Eric Laxer of Charlotte gave mouth-to-mouth while Dr. Lee Ann McGinnis of Charlotte, set up the AED (automated external defibrillator), according to the News & Observer.
After three series of electric shocks to Beuris, his heart began beating again. The AED – along with the quick-thinking help from those who went into immediate action – is credited with saving Beuris’ life.
“I have never witnessed anything like that,” Thompson said. “Since I have had plenty of time to reflect, it has forced us to review what we have in place should such an incident occur again. I cannot stress enough the importance of coaches, trainers, parents, players being trained in CPR in addition to having an AED accessible on every sideline.”
Gibbons had an AED available since 2001.
Now, Beuris is home recovering.
“I think I’ve always known what to appreciate in life,” Beuris told the News & Observer. "I know how close I came to dying. You don’t think your time is coming when you’re this young, but it almost happened.”
Boys Lacrosse: City Tournament Under Way
The first day of the Charlotte City Lacrosse Championships is in the books after the city’s top teams went head-to-head Wednesday and Thursday.
Charlotte Latin defeated Providence14-6, while Providence Day topped Weddington 10-4 and Charlotte Country Day edged Myers Park 13-10. Top-seeded Charlotte Catholic (16-0) defeated North Meck 12-3 on Wednesday.
The tournament continues Saturday at Ardrey Kell High School. North Meck plays Myers Park at 1 p.m., followed by Providence against Weddington.
At 5:30 p.m., the winners play with Charlotte Catholic going against Charlotte Latin, followed by Charlotte Country Day against Providence Day.
On Monday, the championship match will be played at Marion Diehl Field at Queens University.
Area Coaching Comings and Goings
According to the Charlotte Observer, Waddell High School named Quentin Hines as its football coach. Hines spent the previous two seasons as head coach at Parkdale High School in Riverdale, Md. He played college football at Fayetteville State.
Also, according to the Observer, West Charlotte boys’ basketball coach Thad Bonapart has resigned and the school is looking for a replacement.
Ken Bradley, a former sports editor and reporter in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida, can be reached at kbradley14@yahoo.com
