Central dedicated a new baseball scoreboard on Monday night.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Monday was a night full of emotion for Harnett Central’s varsity baseball team. The Trojans held a dedication ceremony for their new scoreboard in memory of Dan Honeycutt, celebrated Senior Night and rallied for a 13-12 win in eight innings over visiting Tri-County Six 3-A Conference and Harnett County rival Triton on a walk off hit from Jackson Yarbrough to score fellow senior Matthew Collins.
Honeycutt was a superintendent of the Harnett County Schools. His son, Lance Honeycutt, coaches Harnett Central.
“Total role reversal,” said coach Honeycutt. “Triton’s fierce. They’re not afraid of anybody and they play great baseball. They put up a big three-spot on us in the first inning and frustrations get the better of you. And then all of a sudden, the flood gates open. The most contagious thing in baseball is hitting. And it just started to come together for us. It was a beautiful thing to watch.
“Not winning as many ball games this year as we could have, we’re playing like we’ve got nothing to lose, because we really don’t. We’re playing with everything to gain. It’s a great way of closing the final chapter for my seniors, who have been with me for four years and really worked hard and done things the right way. (Triton coach) Joey Miriello’s got a great team and I love him to death, but it was a great game for us to win at home, when we needed a win.”
Triton coach Miriello said bullpen depth has hurt Triton in recent weeks, as the Hawks have lost four of their last five games.
“From a fan’s perspective, this was probably an exciting game,” Miriello said. “From a coach’s perspective, this is the kind of game that will make you pull your hair out. We played well enough to win. We just don’t have the depth on the mound. We’ve got to have somebody that’s able to come in there when we struggle at times to either stop the bleeding or allow us to stay in it to keep the lead. Our depth on the mound has hurt here recently. This one stings. When you’re playing for a conference championship and come that close, it’s frustrating from a competitor’s standpoint. But we’ll put it behind us.”
The win snaps a five-game skid for the Trojans (4-13, 3-7 TCSC), which had begun with a 10-0 loss at Triton in five innings on April 4.
Sophomore right-hander Ryder Carroll was the winning pitcher for the Trojans. In two and two-thirds innings of relief, he gave up one earned run on two hits and no walks, with two strikeouts.
Senior right-hander Greg Godwin was the pitcher of record for the Hawks (11-8, 6-4). In two and two-thirds relief innings, he yielded two earned runs on six hits, two walks and one hit batter, with two strikeouts.
Yarbrough was the leading hitter for Central, going 4-for-5 at the plate, with three RBIs and three runs scored.
Jared Raynor had two hits, including a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Austin Swan had two hits, one RBI and one run scored. Johnny Grizzard had two hits. Hunter McLamb had one hit and two RBIs. Collins and Sebastian Owens each had one hit, one RBI and two runs scored. Matthew Bailey had one hit and one run scored. Jackson Jones had one hit and one run scored. Ryan Hayes scored once.
“Matthew Collins played out of position tonight and did a great job,” Honeycutt said. “Jared Raynor, who was injured this season, just turned it on. And then you’ve got Jackson Yarbrough, a guy that was batting .074 in the first eight games all of a sudden starts putting it together. It’s storybook kind of stuff for him to come out here and get four hits in a game and basically win the ball game for your team. Every inning we scored in, he got a hit.”
Nine different Trojans had at least one base hit, six had at least one RBI and eight scored at least one run in the contest.
Sophomore Dalen Thompson had two hits, three RBIs and three runs scored and junior Christian Tyndall had two hits and three RBIs to lead Triton.
Ethan Hedgepeth had two hits and one RBI. Parker Crews had one hit and two RBIs. Colton Neighbors had one hit, one RBI and two runs scored. Godwin had one hit and one run scored. Austin Riewestahl and Harris Barefoot scored two runs apiece. Bert Strickland and Spencer Johnson scored one run apiece. Grayson Bradham drew a walk in all four of his plate appearances.
The festivities began with a ceremony dedicating Harnett Central’s new scoreboard in memory of Dan Honeycutt, a record-setting softball coach at Coats and Triton, a former Triton principal, a former Harnett County Schools superintendent and the father of Harnett Central baseball coach Lance Honeycutt. He passed away nearly one year ago, in May of 2018. Carlie C’s IGA owner Mack McLamb, who donated the scoreboard, was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
“The one thing I miss the most is being able to talk with my dad, and of course, tonight we dedicated the scoreboard to him,” Honeycutt said. “The first thing I would have said when I would have called him, you know that old saying ‘How about those Cowboys?’ I would say ‘How about those Trojans?’ It’s a little bittersweet. But, I’ll definitely go see him and talk to him tonight and say that when I talk to him.”
Also before the game, Harnett Central recognized six seniors: Matthew Collins, Jared Raynor, Jackson Yarbrough, Matthew Bailey, Hunter McLamb and Johnny Grizzard.
“From their freshman year, I didn’t know what to expect,” Honeycutt said. “But those guys worked hard. They didn’t get the fruits of their labor that I expected, but true grit doesn’t come with wins. True grit comes with learning how to lose and take the good with the bad and get better. Those guys have definitely done that and I’m very proud of them. I can not be any more proud of the ones that have given everything they’ve got. Those guys have paid their dues and it’s definitely paid off for them in the last game of the year.”
Triton plated three runs in the top of the first inning on three hits and one walk to take the early lead.
Central got on the board in the bottom of the third when Yarbrough singled, advanced on a ground ball from Swan and scored when Raynor reached on an error.
Triton responded with big inning in the top of the fourth, sending the entire order to the plate and scoring five runs on four hits and three walks.
“I said, ‘How many times have we been in this situation,’” Honeycutt said. “‘Why not make a change tonight?’ And every single one of them, the whole attitude changed.”
But Central’s bats were even hotter in the fourth, as the Trojans sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring seven runs on six hits, one walk, one hit batter and one error to tie the game 8-8.
Central scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead. Owens walked and Yarbrough was hit by a pitch before Swan singled to score Owens and Raynor singled to score Yarbrough. After McLamb singled to score Hayes, running for Swan, Jones was hit by a pitch to load the bases again and Collins drew a walk to score Raynor.
Triton tied the game again in the top of the sixth. Riewestahl walked, took third when Strickland reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch. Thompson and Bradham walked to load the bases before a ground ball from Crews scored Strickland and a base hit from Tyndall scored Thompson and Barefoot, Bradham’s courtesy runner.
Collins led off the bottom of the eighth with a base hit, advanced on a wild pitch and took third when Bailey followed with another hit. After Owens was intentionally walked to load the bases, Yarbrough delivered his fourth hit of the night to bring Collins home for the game-winner.
Harnett Central will be the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament, which begins at Western Harnett (14-7, 6-4) on Wednesday. The Trojans will meet the third-seeded host Eagles in the first round.
“We’re not practicing tomorrow,” Honeycutt said. “I’m going to let my guys have a break and we’re going to come back Wednesday and try to do our best.”
Triton took the No. 2 seed and will have a first-round bye. The Hawks face the Central-Western winner at Southern Lee on Thursday.
“Now our goal is to compete for a conference tournament championship and look forward to the playoffs,” Miriello said. “For us to even be having that conversation is nice from what we were thinking when the season started (Triton won just two games last year). But losses like tonight are still frustrating, regardless. We just have to get over this little mental funk we’re in. Part of our struggles are just as much mental as physical.”
Harnett Central’s baseball seniors are, from left, Jared Raynor, Matthew Bailey, Jackson Yarbrough, coach Lance Honeycutt, Hunter McLamb, Matthew Collins and Johnny Grizzard. (Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Central coach Lance Honeycutt with Mack McLamb of Carlie C’s IGA.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Mack McLamb throws out the ceremonial first pitch.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Mack McLamb shakes hands with Central catcher Austin Swan.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Ethan Hedgepeth gets a hit for the Hawks.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Ryder Carroll delivers a pitch for Harnett Central.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Triton shortstop Dalen Thompson makes a tag out on a steal.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Central second baseman Sebastian Owens throws to first for an out.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Jackson Yarbrough follows through on the game-winning hit.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Matthew Collins slides home to score the winning run.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
