Charlotte Christian sweeps up 5th straight NCISAA 3A baseball title

Charlotte Christian’s baseball dynasty continues.

The Knights earned their fifth straight independent schools title with a 7-0 win against High Point Wesleyan Christian on Saturday at Warner Park, sweeping the NCISAA 3A series 2-0. Christian, which has 13 championships in 14 seasons with Greg Simmons as head coach, has history and reputation to play for.

“It’s special, but every year it’s a little different and more special for the seniors,” Simmons said. “People say ‘You guys are there every year,’ but yeah, it’s what we expect, and that’s what we strive for.”

First baseman Dillon Carpenter provided Christian (25-3) all the offense it needed with a pair of extra-base hits and five RBIs, including a grand slam in the first inning. The senior said he was looking for an off-speed pitch from Justin Olczak but recovered quickly enough to drive it over the right-field fence.

“I got my front foot down and was able to put it out,” said Carpenter, who added a run-scoring double in the second inning for a 6-0 lead. “I was a little off-balance.”

Christian had more than enough momentum after the first-inning eruption. Winning pitcher Jackson Kowar was masterful, allowing only three hits and striking out 14 to earn a complete-game victory.

“One of the things we wanted to do was jump out early,” Simmons said. “We knew if we could jump out early, we had a good enough arm that we could hold them back.”

Wesleyan freshman Jacob Kohns (42/3 innings, four hits) didn’t allow a run in relief, but the Trojans didn’t have the offense to get back into contention once Christian seized the initiative.

“We just tried to come out today, knowing we were going to see Kowar, and just battle,” Wesleyan coach Scott Davis said. “We knew what we were going to get.”

Said Carpenter: “We just had to stay locked in. The momentum just made us relax and not worry about what we were doing. We kept up with the defense and finished strong.”

This story was originally published May 16, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Charlotte Christian sweeps up 5th straight NCISAA 3A baseball title."