Providence High falls behind early, rallies to outlast baseball rival Ardrey Kell
It may have been a non-conference game in the middle of conference play, but the emotion and intensity were high Wednesday as Ardrey Kell hosted Providence in a baseball meeting between two of the top teams in Mecklenburg County.
Providence, the No. 3 team in the Observer’s Sweet 16, outlasted the Knights 10-6 in a game in which the visiting Panthers took advantage of 11 walks and two hit batters.
“I feel like we’ve got to get a lot better,” said Providence coach Danny Hignight, whose program has won three state titles. “We didn’t play well. Take nothing away from them because they’ve got a good club.”
Hignight’s expectations are high for a Panthers team that improved to 6-1 overall and is off to a 3-1 start in the Southwestern 4A Conference.
On Wednesday, Providence fell behind 2-0, scored six runs in the third inning with only a single base hit (an infield single) but never could quite put away the pesky Knights (6-4, 2-1 SoMeck 4A).
Providence finally put the game away with a two-run seventh highlighted by Ben Baker’s second double of the game, Julio Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly and Nick Monbarren’s RBI double to push an 8-6 advantage to 10-6.
Hignight used three pitchers as starter Parker Jensen went three innings, reliever Michael Pitsiniagas went 2/3 of an inning and reliever and winner Parks Rhyne went the final 3 1/3 innings.
Ardrey Kell outhit the Panthers 10-5 but the Knights left seven runners on base.
Three who made a difference
Ben Baker, Providence: Cleveland Community College commit had two doubles, one walk and one RBI in four plate appearances.
Parks Rhyne, Providence: Reliever yielded three hits, two runs and two walks with four strikeouts for the victory.
Preston Rivers, Ardrey Kell: Leadoff batter had two hits, including a double, and one RBI with one walk in four plate appearances.
Notable
▪ Providence is in its 26th year as a school and leads Mecklenburg County public schools all time with 21 conference titles. Ardrey Kell, in its 19th year, has eight league titles.
▪ Providence has four players with college commitments: Baker, Xavier McCoury (Liberty), Parker Jensen (Wingate) and Ben Baldasarre (Wingate).
▪ Each team returns to action on Friday with Providence visiting Hopewell and Ardrey Kell hosting Berry Academy.
They said it
“We’re just trying to get better every day. We were fortunate to win tonight. Tomorrow will be a good day to get better.” — Providence coach Danny Hignight
Game Summary
Providence 005 110 2 - 10 5 1
Ardrey Kell 201 102 0 - 6 10 2
WP: Parks Rhyne. LP: Colby Epperly. Top hitters: Providence Ben Baker 2-3 (2 doubles, 1 RBI); AK - Preston River 2-3 (double, 1 RBI), Colby Epperly (2-run home run).