After 29 runs, Hough tops Hopewell for Queen City title

Two days after a five-hour, 13-inning high school baseball marathon won by Hough at Hopewell, the two teams were at it again Wednesday.

This time, with the stakes just as high as they were Monday night, Hough roared ahead early and rallied late to beat Hopewell 17-12 in a game that lasted 3 1/2 hours.

“I feel like I’ve just played a four-game series like they do in the minor leagues,” winning coach Pete Jenkins of Hough (18-4, 14-0) said after his team wrapped up the Queen City 3A/4A Conference title with the sweep of second-place Hopewell (18-6, 12-2).

Hough junior centerfielder Jaxon Matthews, a Clemson commit, hit a home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning to highlight a four-run rally.

Hopewell scored four runs in the top of the second to tie the score before the host Huskies took an 11-5 rally after five innings.

But the Titans would erupt for seven runs in the top of the sixth, highlighted by Brice West’s two-run triple to take a 12-11 lead.

Instead of being rattled, Hough responded with a six-run sixth that featured Matthew Nesta’s two-run double and Jamison Funderburk’s two-run single.

Funderburk finished with four hits and a walk with seven RBIs.

The Huskies’ fifth pitcher, Hudson Cline, threw a scoreless 1 2/3 innings with two strikeouts to pick up the victory in a game that saw Hopewell pitchers yield 11 walks and one hit batter and Hough pitchers yield 12 walks and two hit batters.

Three who made a difference

Jamison Funderburk, Hough: Had four hits, one walk and scored three runs while driving in seven runs.

Jaxon Matthews, Hough: Had three hits, one walk and scored three runs with two RBIs.

Tyler Howe, Hopewell: Had four hits, scored two runs and drove in one run.

Notable

▪ Both schools have thrived in baseball almost since their inception — Hopewell in 2002 and Hough in 2011 — as Hough has nine conference regular season titles and Hopewell six - and the last time neither won a league title was in 2013.

▪ Since both have been successful throughout their histories, you’d assume their season series are frequently split decisions. They haven’t been. Only in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2022 have the teams split their regular-season matchups. Hough’s 12-6 win Monday ended a six-game Hopewell winning streak in the rivalry; Hough has the longest winning streak in the rivalry at nine games from 2017 to 2021, as well as the series lead at 20-14.

▪ Hough honored seven players on “Senior Day” before Wednesday’s games, among them three future collegians — Vanderbilt’s Tyler Baird, Concord, W.Va.’s Thomas Bass and Queens’ Jaxon Keeling. Another senior, Jamison Funderburk, will play college football at Winston-Salem State. The other seniors are R.J. Nightingale and Lochlan Robins.

They said it

“Coach McGeorge has done an unbelievable job with that program the last few years. So these are two really good teams playing each other so you never know what’s going to happen.” — Hough coach Pete Jenkins

GAME SUMMARY

Hopewell 040 107 0 - 12 10 4

Hough 411 056 x - 17 16 1

W - Hunter Cline. L - Austin Baxter. Leading hitters: Hopewell - Tyler Howe 4-5, double, 1 RBI; Hough - Jaxon Matthews 3-5, home run, 2 RBIs; Jamison Funderburk 4-4, double, 7 RBIs; Thomas Bass 2-4, 2 RBIs; R.J. Nightingale 2-4, 2 RBIs.

CMS conference tournament finals

The Queen City 3A/4A did not have a tournament this week, but Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ other two conferences — the Southwestern 4A and SoMECK 4A — will have tournament finals Thursday.

▪ At Garinger High, Providence (20-5) will play Charlotte Catholic (21-4-1) in the Southwestern 4A final at 6 p.m. Providence won its fourth straight game Wednesday, beating Independence 11-1 in its semifinal. Catholic beat East Mecklenburg 5-2 in its semifinal, winning its second straight game.

Providence and Catholic split regular-season meetings. Providence won 12-2 March 4 and Charlotte Catholic won 3-2 March 7.

▪ At South Mecklenburg, Myers Park (18-6) will play South Mecklenburg (16-10) for the SoMECK title at 6 p.m.

Myers Park beat Ballantyne Ridge 10-0 in its semifinal Wednesday, getting three hits from senior Davis Johnson. South Mecklenburg beat Ardrey Kell 8-5 in its semifinal, winning its third straight game.

Myers Park beat South Mecklenburg 11-1 and 6-2 last week in the regular-season.