SportsWeek
Also Community, Religion and Classifieds ApRIL 2> 2015
WSSU baseball team is on a roll
Eric Corlett (5-1) is one ofWSSU's top relief pitchers.
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
PGR THE CHRONICLE
At the start of last week,
Winston-Salem State's baseball team
was on a roll. The Rams had a seven
game win streak going and were slot
ted 27th in the NCAA Division II
national rankings.
The rest of the week wasn't
so fruitful. WSSU suffered back-to
back losses for the first time this sea
son. The Rams were victimized in the
late stages of both games, which were
played at BB&T Ballpark.
Winston-Salem State (22-8,7
1 ClAA) took a two-run lead over
Lenior-Rhyne in the eighth inning,
but allowed five runs in the ninth in a
14-11 loss on March 24. The follow
ing day, the Rams gave 14th-ranked
Catawba all it could handle in a con
test that required extra innings. The
outcome was decided in the 10th
when WSSU surrendered six runs in
a 7-1 defeat. For the game, the Rams
were held to four hits.
"Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba
are very good," said Coach Kevin
Ritsche of WSSU. "You can't afford
to make mistakes against teams of
that caliber. If you do, it comes back
to haunt you. What it all came down
to was us not being able to finish.
We've been in our share of games
where we've been the team to make
the come back and win."
Winston-Salem State's bats
came alive in a big way against
Lenoir-Rhyne. Trailing 7-1 in the bot
tom of the fourth, the Rams erupted
for six runs on six hits.
Conner Andrus opened with
a solo home run to left field and
Colby Keene singled to drive in
another run. With two outs, Des
Roberts slapped an opposite-field,
three-run double down the left-field
line. Roberts raced home to tie the
game 7-7 on Dylan Dombrowskas's
two-base hit.
With the game tied 9-9 in the
eighth, the Rams broke the stalemate
on Andrus's bases-loaded single to
center. Chris Kane followed up with
an RBI-sacrifice fly to score Roberts
from third base.
Entering the final month of
the regular-season, Ritsche is con
cerned about run production. He real
izes his team must show more consis
tency at the plate to enhance its
chances of repeating as CIAA
champs and making a return trip to
the Division II playoffs.
"It's important for us to be
able to string together some hits so
we can push some runs across the
plate," he said. "Doing so will keep
us out of those situations where we're
forced to play from behind."
Jacob Barber tops the Rams
with a .429 batting average and
Andrus has been a model of consis
tency. Andrus leads the team in hits
with 36 and is second in batting aver
See Baseball on B2
Photo by Craig T. Greenlee
WSSU battles childhood hunger
with 'Rams Triple Play'
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem State University and its Athletic
Department invite you to engage in "Rams Triple Play:
University, Community, and Service."
WSSU's 2015 mission is to "Strike Out Childhood
Hunger," and the university is requesting assistance on
Sunday, April 12, as the Rams' baseball team competes
against Bluefield State College at the BB&T Ballpark,
951 Ballpark Way. It is the home of the Winston- Salem
Dash.
The game begins at 1 p.m. However; the university
invites fans, their families and friends to attend a tailgate
in the parking lot of the stadium beginning at 11:30 a.m.
to partake of fun and entertainment for all ages.
In addition, favorite Ram student-athletes, cheerlead
ers and band members will be there for a special meet
and-greet during the tailgate.
The cost of this event is $5 for adults (ages 13 and up)
and free for children (ages 12 and under) with a non-per
ishable food item.
For further information, please contact LaTaya
Hilliard-Gray at 336-750-2598.
Photos by Craig T. Greenlee
Wake Forest point guard Codi Miller-Mclntyre (0) was Honorable Mention All
ACC.
Wake Forest coach turns attention
to restoring the basketball team
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
College basketball's Final Four is
only two days awqy from tip-off. By this
time next week, we'll all know whether
Kentucky succeeded or failed in its quest
to become the first team in nearly four
decades to go undefeated and win an
NCAA championship.
Danny Manning of Wake Forest
knows a few things about this time of year.
From both a player's and coach's perspec
tive, he knows what it takes to win at the
highest levels.
Prior to his 15-year NBA career.
Manning fortified his reputation as one of
the best to ever play the college game. The
former two-time Ail-American led Kansas
See Team on B2
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Parkland's Katlin Sherman (light blue) finished third in the 200-meter dash to
earn All-America honors at the New Balance Indoor Track and Field Nationals
in New York last month.
Parkland High School girls team
is on track to be champs again
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
In spite of a training schedule set
back and minor injuries, there's not even a
hint that Parkland might be slowing down.
That's bad news for the contenders who
desperately want to unseat the Mustangs as
North Carolina's premier team in high
school girls' trfl?k and field.
Parkland, winners of back-to-back
state indoor team titles in Class 4-A, has its
sights set on repeating as state outdoor
champs. For now, though, die singular
focus for Coach Antwan Hugnwi wttrget
his athletes completely heafljiy and fully
back on schedule with their training regi
mens.
See Parkland on B2
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