May 12,1977 — THE GRYPHON — Page Nine
Sporting Views
By Clifton Barnes
George Kelley will fill one of the vacancies as assistant head
coach in Gryphon football. He probably will also coach track. The
Hallsboro 2-A club that he coached won the conference a couple of
years in a row. I hope the other choice is as good as this one. Tennis
is a growing sport that needs more instruction, so maybe the un
chosen coach will be a good tennis player.
Ten-year old Mike Corthum of Greensboro is ranked the
No. 1 tennis player in the state, ten and under. In two years
he’s won 112 out of 116 matches. He is 4’3”, left-handed, and
has a two-handed backhand. He also likes to rush the net.
I’d love to see Senior High’s Bob Allsbrook play him. Then
on second thought . . .
Jack Todd and Oie Osterkamp love softball. So what are
they going to do? Jack says, “They don’t offer boys’ soft
ball. so next year me and the “O” are going out for girls’
softball. I’m serious!’’Okay, but don’t get scratched, struck
out, or cut. . . from the team, that is!
The girls’ softball team has been burning other clubs this
season with fine pitching by Mary White and timely hitting
by her as well as others, including Donna Barnhill and Julie
Baldwin. But. . . once upon a time this burning team got
burned ... not just singed, burned! Northeastern wiped
out the girls 30-10 with a bombardment of hits, walks, and
errors. The big error for Rocky Mount was showing up.
SAINT-ARMAND SWINGS: Champ takes a vicious cut at a pitch in a recent game at Municipal
Stadium.
(Photo by Bulluck)
Gryphons’ Slump
Snapped With Win
The Gryphon baseball team
j had a rough time in the
Fishing is becoming increasingly popular. Over at Nags i Breakfast Optimist Invitational
Head the Blues have been caught by Hopkins and Grubs. At Tournament, winning only once
Atlantic Beach they’ve gotten mackeral with all types of
artificial bait and everywhere they’ve been catching
kissing fish with Farrah-Fawcett posters.
Going into May Mike Upchurch was hitting at a torrid .477
and leading the baseball club in RBI’s. After that only two
players, Greg Clark and Dee Rich, were batting over .300.
The squad was averaging only .238. Mike ought to think
about baseball in college. And maybe even play it.
Everyone knows by now that Phil Ford was arrested after
hitting the front of an unmarked police car. Some say he
was intoxicated. I don’t know myself, but I remember a
commercial he did in which he said to the effect that he
didn’t need drugs to get high. Je sais pas. No lo se.’ That’s
two ways to put it, Here's another: “C’estla vie.”
Former Rocky Mount Phillies’ catcher now with the
mother club, BUI Nahorodny, said when asking for a three-
year contract totalling $225,000: "There is no reason to
squabble. I've done (t all. It’s not my fault that it hasn’t been
done in the big leagues."
Biology Trip
(Continued from page four)
problems and controls, the
modern fire equipment was
shown and forestry methods
were discussed. A special
attraction was the wild life
biologist.
Also at the farm they raise
catfish to be sold to people who
wish to raise them in a pond.
The students were given the
opportunity to see the fish being
fed and they were also able to
observe them closely in small
tanks.
Mrs. Mae Batts’ and Mr. Bill
Wallace’s classes went to the
farm on May 10. Mrs. Julia
Kron’s and Miss Story’s classes
went to the farm on May 11 and
Mrs. Christina Tripp’s and Miss
Nancy Farmer’s classes travel to
the farm today.
to Millbrook and losing to
Garner and Northern Nash. The
host team was hurt by a hitting
slump. Players could get on
base, but nobody could hit them
home.
RM vs Gamer
In the early innings the
Gryphons played well enough to
hold a 1-0 lead after three
innings, but in the next three
innings, they fell apart on the
mound, at the plate, and in the
field. Garner scored two runs in
each of the next three innings
that moved them on to the
winner's bracket.
Walter Stevens, Garner pitch
er, only allowed three hits. Two
of those hits were struck by
' Mike Upchurch. Both hits were
well hit doubles, one in the third
and the other in the fifth. Dee
Whitley beat out a drag bunt for
the only other Gryphon hit.
RM vs Northern Nash
The Gryphons fought North
ern Nash to the end but lost an
exciting game in the ninth
inning. The Knights moved into
the loser’s bracket by losing to
Raleigh-Sanderson 4-1.,
The Knights won the contest
when Jean Worthington scored
in the ninth after Willie Lucas’s
grounder bounced off Timmy
Tucker’s glove into right field.
The Knights had threatened
earlier in the seventh and eight
inning, but Jess Ebert held
them off.
The Gryphons were again
hurt by poor and ineffective
hitting, as they only had three
hits.
RM vs Millbrook
After five straight losses the
Gryphons finally decided they
liked to win better as they
trounced Wildcats from Mill
brook 14-3.
The Gryphons exploded for 12
runs in the first four innings of
the game. Phillip Bunn and Lee
Cooper held off the Wildcats by
allowing only six hits for the
game.
The Gryphons only had six
hits but were able to score as
Millbrook walked 13 batters.
Keyed by Mike Upchurch’s
single the Gryphons scored
three runs in the first inning.
Two more runs were added in
the second even though the
Gryphs didn’t have a hit. Dee
Whitley and Dee Rich had the
only two hits of the fourth
inning, but the Gryphons still
snatched four runs from
Millbrook, Whitley and Rich
scored in the fourth on Billy
Luther’s single. Luther then
scored on Jake Lassiter’s pop
out to left. Jess Eberdt and Jake
Lassiter scored in the sixth
inning to complete the scoring
for the Gryphons.
The Garner Trojans won the
first annual Breakfast Optimist
Invitational Tournament by
defeating Rocky Mount 6-2,
Sanderson 6-0, and Vaiden-
Whitley 4-2.
RM vs Greenville
The Gryphons started out as
though it was spring practice,
but in the third there was no
fooling around as the Gryphs
scored three runs to pull even
with Greenville and eventually
win 5-4.
Sluggish start would be an
understatement as the Gry
phons had seven errors that
gave Greenville a 4-1 lead in the
third inning. Then in the third
inning, Clark got on base and
went to third after Upchurch’s
single. Willis then singled to
score Clark and Willis himself
scored on Whitley’s double to
left.
Clark scored the winning run
in the sixth inning after stealing
a base. Upchurch pushed Clark
home on a grounder between
first and second base. Bunn
then sealed the victory for the
Gryphs giving him his fifth win
of the season.
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