PITTSBORO — The Northwood baseball team continued to roll under the guidance of first-year head coach David Miller with a pair of wins over Cedar Ridge last week in 3A Big Eight Conference action.
The victories improved Northwood to 2-0 in league play and to 5-0 overall on the young season.
On Thursday evening in Pittsboro, the Chargers put an absolute beat down on the Red Wolves by a 14-2 tally in the friendly confines of Ronald Horton Field.
Northwood plated two runs in the first, four more in the second, six in the third, and two in the fourth to end the game due to the mercy rule after four and a half innings of play.
Cedar Ridge scored its lone runs in the top of the second to tie the game at 2-2, but locals ran off 12 consecutive runs from that point forward to cruise to the win.
The Chargers were sharp at the plate, collecting just six hits while drawing nine walks.
Michael Posse had a monster day at the plate with a 3-for-3 night that included seven RBI, a run scored, two doubles and a home run.
Dylan Hitt reached base four times on walks and scored three runs while driving in two more while Tyler Johnson was 1-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, a double and a walk, Landon Johnson 1-for-2 with two runs and a walk, Brandon Crabtree 1-for-2 and reaching after being hit by a pitch, and Luke Popp, Deuce Powell, and Quin Powell drawing a walk each with the latter scoring two runs.
Justin Sczcypinski picked up the win on the mound after working 3.1 innings and allowing four hits, two earned runs, a pair of walks, and striking out three.
Popp notched the save after going 1.2 innings and walking two and whiffing four.
Cedar Ridge was led offensively by Jackson Strowd who went 2-for-2 with a run and a double while Tucker Cothran was 1-for-2 with an RBI-double.
On the mound for the Red Wolves, Matthew Hughes went 2.2 innings and allowed three hits, six walks, 10 runs (three earned) and struck out three while Chris Pearce went .1 innings and allowed two hits, four runs (two earned), walked two and fanned one. Hunter Singleton also worked one inning and walked one.
Earlier in the week on Tuesday, Northwood traveled to Hillsborough to take on Cedar Ridge.
The contest saw Tyler Johnson spearhead the Chargers victory by going five innings on the mound and yielding just three hits, no runs, two walks, and striking out four to get the win.
Posse went 1.1 innings and allowed one hit, an earned run in the seventh, while fanning three.
Popp came in and shut the door on the Red Wolves hope at a last inning rally by getting the final two outs after allowing one hit and striking out one.
Northwood had eight hits in the contest including a pair each by Hitt, Tyler Johnson and Posey in three at-bats. Posse drove in a run in the second with an RBI-double to score Johnson.
Tyler Johnson also added an RBI while Landon Johnson was 1-for-4 with a run, and Beau Weathers 1-for-3.