Springs, South Point shutout Forestview to wrap up title

GASTONIA - Sophomore left-hander Jeffery Springs and an opportunistic South Point High offense gave the Red Raiders a 3-0 shutout victory at Forestview Tuesday night - and the 2009 Big South 3A/4A Conference title.

South Point is 10-0 in the league with four league playing dates left.

"It's huge to clinch this early," said Red Raiders coach Jason Lineberger, whose team shared the league title a year ago with Forestview. "We've been preaching coming out and playing well every night and to keep improving."

Few players have taken that message to heart more than Springs.

Expected to be the team's No. 3 pitcher when the season started, Springs scattered nine hits and left nine Jaguars runners on base with timely pitching and fielding in Tuesday's clincher.

Strikeouts ended threats in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings - Springs had 11 overall - and a double play line drive to first baseman Weston Lawing erased a seventh-inning rally. A clutch play by second baseman Jimmy Henning also limited a base hit to an infield single in the third and helped preserve Springs' second shutout of the season.

"When the bases were loaded or they got runners in scoring position, I put a little extra into it," said Springs, now 6-0 on the season. "And my defense played really good behind me."

Meanwhile, South Point took advantage of each of its scoring chances against hard-luck Forestview starter and loser Clint Medlin (4-3), who struck out six and walked none while yielding seven hits.

Ryan Huneycutt led off the Red Raiders' fourth inning with a double to deep center, then scored on Lincoln Willis' one-out single to right.

In the fifth inning, three straight bunts led to two more runs. Henning opened the rally with a single to right. Then Dariel Rogers, Derek Treffinger and Jordan Edgerton executed bunts. Rogers reached on a hit, with Treffinger moving runners to second and third and Edgerton scoring both Henning and speedy Rogers on a suicide squeeze toward first base.

"It's something we work on," Lineberger said of the squeeze play that produced the two runs. "Tonight, we executed it perfectly. And we had executed two bunts before it."

Forestview (11-9, 6-4) coach Brian Horne felt South Point's execution was the difference.

"We had more hits," said Horne, whose team outhit the Red Raiders (15-4) nine to seven. "We just didn't execute. We tried the same things they did. We just didn't convert ours. They played small ball and we didn't."

Springs was the rest of the story, since he seemed to pitch into and out of trouble every inning. Of course, that Springs is pitching much at all this season has been a huge story for South Point.

Junior right-hander Chris Harkey was projected as the No. 2 starter behind ace Lawing, but Harkey underwent major right elbow surgery two weeks into the season.

"I honestly thought I'd be the No. 3 pitcher this season," said Springs, who previously shutout Huss. "When I got my shot, I just tried to pitch my best."

Said Horne: "You've got to tip your hat to him (Springs). He's one of the best we've seen this season. I was really impressed with his poise, especially when we got runners on base."