RIPPLE/Matthew Gorry
Forbush’s Travis Holden takes a cut against Starmount.
RIPPLE/Matthew Gorry
Forbush’s Wesley Walker waits for the pitch with Austin Livengood leading off from third.
EAST BEND - Riding a seven-game win streak, Forbush squared off with undefeated Wilkes Central with first place in the Mountain Valley Conference standings up for grabs Friday night in Moravian Falls.
In a battle between two of the more explosive offenses in the area, the pitching staffs played more of a role in the first-place matchup.
Forbush’s Josh Faircloth went pitch-to-pitch with Central’s Jordan Carlton for the first six frames of the game, leading to a 1-1 draw.
The Falcons got on the board first when slugger Caleb Brawley took Carlton deep on a solo homer in the top of the first inning to give Forbush a quick 1-0 advantage.
Wilkes Central responded in the third on a Brandon Pruitt RBI single to knot the game at 1-1.
The game remained in the 1-1 deadlock until the Falcons threatened in the sixth inning.
Ben Temple led off the inning when smacked a long flyball to left that looked like a potential home run, but Central’s Will Cornette made the play of the game when he snagged the ball and crashed into the wall to rob Temple of extra bases.
The catch ignited the Eagles, sparking two runs in the bottom half of the frame to give WC a 3-1 lead.
Carlton sat down the Falcons in the seventh in order to seal Central’s victory, handing Forbush its first conference loss of the season.
Brawley paced the Forbush offense with two of the four hits - including the longball - with Wesley Walker and Brittan Baity collecting the other two base hits.
The loss ended the Falcons’ seven-game win streak, which they plated double-digit runs in all seven contests, out-scoring their opponents by a count of 97-13.
Forbush holds a 9-3 record, including a 7-1 mark in the MVAC, and returns to action with two conference away games against East Wilkes and Ashe County this week, heading into spring break.
Reach Matthew Gorry at 835-1513 or mgorry@heartlandpublications.com.
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