THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504140190
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 31 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
There is a saying that hitting wins games but pitching wins championships. If this is true, Albemarle School (formerly Albemarle Academy) could be in for a Tarheel Independent Conference championship in the near future.
Andy Dunham and Drew Woodard propelled the Colts to the top of the conference with crafty mound work this past week.
Over two games during the week, Dunham and Woodard gave up two runs in 14 innings. In a 4-1 victory over Lawrence Academy, Dunham struck out 11 and scattered five hits to up his record to 4-0 on the season. Dunham also went 2-for-3 with a triple and Woodard drove in two runs.
``He (Dunham) was in total control the whole way,'' said Albemarle head coach Richard Thach. ``He was throwing the curveball at any point in the count. We also played great defense behind him.''
On Wednesday, Woodard held Pungo Christian Academy to a single run in the seventh inning as the Colts knocked off the Warriors 3-1 to take over first place in the conference at 5-1.
Woodard pitched out of trouble in the first and sixth innings. ``Drew couldn't find his curveball until the fourth inning, but he was able to get out of jams,'' Thach said. ``It was his best outing of the year.''
Woodard looked like he was tiring in the sixth inning when he loaded the bases with two outs and a 3-0 lead. But he got out of the inning with a strikeout on a watched curveball.
``I was going with him the whole way,'' Thach said. ``He was going to win or lose this one.''
Thach feels that if the hitting can come around like the pitching, the Colts should be in good shape.
``We haven't had one particular hitter carry us. We've relied on our one through five hitters,'' Thach said. ``Today we had our chances and should have pushed across a few more. It would have taken the pressure off.''
The wind-swept Wednesday was a big day for the Colts. They have had many half way through the conference season.
``Every time we go into a game I keep saying this is our biggest game of the year,'' Thach said. ``This win makes me feel confident about where we can go in this conference.'' by CNB