THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606060212
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 40 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER
CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: 58 lines
THE MARK of a championship ball club is its ability to play flawlessly under pressure. The Manteo High School baseball team vaulted into this weekend's 2A state championship series by doing just that on Tuesday night.
In Manteo's 3-0 win over East Bladen in the 2A Eastern Regional championship, the Redskins played about the best ball game anyone could ask for.
There was pitching - Foye Minton tossed a no-hitter, allowing just three walks, and striking out six. No runner reached second base the entire game.
In four playoff games, Manteo pitching allowed just one run, hurled three shutouts, and allowed just 11 hits total.
There was fielding - the Redskins did not commit an error and made three sparkling plays to preserve the no-hitter. Second baseman Tripp Hooks saved the no-hitter in the seventh.
With one out, David Faircloth hit a sharp grounder to the first base side of Hooks. He went to his knees to field the ball and threw the runner out. Taron McKey jumped on a Minton fastball and drove a long fly into the gap in left in the first inning.
It looked like a sure double, but left fielder Justis Bobbitt was off at the crack of the bat and tracked it down for an out.
In the East Bladen third, Carl Newkirk topped a ball between home plate and the mound which could have fallen for an infield hit. Manteo catcher Gerald Crawford pounced from behind the plate to throw the runner out.
There was clutch hitting - Doubles by Joel Daniels and Matt Meekins in the third inning led to runs. Ted Toler drove in two runs with a third-inning single and a fifth-inning homer.
Although it didn't amount to any runs, the Redskins even pulled off a unique baserunning play in the sixth called the bunt and run. Daniels led off the inning with a an infield single. Minton followed with a sacrifice bunt down the first base line. While pitcher Jake Simmons was throwing out Daniels at first, Daniels never stopped at second and ended up on third.
The only mistake Manteo made all evening was a botched suicide squeeze attempt in the fourth. With the bases loaded and one out, Meekins laid down a bunt to Simmons. Danny Davis, the runner at third, broke too late on the bunt and was thrown out at home. Simmons got Crawford to line out to short to end the inning.
The only concern Manteo coach Kenny Meekins had all evening was in the sixth when Minton walked ninth batter Kenny Coble to lead off the inning. Coming up to the plate was Hooks who hit the long drive in the first. One swing of the bat and the score could have been 3-2. Instead, Minton reared back and struck him out. He also got Quinn McLeany to fly out to right and Simmons to ground out to second to end the inning.
Meekins, who has been to the state championship before, stood on the third base line after the game and talked about the upcoming championship series.
``This is the best team I've ever had,'' Meekins said, ``I've never had the hitting like this. I can't see anybody beating us two out of three.'' by CNB