Greene Central Ends Midway’s Season with Burress Shutting Out the Raiders
SNOW HILL, N.C.— It’s one thing to talk the talk, but it’s another to have to walk the walk.
In a thrilling showdown in Snow Hill, the undefeated Greene Central Rams (25-0) edged out the Midway Raiders (20-6) in a tense 1-0 victory, advancing to the NCHSAA 2A Eastern Regional Finals. The Rams will face the #2 seed Whiteville in the next round.
Midway arrived with a chip on their shoulder. As soon as the bus arrived at the game, the team was chirping while getting off the bus. Throughout the week, Midway’s coach was questioning the strength of Greene Central's schedule and the legitimacy of senior pitcher/batter Braden Burress's stats, who leads North Carolina Public Schools in batting average (.613) and has a pitching record of 9-0 with a 0.51 ERA. However, after speaking with Head Coach Ben Brann, it was clear the Rams had one focus: "Do your job/Do a job."
Burress, a four-year starter and ECU commit, delivered one of the most clutch pitching performances in Greene Central history. He was untouchable through seven innings, maintaining a no-hitter until the eighth. Although Midway managed back-to-back hits, Burress skillfully navigated his way out of trouble, aided by stellar defensive plays from his teammates. Burress finished with nine innings pitched, allowing only three hits, walking one batter, and striking out ten.
On the opposite mound, Midway's senior lefty John McLamb was equally impressive. He pitched 8.1 innings, yielding three hits, one earned run, four walks, and seven strikeouts.
The Rams' defense was nothing short of spectacular. Key plays came from Riley Radford, Noah Uzzell, Easton Creech, and Cam Taylor, with right fielder Elijah Monroe making a contender for catch of the year.
Several Rams donned the hero cape throughout the game. Will Radford went 1-2 with two crucial walks, including one in the ninth inning. Freshman Mason Dillon, typically the runner for the catcher, subbed in and reached second base after a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Riley Radford. Radford, who is the Rams’ power clean-up hitter, made one of the most selfless acts of the season by putting the team over his own strengths.
With the game tied 0-0 and one out in the bottom of the ninth, senior Noah Uzzell stepped up. After taking the first pitch, he drove a low fastball over the second baseman's head, allowing the speedy Dillon to score from second and clinching the victory for the Rams.
Dillon, who scored the winning run, expressed his confidence in Uzzell: "I had 100 percent trust in Noah, 100 percent!" Dillon added, "I just did my job. I knew I had to run as fast as I could as soon as Noah hit it."
Riley Radford, reflecting on his defensive plays, said, "I had a few hard-hit balls to me. I bobbled one, and it came off my wrist, and I didn't know where it went. I just happened to look up, and it was there. I knew that kid was really fast, so I didn't have time to lolligag around, so I threw it as hard as I could.”
Head Coach Ben Brann praised his team's resilience and teamwork: "It reflects their attitude. Every single one of them fights and competes, doesn't matter if it's the number one hitter or the number nine hitter, and the guys supporting on the bench. Every single person on this team loves to compete."
Brann also commended Burress's performance: "The young man is a dog. That's all that describes him. He is such a fierce competitor; he is willing to do whatever it takes to get it done. I am extremely proud of how he threw tonight."
Speaking about the Rams' defense, Brann said, "They play how they practice. It is the end of May, and the boys are still diving in the game just like they do at practice. I just tip my hat to how much they love to compete and how hard they play. They do it in practice also; they practice like it, so they play like it."
Burress, reflecting on his mindset coming into the game, said, "It is my senior year; I want to live to see another day. I came out here to give our team another opportunity next week." He also praised his defense: "Riley made two good plays over at third base. Cam, in the bottom of the eighth inning, laid out for a ball that could have easily given them runners on first and third base. Elijah laid out for a ball in right field, Noah made plays, and Will called a great game. It's just crazy what this team can do when everyone comes together and plays together."
The Greene Central infield of Burress, Cam Taylor, Riley Radford, Easton Creech, Will Radford, and Noah Uzzell played flawless defense, finishing the nine innings with zero errors.
Uzzell, describing his mindset approach to the game-winning hit, said, "I gotta get a hit. Gotta drive that run in." When asked if he knew it was going to fall in for a hit, Uzzell confidently replied, "I knew as soon as I hit it."
With this victory, Greene Central continues their undefeated streak and advances to face Whiteville in the Eastern Regional Finals, aiming to keep their championship dreams alive. Greene Central and Whiteville will start a best-of-three series starting Tuesday in Snow Hill and then the Rams will travel to Whiteville Thursday. If game three is needed, the Rams will host the third game.
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