By Brian Pitts
Davie Enterprise Record

The Mocksville Junior Legion baseball team played four games last week. The first half of that stretch went miserably for Mocksville. The second half went magnificently as Post 54 answered two losses with two victories, including a 5-4 win that saw Mocksville erase a 4-0 deficit in the bottom of the seventh.
Mocksville entered June 23 at 9-5 overall and 2-2 in the Northern Division.

After belting the Mooresville Legends by scores of 8-3 and 16-3 in back-to-back games, Mocksville faced the Legends for the third straight time in the division opener on the road.
Easy win, right? The game did not go according to plan. Mocksville found itself behind 3-0 in the top of the second and lost 6-2.
The Northern Division has six teams, including Kannapolis, Concord, Mooresville Post 66 and Stanly County.
Coach Robbie Fox used three pitchers, and Mocksville only managed six hits. It was also shorthanded with 11 players. Chris Reynolds, Lane Snow, Ryan Heath and Garrett Dancey were among the missing.
“We didn’t have a good outing,” Fox said. “With two outs, we’d start hitting the ball. We’d get one or two on and then we’d get the third out. We never could get anything going.
“They had a kid on the mound that was really bringing it.”
On the plus side, Colby Cranfill played well at third base, and Tyler Cox went 3 for 4 while getting half the team’s hits.
“Cox continued to stay hot,” Fox said. “That’s why he’s staying on the final roster. He’s a great kid.”

The next game wasn’t any better. Mocksville was pretty much listless in an 8-2 loss at Stanly County. Again it only had 11 players. There are 18 on the roster.
“The sad part about it is they should never have beat us 8-2,” Fox said. “We should have beat them.”
Mocksville scored in the top of the first. Cox singled to left-center to plate Jake Barneycastle. The rest of the game, however, was all downhill.
“We proceeded to fold up the tents,” he said. “We had terrible base running. We got picked off twice. It was the first time I think they’ve ever heard me holler.”
The bright spot was pitcher Christian Reavis, who finished out the game in relief.
“He had a great outing,” he said of the little-used pitcher. “We’ve been working with him in the bullpen, trying to get him groomed to be a pitcher. Tonight it showed that the work had paid off a little bit, so we’re going to …