Baseball is, we say for the millionth time, a funny game.

Davie’s junior varsity outhit West Forsyth 16-8 – and lost both games. Davie was outhit 4-3 by Forbush, but Davie won with plenty of room to spare.

Go figure.

In the first meeting against West on March 27 in Clemmons, there were six lead changes in a 6-5 War Eagle loss. In the top of the sixth, Davie rallied for two runs to take a 5-4 lead. It started with a Jack Reynolds single and stolen base. After Troy Clary walked, a Reed Cunningham ground out plated Reynolds. Clary stole third and scored on Josh Westmoreland’s infield hit.

But the Titans responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half.

“We played really good until the sixth inning,” coach Tim McKnight said. “I gambled and it backfired on me. Then we had a key error that opened up the floodgates.”

John Davenport’s mound appearance started with six up, six down. It would turn into a just-OK outing as he wound up walking four in 3.2 one-hit innings. Reliever Ethan Wilkins got the loss despite four strikeouts in 2.1 innings. He allowed four runs but only two were earned as West stopped Davie’s winning streak at five.

Westmoreland went 3 for 4 with two RBIs as Davie doubled West in hits (8-4). Hunter Meacham was 2 for 4, while Reynolds, Bailey McKnight and Clary had one hit each.

“It was a good game,” he said. “They played really well. It was one of those games where the team that makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win, and that was them.”

Davie slipped to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the Central Piedmont Conference.

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The War Eagles managed only three hits against visiting Forbush on March 28. Somehow, some way they won the nonconference game fairly easily, 8-4.

Westmoreland, Reynolds and Meacham, who tripled and knocked in two runs, had the hits.

Davie had a decisive outburst in the bottom of the first. Forbush committed four of its eventual eight errors to help Davie break out to a 4-0 lead. The War Eagles would score seven unearned runs.

“We hit it hard,” McKnight said. “It just seemed to be right at them. I mean we squared everything up in the first inning, and they had trouble making plays.”

Davie led 8-1 in the fourth before coasting home.

Zach Rodgers continued his rise on the mound, pitching a four-hitter for six innings and pushing his record to 3-0. Clary struck out two of four batters in the seventh.

“I think Zach got a little tired in the sixth. He won’t tell me that, but he walked three (after walking none in the first five innings),” McKnight said. “Through five innings he was good. He eats up innings. He hasn’t really been hit hard.”

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The War Eagles were kicking themselves following a 4-2 home loss to West Forsyth on March 29. They made four errors and gave up four unearned runs to fall to 7-3, 2-2.

“They took advantage of their opportunities and we didn’t,” he said. “It came down to the little things.”

After falling behind 3-0, Davie pushed across a run and had the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the fourth. Down 3-2, they had runners at second and third with one out. A grounder to third failed to advance the runners. Joe Johnson walked to load the bases. The threat ended on a 3-1 pitch that was skied to left.

West put up an insurance run in the fifth.

“Either one of those games (against West) could have gone either way,” McKnight said.

The errors undermined Clary’s start on the hill. He went 4.1 innings and watched West scored four unearned runs at his expense. Johnson was nasty in relief, retiring eight of nine batters over 2.2 innings, the exception being an error that let a Titan reach base.

Again, Davie outhit West 8-4. Clary (2-2, walk), Westmoreland (2-4) and Meacham (2-4) had two hits apiece. Reynolds and Johnson had one apiece.

“We couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it, though,” he said.