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Davie’s JV baseball team got much-needed juice from pitchers Clarke Stem and Tucker Hobbs and hitters Coston Colamarino and Hunter Daywalt. The War Eagles grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning and held that advantage for a while.

It turned out to be a brief shining moment. All the good things Davie had done went up in smoke in the bottom of the fifth, when Watauga exploded for eight runs and beat Davie 8-2 in Boone on March 29.

The game was called after five and a half innings via the two-hour time limit.

In the top of the second, Colamarino doubled before Gray Collins, Christopher Barringer and Daywalt put together three straight singles. The result was the 2-0 lead.

The defense helped starting pitcher C. Stem in the Watauga second. Catcher Hunter Potts cut down a runner trying to steal, and first baseman Corbin Angus started a double play. An inning later, shortstop Larson Stem threw out a runner at home.

It was still 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth, when Watauga completely changed the game with an eight-spot. Eight hits, two walks and an error put Davie in the 8-2 hole.

Before everything unraveled, C. Stem and Hobbs each threw two scoreless innings. The Pioneers scored off three relievers. Davie’s sixth pitcher of the game, Alexander Shinsky, faced the last two Watauga batters and retired both.

Colamarino and Daywalt went 2 for 3 and 2-2, respectively. Collins and Barringer both went 1-2. Barr went 1-3.

“I was happy to see those four innings before it imploded,” varsity coach Joey Anderson said. “It was good to see them making defensive plays and making smart plays. A lot of times the defense has killed us, not thinking ahead of the play. That’s what we’ve been working on – know what you’re going to do before the ball is hit to you.”

Davie (2-8) has struggled, to put it mildly. This was its seventh straight loss. Watauga had 14 hits to Davie’s seven and zero errors to Davie’s two.

“They’re going through some soul-searching right now, the whole team in general,” Anderson said. “They’re trying to figure it out. They’ve had some tough practices the last couple of weeks, trying to get them to think the game and play the game the way we coach it.”