Wands a bright spot for Legion in 0-2 week

Published 11:36 am Tuesday, June 20, 2023

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Put simply, it was not a good week for the Mocksville Legion baseball team.

Post 174 suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season when it visited powerhouse Randolph County for a non-league game on June 14. Shorthanded Mocksville struck out 14 times against three pitchers and lost 8-2.

“I was missing six or seven players,” coach Shaggy Wyatt said. “Most of my guys are out of town for beach week. You can’t strike out 14 times and beat someone, especially when they’re as good as Randolph.”

The bright spot was Will Wands, who has come out of nowhere and capitalized on his opportunities in the last two weeks. He had two of Mocksville’s six hits. His first hit came in the second inning after the first five Mocksville batters went down on strikes.

“I’m glad Will joined our team at the last minute because he puts up a fight at the plate,” Wyatt said. “He puts the ball in play and doesn’t strike out a lot.”

This was the second loss to once-beaten Randolph, which hammered Mocksville 16-1 on May 21.

Kannapolis 10, Mock 5

Two nights later, Mocksville fell in the Southern Division opener on the road. It was the third Mocksville-Kannapolis matchup of the season. Kannapolis has taken two, and a three-game slide has dropped Mocksville’s overall record to 4-6.