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BURLINGTON — After getting its fill of drama last spring on its way to an NCHSAA state title, the North Lincoln baseball team found such in short supply over two days at Burlington Athletic Stadium.
The Knights showcased a heaping helping of dominance in two games against Seaforth, putting the finishing touches on an NCHSAA 5A state championship series sweep of Seaforth with a 8-3 victory Thursday, May 28. Such comes on the heels of an 11-1 victory over Seaforth the previous evening.
North Lincoln’s latest title joins those earned in 2019 and 2025. The Knights have won each of their three appearances in state championship series.
BACK FOR MORE: How North Lincoln baseball took NCHSAA 5A West crown over South Point
FOR ALL THE MARBLES: Here are NCHSAA baseball, softball state championship series schedules
“Our pitching staff, Bryson Schmidt and Parker Williams, they absolutely shoved and carried us both of these days,” said North Lincoln baseball coach Charlie Goss. “All pitches for strikes, competing, bouncing back, having faith in the defense behind them. They really toted the rock for us, and then at the plate in hitter’s counts, we were doing damage.”
North Lincoln set the pace for the series on the base paths, stressing Seaforth through aggressive base-running and timely hitting. Such came into play during the second following a Bryson Summey base hit, the Knight second baseman stealing second and moving to third on a Beckett Rinkus popout. A base hit by Cole Nemire, who finished 4-for-6 in the state championship series, brought him in to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
Flood gates opened in the fourth, North Lincoln scoring three runs on two hits and three walks. It was the start of a stretch in which the Knights scored runs in each of their last four at bats.
“We put presure on (opponents) on the basepaths, the pitcher has to focus on (base runners) and takes his mind off what he’s trying to accomplish (at the plate),” Goss said. “When you run the bases aggressive like that, you’re helping the guy at the plate.”
Summey (triple, four runs), Rinkus (double, two RBIs, run) , Nemire (run) and Caleb Hancock (RBI, run) had two hits apiece for the Knights.
Such proved more than enough for North Lincoln starter Parker Williams, who allowed no runs on one hit in six innings of work. Senior standout Cason McGinnis pitched the seventh, allowing three runs on three hits with a strikeout to end the game.
“Amazing, it’s a wonderful feeling,” said McGinnis, who was named 5A championship series MVP. “To win your last high school game, to go out with a bang, it’s unreal. We had a game plan going in, executed perfectly, played the field really well, pitchers both threw great games. Sixteen hits the first game, eight runs the second game, it’s really hard to lose doing that.”
Despite now finding itself in elite company, Goss believes the program is just getting started. With a host of sophomores and juniors contributing to its latest conquest, he hopes winning at such a clip is contagious.“It’s a small percentage of people who get to experience playing for a state championship, an even smaller percentage to experience winning one,” Goss said. “And when you talk about going back-to-back, that percentage gets alot smaller.
“The good thing about is is, we have guys (who contributed) in every class; they got to be part of this last year and this year. I believe stuff like this is contagious when you know what it takes to get (to a championship level).”
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: North Lincoln baseball beats Seaforth for NCHSAA 5A championship
Continue reading...
The Knights showcased a heaping helping of dominance in two games against Seaforth, putting the finishing touches on an NCHSAA 5A state championship series sweep of Seaforth with a 8-3 victory Thursday, May 28. Such comes on the heels of an 11-1 victory over Seaforth the previous evening.
North Lincoln’s latest title joins those earned in 2019 and 2025. The Knights have won each of their three appearances in state championship series.
BACK FOR MORE: How North Lincoln baseball took NCHSAA 5A West crown over South Point
FOR ALL THE MARBLES: Here are NCHSAA baseball, softball state championship series schedules
“Our pitching staff, Bryson Schmidt and Parker Williams, they absolutely shoved and carried us both of these days,” said North Lincoln baseball coach Charlie Goss. “All pitches for strikes, competing, bouncing back, having faith in the defense behind them. They really toted the rock for us, and then at the plate in hitter’s counts, we were doing damage.”
North Lincoln set the pace for the series on the base paths, stressing Seaforth through aggressive base-running and timely hitting. Such came into play during the second following a Bryson Summey base hit, the Knight second baseman stealing second and moving to third on a Beckett Rinkus popout. A base hit by Cole Nemire, who finished 4-for-6 in the state championship series, brought him in to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
Flood gates opened in the fourth, North Lincoln scoring three runs on two hits and three walks. It was the start of a stretch in which the Knights scored runs in each of their last four at bats.
“We put presure on (opponents) on the basepaths, the pitcher has to focus on (base runners) and takes his mind off what he’s trying to accomplish (at the plate),” Goss said. “When you run the bases aggressive like that, you’re helping the guy at the plate.”
Summey (triple, four runs), Rinkus (double, two RBIs, run) , Nemire (run) and Caleb Hancock (RBI, run) had two hits apiece for the Knights.
Such proved more than enough for North Lincoln starter Parker Williams, who allowed no runs on one hit in six innings of work. Senior standout Cason McGinnis pitched the seventh, allowing three runs on three hits with a strikeout to end the game.
“Amazing, it’s a wonderful feeling,” said McGinnis, who was named 5A championship series MVP. “To win your last high school game, to go out with a bang, it’s unreal. We had a game plan going in, executed perfectly, played the field really well, pitchers both threw great games. Sixteen hits the first game, eight runs the second game, it’s really hard to lose doing that.”
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Despite now finding itself in elite company, Goss believes the program is just getting started. With a host of sophomores and juniors contributing to its latest conquest, he hopes winning at such a clip is contagious.“It’s a small percentage of people who get to experience playing for a state championship, an even smaller percentage to experience winning one,” Goss said. “And when you talk about going back-to-back, that percentage gets alot smaller.
“The good thing about is is, we have guys (who contributed) in every class; they got to be part of this last year and this year. I believe stuff like this is contagious when you know what it takes to get (to a championship level).”
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: North Lincoln baseball beats Seaforth for NCHSAA 5A championship
Continue reading...
