South Stanly High School logo
Jun 2, 2012
Earlier in the day, it was Russ Weiker's arm.
Later on Saturday, it was his bat that helped South Stanly to a 6-1 victory over Voyager Academy to win the state championship in the second game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 1-A baseball championship series at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Weiker, who played left field in game two, had four hits, including a triple, and four runs batted in to earn championship Most Valuable Player honors. Earlier in the day, he pitched a no-hitter and the Rowdy Rebel Bulls gave him plenty of support in a 13-0 victory over Voyager in the opening game of the series. He fanned eight and walked three in getting his 14th win.
In game two, Voyager grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third when Hunter Coates doubled to right center to score Chad Sykes, who had walked and moved up on an error.
South Stanly then grabbed the lead in the fourth as Jordan Starnes drew a base on balls and scored when Weiker ripped a long triple to deep center field. Weiker then crossed the plate when Connor Ford reached on an infield hit to make it 2-1.
In the fifth, it was Weiker again, delivering a two-run single through a drawn-in infield after the Rowdy Rebel Bulls loaded the bases on a walk, error and base hit, to make it 4-1.
And Weiker delivered another hit through a drawn-in infield in the seventh when the Bulls added a pair of insurance runs.
Heath Blackmon (8-1) was the winning pitcher for South, striking out 10 and walking three, while Loy Stone (9-2) was charged with the defeat for the Vikings.
Grayson Short, Ford and Starnes each had two hits in the Bulls' 11-hit attack. Coates and Sykes each had doubles for Voyager.
South Stanly finished 30-4, winning its 14th straight game, and was in the state finals for the third time in the last four years. The Bulls won it in 2009 and were second last year. Voyager has only freshmen and sophomores on its roster at the relatively new school and wound up 20-8.
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