Sandlot baseball tournament won by Currituck County

Published 9:00 am Sunday, March 17, 2019

: Currituck County baseball players line up for the Sandlot Tournament’s Cancer Awareness event. Currituck defeated Bear Grass 1-0 in a baseball thriller to earn the Tournament Championship for the second consecutive year. Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy photo

At the Fourth Annual Cape Hatteras Sandlot Tournament, Currituck County High School took home the Championship for the second consecutive year.

The Knights won a 1-0 thriller against the Bear Grass Charter School Bears.

Cape Hatteras baseball coach and tournament organizer Keith Durham wrote “I will venture to say that there was not a better high school or college baseball game played in the state of North Carolina this weekend.”

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Durham attributed the win to great pitching and defense. Currituck’s senior Cole Bates pitched 6.1 innings. Junior Cannon Pickell closed out the game.

Also playing in the baseball tournament were Manteo High School and Cape Hatteras Secondary.

At the Sandlot Tournament, baseball players for Manteo High School hold cards with names of loved ones who have fought or who are fighting cancer. Manteo defeated Cape Hatteras 18-3 in the consolation game. Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy photo

On Friday, March 8, Bear Grass defeated Cape Hatteras 18-1 while Currituck won over Manteo 5-2. In the consolation game at noon on Saturday, Manteo chalked up an 18-3 win over Cape Hatteras.

On the softball field, Bear Grass Charter defeated Cape Hatteras on Friday night 14-0 behind pitching by Keagan Wilkerson. On Saturday afternoon, the Lady Bears won 18-1. Starting Bear Grass pitcher was Alana Scott.

Members of Cape Hatteras Secondary and Bear Grass Charter baseball and softball teams stand along first baseline during the “Knock Cancer out of the Park” event on Saturday afternoon, March 9. Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy photo

A highlight of this tournament is cancer awareness. Between Saturday’s games, members of six teams stood along the first and third baselines holding multi-colored signs with names of loved ones who have fought or are fighting cancer.

Tournament announcer Matt Chilton intoned: “Today, we stand together to remember those that have fought this battle in the past, to honor those that are fighting right now, and to vow to never let anyone have to fight this battle alone. We also stand for the hope that a cure will be found and one day families will not have to hear the word ‘cancer’.”

The Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation assisted with the awareness event.

The canned food drive resulted in 350 non-perishable items delivered to the Hatteras Island Food Pantry at the Buxton United Methodist Church. The tournament team entry fee is contributions for the food pantry.

At the end of the Championship Game, an awards ceremony was held.

Tournament MVP: Austin Pace, Currituck County

John Jacobs Memorial Award: Tanner Lyle, Bear Grass Charter

All-Tournament Team

Cole Bates, Currituck

Jackson Gay, Currituck

Will Langley, Currituck

Cannon Pickell, Currituck

Jordan Leggett, Bear Grass

Joseph Perry, Bear Grass

Leland Stotesberry, Bear Grass

Tyler Day, Manteo

Corbin Tillett, Manteo

John Canning, Cape Hatteras

Sponsors for this year’s Sandlot Tournament are Lighthouse View Motel, The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, Red Drum Tackle Shop, Frank and Fran’s, Rodanthe Surf Shop, Hatteras Island Vinyl Graphics, Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation, Cape Hatteras Secondary Booster Club, Cape Hatteras Secondary Mural Club and Meherrin Fertilizer.

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