Legends sweep Marion, win fourth straight

Jul. 19—LENOIR — The Lenoir Legends are no doubt playing their best baseball in the final week of the Old North State League season.

The Legends swept the Marion Swamp Foxes in a Tuesday night double-header at Walker Stadum. Lenoir took the opener 12-3, and the finale 5-3.

The winning streak stands at four games, the best run of the summer.

"I feel good about our pitching," Lenoir coach Pete Hardee said. "It is really solid. Our guys are starting to really come together.

"Our defense was good. We got a little bit of timely hitting."

Donald Gorgei worked three innings in the first game, getting touched for two hits and yielding three earned runs. He struck out three and walked five.

Jake Bidoglio was on the mound the final four shutout innings, also serving up two hits with four strikeouts.

The Legends cut loose for seven runs in the second inning. C.J. Rice got the flurry started by plating a run, before a run was walked in by southpaw Jay Armstrong, who then hit a batter to cross another score.

Mas Stucco drove in a run, Tyler Steele stole home and Boone Herman's two-run single made it 7-0.

Marion trimmed the deficit to 7-3 in the third. Brooks Maura delivered a two-run double, and Gorgei walked in a run.

Tobie Tekie pushed the cushion to 8-3 in the third with a run-scoring single.

Armstrong allowed two more runs in the fourth after hitting a batter and walking in a score. Tekie made it 11-3 with a sacrifice fly.

"We're not knocking the ball out of the ballpark or anything," Hardee said. "But we're getting some big hits when we need them. "

The onslaught was completed in fifth when an error plated the final run.

"Good base running," Hardee said. "I thought the first game we were getting a little bit aggressive, which I like. "

Herman batted 3 for 4, while Mike Lewishall was 2 for 4.

For Marion, Mauro went 2 for 3.

In 3 1/3 innings, Armstrong was touched for five hits and yielded six earned runs. He walked four, fanned one and hit three batters.

Christian McElroy fired the final 2 2/3 innings and gave up one hit with no earned runs. He fanned two, walked two and hit two batters.

Each team turned a double play in the opener, when each team stranded nine runners.

Lenoir grabbed a 1-0 lead in the finale's first inning when an error in the Marion outfield plated a score.

The Swamp Foxes surged ahead in the second following Jacob Pealer's RBI and McElroy's run-scoring single.

The Legends reclaimed the lead 4-2 in the second after Elec Marvin's two-run single and Mason Chapman's RBI.

Marion pulled within 4-3 after Joey Current mashed a solo home run off of Sam Carpenter.

Lenoir got its final run in the fifth on Jacob Dilley's RBI.

Marion coach Michael Conley fired the complete game, yielding six hits and the three runs were earned. He struck out seven.

Carpenter hurled five innings, yielding three hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts and five walks.

Connor Stewart took the hill the final two innings. He struck out the side in the sixth, and fanned two more in the seventh as he faced the minimum six batters.

Each team turned a double play. Marion stranded four, while Lenoir left three on.

"I feel good about the way the guys are playing," Hardee said. "They still want to play, and that's good."

The Legends (10-15) have climbed out of the Western Division cellar and are 9.5 games out. Marion (9-16) is 10.5 back.