Ronnie Pugh - Randolph Record

02 Jul

Asheboro grad Adams deals with injury, but can still pitch for Post 45

Bob SuttonSportsAmerican Legion baseball, Connor Adams, Post 45, Post 81, Randolph County Post 45, Ronnie Pugh

Connor Adams (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – The role for Connor Adams with Randolph County Post 45 is going to be different. After surgery for a wrist injury, he’ll be content with having a way to contribute. Adams, who’s in his third season with Post 45, has torn cartilage in his left wrist. That means he wasn’t able to bat when the American Legion season began, but he could still pitch. “That’s what I’m best at anyway – pitching,” Adams said. “I feel more comfortable pitching.” Adams completed his senior high school season for Asheboro in the spring,…

25 Jun

Stickle stays in groove with Randolph County Post 45

Bob SuttonSportsAmerican Legion baseball, Caleb Stickle, Grat Dalton, Liberty Post 81, Parker Kines, Post 45, Randolph County Post 45, Ronnie Pugh, Trey Kennedy, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles

Caleb Stickle, who began the month helping Uwharrie Charter Academy win a state championship, is a key infielder for Randolph County Post 45. (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Some of the tension might have lessened since the thrilling baseball postseason in high school for Caleb Stickle. But he said he doesn’t want his mindset to change with Randolph County Post 45. Fresh of Uwharrie Charter Academy’s second consecutive Class 1A state championship, he has graduated. Last week, he committed to play for Guilford Tech. “It was getting late,” he said of the desire to lock in a plan.…

18 Jun

American Legion baseball: Post 45 edges Post 81 again in intra-county clash

Bob SuttonSportsAmerican Legion baseball, Caleb Dunn, Liberty Post 81, Nate Cockman, Parker Kines, Pierce Leonard, Post 45, Post 81, Randolph County Post 45, Ronnie Pugh

Post 45 pitcher Parker Kines (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Parker Kines wasn’t certain he would play American Legion baseball, but it has turned out to be a good thing for him and Randolph County Post 45 so far this season. Kines was on the mound for a strong start as Post 45 topped Liberty Post 81 for the second time in five nights, a 6-4 decision Monday night at McCrary Park. “I wasn’t planning on this,” he said of the summer activity. “But my coach (at Wheatmore) said it would be a good idea.” Kines, a rising…

29 May

Post 45 looking to fit parts together as season launches

Bob SuttonSportsAmerican Legion baseball, Austin Lemons, Braxton Walker, Carter Brown, Connor Adams, Drew Harmon, Grat Dalton, Jake Riddle, McCrary Park, Post 45, Randolph County Post 45, Ronnie Pugh, Tanner Marsh

Manager Ronnie Pugh says that pitching could be strong for Randolph County Post 45. (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) Young team to play for Randolph County ASHEBORO – It’s going to take time for Randolph County Post 45 to put it all together with a more youthful roster than in the past. But the group still intends to be one of the top American Legion baseball teams in the state. A week into the season, Post 45 split its first two outings. “We’re getting some things done,” manager Ronnie Pugh said. “All of the things we’re going to put in,…

12 Aug

Post 45 cherishes season’s successes, improvements

Bob SuttonSportsAmerican Legion baseball, Carter Brown, Hunter Atkins, Post 45, Randolph County Post 45, Ronnie Pugh, Southeast Regional, Tyler Parks

Randolph County manager Ronnie Pugh, center, makes a mound visit in extra innings in the Southeast Regional to check on pitcher Hunter Atkins, right. Catcher Caleb Dunn looks on. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Hunter Atkins built a reputation largely as a hitter during high school for Randleman’s baseball team. But that’s far from his only attribute, something that was on display at times during the American Legion season for Randolph County Post 45. In what became the season finale, Atkins threw six innings of relief against eventual regional champion Florence (S.C.) Post 1. It came while he labored…

05 Aug

Post 45’s season ends with 11-inning loss in Southeast Regional

Bob SuttonSportsAmerican Legion baseball, Hunter Atkins, McCrary Park, Randolph County Post 45, Ronnie Pugh, Southeast Regional, Tanner Marsh, Tyler Parks

ASHEBORO – It took most of Saturday night before Randolph County Post 45 was dismissed from the Southeast Regional. The host team battled for 11 innings with Florence (S.C.) Post 1 before suffering a 5-4 loss at McCrary Park. “We’ve been playing all night,” Post 45 manager Ronnie Pugh said. “This was a classic. Our guys sucked it up and played.” Florence (29-5) is unbeaten in the double-elimination regional and will play Fuquay-Varina Post 116 (30-6) at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. If Fuquay-Varina wins, another winner-take-all game will follow. Post 45 ended the season with a 25-8 record, going 2-2 in…

02 Aug

Glitch in plan pins loss on Post 45 in Southeast Regional opener

Bob SuttonSportsAmerican Legion baseball, Hunter Atkins, Josh Meadows, Post 45, Randolph County Post 45, Robert Garner, Ronnie Pugh, Samuel Asbill

ASHEBORO – Parts of a plan for Randolph County Post 45 played out well on the first day of the Southeast Regional for American Legion baseball. But there were a few things that Post 45 couldn’t anticipate Wednesday night at McCrary Park and that was part of the downfall. Columbia (Tenn.) Post 19 had two big innings and those turned into a 7-5 victory. “We had a plan and we executed it for the most part,” Randolph County manager Ronnie Pugh said. “They had two big hits.” Now Post 45 takes on Belleview (Fla.) Post 284 in an elimination game…

01 Aug

Leonard takes baseball path with Post 45; Southeast Regional set to begin in Asheboro

Bob SuttonSportsAmerican Legion baseball, Eastern Randolph athletics, McCrary Park, Pierce Leonard, Randolph County Post 45, Ronnie Pugh, Southeast Regional

Second baseman Pierce Leonard of Randolph County Post 45 makes a play in the field earlier this season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Pierce Leonard is a first-year member of the Randolph County Post 45 baseball team. There’s a reason that he pursued American Legion baseball this summer. Having finished his final high school year at Eastern Randolph after transferring from Uwharrie Charter Academy, Leonard chose baseball as a preference in terms of a sport to play in college. “I figured I could go farther with baseball than I could basketball,” Leonard said. He said he’ll play baseball at Guilford…

01 Jul

Post 45 learns hard lessons as winning streak ends

Bob SuttonSportsAmerican Legion baseball, Grat Dalton, Josh Meadows, Post 45, Randolph County Post 45, Ronnie Pugh, Tanner Marsh

Samuel Asbill of Randolph County Post 45 throws a pitch during a victory at Chatham County. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – A dose of reality during the past week might not be as bad as it looked for Randolph County Post 45. The American Legion baseball team had breezed through much of its schedule for the first month of the season. Then in a pair of Area 3 North Division games against High Point-Thomasville Post 87, things didn’t go its way. “Ego got too high,” catcher Grat Dalton said. “We beat everybody. We thought less of this team and should…

12 Jun

Returnees help Post 45 hit early groove

Randolph RecordSportsAdam Cole, American Legion baseball, Austin Lemons, Braylen Hayes, Carter Brown, Connor Adams, Ethan Frye, Hunter Atkins, Josh Meadows, McCrary Park, Pierce Leonard, Post 45, Randolph County Post 45, Ronnie Pugh, Tanner Marsh, Tyler Parks

Pierce Leonard takes a swing for Randolph County Post 45. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) Randolph County Post 45 has been off a strong start to the American Legion baseball season. The team has a good core of returning players who’ve produced across the first couple of weeks of the season. Post 45 had a 7-1 record – capped with a 5-4 victory at Davidson County last week – before a five-day break in the schedule. The team is slated to be back in action this week. The lone loss came by a 3-2 score at Rowan County. Twelve days later, Post…