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Resilient Lake Norman wins first state title
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Published: June 7, 2009
Kevin Gradert thrust both arms up in the air in sheer jubilation.
Lake Norman players piled on each other near the mound and hopped around like kids on Christmas morning.
Lisa Hennessee, mother of designated hitter Josh Hennessee, and Tom Lomascolo, father of star pitcher Nick Lomascolo, shed tears of joy.
On the other side of the field, Eastern Wayne seniors John Wooten and Walker Gourley wept openly and embraced their head coach, Jabo Fulghum.
Such is the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat when a state championship is on the line.
Lake Norman won its first 3A state baseball championship in school history Saturday, defeating Goldsboro Eastern Wayne 8-7 to win the best-of-three series in three games.
"This is incredible," Wildcats senior Eric Manser said. "It's the best feeling I've ever had in my life."
After a pitcher's duel in game two that saw the two teams combine for only six hits, the batters had the upper hand in the final game.
After being limited to just one hit in game two, the Wildcats' bats awakened in the second inning.
Joe Faist led off the second with a double to right field. Donnie Burt reached on an error, putting runners at the corners with no outs. Nick Keith was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.
Game one pitching hero Lomascolo drilled a double to deep right, plating Faist and Burt to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. Kevin Gradert followed with a sacrifice fly, driving in Nick Keith to extend the lead to 3-0.
Josh Hennessee and Manser followed with additional hits to make it 5-0.
The Warriors mounted a furious comeback, spearheaded by Colton Fulghum and Zach Mozingo. The Warriors scored two in the second and two more in the third to cut the lead to 5-4.
A key play occurred in the bottom of the third when Lomascolo, playing center field, scooped up a Fulghum single and threw a strike to the plate to nail a sliding Robert Faucette and preserve the Wildcats' lead.
"Nick's just a phenomenal athlete," Wildcats coach Robert Little said. "He continually makes plays for us."
When Eastern Wayne threatened again in the fourth, Little took the ball from Whitley and placed it in the hands of 5-foot-7, 130-pound sophomore Taylor Thurber.
Thurber, pitching like a seasoned veteran, rose to the occasion, pitching three innings and holding the Warriors to two hits and two runs.
Trailing 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth, the Warriors struck again. Hits by Fulghum, Mozingo, and Josh Frederick plated two runs to knot the score at 6-6 entering the seventh inning.
"When we came back and tied it at 6-6, I thought that it was meant to be, but obviously it wasn't," an emotional Fulghum said. "I take my hat off to Lake Norman. We're disappointed, but we lost to a class act."
Coach Fulghum turned to Mozingo in the seventh inning.
He hit Jordan Farrell and walked Joe Faist before retiring Burt. Then the Warriors made another crucial error.
Keith grounded a slow roller to the third baseman who overthrew the second baseman and allowed Farrell to score the go-ahead run.
A wild pitch scored pinch runner Brad Chamberlain to make it 8-6.
In the bottom of the seventh, Little gave the ball one last time to spectacular senior Lomascolo.
After pitching a complete game Friday night, Lomascolo still had a little left in his tank — his fastball was clocked at 93 mph in the seventh inning.
Although he gave up a one-out homer to Wooten to make it a 8-7 game, Lomascolo struck out Jose Ponce for the second out and, when Gradert fielded Fulghum's sharp grounder and stepped on second base to record the final out, the Wildcats' celebration began.
Lomascolo had a memorable tournament, finishing with a win, a save and a double that drove in two runs in the final game.
For his efforts, Lomascolo was the unanimous selection as the tournament MVP.
"I prayed because it was my last game and I wanted to go out 100 percent," an elated Lomascolo said. "Winning a state championship is the way to go out. This is just unreal."
Hennessee, who had three hits, reflected on the significance of the team's accomplishments.
"At the beginning of the year I knew that we had a great team. I knew we had potential, but I did not think we would be where we are right now," he said. "It feels awesome to be a state champion my last year in high school. There couldn't be anything better."
Lake Norman, which ends its dream season at 28-3, will lose 10 seniors on this year's squad, but Little hopes this is just the first of many memorable years to come.
"Hopefully this will bring Wildcat baseball to the forefront, and I hope that our title helps all of Iredell County baseball," he said.
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