By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was only an exhibition game, but just what the summer baseball doctor ordered. The Boone Bigfoots had fun on July 31, on “Hawaiian Night”, in defeating the Catawba Valley Stars, 16-3.
That the Stars were arguably playing above their competitive level would be an understatement, at least on this night. The independent, Hickory-based team had hitting, fielding and pitching shortcomings and the Bigfoots showed little mercy. In a game called after five innings, the Boone hard ballers pounded out 16 runs on 11 hits, including four home runs, one each by Tyson Bass, Rhogue Wallace, Tristan Salinas, and J.C. Navarro. Add in seven stolen bases and four fielding errors by the Stars, four wild pitches by the visitors, as well as four hit batters, and it is easy to see the mismatch.
The tilt against the Stars was the season debut of new pitcher Coleman McGinnis, a rising freshman at University of North Carolina, Asheville. McGinnis is a right hander from Mebane, N.C. He was credited as the winning pitcher in his debut, giving up three runs (one earned) on no hits. He walked five and struck out six of the 15 batters he faced. Jalen Chambers earned the save, going the final two innings and allowing no runs and no hits, walking one and striking out two of the seven batters faced.
“Coming into this evening, I wasn’t sure about what I thought of this game,” said Bigfoots head coach Randall Ortiz afterwards. “But now, seeing how much fun our guys had, I think it was the perfect remedy for being tired at this point in the season.”
Coastal Plain League baseball for college-eligible players can be rewarding for those participating, but it can also be a grind. Because of budget limitations, teams don’t play a two, three or four-game series against any particular opponent. The teams typically don’t have the money for hotel lodging nor extended bus transportation over multiple days, so they return home after every game.
For the Bigfoots, that might mean a two-hour bus ride down to High Point-Thomasville to play the Toms and two hours back after the game — or a 4-hour trip to Lexington, S.C. and a 6-hour trip to Macon, Ga. — and then another game either home or away the very next night.
For the ball players, the baseball may be fun and the experience adding to their development toward a potentially professional career, but the time away from home with nothing in the way of real job money for the summer… well, it can be trying. As the Bigfoots certainly know, roster turnover is a certainty as guys burn out, get injured or, in the case of the Boone team just a couple of weeks ago, teammates get drafted into Major League Baseball organizations.
Bigfoots return to Coastal Plain League action on Aug. 1, at home against the Martinsville Mustangs, 6:30 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
KEY BIGFOOTS BATTING PERFORMERS
- Tyson Bass: 4-4, 4 runs scored, 1 RBI, 2 SB, HR, 2B
- Tristan Salinas: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, SB, HR
- Rhogue Wallace: 1-3, 3 runs scored, 3 RBIs, 2 SB, HR
- Will Dorrell: 1-3. 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs
- J C Navarro: 2-4, 1 run scored, 4 RBIs, HR
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