Warrior pitcher helps team to top
Published 8:47 pm Thursday, July 21, 2011
Nansemond River pitcher Zach Rice and his Tidewater Drillers club competed in the 16-and-under Wood Bat World Championships in Marietta, Ga. Saturday-Thursday, finishing as one of the top 32 teams out of the field of 204 select squads.
The Drillers went 4-1 in pool play from Saturday-Wednesday. Rice, a tall southpaw hurler and a rising junior with the Warriors, fired a seven-inning complete game in Tidewater’s 4-2 win over NBS 15s on Monday. Rice allowed five hits and two walks while striking out seven.
The other pool results for the Drillers were a 3-2 win against Team Elite 16U White, a 9-8 loss to Mac-N-Seitz Indians, an 8-0 win over the Miami Firebirds and a 9-2 win over the Dallas Panthers.
The Drillers were one of the top 48 teams to move onto the championship bracket. On Thursday, the Drillers, seeded No. 45, beat No. 20 Yak Baseball Orange 14-0, before losing 4-2 to No. 12 Dulin Dodgers.