Clark Massey¹s two-run double in the eighth inning lifted Greenville Rose to a 5-3 extra-inning victory over Charlotte Ardrey Kell on Friday night in the first game of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A baseball championship series at Five
County Stadium.

The victory moved Rose, now 27-3 overall, to within a game of the state championship, with game two in the series is scheduled for
Saturday afternoon at two o¹clock. A third game, if necessary, will be
Saturday at 8 p.m. or will be played at 5 p.m. if no third game is needed in the 3-A series also being played at Five County.

Rose had taken a 1-0 lead with the help of a couple of Kell errors, a wild pitch and a passed ball in the top of the fourth. But the Knights battled back to take a 3-1 lead in their half of the frame, aided by two walks, two errors and a sacrifice fly by Logan Ratledge.

The Rampants then got single runs in the fifth and sixth to tie it up and set the stage for Massey¹s heroics. Designated hitter Matt Steele also had two hits in four trips for Rose, including a two-out RBI single in the sixth which tied the game.

Mark Wilder was the winning pitcher, going the distance and improving his record to 14-0 as he scattered six hits. Jordan Darnell (9-3) got the loss.

Andrew Miller had a big night for Ardrey Kell with three hits in three trips. Taylor Patterson was two for three for the Knights, now 28-5 overall.

NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
STATE 4-A BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES?GAME ONE
Five County Stadium, Zebulon

Greenville Rose 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 2 ­5 10 3
Charlotte Ardrey Kell 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0?3 6 3

WP?Mark Wilder (14-0). LP?Jordan Darnell (9-3)