Sappelt with a belt and Gunn blasts three big hits as Post 63 starts to hit it’s stride(Inside on Sappelt now known as “Electric Eddie”)

from the Burlington Times-News at www.thetimesnews.com:

Late burst propels Post 63 to victory

CLEMMONS — Eddie Sappelt(Southern Alamance) cranked up the offense for Burlington-Graham Post 63
with a two-run home run in the sixth inning and the team went on to defeat
Western Forsyth Post 522 by a 7-3 score Sunday night in American Legion Area III
North Division baseball.
Post 63 (9-9 overall, 8-7 Area III) added a pair of runs in the seventh inning,
a single run in the eighth on Jack Metcalf’s solo home run and another two runs
in the ninth.

Adam Gunn (Eastern Guilford) had three hits, walked twice and scored one run for
Burlington-Graham. John David Slade added a double for Post 63, which plays its
regular-season home finale tonight in a rematch with Western Forsyth (8-10,
4-8).

Burlington-Graham starter Cory McDaniel (Eastern Guilford) gave up one run on
one hit in five innings.

Post 63 has added additional pitchers, Cory McDaniel and Adam Smith from Eastern Guilford), to their roster/lineup for the stretch run…….

Sappelt finds formula for Post 63

from Jerome Richard / Burlington Times-News at www.thetimesnews.com:

GRAHAM — Electric Eddie.

Western Forsyth Post 522 would no doubt like to short circuit the guy who has
sparked Burlington-Graham Post 63 to back-to-back victories against the team
from the Winston-Salem area.

Eddie Sappelt has feasted on the big hit in the sixth inning in the last two
games against Western Forsyth, stroking a pivotal sixth-inning, two-run double
in Monday night’s 9-7 victory. A night earlier, his sixth-inning home run
jump-started the offense as Post 63 posted the victory.

“I don’t know,” Sappelt said after Monday’s victory, deflecting talk of his
success against Western Forsyth pitching. As for his double, he said
nonchalantly, “It was big, I guess.”

He was sure of one thing, though.

“The sixth inning is our inning,” he said. “That’s when we come back or extend a
lead. It’s something that just happens. I don’t know why.”
Burlington-Graham (10-9 overall, 9-7 Area III Northern Conference) exploded for
six runs in the sixth inning. That uprising came in response to Western
Forsyth’s three runs in top of the frame that gave the visitors a 5-2 advantage.
Jack Metcalf led off the bottom of the seventh for Burlington-Graham with a
walk. John Robertson singled and Dominique Snipes was hit by a pitch to load the
bases with one out. Sappelt stepped into the batter’s box and laced a double to
left field that plated Metcalf and Robertson.

“I was trying to go backside,” said the switch-hitting Sappelt, who was batting
left-handed.

Adam Gunn reached on an error that allowed Snipes to advance home to tie the
score at 5-5. Another error plated the go-ahead run before Logan Thornton and
Metcalf drove in runs for an 8-5 lead.

Until the sixth, the Post 63 offense had been rather stagnant, managing four
hits off Post 522 starter Brett Morgan.
Burlington-Graham Post 63 manager Johnny Slaughter said Sappelt’s double was
just the spark Post 63 needed after failing to capitalize on a bases-loaded
situation in the fourth and a two-on, one-out situation in the fifth.

“That was a big hit,” Slaughter said. “We needed a spark after failing to
capitalize, plus they scored three runs in the top of the inning.”
Western Forsyth manager Kevin McIntosh called the game ugly, especially in the
sixth inning.

“We led off the inning with a walk, hit their No. 9 batter, have two errors at
third base and give up a double. You can’t win games doing that,” he said. “Give
Burlington credit though, they hit the ball.”

Sappelt and Elliott Fowler were the only Post 63 players with multiple hits as
the victors slapped nine hits. Sappelt was 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and
scored twice. Fowler stroked a pair of singles. He came in relief in the seventh
inning and allowed two hits in two innings.

Gunn wasn’t too concerned about his club missing out on scoring opportunities in the fourth and fifth innings.

“I told John (Robertson) in the fourth or fifth inning that if we kept getting
runners on base that we would win the game,” said Gunn, who ranged from his
shortstop spot to far behind second base to track down and throw out Jon Holt
for the game’s final out.

It was one of several sterling defensive plays by Post 63, whose defense has
been stout in the last several games.

“We played solid in the field. An example is Adam Gunn’s play to end the game,”
Slaughter said. “We tracked down some balls in the outfield and made some good
plays in the infield. Our pitchers battled and didn’t give in.”

Burlington-Graham has won three games in a row and four of its last five. It has
outscored opponents 59-29 during the stretch. The lone loss was a 10-0
shellacking from Surry County.

“We are playing pretty solid baseball right now,” Slaughter said. “The guys have
hopefully accepted their roles. Hopefully, the Surry County game was a fluke.”