Heartbreak at Stoner-White: Whirlies Strand 10 in 3-2 Playoff Loss to Ballantyne Ridge
from Mike Fanning for GreensboroSports.com
For the Whirlies, it might be time to rename Stoner-White ball field to Heartbreak Hotel.
Despite out hitting the Wolves and a historic career milestone for Levi Ponder, the Whirlies’ season came to a tough end in a 3-2 heartbreaker. For Grimsley, the defining storyline of the evening was a frustrating one: missed opportunities.
The Wolves drew blood first in a chaotic top of the first inning. Whirlies starter Levi Ponder appeared to have the third out secured, but Ballantyne’s Grady Sabin reached first on a dropped third strike. Sabin then capitalized on two wild pitches to advance to third. Moments later, Jace Shuler slapped an RBI single to give the Wolves a 1-0 lead before being thrown out attempting to stretch it into a double.
Grimsley immediately answered in the bottom half of the inning, sparked by their ace. With one out, Ponder laced a single—a massive milestone marking the 100th hit of his high school career. Ponder quickly stole second and came around to score on a ringing double by Gabe Doolen, knotting the game at 1-1.
After the exciting first inning, the bats fell quiet, largely due to the Wolves’ uncanny ability to work out of high-pressure jams. Grimsley consistently threatened but couldn’t deliver the decisive blow, stranding two runners in the second, two in the third, and two more in the fourth.
Ballantyne Ridge’s defense provided the highlight reel necessary to keep the Whirlies at bay. In the bottom of the third, Wolves third baseman Liam Gordon executed a spectacular, big-league pick and throw from behind the third-base bag to end the inning and leave two Whirlies on base.
The deadlock was finally broken in the top of the fifth. Ponder issued a leadoff walk to Brady Richardson, who eventually came around to score, giving the Wolves a 2-1 edge.
Showing their resilience, Grimsley answered right back in the bottom of the frame. Patrick Whitehead delivered a clutch RBI single to tie the game at 2-2. However, Jace Shuler—who had shifted to third base for the Wolves—mimicked Gordon’s earlier defensive magic, making a bang-bang play to end the fifth and strand yet another Grimsley runner. Shuler was brilliant on the mound as well, earning the win after tossing 4 ? innings, allowing just two runs on six hits.
In the top of the sixth, a leadoff walk proved costly for Grimsley once again. Ponder walked Alex Whitman, who later tagged and scored on a sacrifice fly by Liam Gordon. That run gave the Wolves a 3-2 advantage they would not relinquish.
The Whirlies did not go quietly in the bottom of the seventh. With the season on the line, Grimsley put two men on with two outs. Patrick Whitehead lifted a pop-up into shallow right field, but the Ballantyne Ridge second baseman tracked it down to record the final out, setting off a wild celebration for the visiting Wolves.
Despite the tough loss, Ponder was electric on the mound, racking up 8 strikeouts in his 4 ? innings of recorded work while anchoring the Whirlies’ lineup. He was also 2 for 4 at the plate with a run scored. Gabe Doolen reached base three times and had an RBI double. Adam Taces also reached three times and recorded 2 hits. The Whirlies season finishes at 21-6.