Furies Baseball Heads for Semifinals (5/13)
The Furies traveled to Providence Day School for the second round of the NCISAA 3A State Tournament, hoping for a victory that would earn them a spot in the semifinals. Brad Kniejski got the start on the mound for Forsyth and gave his team just what it needed. Kniejski gave up five runs through 3 2/3 innings, going far enough in to the game to allow teammate Michael Deluca to come in from right field to finish the game out. DeLuca pitched the final 3 1/3 innings, surrendering just one run on three hits and also recording six strikeouts. The Furies got out to an early lead in the first, scoring two runs but Providence came back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to tie the score. Forsyth then threw two more runs on the board in the third inning and took a 4-2 lead into the fourth. Kniejski got in some trouble on the mound in the fourth inning when Providence scored three runs and took a 5-4 lead. DeLuca came in to pitch in that inning with two outs and the bases loaded and he was able to shut Providence down to stop the bleeding. The Furies had two runners get on base to start the fifth inning and then Robert DeLuca blasted a three-run homerun off the scoreboard giving Forsyth a 7-5 lead, one they would never relinquish. The Furies did load the bases in the sixth inning with one out but, after the team added one insurance run making the score 8-5, Chris Munnelly grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Chargers would add one more run of their own in the bottom of the sixth and they did have the potential tying run at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. DeLuca struck out two PDS batters however and then induced their leadoff hitter to fly out to center for the final out of the game, sending the Furies on to Cary for the state semi-finals. They will play the tournaments #2 seed, Charlotte Christian, at 4:00 p.m. Leading hitters for the Furies against Providence Day were Robert Deluca who had a homerun and three runs batted in and Munnelly who finished 1-3 with two runs batted in.
Furies Baseball Takes First Round of NCISAA Playoffs (5/10)
What a finish! Robert DeLuca hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh to score Brandon Goodson and lift Forsyth to a 5-4 come from behind win in the first round of the NCISAA 3A state playoffs. The Furies trailed 3-0 in the fourth but scored one run in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to tie the score. Down 3-2 in the sixth Robert DeLuca hit a towering homerun to left to tie the score at three. Christ School came back to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh off of Fury reliever Chris Munnelly but FCDS would not be denied. After a lead off ground-out, Seth Constable came to the plate facing the Greenies ace who had not lost a game all year and the fireworks began. Constable hit his first career homerun to tie the score at four. Brandon Goodson was then hit by a pitch and Michael DeLuca doubled down the right field line, moving Goodson to third. Munnelly was then walked intentionally, bringing Robert DeLuca to the plate for another key at bat. He drove a ball to shallow center field, just deep enough to score Goodson and the Furies grabbed the 5-4 win. Munnelly picked up the win on the mound and went 1-3 at the plate. Michael DeLuca was 2-4, Andrew key was 1-3, Robert DeLuca was 1-3, and Constable was 2-4. The Furies return to action again when they play in the state quarterfinals on Tuesday at Providence Day School in Charlotte.
Wesleyan Takes Furies Baseball (5/5)
The FCDS varsity baseball team lost a heartbreaker tonight at Ernie Shore Field versus top Wesleyan Christian. The top ranked Trojans came into the game with a 17-2 record but they ran into a focused Fury ace, Chris Munnelly, and got all they wanted. Munnelly went the distance for the Furies and came up just short of the team’s biggest victory of the season. The Furies took a 5-4 lead into the top of the seventh and looked like they were going to close it out with two outs and a runner on first base. The Cougars loaded the bases however with those same two outs and then hit a grand slam to seal the victory 8-5. Munnelly gave up just five, struck out nine Wesleyan batters, and was 2-3 with one RBI and two runs scored at the plate. Robert Deluca was 2-3 and 2 RBIs, Vince Rogers was 1-1 with two sacrifices, and Dan Marks was 1-3 with one RBI. The Furies will return to action in the state playoffs with the game date and time to be determined by the team’s seed.
Furies Baseball Takes Greensboro Day (4/29)
The Fury baseball team picked up another big victory Tuesday, beating Greensboro Day by a score of 8-0. The FCDS “DeLuca Brother Battery” of Michael and Robert did a great job controlling the game. Pitcher Michael recorded nine strikeouts, while giving up zero runs, four hits and no walks. Catcher Robert played a strong defensive game as well, the highlight of which was a caught stealing at second base of a would be Bengal base stealer. Vince Rogers was another defensive star for the Furies, playing an excellent game in a rare appearance at first base The entire team had a great game offensively with every starting player that batted getting at least one hit. Michael DeLuca led the way going 2-4 with 2 doubles while teammate Dan Marks went 2-3. The team scored eight runs on eleven hits in total.
Furies Baseball Takes Hickory Grove (4/19)
Forsyth hosted Hickory Grove Saturday and the Fury bats came back to life. After losing two to Reagan, where Forsyth could get nothing going at the plate, their bats were hot. Garrett Royster started on the mound, throwing the first two innings, giving up 5 runs, only two of them earned. Forsyth started the first with 5, runs hitting through their order and added 4 more runs in the second. Three of the runs were knocked in by Robert Delucas' second homerun of the year to left field. Michael Deluca was 3 for 5 and 2 stolen bases, Brandon Goodson was 4 for 5 with a double and triple, Vince Rogers went 4 for 5 with 4 rbi's, and Chris Munnelly went 3 for 5. It was a great offensive day for the Furies with 9 different players getting hits and hitting through the order the first four innings. Munnelly came out of the bullpen in the third to pitch the rest of the way recording seven strikeouts in three innings worked to record the win. The final was 18-8. Forsyth returns to action Tuesday at home against Southlake Christian.
Furies Baseball Takes Greensboro Day (4/16)
Forsyth played on the road at Greensboro Day and continued their hot streak. Brad Kniejski (4-1) started on the mound for the Furies and threw another complete game. He ended the day surrendering two runs, one earned, and striking out three. Forsyth wore down Greensboro’s pitching with 11 hits, 9 walks, and 6 stolen bases. Robert Deluca hit a shot off the left field wall, scoring two runs, and Brandon Goodson and Michael Deluca both finished with a pair of hits. John Hewell entered the game in the first for an injured Seth Constable and played a solid game at third. The game was called at the end of 5 innings with the score 13-2 due to the 10 run rule. The Furies return to action on Thursday night for a double header at Reagan. The first game will start at 5:00. Chris Munnelly will start that game and Michael Deluca will start in the second game.
Furies Baseball Zips Covenant School (4/12)
Forsyth finished out the weekend with a late afternoon game against Covenant School. Garrett Royster took the hill for Forsyth and the pitching continued to dominate. This was the fourth straight complete game thrown by the Fury pitching staff. Royster finished the day giving up no runs on three hits and dropping his E.R.A. to 0.70 on the season. Robert Deluca was strong at the plate going 2-4 with 4 RBI's and Brandon Goodson also had a pair of hits, one of them a double. The Furies started out slowly on offense but broke things open in the fourth inning. The team’s scoring was capped off with a James Strickland drive to left scoring Andrew Smith from third. The final score was 11-0 bringing the Fury record to 8-3. The varsity baseball team returns to action Wednesday at Greensboro Day.
Furies Baseball Over First Assembly (4/12)
Forsyth started play early Saturday morning against visiting First Assembly and pitching continued to dominate. Brad Kniejski worked a complete game surrendering only 2 hits with 8 strikeouts to help the Furies to an 11-1 win. Brandon Goodson continued his hitting streak going 2-3 with 3 RBI's. Vince Rogers and Andrew Key also were 2-3 on the day. The Furies jumped out to an early lead and never looked back on a game shortened by the “ten run rule.” The win moves their record to 7-3.
Furies Baseball Takes Cannon (4/11)
Forsyth hosted Cannon School on Friday trying to rebound from their loss to Ravenscroft and Michael Deluca brought the pitching with him. Deluca (3-0) went the distance giving up only one hit and one earned run to help the Furies to a 9-3 win. Deluca was hot at the plate with a double and homerun, knocking in four runs. Brandon Goodson also had a pair of hits and Chris Munnely had a homerun to cap off the day. The win takes the Fury record to 6-3.
Ravenscroft over Furies Baseball (4/8)
The Forsyth varsity baseball team lost a tough one at Ravenscroft last night in Raleigh. Coming off a two week layoff the Furies jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first off a Chris Munnelly shot up the middle. Munnelly started on the mound and gave up a run in the first to tie the score. The Furies put another run on the board in the third when Brandon Goodson scored on another Munnelly hit. The inning looked promising but Michael Deluca was tagged out at the plate on an aggressive play by the senior. Ravenscroft came back to tie the score at 2-2 but the Furies could not get anything going. Munnelly gave up the game winning hit in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. He finished the night with 9 strikeouts. This brings the Furies' record to 5-3. The Furies will be back in action this Friday at 5:00 at home against Cannon School. They finish out the week with two games Saturday. Game times are slotted for 11 and 4 both at Forsyth.
Furies Baseball Takes Charlotte Latin (3/11)
The varsity baseball team traveled to Charlotte Latin for its second NCISAA game of the season and the team earned a key 12-1 win over the Hawks. The Furies scored 6 runs in the first inning and those runs would prove to be more than enough to back the pitching of Fury starting pitcher Chris Munnelly. Munnelly found his groove early and kept the Charlotte off balance at the plate all afternoon. He finished the day with eight strikeouts and needed just 83 pitches to win the game, which was shortened due to the ten run rule. The Hawks managed only three hits but were robbed of what would have been their fourth when Dan Marks made a diving catch in right field, capping a great defensive effort by the entire Fury team. Leading hitters for FCDS were Brandon Goodson (2-4, 3 RBIs), Seth Constable (2-5, 3 RBIs), and Chris Munnelly (2-4, 3 RBIs, 2 2Bs).
The Furies return to action this Friday and Saturday in the first Forsyth Baseball Showcase at Ernie Shore Field. The Furies will host South Caldwell Friday at 7:30 and Riverdale on Saturday at 4.
