By Brian Pitts

Business Registration

A look back at Davie sports 30 years ago…

The 1994 Davie baseball team won seven straight to clinch first place in the Central Piedmont Conference.

In an 8-3 win over North Davidson, the sixth inning began with a double by Neil Cornatzer and a walk by Brack Beal. The next man up was Brock Keene, who turned a 4-3 lead into a 7-3 lead with a single. He hit a single to center field, the outfielder fell, and Keene hit an inside-the-park home run, completing a 3-for-4 day and also improving his pitching record to 5-1. It was sweet revenge for the earlier 12-0 loss to the Black Knights.

In a 6-3 win over Reynolds, Davie scored all of his runs in the first inning. The big hit was a three-run triple by Matt Sain, who barely missed a grand slam. That was enough support for Beal, who had 11 strikeouts.

Davie’s streak ended when Mt. Tabor came to Rich Park. Jack Fowler hit his third home run in a week as the War Eagles took a 5-1 lead. They led 7-3 after the fifth inning, but Tabor struck out eight in the sixth inning, beating Davie 11-9 and dropping the War Eagles into a three-way tie for first place with North Davidson and Tabor.

The Davie girls’ soccer team pulled off a hard-fought 2-1 overtime victory over North Davidson. With the score tied at 1-1, coach Pete Gustafson called Melissa Wooldridge off the bench, and the move paid off immediately. Ten seconds later, Wooldridge scored the winning goal. Melanie Stephens headed a cross toward the goal and Wooldridge headed past the keeper to score in the 99th minute. “The crowd went crazy,” Gustafson said. Earlier, Carrie Brown gave Davie a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute off a Cara Hansen throw-in. North tied the game three minutes later. The teams would battle for 100 minutes.

Matt Marion ended Pfeiffer’s baseball career in 1994 by stringing together a 16-game hitting streak and committing an error at first base. Despite suffering a broken wrist late in the 1994 season, he batted . 322 in Carolinas Conference play and finished with a career average of . 301.

Davie’s golf team had a great record at the match played at Hickory Hill Country Club. Freshmen Sean Boyd and Chris Tomel had scores of 36, while seniors Jason Tutterow and Jackson Hendricks had scores of 37.

As expected, Davie track star Hamilton Cuthrell won the CPC titles in the 100 and 200 meters, earning the league’s most valuable award for the second time. On the girls’ side, junior Maria Newsome won the shot put (33-0) and discus (102-11).

At the CPC Tournament of Golf at Hickory Hill, Davie finished second, two strokes behind Mt. Tabor behind Boyd’s 76, Hendricks’ 79, Tomel’s 80 and Chris Bigenho’s 85. In the individual race, Boyd finished second, just two strokes behind Fred Corriher of South Rowan.

The Davie girls’ soccer team defeated South Rowan 6-0 to advance to the state playoffs for the first time. Melissa Agrillo scored three goals, while Brown, Wooldridge and Shannon Umberger each scored one goal. Davie, which finished fourth in the CPC, advanced to the playoffs in its fourth year of existence.

The Midwest Regional Tournament for Golf was held at Oak Hills Country Club, and not only did the qualifiers advance to the state tournament, but the top four players also advanced to the state tournament. Davie’s standout freshman Boyd forced a playoff for the final spot by making birdie on the final hole, which he did to complete a round of 76. Boyd and two others returned to the first hole for a playoff. “It looked like a little version of the British Open,” coach Randall Ward said, referring to the crowd following the three golfers. Boyd was 110 yards from the green after his shot. He hit a sand wedge to within eight feet and birdied to tie for fourth place. Davie’s other golfers in the competition were Hendricks (83), Tomel (89), Tutterow (93) and Bigenho (93).

In track at the Midwest Regional, Cuthrell finished second in the 100 and 200 and was a member of the 400 relay team that finished second. James Clement (third in the long jump with a time of 21-9.5), Cam Kofke (fourth in the pole vault with a time of 11-0) and Chad Alexander (third in the 300 hurdles with a time of 41 seconds) also qualified for state by placing in the top four.

After struggling in 1992 and 1993, the South Davie baseball team made a run to the 1994 conference championship. “We went from worst to first,” Coach Grimes Parker said. “It’s been a pleasure to coach the type of kids I have.”

In the semifinals, the third-seeded Tigers beat No. 2 Kannapolis 2-0 behind a spectacular inning by Scott Carter. But with the score tied at 0-0 in the top of the fourth, Clark Williams stole the show as a pinch-hitter. Chuck Phelps’ single and Aaron Elwood’s double set the table for Williams, who came off the bench and hit a double over the fence.

In the championship game, the Tigers exploded for 12 first-inning runs, held off Corriher-Lipe 16–12, and poured the water cooler on Parker. Carter got the win, his eighth of the season, and Williams (. 500) and Brian Campbell (. 452) finished with the highest batting averages as South completed a 12–2 season.

The West Forsyth softball team beat Davie twice during the regular season, but the War Eagles were smiling from ear to ear after Davie beat West 11-8 in the CPC Tournament semifinals at North Davidson. West took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but Davie held on for a commanding 10-3 lead. Janis Barney hit two home runs; Jonette Williard went 3 for 4; and Jenny Stewart, Tami Ramsey and Elizabeth Greene each had two hits. “The only green I love is money,” coach Darrell Steele said.

At the state tournament at Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, Boyd tied for 12th place. He was tied for seventh with a 73 the first day. He shot a 78 the next day. “We’re talking about a young guy who won’t be 15 until July,” Ward said. “He was definitely the youngest player in the tournament.”

Man, what a runner Cuthrell was. At the state meet in Chapel Hill, the senior finished second in the 100 meters with a time of 10.91 and seventh in the 200 meters. “She’s the hardest-working athlete I’ve ever had in any sport,” coach Cary Powers said. On the girls’ side, junior Christina Cassidy finished fourth in the discus with a time of 106-7. She was one of only three CPC qualifiers.

The Davie football team’s season-opening 28-8 win at West Rowan was a testament to the brilliant pass defense of a secondary consisting of Josh Ward, Deryl Wilson, Mark Mason and Sain, which held West quarterback Tim Hogue to 10 of 40 passing yards. Cornatzer threw touchdown passes of 20 and 46 yards to Wilson and Ward, respectively, and Jonathan Vaughters rushed for 93 yards on 12 carries.