1913 North Carolina State League — Playoff Recap
Winston-Salem edges Bulls for inaugural NCSL title
Game 1: Durham 11, Winston-Salem 7 -- WP: Kenny Davis
Game 2: Winston-Salem 7, Durham 2 -- WP: Chris Lloyd
Game 3: Winston-Salem 5, Durham 4 -- WP: Caden Anderson
Winston-Salem continued its late-season surge into the playoffs, beating Durham in three games to claim the inaugural North Carolina State League championship.
The first two games went in opposite directions in more ways than who won. Winston outhit Durham 17-13 in a wild Game One but the two teams combined for only 10 hits in Game Two. Four different Twins had two-out RBIs to propel Winston to the Game Two triumph.
Durham scored first in the decisive Game Three contest, plating a run in the bottom of the first. Winston-Salem, though, pushed three runs across in the top of the third. Durham walked in a run during that frame and gave up four hits.
The Twins’ lead stretched to 5-1 in the top of the sixth. Two walks to start the inning were followed by an RBI single from 2B
Howard Knapp. Later in the inning, Durham walked in another run. Yikes.
The Bulls did try their best to rally, getting a run back in the seventh inning and two more in the bottom of the eighth. But Winston relief pitchers
River Reinhardt (great name, and he’s from Charlotte!) and
Juan Dieguez shut Durham down in the ninth. The last two batters swung at the first pitch. One flied out and one grounded out.
Winston players poured onto the Bulls’ home field to celebrate. Some felt that the Twins were a little too rowdy in their celebrations, and some of the Bulls’ players vowed retaliation next season for their opponents‘ lack of respect for the game.
(NOTE: I just looked this up: In real life, Winston-Salem edged Durham by half a game to top the 1913 NCSL standings … Raleigh was in third place … There were no playoffs, however … And the Hornets weren’t last!! They were fifth out of six)…
