EAST BEND - Caleb Brawley and the Falcons are clicking.
Forbush edged North Wilkes 13-7 last Tuesday night before demolishing West Wilkes 20-2 Friday night in Millers Creek.
The 20-run explosion set a new season high and marks the 11th time the Falcons have scored in double-digits this year.
Forbush scored 14 runs in the first two innings, including a nine-spot in the second, en route to a 20-1 advantage after four innings.
Brawley, a senior and the second-leading hitter in the Mountain Valley Conference at .615, led the offensive charge with a remarkable eight RBIs against the Blackhawks, including a grand slam. He racked up four hits and scored two runs.
The Falcons collected 13 hits with Wesley Walker, with Barrett Hennings and Ben Temple picking up a pair of base hits each. Walker and Hennings added two RBIs in the game, with Temple cranking a three-run shot.
Senior Josh Faircloth wasn’t as sharp in past starts, but still picked up his conference-leading seventh win of the year. Faircloth limited the ‘Hawks to two earned runs on five hits, while striking out four.
Before the slaughter of West Wilkes, the Falcons had to escape against a determined North Wilkes squad.
The Vikings capitalized on nine Forbush errors in the field and took the MVAC’s No. 2 team to extra innings.
With the game tied at 7-7 after seven full frames, the Falcons broke through with six runs in the eighth to finally put away the pesky Vikes.
Travis Holden struggled with control on the mound, issuing eight walks in six innings of work. The senior only allowed four hits, but gave up seven runs (three earned) and struck out six batters.
Faircloth entered in the seventh and picked up the ‘W’ with two innings of one-hit ball.
Offensively, the Falcons racked up 13 hits on the night, led by Walker’s three base hits. Brawley, Holden, Temple and Bryson Lee added two hits apiece.
With the two conference victories, Forbush improved to 11-1 in the MVAC and 13-3 on the season.
The Falcons return to the diamond with two games this week.
Forbush kicks things off with a trip to BB&T Ballpark in downtown Winston-Salem - home of the minor league Dash - against North Forsyth Wednesday night. The Vikings are 9-7 this season.
The Falcons then welcome rival Starmount to town in their second matchup of the year. The Rams were tripped up 13-1 less than a month ago in Boonville, but will be looking for revenge.
Reach Matthew Gorry at 835-1513 or mgorry@heartlandpublications.com.















