Providence, a perennial contender, beats Hopewell in Charlotte high school baseball showdown

It wasn’t a typical high school baseball game.

Well, it was, but Providence High’s one-of-a-kind venue, combined with a showdown boasting two of the best teams in the Charlotte area, may not have made it feel like it.

There’s an old-school wooden fence lining the outfield, and a half-wall of stone bricks separates the ballpark-style seats from the baseball diamond. The sun peaks in from the third-base side, before winds will swirl under the Friday night sky.

The Panthers knocked off Hopewell in a 9-4 victory on a brisk evening in the Queen City. A powerhouse that won state championships in 1995, 2015 and 2022, Providence handed the Titans their first conference loss in 10 outings this spring.

“That’s a playoff team that will advance,” Providence 21st-year manager Danny Hignight said of Hopewell. “For us to get a win here is pretty neat for tonight. I thought we played well, at times.

“It’s just a process. We want to be great in May, that’s always the goal here. It’s just a win. There’s more things on this card about what we did wrong tonight than what we did well tonight, so we’re just gonna try and get better tomorrow.”

Coming off its invincible 34-0 title run in which it set the state record for victories, the Panthers bowed out in the N.C. 4A quarterfinals with a tight loss to Northwest Guilford last May.

This year’s Providence (13-3) squad utilizes roughly 12 position players and six pitchers to get through a typical game. The balance has allowed more players — especially some freshmen and sophomores — to get meaningful action on the varsity field.

Breaking down the action

Senior Brady Thompson started on the mound and led off for the Panthers. He pitched five strong innings and drove in three of his offense’s nine runs.

Hopewell (13-4) leadoff man Cal Sigler greeted Thompson with a shot to deep left field, and Seth Harnett retreated to the warning track and made a remarkable catch to keep the ball in the park. The Titans’ offense continued hitting Thompson hard early and eventually opened the scoring on a wild pitch.

Providence first baseman Ben Baldassarre started the second inning with a missile to dead center field. The solo home run was a shot off his bat and easily cleared the deepest part of the ballpark.

The Panthers’ offense kept rolling. Harnett crushed an RBI double to center that drove in designated hitter Ben Baker, and then catcher Tyler Khanolkar plated second baseman Jackson Debe on a run-scoring groundout. The lineup eventually returned to its leadoff hitter in Thompson, and he hit a sacrifice fly that gave Providence a 4-1 lead.

Hopewell center fielder Tyler Howe pegged Thompson in the top of the third, hustling all the way to a triple. But Thompson limited the damage to just an RBI groundout from designated hitter Davis Turner, and Providence shortstop Xavier McCoury came around to score and extend the Panthers’ lead.

Thompson was relieved before the sixth by lefty Parker Jensen, who limited the Titans’ offense over the final two innings.

They said it

“Everyone’s doubted us as we lost the first two games. But we have come back and competed for the rest of the year. We’re keeping it rolling.” — Brady Thompson

What’s next?

Hopewell plays at Mallard Creek at noon Saturday, and Providence is at Lake Norman at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Friday’s contest had been originally scheduled for Thursday and had been postponed due to rain.