CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Appalachian League announced that Elizabethton’s Deric Graham and Pulaski’s Lucas Reed were named the season’s final Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Graham batted .583 (7-for-12) with a pair of home runs in four games this week to lead Elizabethton’s offensive attack. The catcher had a hit in each game he played in, picking up two multi-hit games for the River Riders. He started his week going 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday night’s win over the Road Warriors, before homering again in his next game and reaching base four times in a win over Johnson City. Graham drove in four runs and scored twice in the win. He picked up two more hits in Friday night’s game against Danville, going 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Graham, who plays collegiately at King University, wrapped up his week going 1-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch on Saturday against Danville. The Bristol, Tennessee, native posted a .667 OBP and drove in six runs on the week.
Reed tossed a complete game in Pulaski’s East Division-clinching win over Bluefield on Friday night, allowing just one run on two hits and striking out 16 batters. Reed was dominant from start to finish, striking out the side in the first inning and not allowing a hit until a leadoff single in the seventh inning. The right-hander, who pitched collegiately at Pasco-Hernando State College in 2021, struck out the side in three different innings in the win, walking just two. After allowing two batters to reach in the ninth inning, Reed retired the final batter on a lineout to secure Pulaski’s spot in Monday night’s Appy League Championship Game against Greeneville.
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