Wayne Clinches Playoff Spot

Wayne County Post 11 officially clinched a spot in the Area I East playoffs and in the process eliminated Kinston Post 43 with a 4-1 win at Mount Olive College Tuesday night. The win was the team's fifth straight and kept it at least tied for the top of the South Division standings with New Bern.

Wayne (6-2, 12-2) will play road games against Post 160 and New Bern next week before opening the playoffs on July 16.

As has often been the case this season, T. J. Hinson gave Wayne a solid performance on the mound. The right-hander went seven innings, allowed six hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out seven. He improved his record to 4-1 while dropping his ERA below two.

The offense clicked just enough to give Hinson the support he needed. Shortstop Walker Gourley had a big game with four hits and contributed another superb game defensively.

Wayne got on board first after Thomas Pilkington doubled and came around on a fly ball and Chad Gurley's grounder. Kinston tied it in the fourth before Wayne got a good break in the home half of the inning. The centerfielder misjudged Gurley's popup to shallow center, and it fell in for a double to score Pilkington from second.

HInson then got some insurance runs in the fifth. Massey reached on a leadoff single in the infield, and Gourley lined a single to left. after a grounder advanced the runners, John Wooten drove the first pitch up the middle to score both runners and give him a team-leading 19 RBI for the season.

Kinston's last threat came in the eighth against reliever Brandon Price. Pinch hitter CC Croom was safe on an error, and Andrew Manning singled with two out. Price ended the threat with a strikeout.

Garrett Davis pitched the ninth and struck out two, giving him 17 in less than nine innings.

Kinston..AB..R..H..BI....................Wayne..AB..R..H..BI
Sutton dh..3..0..1..1.........................Massey rf..4..1..1..0
Killette rf..1..0..0..0.........................Gourley ss..4..1..4..0
Dudding cf..3..0..0..0.......................Davis cf-p..4..0..0..0
Croom 1..0..0..0...............................Wooten 1b..3..0..1..2
Rouse 3b-ss..4..0..0..0....................Rose dh..3..0..0..0
Whitfield lf..3..0..0..0.......................Lancaster cf..1..0..1..0
Manning lf..1..0..1..0........................Wright c 4..0..0..0
Wetherington rf..3..1..2..0...............Gurley 2b..4..0..1..2
Ginn rf-3b 1..0..0..0.........................Edgerton lf..3..0..0..0
Smith 3..0..2..0................................................._________
Jones 3..0..1..1...................................................34..4..10..4
Bass 1b.. 1..0..0..0
Williams ss-p..4..0..1..0
Spence 2b..4..0..0..0
....................________
.....................35..1..8..1

Kinston..000...100...000-1..8..1
Wayne....010...120...00X-4..10..1

E-Spence, Wooten. DP-Kinston 1. LOB-Kinston 8, Wayne 7.
2B-Plkington, Gurley, Weatherington. SB-Pilkington, Wooten. S-Smith.

...........IP..H..R..ER..BB..SO
Kinston
Pope..7..9..4..4..1..2
Williams..1..1..0..0..0..1
Wayne
Hinson (W)7..6..1..1..0..7
Price..1..1..0..0..0..1
Davis..1..1..0..0..0..2
WP-Hinson, Williams.