Wayne Falters in Opener

Wayne County Post 11 pitcher Grant Sasser apologized to coach Brad Reaves for his poor performance in Wayne County's opening-round game against Caldwell County Post 29 at the American Legion state tournament at Garner High School Wednesday afternoon. But as Reaves said, it doesn't matter how many runs you give up if you can't put any on the board.

Caldwell broke open a close game with seven runs in the seventh and rolled to an 11-0 win to advance to a Thursday night meeting with Garner, a 6-3 winner over Randolph County. Wayne (23-5), which lost for the first time in the postseason, will face Randolph in the afternoon at 12:30 and again have to contend with the blistering heat. The loser is out of the eight-team double elimination event.

The shutout was the first for Wayne in 55 games. It was also the first time the team had lost by the ten-run rule to anyone outside Area I East since the rule was implemented in 1997. Wayne's three hits were the lowest of the season.

The game featured a match up of two UNC-bound pitchers in Wayne's Garrett Davis and Caldwell's Jimmy Messer. Davis left the game after five innings trailing 2-0 after having thrown 98 pitches. Messer was at 108 after six and likely was also not long for leaving.

But the decision for Caldwell coach Gary Hamby was made a lot easier in the seventh after Sasser, who is headed for N.C. State, took to the mound.

Sasser gave up a leadoff single to Jordan Nelson, but retired the next batter on a grounder. then his failure to close out came back to get him.

He got ahead of Shane Clawson 1-2 but walked him. Brad Chavis fell behind fell behind 1-2, fouled off two pitches, took a breaking pitch and then parked a fastball well into the trees in left.

Brad Craig singled to left on an 0-1 pitch,and Daniel Coffey doubled off an 0-2 curve to put runners on second and third. Zack Merrikein drove them in with a single down the third base line. Gordy Hendrix reached on an infield hit to finish Sasser, and Nelson ended the scoring with a double to left after being behind 0-2.

Caldwell added two more in the eighth on a two-run double by Coffey.

Wayne didn't lack for runners against Messer. In the first, Jackson Massey singled up the middle and stole second. Jay Rose was hit by a pitch with two out, but Messer got the next batter on a ground out.

In the third, a walk, an error and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with two out, but Messer again avoided the big inning with another ground out.

Wayne's biggest threat came in the fourth. Tyler4 Ham drew a lead off walk, and Conner Narron singled through the right side of the infield with one out. Massey followed a strikeout with a walk, but Messer got out of it with an inning-ending ground out.

Caldwell loaded the bases in the third against Davis on a single and two walks but he struck out Nelson to end the inning.

But he couldn't get out of the third unscathed. Josh Severt singled up the middle on the first pitch and scored when Clawson drove an 0-2 breaking pitch to center. He scored from third on a wild pitch.

Caldwell..AB..R..H..BI........Wayne..AB..R..H..BI
Severt rf..5..1..2..0..............Massey rf-cf..3..0..1..0
Clawson cf..3..3..1..1............Gourley ss..4..0..1..0
Chavis c..5..1..1..2................Wooten 1b..4..0..0..0
Craig 1b..2..2..2..0................Rose dh-p..2..0..0..0
Coffey 3b..5..1..2..2..............Pilkington 3b..4..0..0..0
Merrikan dh..4..1..3..2.........Ham c..2..0..0..0
Hendrix 2b..5..1..1..0...........Wright c..1..0..0..0
Shehan ss..4..0..0..0.............Lancaster cf..1..0..0..0
Nelson lf..4..1..2..2.................Davis cf..1...0..0..0
..................._______............Casey lf..0..0..0..0
....................37..1..14..9..........Narron 2b..3..0..1..0
.................................................Edgerton lf-rf..3..0..0..0
.................................................................______
...................................................................28..0..3..0

Caldwell 200..000..70 - 11..14..2
Wayne....000..000..00 - 0..3..1

E-Coffey, Craig, Narron. DP-Caldwell 1. LOB-Caldwell 9,
Wayne 9.

2B-Clawson, Coffey 2, Nelson. HR-Chavis. SB-Massey, Hendrix,
Clawson.

Caldwell....IP..H..R..ER..BB..SO
Messer (W)......6..3..0..0..3..7
...................1..0..0..0..0..0
...................1..0..0..0..1..0
Wayne
Davis (L)..........5..4..2..2..3..7
Sasser.........1 1/3..6..7..7..1..0
Bullard.............1..4..2..2..2..0
Rose...............2/3..0..0..0..0..1
WP-WP-Davis, Messer, Sasser. PB-Wright. Bk-Sasser.
HBP-JRose (by Messer.)