Wayne Surges Past New Bern

The beginning of Monday nights American Legion contest between New Bern Post 24 and Wayne County Post 11 at Mount Olive College was eerily similar to Wayne’s previous game six days earlier when visiting Snow Hill also struck for four runs in the first on its way to an 8-7 win.

But unlike in that game, the Wayne bats came to life a lot earlier, resulting in a 10-6 Area I East South Division victory. Wayne (2-1, 5-1) will travel to South Central High School Wednesday to face Pitt County Post 160.

Instead of rallying late and ending up just short of a comeback, the Post 11 offense got two of those runs back in the home half of the inning, and then went ahead for good with its own four-run inning in the second.

“One thing I was questioning this year was whether we were going to hit, so I was pleased with that,” said Reaves. Wayne had 15 hits, led by three apiece by Walker Gourley and Nolan Lancaster.

Wayne starter Sterling Grice was in trouble from the start as New Bern strung together four straight opening hits capped by a two-run double to left by Brett Williams. After a groundout, Sam Sanders drove in two more with a single to right. Grice appeared to be on his way to an early exit, but he settled down to get the last two batters.

Wayne took some of the pressure off Grice with two runs in the home half of the inning. Will Edgerton reached on an infield hit, and Gourly sent him to third with a single. Jackson Massey singled home a run, but Gourly was thrown out at the plate. Massey went to second on the play, stole third and scored on a wild pitch.

Grice recovered from the poor start to hold New Bern scoreless over the next three innings while allowing two runners. He walked the first two batters in the fifth, but reliever TJ Hinson got out of the jam with the aid of a pickoff throw to third to end the inning.

“Sterling is going to give us quality innings,” said Reaves. “He’s still learning to pitch at this level. He’s going to have to hit his spots and keep it down.”

After Grice settled down, in his next trip to the mound, the Post 11 offense gave him the lead. Tyler Ham got it going with a leadoff single. Consecutive hits by Thomas Pilkington and Nolan Lancaster loaded the bases. Dave Overman was hit by a pitch to force a run home. One out later, Gourley drove a breaking pitch to left center to clear the bases.

Wayne added two more in the third. Jay Rose walked and advanced on a single to shallow left by Tyler Ham. Both moved up on the play due to a fielding error. Thomas Pilkington drove in a run with a hit up the middle, and Ham came home on an infield hit by Lancaster.

Garrett Davis drove in a run in the sixth, and Wayne was in position for a big inning in the seventh after loading the bases with none out. The inning fizzled on a double play as Wayne could score only once.

New Bern threatened in the eighth against Taylor Bullard by loading the bases with two walks and an infield error. Davis extinguished the threat with a strikeout and set New Bern down in order in the ninth.


New Bern.........AB..R..H..BI.........Wayne........AB...R...H...BI
BDorman..dh...3...2...2...0.....................Edgerton..lf...4...1...1...0
Edwards..1b...4...1...1...1.......................Gourley..ss...5...1...3...3
Hardeman..3b2...1...0...0......................Massey..rf...4...1..2..1
Williams.cf...5..1...2...4...........................Davis..dh,p...5...0...2...1
Armstrong..rf...5..0..0...0......................Rose..1b...2...1...0...0
Sanders..2b...4...0...1...2........................Wooten..1b...1...0...0...0
O'Brien..c...2...0...0...0............................Ham..c...2...2...2...0
...................................................................Wright..c...1...1..0...0
Zehr..c...1...0...0.....................................Pilkington..3b...3...1...2...1
Harrington..lf...0...0...0...0....................Lancaster..cf...4...1...3...1
CDorman..ss...3...0...0...0......................Overman..2b...3...1...0...1
Leblanc..s...0...0...0...0............................................______________
.......................____________...............................34...10...15...8
33...6...7...6

New Bern...400...000...200-6...7...1
Wayne.........242...000...10X-10...15...1

E-Holloway, Overman. DP-NB 2. LOB-NB 8, WC 6.
2B-Williams, Gourley 2, Holloway. SB-Sanders, Massey, Edgerton, Wright.
CS-BDorman.

New Bern..........IP..H..R..ER..BB..SO
Delong (L)..........2 2/3..11..8..8..1..2
Gohn...................5 1/3..4..2..2..3..1
Wayne
Grice..................4..5..4..4..3..1
Hinson W(2.1)...2..0..0..0..0..1
Bullard..............1 2/3..2..2..2..4..2
Davis (S1)..........1 2/3..0..0..0..0..2
WP-Delong. HBP-Hardeman (by Grice), Overman (by Delong), Edgerton (by Delong).