Post 11 One Win From State Tournament

Do you think Brandon DeLong has seen enough of Scarborough Field?

A day after losing the Area I East title series opener with its best pitcher, New Bern Post 24 desperately needed a solid effort from its starter in game two against Wayne County Post 11. Enter DeLong, who had been pounded in Wayne's 10-6 regular season win at Mount Olive College. In that meeting, DeLong didn't make it out of the third inning, yielding 11 hits and eight runs.

Second verse, same as the first.

A resurgent Wayne offense struck for seven runs in the fourth and rolled to a 12-2 win in seven innings to place New Bern, the Area I East South Division champ, on the brink of elimination. The teams will play in New Bern this afternoon at two as Post 24 will attempt to win three straight at home. Taylor Bullard will get the starting nod for Wayne (20-4).

DeLong retired the first two batters in the big inning and appeared to be on the verge of holding Post 11 to a 2-0 lead. But everything fell apart. Conner Narron, who has become an offensive contributor after a horrific start, lined a single to left, and Zack Wright reached on an infield hit.

Jackson Massey, who had three hits and four runs, singled through the left side of the infield for a run. He and Wright advanced on the throw home. Walker Gourley drove in both with a hit to left on the first pitch.

After Garrett Davis walked, John Wooten and Jay Rose singled home runs to mark the end of DeLong's stint on the mound. Nolan Lancaster followed a walk with a two-run single through the left side of the infield for a 9-0 lead.

That would be more than enough for Wayne starter Grant Sasser. The lefty had taken the loss when New Bern took advantage of shoddy play behind him to win the regular season title 8-3. The defense again had its problems with four errors, but Sasser was more than up to the occasion this time. New Bern's two runs came in the fifth on three hits, two of them bunts, and an error. Sasser threw 70 of his 96 pitches for strikes.

He went six innings, allowing four hits while striking out eight with one walk.

In the seventh, Narron walked and Wright's liner to right was misplayed for an error. Massey walked on a full count. One out later, Davis checked his swing, but the ball fell into left for a two-run single, and Wayne was one step closer to a trip to Garner.

New Bern...AB..R..H..BI............Wayne...AB..R..H..BI
BDorman cf..4..0..1..0.................Massey rf...3..4..3..1
LeBlanc 2b...3..0..0..0.................Gourley ss...4..1..2..3
Hardeman 3b...3..0..1..0.............Davis cf...4..1..2..4
Williams rf-p...3..0..0..0..............Wooten 3b...3..1..1..1
Edwards dh...2..0..0..0................Rose 1b...4..1..1..1
Spinner rf ...1..0..0..0...................Pilkington dh...3..0..0..0
Cook 1b...1..0..0..0.......................Lancaster lf...4..0..2..2
Varner 1b...0..0..0..0...................Narron 2b...2..2..1..0
CDorman ss...3..1..1..1..................Wright c...4..2..1..0
Zehr c...3..0..0..0............................................_________
Holloway lf...3..1..1..0.....................................32..12..13..12
.....................________
......................26..2..4..0

New Bern...000...020...0 - 2..4..3
Wayne.........101...710...2 - 12..13..4

E-Rose 2, Wooten Sasser, Zehr, Varner, Spinner. DP-Wayne 1.
LOB-NB 6, Wayne 8. 3B-Gourley. SB-Massey 2, Edwards, Lancaster,
Gourley, Davis. CS-Lancaster. S-Cook.

NB.............IP..H..R..ER..BB..SO
DeLong (L) 3 2/3..10..9..9..3..2
O'Brien........1/3..1..0..0..1..1
Williams.......2 1/3..2..3..2..3..2
Wayne
Sasser (W)..6..4..2..0..1..8
Grice............1..0..0..0.0..2
HBP-Varner (by Sasser.)