Wayne Claims Another League Postseason Title

New Bern - After saying earlier this week that Wayne County Post 11 "carries themselves like the New York Yankees," New Bern Post 24 player Sam Sanders got a taste of a younger version of the Bronx Bombers Saturday afternoon at Boykin Field.

John Wooten, Nolan Lancaster and Garrett Davis homered as part of a 15-hit attack as Wayne claimed its seventh Area I East title in 14 years with a 15-8 win to put itself in the American Legion state tournament August 7 in Garner.

Wayne (21-4) will take on the winner of the Area I West series between Garner and Durham in a best-of-three starting Wednesday at a site to be determined. Both teams in the area final will be in the state event, so the series is about placement in the eight-team field.

The state tournament format began in 2000. Wayne appeared in the event in the first year as well as 2002 and 2004.

Wayne struggled offensively in the first two rounds of the playoffs, relying on the stellar work of its pitching staff. But the bats came alive against New Bern, as Wayne batted .359 with 11 extra base hits.

Wooten set the tone early as Wayne grabbed the first-inning lead and never looked back. Walker Gourly singled with one out, and Davis walked. Wooten drove the second pitch to left and hit the light pole to give Wayne a lead it wouldn't give up.

After New Bern answered with a run in the bottom of the inning, Wayne added three more. conner Narron had a leadoff double to left centerfield, and Jackson Massey walked. Walker Gourley tripled to centerand came home on a fly ball by Davis.

Wayne starter Taylor Bullard breezed through the next two innings before giving up two runs in the fourth to make it 6-3. Lancaster's solo home run in the fourth and a run-scoring single by Tyler Ham in the fifth put Wayne ahead 8-3. Bullard retired the first two batters in the home half before Post 24 scored two unearned runs on two errors and a passed ball.

Massey started thej Wayne sixth with a single. One out later, Davis sent a shot down the right field line, and it curved around the foul pole to put his team ahead 10-5.

But New Bern kept coming as Chris Dorman and Austin Zehr singled to begin the last of the sixth. That spelled the end for Bullard and brought on Sterling Grice. He rose to the challenge by getting a fly ball and an inning-ending double play.

But he couldn't keep it going. Matt Hardeman drew a leadoff walk in the seventh before Grice retired the next batter on a fly ball. Grice got a grounder off the bat of Alan Edwards, but the ball went between the legs of Narron at second to spoil a potential double play. Sanders walked to load the bases, and a run came home on a wild pitch. Chris Dorman lined a two-run single down the third base line to make it 10-8.

Grice gave way to Brandon Price, and the veteran right-hander was just what Post 11 needed. He got the next two batters on a fly ball and a strikeout to preserve the lead.

While New Bern was scoring, it couldn't put the brakes on the Wayne bats as Post 11 responded with a back-breaking five-run eighth. Davis doubled, Wooten was hit by a pitch and Jay Rose lined a two-run double down the first base line. He scored after the ball was thrown away on Thomas Pilkington's infield hit. Massey finished the scoring with a two-out, two-run single.

Price gave up a leadoff double and a walk to start the New Bern eighth, but first baseman Wooten started a double play to kill the rally.

Wayne..AB..R..H..BI...........New Bern..AB..R..H..BI
Massey rf..5..2..2..2............BDorman..3..1..2..0
Gourley 2b..6..2..2..2..........LeBlanc..4..0..0..0
Davis cf..4..3..2..3................Hardeman 3b..3..2..1..0
Wooten 1b..5..2..2..3...........Williams rf..5..1..0..1
Rose dh..5..2..2..2................Edwards 1b-p..4..2..1..0
Pilkington 3b..4..1..1..1........Sanders dh..2..2..1..1
Ham c..5..0..1..0...................Varner 1b..0..0..0..0
Narron 2b..3..1..1..0.............CDorman..5..0..2..2
Gurley 2b..1..1..1..0..............Zehr c..5..0..1..1
Lancaster lf..3..1..1..1............Holloman lf..3..0..0..0
Casey lf..0..0..0..0.................Cook lf..1..0..0..0
.................________............................________
.................41..15..15..14..........................35..8..9..5

Wayne.........330...112...050 - 15...15...3
New Bern....100...220...300 - 8...9...2

E-Massey, Pilkington, Nobles, Narron, CDorman. DP-Wayne 2,
NB 1. LOB-Wayne 8, NB 9.
2B-BDorman 2Narron Davis, Rose.
3B-Gourley
HR-Wooten, Lancaster, Davis.
SB-Williams, Edwards.
SF-Davis

Wayne...IP..H..R..ER..BB..SO
Bullard W(3-0) 5..7..5..3..3..3
Grice....1 1/3..1..3..1..3..0
Price.....2 2/3..1..0..0..2..1
NB
O'Brien (L)...2..4..6..6..2..1
Nobles...5 1/3..8..7..7..2..5
Edwards..1 2/3..3..2..2..1..2

WP-Bullard, Grice.
PB-Zehr, Ham.
HBP-Sanders (by Bullard), Narron (by Nobles), Lancaster (by Nobles),
Wooten (by Nobles).