Wayne Takes Game One Thriller

Wayne County Post 11 took a giant step toward earning a berth in the American Legion state tournament next month in Garner with 4-1 win over New Bern Post 24 Thursday night at Mount Olive College in the opening game of their Area I East best-of-five title series.

The win snapped New Bern's 13-game winning streak and extended Wayne's to six. Wayne (19-4) will send Grant Sasser to the mound tonight at home. Sasser took the loss in the last regular season game when New Bern (16-7) defeated Wayne 8-3 for the Area I East South Division crown. Game three is scheduled for New Bern Saturday afternoon at two.

The first half of the contest lacked a lot in the way of excitement, but the ending made up for it. The score was tied at one when Wayne broke out of its offensive doldrums with three runs in the eighth against New Bern ace Keith Spinner.

Jackson Massey, who leads Wayne in on-base percentage, drew a walk on a 3-2 fastball. He advanced to second on a wild pitch. Walker Gourley laid a bunt down the third base line, and the third baseman, who was trying to cover the bag against Massey, couldn't get to it in time.

Wayne now had a threat, and it was up to Garrett Davis to make good on it. He came through by nailing an 0-1 fastball to right centerfield for a double and the lead. John Wooten drove in the second run with a single to right.

Jay Rose hit into a run-scoring fielder's choice at second as New Bern chose to go for the double play. Tyler Ham walked, and that spelled the end for Spinner and his streak of five straight complete games. New Bern did get a twin killer on the next play.

So it was on to the ninth, and Hinson was looking for his second complete game of the season. The big right-hander entered the game with seven walks in 39 1/3 innings, but he had struggled with his control for much of the game and, in the final inning, it almost proved to be Wayne's undoing.

Hinson had thrown 133 pitches through eight innings. He walked leadoff batter Alan Edwards on a full count. David Cook worked the count full before taking a called fastball for the first out. A grounder to Hinson meant he was one out from the win.

But he couldn't get through the inning, walking Austin Zehr on four pitches and hitting Anthony Holloway to load the bases. It was Brandon Price's turn to close it out.

Price went 3-2 on Bobby Dorman. The New Bern leadoff hitter sent a shot to left, and Will Edgerton sprinted for it. He dove, made a backhanded stab and the game was over.

Hinson started the game by striking out the side in the first and retiring the side in order in the second. New Bern's Chris Dorman singled to start the third, but was erased at second on a bunt to Hinson. Holloway walked. Dorman's grounder was misplayed to load the bases, and Zehr scored when Wayne was unable to turn the double play.

Hinson again struck out the side in the fourth, fanned two of the three batters he faced in the fifth and got out of another jam in the sixth.

Two walks and a booted double play ball loaded the bases with one out to bring up cleanup hitter Matt Wiliams. He sent a 2-2 breaking pitch skying down the left field line, where it hit the fence just outside the foul pole. Hinson fanned him on a fastball, then got a grounder back to the mound to keep the deficit at one.

Wayne finally got to Skinner in the home half after he had struck out the first two batters. John Wooten singled to center, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a hit up the middle by Jay Rose.

There were 19 full counts as both pitchers ran up their pitch totals. Spinner threw 136. The Wayne pitching staff has allowed one earned run in the playoffs.

New Bern..AB..R..H..BI..........Wayne..AB..R..H..BI
BDorman cf..4..0..0..0.............Massey rf..2..1..0..0
Sanders 2b..2..0..0..1...............Gourley ss-2b..4..1..1..0
LeBlenc 2b..1..0..0..0...............Davis cf..4..1..1..1
Hardemen 3..0..0..0.................Wooten 3b..4..1..2..1
Williams rf..4..0..0..0...............Casey pr..0..0..0..0
Edwards 3..0..0..0....................Rose 1b..4..0..2..2
Cook dh ..3..0..0..0....................Ham c..3..0..2..0
CDorman ss..4..0..1..0...............Pilkington dh..4..0..0..0
Zehr c..3..1..1..0.........................Narron 2b-ss..2..0..1..0
Holloway lf..2..0..0..0................Edgerton lf..3..0..0..0
....................._______...................................._______
.....................29..1..2..1......................................30..4..9..4

New Bern...001...000...000 - 1...2...0
Wayne........000...001...03X - 4...9...3

E-Gourley 2, Narron. DP-New Bern 1, Wayne 1. LOB-New Bern 9,
Wayne 6.
2B-Narron, Davis. CS-Sanders, Rose 2, LeBlenc.

New Bern...IP..H..R..ER..BB..SO
Spinner (L) 7 1/3..9..4..4...4..6
O'Brien...........2/3..0..0..0..0..0
Wayne
Hinson (W) 8 2/3..2..1..0..7..13
Price (S)........1/3..0..0..0..0..0
WP-Spinner 2. HBP-Holloway (by Hinson).