Wayne Stuns Rowan County

More to come.

It was the baseball equivalent of shock and awe.

Wayne County Post 11 batted around in two straight innings and handed Area III powerhouse Rowan County its worst loss of the season 19-1 Friday afternoon at the American Legion state tournament in Garner.

Wayne (25-5) will play Saturday evening at nine against Cherryville because the tournament setup was changed this year.

Five players had multiple-hit games as Post 11 tagged five pitchers for 17 hits. Grant Sasser, who lasted less than two innings and and allowed seven runs in the Wednesday loss to Caldwell County, showed why he's headed to NC State this fall. "Sasser was the Sasser of old," said Wayne coach Brad Reaves. "He knew the importance of his job and like all good players he stepped up."

The lefty allowed one hit in six innings, a dribbler down the third base line, and didn't issue a walk as he picked up his third win.

Jackson Massey set the tone for the offensive landslide when he walked to start the game. One pitch later, Walker Gourley sent a fastball over the centerfield fence. Rowanstarter Weston Church walked Garrett Davis, but got the next two batters.

Next up was Zack Wright and his .180 batting average. But the light-hitting catcher was to be a pleasant surprise this afternoon. He pulled an 0-2 curve into the left field corner for a run and the first of four hits.

Sasser was on top of his game from the first, retiring the first nine batters. And it was in the third that the Rowan team and its vocal contingent got the idea that it was not going to be their afternoon.

Weston hit Gourley, and he stole second. Davis reached on an infield hit, and Gourley scored on an error on John Wooten's grounder. After Wooten was picked off first, Jay Rose was safe on an error. Wright drove another breaking pitch down the third base line for an RBI double.

The runners held on a ground out, but Conner Narron singled to right to make it 7-0. He went to seond on an error on the throw home, stole third and scored on a poor throw. Alex Casey walked, and Massey homered to right to put Wayne ahead 10-0.

Plenty more was to come in the fourth.

Davis singled, Wooten doubled to center and Rose walked to load the bases. Again, Wright was clutch as he doubled home two runs. Thomas Pilkington sngled to left to make the score 14-0.

Narron walked, and with one out Massey pulled a breaking pitch down the first base line for two runs. Gourley singled off the right field fence to finish the scoring.

Wright, who ended with four hits and five RBI, had a run-scoring single in the two-run ninth.

Wayne..AB..R..H..BI........Rowan..AB..R..H..BI
Massey rf..5..3..2..4.........Roland 3..1..0..0
Gourley ss..4..2..2..3........Ridenhour cf..3..0..1..0
Davis cf..4..3..3..0.............Church p-2b..2..0..0..1
Lancaster cf..1..0..0..0.....Holmes 1b..1..0..0..0
Rose dh-p..4..2..1..0.........Britt ph..1..0..0..0
Wright c..5..3..4..5............Jarrett 2b-p..2..0..0..0
Pilkington 3b..5..1..1..2.....Hillard p..0..0..0..0
Narron 2b..2..2..1..2..........Brown p..0..0..0..0
Gurley 2b..2..0..0..0..........Shive ph..1.0..0..0
Casey lf..1..1..0..0..............Dobbins c..3..0..1..0
Edgerton lf..3..0..1..1.........Mock 3b..3..0..0..0
....................._______.......Kesler lf..2..0..0..0
...................41..19..17..17....Cranford rf..1..0..0..0
.............................................Young rf..0..0..0..0
...............................................................________
................................................................22..1..2..1

Wayne.....307...700...2 - 19..17..1
Rowan.....000...100...0 - 1....2...4

E-Jarrett 2, Dobbins 2, Gourley. LOB-Wayne 5, Rowan 3.
2B-Wright 3, Wooten 2. 3B-Massey. HR-Gourley, Massey.
SB-Gourley, Narron. SF-Church.

Wayne..IP..H..R..ER..BB..SO
Sasser (W) 6..1..0..0..0..7
Rose............1..1..0..0..0..2
Rowan
Church (L)..2 2/3..5..8..5..2..2
Jarrett.........1 2/3..1..2..2..1..1
Hillard............0..4..5..5..1..0
Brown.............1/3..3..2..2..1..1
Shive............3 2/3..4..2..2..0..5
Holmes (by Sasser), Cranford (by Sasser).