Hardee Dominates on Mound as Pitt Stays Alive

Box is here. New Bern-Edenton story is here. Season stats are here.

Chase Hardee won't ever be confused with former Pitt County Post 39 hurler and current UNC player Alex White. But that's okay. Just being himself was plenty good enough Thursday night at Mount Olive College.

Hardee spun a three-hit, complete-game masterpiece as the visitors stayed alive in the third game of the Area I East best-of-five series 5-1 to send the teams back to Pitt County Community College tonight. New Bern won against Edenton at Elizabeth City Northeastern High School 7-4 to take a 2-1 lead in that series.

The Wayne offense registered its worst run output of the season. Both are against Post 39, the other coming in the 9-2 regular season loss on the road.

Wayne coach Brad Reaves, whose team fell to 18-5, didn't expect that being on the verge of clinching meant his team could relax. "I thought it was going to be a good series because they have a good team. I didn't think we were going to walk right over them."

Reaves also praised Hardee's performance."We hit that guy's pitch all night long. Every time he wanted us to hit it, we hit it right where he wanted us to hit it. He was in complete control."

"Then we had him deep in the pitch count - I don't know what his pitch count was - and then we go up there in the seventh inning and swing at two first pitches. We were hoping we could get him out but it just doesn't happen. The boy was good tonight."

The turning point Reaves referred to may have come two innings earlier. Hardee had thrown 69 pitches in four innings. Then in the fifth, he fell behind 1-0 to all three batters he faced, including 3-1 to Ron Casey, yet needed only nine pitches to get back to the dugout. He threw 49 pitches over the final five innings. "He threw his but off," said Reaves. "He wasn't ready to go home. I don't think we had the greatest approaches at the plate, but he threw it where he was looking, and when you throw it where you're looking you usually win.'

Wayne starter Taylor Allen was good enough enough to win on most nights, going seven innings and allowing five hits and three walks.

Allen didn't enounter much trouble in the first five innings as he nursed a precarious one-run lead. It came in the second. Zach Wright drew a leadoff walk, stole second and third and scored on a Adron Hollowell's ground out. Wayne had only four runners in scoring position for the game.

Pitt finally broke through in the sixth. Clark Massey tripled to center, and Andrew Cain drilled a 2-2 breaking pitch to center to tie it. He advanced on a ground out and scored on Daniel Boyd's hit to center.

That would turn out to be enough for Hardee, but Post 39 was not finished. An inning later, Tanner Merrit, doubled with one out and Michael Spruill walked. Massey was hit by a pitch with one out to load the bases, and Merritt scored on a passed ball.

Massey effectively slammed the door on a comeback when he belted a two-out, 1-0 fastball from reliever John Wooten well over the left field fence with Spruill aboard.

"There was no intensity," said Reaves. "I don't think we came out with the fire in our bellies to put them away and be done with it."