Clayton Rolls Past Wayne To Force Game Three

Box is here. Rowan defeated Randolph 9-6 in Asheboro in game three of the Area III final. Season totals are here.

If you're going to have a postseason debacle, now is the time for it.

On a night in which it could barely get out of its own way, Wayne County Post 11 suffered a defeat of historic proportions at the hands of Clayton Post 71 Wednesday night at Southern Wayne High School.

Clayton (19-9) drew 14 walks and combined those with 16 hits to rout Wayne 20-2 in the second game of their best-of-three Area I title series. The rubber match takes place tonight at Smithfield-Selma High School at 7.

It was the worst home defeat in the 43-year history of the program in addition to being the most lopsided playoff loss ever. The only game Wayne lost by a greater margin was a 22-1 defeat in Wilmington in 1968.

The only non-negative aspect of the evening for Wayne (23-6) is that both teams are headed for the American Legion state tournament in Gastonia next week and are playing for positioning. The winner takes on the loser of the Area III match up between Rowan County and Randolph County while the loser gets the other team.

Despite the result, Wayne coach Brad Reaves wasn't ready to proclaim an end to a surprisingly good season.

"You have nights like this. Everybody has them,” he pointed out. “Maybe we got it out now.We couldn’t get an out and we couldn’t throw a strike.”

Speaking of strikes, a quintet of Post 11 pitchers threw 89 of them. The problem was there were 92 balls for an astounding total of 181 in seven innings. Wayne starter Adron Hollowell was averaging three walks per game entering the night but issued five of them in less than three innings. He also gave up six hits. Taylor Allen walked four and allowed four hits in just one inning of work.

“I don’t think it was nerves,” said Reaves of the pitchers' performances. “I don’t think it was because it was a big game or anything. I don’t think it was all Adron. I think we lost focus as a team. Adron is one of the few two-way players we’ve got. The nights we call on in him to pitch, we need him to be locked into that pitching mode. I think he realizes that.”

Clayton leadoff batter Drew Alford, who homered twice in the first game, picked up where he left off with a round-tripper to start the game. Hollowell got out of a jam in the second only to run into a firestorm in the third as Clayton batted around and put up 10 runs.

Justin Diener started the inning by sending a 3-1 fastball over the center field fence. Hollowell added to his woes by walking home two runs before giving way to Jesse Randolph.

But in his short stint on the mound, Randolph fared no better. Diener against got hold of a 3-1 fastball to clear the bases with his second homer of the inning. He finished with seven RBI.

Clayton was far from finished. Allen walked four straight batters in the fifth to bring home a run, then allowed four consecutive RBI singles. That made it 17-2. Jeff Citero would double home two runs in the three-run sixth.

Post 71 starter Colin Parker went five innings, allowing two runs, three hits and two walks. In the fourth, John Wooten hit his eleventh home run to give him 11 for the season.