Douglas Goes the Distance As Wayne Wins Opener

Box is here. Wilmington has clinched a berth in the state tournament. Season stats are here.

Pitching-starved New Bern got what it needed from Gabe Brown in the opening game of the Area I East title series with Wayne County Thursday night at Mount Olive College. Brown provided an eight-inning performance that would have won many of the games his team played.

But not this one. Not with Michael Douglas getting the starting nod in the other dugout.

Douglas continued his hot streak on the mound by going the distance on a six-hitter as Wayne (20-5) inched closer to a berth in the state tournament in Gastonia with a 5-1 win. The series moves to New Bern High School tonight. Adron Hollowell is slated to start on the mound for Wayne.

In the Area I West series, Clayton Post 71 scored four runs in the bottom of the first and went on to defeat Durham Post 7 6-5.

Since the Durham outing in game 17, in which he gave up six runs, seven hits and two walks without a strikeout in 2 1/3 innings, Douglas has had three starts. The line: 21 2/3 innings, 16 hits, four runs, none earned with seven walks and 13 strikeouts.

"Michael Douglas did us a big favor tonight, keeping everybody fresh in our bullpen," said Wayne coach Brad Reaves, who hadn't planned to allow Douglas to go the distance. "He came in (the dugout) in the eighth under a hundred pitches and said he wanted to finish it. He's good for about 100-110. He doesn't hurt himself up there. He hits his spots and changes speeds. He wasn't laboring at all."

Brown allowed nine hits, walked two and hit two while striking out eight. "I thought he did a great job," Post 24 coach Gary Smith said. "He threw three different pitches for strikes and limited them to five runs. You can't ask for him to do much more than that."

New Bern's only run came in the seventh with Wayne holding a four-run lead, and it resulted from one of four Post 11 errors. After Douglas retired the first two batter, Bobby Dorman reached on a throwing error and Chris Dorman bunted safely down the third base line. Sam Sanders singled home a run, but Douglas retired the next batter on a ground. He got a double play in the eighth and set down the side in order in the ninth for his team-leading sixth win.

Wayne got Douglas all the support he would need in the fourth with a dose of "small ball," although it started with a bang. Brown got ahead of John Wooten 0-2, but Wooten drilled a 1-2 pitch over the head of the center fielder for a triple. One out later, Zach Wright was hit by a pitch.

Thomas Pilkington bunted down the first base line, and Wooten was called safe on a bang-bang play at the plate. Wright ended up at third. Nolan Lancaster's drag bunt toward line resulted in a hit and another run. Brown got another out on a liner to short, but Casey singled to center to make it 4-0.

Wayne's other run came in the eighth. Jay Rose doubled ove the head of the center fielder to start the inning. Wright followed with a hit to center. The throw from the catcher went to second, hitting Wright in the head, ricocheting into center field and allowing Rose to come home.

Reaves isn't expecting another complete game from Hollowell in the second game. "Adron throws more pitches than our other pitchers. If he can get us to the sixth inning, we'll be all right."

But while scoring enough to win, Wayne missed on several opportunities, leaving five runners on third and having three attempted steals go awry.

New Bern will use rising sophomore Grey Davis in its bid to bounce back.

"He is a younger guy in age only," Smith said. "He's pitched in high school playoff games and he pitched in the five-game series against Edenton. I am sure not going to use age as an excuse and I sure hope he doesn't. I expect him to come out and throw like he has been."