Post 11 Heads Into Area I East Title Series

Box is here. Season totals are here.

They kept banging on the door, but they couldn't break it down.

Pitt County Post 39 didn't have trouble getting base runners against Wayne County Post 11 reliever Jay Rose Saturday afternoon in their Area I East semifinal playoff game at Pitt Community College. The problem was getting them home. As a result, Pitt (16-9)is done for the season and Wayne (19-5) is headed to its twelfth league championship series in fifteen years.

Rose allowed one run over the last six innings and Nolan Lancaster had a two-run homer as Wayne rallied past its old nemesis 9-4 to take the series three games to one and move closer to a berth in the American Legion state tournament in Gastonia. Post 11 will face the winner of Saturday night's New Bern-Edenton game in a best-of-five beginning at home on Tuesday.

Pitt, which finished 16-9, had 13 base runners against Rose on five hits, five walks, a hit batter and two errors. But Rose never allowed anything more than a single and induced three of the four double plays Wayne turned.

Pitt trailed 2-1 before putting together a big third inning. Trey Styons singled to left off Wayne starter Jesse Randolph. Chase Hardee reached on an error to put runners on the corners, and Rose relieved Randolph. Daniel Boyd tied the score with a hit to left.

Tanner Merritt moved the runners on a bunt, and Patrick Roy was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Michael Spruill's grounder got by third baseman John Wooten to give Pitt a two-run lead. The situation didn't improve as Rose walked Ethan Powell after getting ahead 1-2 in the count. But Rose retired the next batter on a fly ball and escaped further damage by registering the only strikeout by either Post 11 hurler.

Lancaster and Adron Hollowell got Wayne off to a good start in the fifth with walks, and that spelled the end for Pitt starter Bobby Hannan. All hands were safe after reliever Aaron Roberson took too much time fielding Alex Casey's bunt down the third base line. Tyler Edwards drove a 1-2 fastball into center field to tie it.

Walker Gourley walked, and John Wooten gave Wayne the lead for good with a sacrifice fly to center. Edwards was caught stealing, and Roberson recorded a strikeout to end the inning.

Pitt's frustrations against Rose continued in the fifth as it stranded two runners. In the Wayne sixth, Cambric Moye reached on an infield hit. One out later, Lancaster's fourth home run of the season gave Wayne some breathing room.

Pitt would get runners in each of the next three innings, but each time Wayne would turn a double play to get Rose out of trouble.

Moye singled up the middle to start the Wayne eighth and advanced to second on a bunt. Lancaster singled him home. Lancaster swiped second and third, then scored on an ground out by Hollowell. Wayne loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but a double played ended the threat.

Wayne's first two runs came in the fourth. Gourley doubled over the head of the left field and stole third. Wooten singled to left to tie it, and Zach Wright hit the ball through the left side of the infield. After a double steal, Moye brought home a run with a ground out up the middle. Wright was out at the plate attempting to score on a fly ball.

Pitt had a 12-11 edge in hits and a 21-19 advantage in runners.