Post 11 Survives Scare at End

Box is here. Season totals are here.

Greenville Reflector story.

In the end, it got a little too close for comfort.

Wayne County Post 11 took what appeared to be a safe lead into the ninth, then had to survive a rally to defeat Pitt County Post 39 8-5 Wednesday night at Pitt Community College in the second game of their Area I East best-of-five semifinal match up. Wayne (18-4) will be looking to end the series tonight at Mount Olive College.

In the other semifinal game, New Bern Post 24 had 17 hits and defeated Edenton Post 40 15-3 in seven innings to square that series.

The visitors took an 8-2 lead into the ninth and had Jesse Randolph on the mound for the second straight game in relief. Randolph had gotten starter Adron Hollowell out of a sixth-inning jam and retired the side in order in the next two innings. But he found trouble in a big way in the ninth.

Randolph walked leadoff batter Tanner Merritt after being ahead 1-2 in the count. He struck out pinch-hitter Gary Compton on three pitches but gave up consecutive hits to Josh Hudson and Michael Spruill to load the bases. The latter hit came on an 0-2 pitch.

Then the situation got interesting. Center fielder Nolan Lancaster misplayed Clark Massey's single to center, and when the play concluded Massey was at third with the tying run in the on deck circle.

That was all for Randolph, as Wayne coach Brad Reaves brought in left-hander Jay Rose. He got ahead of Andrew Cain on two breaking pitches, then blew a fastball by him for the second out.

Trey Styons kept the rally alive with a full-count walk to bring up the tying run in the form of Chase Hardee. But Rose got him to ground into a force at second on the first pitch to end the game.

As it did in the first game, Wayne scored twice in the first. Tyler Edwards walked, stole second and went to third on a ground out. John Wooten, on his way to another multiple-hit effort, singled through the right side of the infield. Rose singled to left, and the two pulled off a double steal. Thomas Pilkington scored Wooten on a ground ball to second.

Pitt tied it in the second. Spruill reached when the battee ball fell behind the pitcher's mound and none of the infielders could get to it in time. Massey walked and Spruill went to third on a wild pitch. Cain singled him home. Massey scored as Hardee's potential double play grounder was mishandled.

That tied the game, and one out later the runners moved up on a wild pitch. Merritt walked to load the bases but Hollowell got out of it with a strikeout.

Then Wayne took advantage of two errors in the fourth to score five runs. Cambric Moye and Lancaster walked. Then came a pivotal play. Bryant Hill's bunt was thrown away at first to load the bases.

Alex Casey hit into a force out at second to score a run, and Edwards singled to right on a hit-and-run to send Casey to third. The same tactic worked again with Walker Gourley at the plate as he singled to center as Edwards was breaking for second. Wooten scored the fourth run on a ground out, and Gourley ended at second.

Wayne's agressive posture on the bases paid dividends again as Gourley swiped third and continued home on the overthrow. Post 11 would end with nine steals.

In the sixth, Hill reached on an error and Edwards was safe on his misplayed grounder with one out. The two advanced on a double steal, and Gourley made it 8-2 when he punched an 0-2 breaking pitch to second for an RBI.