Wayne Routs Garner

Box is here. Totals thrugh North Raleigh are here.

Note: I think I have the printer problem solved, so I'll try to update everything before tonight's game.

Note 2: The playoff situation in the division is still fluid. Here is a favorable scenario for Post 11. Kinston defeats NB tonight. Wayne defeats Kinston and Pitt 39 beats Pitt 160. That produces a three-way tie for first. Records within the group: Wayne 3-1, Kinston 2-2 and Pitt 1-3.

One team had won six straight, and the other seven. Something had to give. It did, in a big way.

Led by John Wooten's six RBI, including a three-run homer, Wayne County Post 11 stormed to a 17-7 win over Garner Post 232 Wednesdy night at Garner High School in a game pitting Area I East and West teams.

Wayne (13-3) will face another Triangle team tonight when it hosts Durham Post 7.

The Post 11 offense continued its recent trend of bashing opposition pitching. In its seven-game winning streak, the team has scored 85 runs and hit double digits in all but one contest. The looming problem is run prevention, as opponents have scored 45 runs in that same span.

Neither starter fared well and was gone well before the game neared its conclusion. Jesse Randolph started for Post 11 in his first action since June 8. He went four innings and allowed seven hits and four runs. The positive aspect was that he didn't walk anyone. Only 14 of his 50 pitches were balls.

Garner's Zach Baraski didn't make it out of the second inning and left after allowing six runs, five hits and three walks. But it didn't seem to matter much who Post 232 put before the Post 11 batters.

Wayne scored twice in the first, then added four in the second. Nolan Lancaster started the inning with the first of his two doubles. Alex Casey drew a one-out walk. Tyler Edwards singled down the third base line for a run, Casey scored on a wild pitch and Walker Gourley walked on four pitches. Wooten doubled to center for two runs for a 6-0 lead.

Garner got half of that back in the bottom of the innings. Landon Adams had a two-out, two-run double.

Wayne made it 8-3 in the third as it took advantage of a dropped foul ball to score two unearned runs.

With the score 11-5, Wayne put up three runs in each of the final two innings to win going away. Small ball helped pave the way for the runs in the eighth. Gourley bunted safely down the third base line and moved to second on Wooten's hit to center. Gourley picked up his third theft as part of a double steal and continued home on the errant throw. Wooten scored on a passed ball. Zach Wright, who had three infield hits and a bloop singled to center, bunted his way to first and later scored on Lancaster's double.

Edwards doubled down the third base line to open the nine, and Gourly drew his third walk before Wooten homered to left for his fifth round-tripper of the season to tied for the team lead with Wright.

Wooten and Wright had four hits. Edwards, Gourley and Lancaster had two. Taylor Allen got the win in relief as he allowed one unearned run over two innings.