A Crucial Road Win for Post 11

Box Stats later today as it's kind of late. Totals

Two rising sophomores got the starting nods on the mound when Wayne County Post 11 met New Bern Post 24 at New Bern High School Saturday night. In this case, however, there was a four-year difference between the two.

Zack Mozingo hurled six solid innings and Wayne scored three in the eighth to break a tie game and go on to win 8-5 for its third straight victory. Post 11 (3-1, 6-3) will travel to South Central High School tonight to take on Pitt County Post 160 in another Area I East South game.

New Bern starter Shawn Armstrong, who redshirted his freshman year at East Carolina University, struggled with his control in his attempt to bounce back from elbow surgery. He showed flashes of his former self with seven strikeouts in as many innings, but he also walked seven, allowed eight hits and threw 150 pitches.

Mozingo, from state 3-A runner up Eastern Wayne, was the epitome of efficiency in the pitch count department, needing only 60 in six innings. But he eventually ran out of gas in the stifling heat, and New Bern was able to tie the game at five with three runs in the seventh.

Mozingo walked two of the first three batters, but was close to getting out of the inning with a fly ball for the second out. A double by Alan Edwards scored one to finish Mozingo, and Brett Williams singled to left to tie it.

Wayne quickly bounced back to regain the lead against reliever Jim Robinson. Lead off batter Nick McGee singled on the first pitch, and a walk and hit batter loaded the bases with one out. Scott Holloman singled to left for one run. Cody Richards grounded to third for a force out, but the third baseman's throw to first was wild. Holloman ended up at third, and he scored on wild pitch for a three-run lead.

It was then Matt Neal's time to shine on the mound. He entered the game having allowed eight hits and six walks in six innings, but he shut down Post 24 over the next two innings to send Wayne home with the win.

New Bern took the lead in the first on an opposite-field triple by Matt Hardeman and an infield out. Wayne scored three in the third. Cambric Moye and Holloman had RBI singles

New Bern committed seven errors but they had a very limited impact on the outcome. Only one of Wayne's runs was unearned. Post 11 was error free.