DuBose Goes the Distance in Wayne Victory

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Brad Reaves is not Doyle Whitfield when it comes to handling his starting pitchers. Unlike his predecessor, the Wayne County Post 11 coach can count on one hand the number of complete games he's allowed since taking over in 2003. Well, he can add another.

Eric DuBose overcame a rough start and gave Wayne a much needed shot in the arm with a route-going performance in Post 11's 8-2 win over Pitt County 160 Tuesday night at Mount Olive College. The pivotal win keeps alive the team's chances of taking first place in the Area I East South Division standings. Wayne (4-2, 7-4)will travel to Pitt County Post 39 tonight, then play host to New Bern on Thursday.

In the first three innings, DuBose looked as if he would have trouble making it to the fourth, much less the ninth, inning. He stranded two runners in scoring position in the first after Colton Fughum caught a two-out liner.

Pitt did get on the scoreboard in the second. A lead off walk to Alex Griffin, a single by Alex Brann and a misplayed bunt loaded the bases with one out. DuBose got one out on a force play at second while another scored on the same play via an error. Pitt loaded the bases on a walk and a two-out hit by Tony Puglisi, but DuBose retired the next two batters on fly balls.

The other major threat from the visitors came in the sixth when DuBose walked Ben Langton and Brandon Bott singled with none out. Bott would be the last runner of the game for Pitt, as DuBose then started a double play. He retired the last 11 batters he faced.

Reaves said he got an early scare from DuBose's early troubles. "I thought, 'Lord have mercy, we've got 3-4 more games this week and we're going to be burning up pitching.' (Josh) Frederick had already said he was a little tender from throwing this morning in camp. But (DuBose) settled in and kept his composure.

"Eric is not going to knock it out of anybody's hands but he's so smart up there . I thought Cambric Moye did a good job of setting up the hitters tonight. After the third inning he threw three pitches for strikes, he got ahead, he pitched backwards when he needed to. He pitched where he was supposed to when he needed to. He settled in and found it."

DuBose said he had difficulty getting control of his repetoire early. "I couldn't locate, fastball, curveball, changeup, splitter, nothing." But things changed after the third. "My arm started feeling better. Cambric and I were more in sync and I finally got my pitches down in the zone.

In the first three innings, DuBose threw 29 balls and 23 strikes. After that, it was 21 and 40.

While DuBose struggled to overcome his early problems the Wayne offense did its part, striking back for three in the second. Moye was hit by a pitch for the first of three times. Scott Holloman reached on an error, and one out later Cody Richards singled to load the bases. The second strikeout of the inning left Wayne on the verge of going away empty-handed, but Moye scored on a passed ball and Tyler Edwards singled to center for two runs.

John Wooten blasted his second home run of the season to open the third, and Wayne added three more in the fifth.

After a Nick McGee double Wooten tripled to center. He scored when the throw home on Moye's fly ball to center went over the catcher and the pitcher failed to back up the play. Holloman walked, stole second and came home on a single to left by Richards.

Moye was hit by a pitch in the sixth with the bases loaded.