Post 11 Begins Playoffs With Big Win

Box

Totals

Ahoskie 3
Kinston 13

New Bern 7
Wilson 12

Pitt 39 3
Rocky Mount 10

Edenton Post 40 outhit Wayne County Post 11 12-10 in the opening game of their best-of-five playoff series at Mount Olive College Tuesday night. And then, as a certain radio commentator used to say, here''s the rest of the story.

Eric DuBose went the distance without allowing a walk, John Wooten hit a grandslam and Wayne took advantage of five errors and nine free passes to cruise to a 14-1 win in the Area I East match up. Post 11 is 92-11 in games decided by the ten-run rule. The series resumes tonight in Edenton.

Wayne coach Brad Reaves commented over the weekend about how he felt his team was ready to "hit the switch" when the postseason opened. And that it did. The key in this game was the guy on the mound.

"We had a little different attitude," said Reaves. "The kids like to hit and play for Eric because he keeps them in ballgames. He's got such good composure up there. He just pitches. I thought we hit a few switches. The thing we did tonight that we hadn't been doing is we took advantage of their mistakes."

Wayne held a comfortable four-run lead in the fourth when it began to put some distance between itself and its visitor from the North Division. Wooten drew a leadoff walk and stole second. Cambric Moye was walked intentionally after he got ahead 3-0. Then came another crucial Post 40 miscue.

Nick McGee hit a room service double play ball to shortstop Evan Holton, but he bobbled it, then botched the throw to second to load the bases. That preceded three consecutive RBI singles by Scott Holloman, Cody Richards and Colton Fulghum. Holloman's hit finished Edenton starter Daniel Oliver. He gave up five hits, six walks and eight runs.

Edenton got two outs on a popup and a force at home. Tyler Edwards kept it going with another run-scoring single. That kept the inning alive for Wooten.

"I really felt like if we could just get John back to the plate that could break their backs," said Reaves They had to pitch to him then. And what's really helping is the way Cambric's swinging the bat." Moye is leading the team in RBI with 18 in 10 games, and that is without getting one against Edenton.

It didn't take Wooten long to fulfill Reaves' hopes as he drilled a first-pitch fastball over the left field fence to make it. 12-1.

Wayne scored two runs in the fifth without a hit on two walks and three Edenton errors.

Moye followed a first-inning walk to Wooten with a double over the head of the right fielder. Wooten scored as McGee's grounder was being booted and Holloman drove in a run with a hit to center.

Wayne made it 4-1 in the second on two walks, a hit batter, an RBI single by Holloman and a wild pitch.

DuBose's second straight complete game gave him a 3-1 mark with a 1.93 ERA. "Eric's going to pound the strike zone, and he makes pitches when he needs to make pitches," said Reaves. "He's a pitcher, and he's one of the most intelligent pitchers I think I've ever had."