Season Totals
Box
A nice road trip today. Gastonia, then Mount Olive on two hours sleep. See what you're made of today by lighting and holding a firecracker. That is, unless you're Eric DuBose.
Down to his, and his team's, last strike of the American Legion season, Josh Frederick singled through the middle of the infield to score pinch-runner Matt Neal from second to tie the game in the ninth, and Wayne County took advantage of an Edenton implosion in the eleventh to win 6-3 and send their best-of-five opening round series to a fifth and deciding game at Mount Olive College Saturday night.
Nick McGee began the ninth with a walk, and Colton Fulghum bunted him to second. A fly out left Post 11 (11-8) with one out left to keep its postseason alive, and Frederick delivered on a 3-2 fastball to make it 3-3.
Taylor Allen was giving Post 11 the clutch performance it needed on the mound, and he came through in the ninth by retiring the side in order. After escaping the tenth despite two walks, he saw his teammates get him three runs. Wayne coach Brad Reaves then went to Neal. He retired two of the first three batters, and Wayne seemed on its way to tying the series. In this game, however, nothing came easy for Post 11. Neal gave up a single and hit a batter to load the bases. That brought up leadoff hitter Nikolai Simonsen. He had homered off Allen to start the game, and Neal fell behind 2-0 before running the count full.
Simonsen fouled off a fastball but watched a breaking pitch catch the inside corner of the plate to end the game. The Post 11 players then celebrated their improbable triumph.
Allen and Post 40 hurler Jonathan Brantley, who went eight innings, allowed six hits apiece as the offenses struggled to manufacture runs. Wayne put something together in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead. Cambric Moye and Scott Holloman singled. One out later, with the runners moving, Nick McGee punched a 2-1 curve through the right side of the infield to tie it. Colton Fulghum drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly.
Edenton regained the lead in the sixth. A walk and two hits loaded the bases with one out. Allen retired the next batter on a foul out, then got ahead of Weston Dodson 0-2. Dodson sent a 1-2 fastball to right for two runs and the lead.
Neal started the eleventh by lofting a fly ball to right. Simonsen dropped it, and Neal advanced to third on two wild pitches. Fulghum walked, and Neal scored when a grounder by Cody Richards was thrown away at first. Frederick laid a bunt single down the third base line to load the bases.
Two more wild pitches resulted in a three-run lead, and Tyler Edwards walked. John Wooten flied out to right, and Whitehead caught Moye looking. Frederick was out attempting to score on a wild pitch.
All the offensive heroics would have gone for naught had Wayne not gotten what it did from Allen. "He pitched tonight," said Reaves. "That's what we hadn't done the past two nights. The only time he got into trouble was when he walked the lead off hitter."
When Simonsen hit the home run, Reaves was thinking "Here we go again. But he did a great job of keeping his composure. Then they got a hit right after that but he left him there. After they scored in the sixth he kept getting better and better. He was lights out in the seventh, eighth and ninth.
"In the tenth, when he got a strikeout after going 3-0, I knew he was out of gas then. I know he got that last out, but it was like everything he had was in that one pitch."
e premte, 3 korrik 2009
e enjte, 2 korrik 2009
Edenton One Win From Ending Wayne's Season
Box
Season Totals
After winning the opening game of the American Legion playoffs by a double-digit margin, Wayne County Post 11 finds itself on the verge of being ousted and having the shortest season since 1968.
Edenton Post 40 hammered four pitchers for 17 hits and got a seven-inning complete game effort from Andrew Womble. The result was a 15-5 shellacking at Mount Olive College. It was the third time in the past four Edenton victories against Post 11 that the game was stopped due to the mercy rule. Edenton, which swept Wayne by double digit margins at the start of the 2006 playoffs, is 11-7 while Wayne is 10-8.
Taylor Allen will get the call on the mound when the teams meet at Hick Field in Edenton tonight in game four of the best-of-five series. His task: stop or, more realistically, slow down a Post 40 attack that has manhandled his fellow pitchers.
"You cannot pitch from behind, and we cannot defend a walk," Wayne coach Brad Reaves emphasized after the game. "We're getting behind and we're walking too many hitters. In this league, we're facing everybody's two, three and four hitters. It's not like in high school where you can take a batter off. You've got to get ahead early or you can't get them out."
Another area of concern this season has been the low strikeout totals. "We're not going ( to get a lot of strikeouts), so we've got to pitch to contact and hit spots. If we don't do that we're not going to win. If you put it on the white of the plate, they're going to hit it. That team can hit." Wayne pitchers are averaging five strikeouts per nine innings, the lowest in the past 20 years.
Wayne scored in the first and second innings to hold a 2-1 lead. Then came the explosion.
Edenton rocked Wayne starter Josh Frederick for eight hits and seven runs in the third
to take command of the game. Three of the hitters reached after falling behind in the count 1-2. Robert Jacot's two-run double over the head of the left fielder closed the curtain on Frederick's night. His line: 73 pitches, nine hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings.
Post 11 went down in order in the third, and Edenton padded its lead with an additional three runs in the fourth on four hits and a walk.
Trailing 11-32 Wayne got a run back in each of the next two innings to keeps its comeback hopes alive. Colton Fulghum walked a later scored on an RBI single by Tyler Edwards. Cody Richards was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
After another 1-2-3 inning, Edenton rediscovered its offensive mojo in the sixth. Another four hits, including a two-run double down the third base line by Weston Dodson, gave the visitors an eleven-run cushion.
Cambric Moye homered to left to start the Wayne seventh, and Robert Faucette followed him with a double to deep center. Post 11 needed another run to keep the game going but couldn't get it as the next three batters went down.
Reaves is not pessimistic about his team's chances in its first "must-win" of the brief season, and he won't hesitate to pull the plug on a pitcher's outing. "We won't stay with them as long as we did tonight. That was probably my fault. All of a sudden I thought we were going to make a pitch and we didn't. Then the next pitch I thought we were going to make a pitch and we didn't, and it was too late."
Season Totals
After winning the opening game of the American Legion playoffs by a double-digit margin, Wayne County Post 11 finds itself on the verge of being ousted and having the shortest season since 1968.
Edenton Post 40 hammered four pitchers for 17 hits and got a seven-inning complete game effort from Andrew Womble. The result was a 15-5 shellacking at Mount Olive College. It was the third time in the past four Edenton victories against Post 11 that the game was stopped due to the mercy rule. Edenton, which swept Wayne by double digit margins at the start of the 2006 playoffs, is 11-7 while Wayne is 10-8.
Taylor Allen will get the call on the mound when the teams meet at Hick Field in Edenton tonight in game four of the best-of-five series. His task: stop or, more realistically, slow down a Post 40 attack that has manhandled his fellow pitchers.
"You cannot pitch from behind, and we cannot defend a walk," Wayne coach Brad Reaves emphasized after the game. "We're getting behind and we're walking too many hitters. In this league, we're facing everybody's two, three and four hitters. It's not like in high school where you can take a batter off. You've got to get ahead early or you can't get them out."
Another area of concern this season has been the low strikeout totals. "We're not going ( to get a lot of strikeouts), so we've got to pitch to contact and hit spots. If we don't do that we're not going to win. If you put it on the white of the plate, they're going to hit it. That team can hit." Wayne pitchers are averaging five strikeouts per nine innings, the lowest in the past 20 years.
Wayne scored in the first and second innings to hold a 2-1 lead. Then came the explosion.
Edenton rocked Wayne starter Josh Frederick for eight hits and seven runs in the third
to take command of the game. Three of the hitters reached after falling behind in the count 1-2. Robert Jacot's two-run double over the head of the left fielder closed the curtain on Frederick's night. His line: 73 pitches, nine hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings.
Post 11 went down in order in the third, and Edenton padded its lead with an additional three runs in the fourth on four hits and a walk.
Trailing 11-32 Wayne got a run back in each of the next two innings to keeps its comeback hopes alive. Colton Fulghum walked a later scored on an RBI single by Tyler Edwards. Cody Richards was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
After another 1-2-3 inning, Edenton rediscovered its offensive mojo in the sixth. Another four hits, including a two-run double down the third base line by Weston Dodson, gave the visitors an eleven-run cushion.
Cambric Moye homered to left to start the Wayne seventh, and Robert Faucette followed him with a double to deep center. Post 11 needed another run to keep the game going but couldn't get it as the next three batters went down.
Reaves is not pessimistic about his team's chances in its first "must-win" of the brief season, and he won't hesitate to pull the plug on a pitcher's outing. "We won't stay with them as long as we did tonight. That was probably my fault. All of a sudden I thought we were going to make a pitch and we didn't. Then the next pitch I thought we were going to make a pitch and we didn't, and it was too late."
Edenton, Rain Overcome Post 11
Box
Season Totals
All the other series are 2-0
The American Legion playoff series between Wayne County Post 11 and Edenton Post 40 moved from one of the two biggest parks in the league to the smallest Wednesday night. That, according to Wayne coach Brad Reaves, seem to play a pivotal role in his team's 8-5 loss at Hicks Field in Edenton. The best-of-five series, tied a game apiece, resumes tonight at Mount Olive College.
Edenton struck for three runs in the first, built a five-run lead and held off a ninth-inning rally with the aid of a downpour. Wilson, Kinston and Rocky Mount all won to take control of their series.
"I watched the way they took batting practice; I watched the way they approached it," said Reaves. "Our boys, when they got off the bus, they saw that 300 sign (in left) and that 298 sign (in right) and their eyes lit up." The 350-foot center field wall also beckoned.
Reaves added that he predicted to his team that the great majority of his team's outs would be in the air, and he was not wrong. Only four of the 19 outs not coming from strikeouts were on the ground.
Edenton, on the other hand, hit five doubles, including two off the wall. Most of its outs did come off of ground balls.
Still, Wayne almost pulled off the comeback. Tyler Edwards singled with one out in the ninth and, with the visitors down to their last out, Cambric Moye doubled him home. Pinch-hitter Robert Faucette traded places with Moye with a two-bagger to center.
Faucette went to third on a hit to right by Scott Holloman. Meanwhile, the light rain transformed itself into a torrent, and the field began to puddle. Kevin Wise walked on a full count, and Colton Fulghum reached on a error to score Faucette.
The count went to three balls on Josh Frederick before Edenton coach Bob Jordan asked the umpires to consider delaying play. After a brief discussion, they did so. At that time, it was apparent that the field was unplayable.
And it would remain so. The Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plains League had the equipment locked up and do not allow the Legion team to use the tarp. The umpires eventually called the game.
Wayne starting pitcher Zack Mozingo got into trouble in the first and never found his rhythm, allowing nine hits and two walks over four innings.
"His location was not very good," said Reaves. "But he was due one. Zack's had a great year. He had a great year in high school and for us. But there were some plays we should have made. We drifted after some ball when we should have gone back and found the fence. When we jump and the ball hits the bottom of the fence, we've got to catch that kind."
Nikolai Simonsen drew a leadoff walk in the first, and Tyler Barrington drag bunted to the right side of the infield. J.J. Allen and Austin Beasley had RBI singles, and anothe run scored on a force play.
Post 11 bounced back with two in the second. Holloman drove a breaking pitch over the left field wall to start the inning. Singles by Fulghum, Matt Neal and Tyler Edwards made it 3-2.
Mozingo breeze through the second but gave up a walk and an RBI double in the third. Simonsen and Allen drove in runs in the fourth as Post 40 make it 6-2. Edenton scored two runs off reliever Jesse Randolph.
The teams had 12 hits apiece.
Season Totals
All the other series are 2-0
The American Legion playoff series between Wayne County Post 11 and Edenton Post 40 moved from one of the two biggest parks in the league to the smallest Wednesday night. That, according to Wayne coach Brad Reaves, seem to play a pivotal role in his team's 8-5 loss at Hicks Field in Edenton. The best-of-five series, tied a game apiece, resumes tonight at Mount Olive College.
Edenton struck for three runs in the first, built a five-run lead and held off a ninth-inning rally with the aid of a downpour. Wilson, Kinston and Rocky Mount all won to take control of their series.
"I watched the way they took batting practice; I watched the way they approached it," said Reaves. "Our boys, when they got off the bus, they saw that 300 sign (in left) and that 298 sign (in right) and their eyes lit up." The 350-foot center field wall also beckoned.
Reaves added that he predicted to his team that the great majority of his team's outs would be in the air, and he was not wrong. Only four of the 19 outs not coming from strikeouts were on the ground.
Edenton, on the other hand, hit five doubles, including two off the wall. Most of its outs did come off of ground balls.
Still, Wayne almost pulled off the comeback. Tyler Edwards singled with one out in the ninth and, with the visitors down to their last out, Cambric Moye doubled him home. Pinch-hitter Robert Faucette traded places with Moye with a two-bagger to center.
Faucette went to third on a hit to right by Scott Holloman. Meanwhile, the light rain transformed itself into a torrent, and the field began to puddle. Kevin Wise walked on a full count, and Colton Fulghum reached on a error to score Faucette.
The count went to three balls on Josh Frederick before Edenton coach Bob Jordan asked the umpires to consider delaying play. After a brief discussion, they did so. At that time, it was apparent that the field was unplayable.
And it would remain so. The Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plains League had the equipment locked up and do not allow the Legion team to use the tarp. The umpires eventually called the game.
Wayne starting pitcher Zack Mozingo got into trouble in the first and never found his rhythm, allowing nine hits and two walks over four innings.
"His location was not very good," said Reaves. "But he was due one. Zack's had a great year. He had a great year in high school and for us. But there were some plays we should have made. We drifted after some ball when we should have gone back and found the fence. When we jump and the ball hits the bottom of the fence, we've got to catch that kind."
Nikolai Simonsen drew a leadoff walk in the first, and Tyler Barrington drag bunted to the right side of the infield. J.J. Allen and Austin Beasley had RBI singles, and anothe run scored on a force play.
Post 11 bounced back with two in the second. Holloman drove a breaking pitch over the left field wall to start the inning. Singles by Fulghum, Matt Neal and Tyler Edwards made it 3-2.
Mozingo breeze through the second but gave up a walk and an RBI double in the third. Simonsen and Allen drove in runs in the fourth as Post 40 make it 6-2. Edenton scored two runs off reliever Jesse Randolph.
The teams had 12 hits apiece.
e martë, 30 qershor 2009
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."
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."
e hënë, 29 qershor 2009
Playoff Preview
Here is an account of the first Wilson-Edenton game.
Note: Walker Gourley has signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates - or was it the Penguins? - and will be reporting to Florida. Gourley ends his Post 11 career tied for the lead in stolen bases with 45. His only "caught stealing" came when he was picked off first. Good luck, buddy, and don't forget us little people if you hit the big time.
When Wayne County Post 11 opens the Area I East playoffs today against Edenton Post 40 at Mount Olive College, it will begin what is frequently called the second season. All the participants start with a clean slate except for the teams that have earned the home field advantage. But it’s probably more accurate to say that coach Brad Reaves’ team will inaugurate a third season.
Wayne (9-6) played six games with a lineup that included one position player with significant senior American Legion experience. Many of the players were freshmen. That lineup acquitted itself well, posting a 3-3 mark against mostly older and more talented players. The task for this group was to make sure Wayne didn’t fall so far behind in the standings as to jeopardize its ability to make the postseason.
While Post 11 caught a break when New Bern offered to postpone both games until Eastern Wayne was through with the high school playoffs, it still had to face eventual division champion Kinston twice. Wayne led in both games but faltered late on the road and lost 4-3 after Kinston scored four runs in the eighth. Two nights later, Wayne bolted to a big lead and held on to win 8-6. That win helped to secure the team a first-round home field edge as the No. 2 team in the South.
What are Wayne’s chances the rest of the way? While Rocky Mount Post 58 cruised to a 7-1 record in the North, it did so against inferior competition compared to what the South had to offer. Rocky Mount hit 20 home runs and scored an average of 16 runs per game against its division opponents. New Bern and Kinston can make equally valid claims for being favorites to face off with the Area I West winner for the right to play in the state tournament in Greenville.
The Post 11 fortunes may very well lie with the ability of its pitching staff to turn itself around and provide a credible amount of support for an offense that has come to life with the addition of the Eastern Wayne players. A look at the numbers bears this out.
In the first six games, Wayne scored 28 runs while allowing 36. The opposition had an 18-8 advantage in extra base hits. Since then, Wayne has outscored its opponents 78-55 and holds a 26-14 edge in extra base hits.
Leading the way are two players Reaves was looking forward to getting as soon as possible: Cambric Moye and John Wooten. While Wooten is the more celebrated of the two, Moye has more than held his own in the lineup
The catcher/DH is averaging more than two RBI per game for a total of 18. Of course, it helps to have Tyler Edwards (.386), Wooten (.438) and Nick McGee (.364) batting ahead of you most of the time. Still, Moye has taken advantage of his opportunities.
The threats don’t end there. Cody Richards is batting .373 with seven extra base hits, and first baseman Scott Holloman is at the .300 mark.
While defense is a lot more than the number of errors committed, preventing miscues does make a difference at this level. In the first six games, Wayne had eight errors while in the past nine it was seven. Meanwhile, the opposition skyrocketed from nine to 20.
While the news is good on the offensive and defensive fronts, the same can’t be said for the pitching staff. The team ERA, already the highest of the past 20 years, rise slightly even with the addition of some of the more talented arms in the county.
Eric DuBose will get the starting nod in the opener. In his last start, against Pitt County Post 160, the left-hander threw a rare complete game, allowing six hits and five walks. His 2.14 ERA is the lowest on the team and by far the best of all the starters.
Reaves believes that Wayne’s fate will probably be determined by pitching. “We’ve got DuBose, Mozingo and Frederick. It’s going to come down to pitching, and we’re as deep as anybody.
“I like our chances because I believe we’re going to flip a switch Tuesday. It seems we’ve been in cruise control, and I know John Wooten’s going to do all he can to make them do it.”
It’s imperative that the other pitchers step it up if Wayne is to make a run to its third straight state tournament. Frederick needs to show more of the form that helped Eastern Wayne to its successful season. Mozingo could use a repeat performance of his outing in the state 3-A title series. Jesse Randolph has been effective for the most part, and Wooten should be able to provide solid late-inning relief.
Anything can happen in a short series, and Wayne could be out after one round, but even a mediocre run of starting pitching combined with a solid offense could propel one of the state’s best programs to yet another successful postseason run.
Note: Walker Gourley has signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates - or was it the Penguins? - and will be reporting to Florida. Gourley ends his Post 11 career tied for the lead in stolen bases with 45. His only "caught stealing" came when he was picked off first. Good luck, buddy, and don't forget us little people if you hit the big time.
When Wayne County Post 11 opens the Area I East playoffs today against Edenton Post 40 at Mount Olive College, it will begin what is frequently called the second season. All the participants start with a clean slate except for the teams that have earned the home field advantage. But it’s probably more accurate to say that coach Brad Reaves’ team will inaugurate a third season.
Wayne (9-6) played six games with a lineup that included one position player with significant senior American Legion experience. Many of the players were freshmen. That lineup acquitted itself well, posting a 3-3 mark against mostly older and more talented players. The task for this group was to make sure Wayne didn’t fall so far behind in the standings as to jeopardize its ability to make the postseason.
While Post 11 caught a break when New Bern offered to postpone both games until Eastern Wayne was through with the high school playoffs, it still had to face eventual division champion Kinston twice. Wayne led in both games but faltered late on the road and lost 4-3 after Kinston scored four runs in the eighth. Two nights later, Wayne bolted to a big lead and held on to win 8-6. That win helped to secure the team a first-round home field edge as the No. 2 team in the South.
What are Wayne’s chances the rest of the way? While Rocky Mount Post 58 cruised to a 7-1 record in the North, it did so against inferior competition compared to what the South had to offer. Rocky Mount hit 20 home runs and scored an average of 16 runs per game against its division opponents. New Bern and Kinston can make equally valid claims for being favorites to face off with the Area I West winner for the right to play in the state tournament in Greenville.
The Post 11 fortunes may very well lie with the ability of its pitching staff to turn itself around and provide a credible amount of support for an offense that has come to life with the addition of the Eastern Wayne players. A look at the numbers bears this out.
In the first six games, Wayne scored 28 runs while allowing 36. The opposition had an 18-8 advantage in extra base hits. Since then, Wayne has outscored its opponents 78-55 and holds a 26-14 edge in extra base hits.
Leading the way are two players Reaves was looking forward to getting as soon as possible: Cambric Moye and John Wooten. While Wooten is the more celebrated of the two, Moye has more than held his own in the lineup
The catcher/DH is averaging more than two RBI per game for a total of 18. Of course, it helps to have Tyler Edwards (.386), Wooten (.438) and Nick McGee (.364) batting ahead of you most of the time. Still, Moye has taken advantage of his opportunities.
The threats don’t end there. Cody Richards is batting .373 with seven extra base hits, and first baseman Scott Holloman is at the .300 mark.
While defense is a lot more than the number of errors committed, preventing miscues does make a difference at this level. In the first six games, Wayne had eight errors while in the past nine it was seven. Meanwhile, the opposition skyrocketed from nine to 20.
While the news is good on the offensive and defensive fronts, the same can’t be said for the pitching staff. The team ERA, already the highest of the past 20 years, rise slightly even with the addition of some of the more talented arms in the county.
Eric DuBose will get the starting nod in the opener. In his last start, against Pitt County Post 160, the left-hander threw a rare complete game, allowing six hits and five walks. His 2.14 ERA is the lowest on the team and by far the best of all the starters.
Reaves believes that Wayne’s fate will probably be determined by pitching. “We’ve got DuBose, Mozingo and Frederick. It’s going to come down to pitching, and we’re as deep as anybody.
“I like our chances because I believe we’re going to flip a switch Tuesday. It seems we’ve been in cruise control, and I know John Wooten’s going to do all he can to make them do it.”
It’s imperative that the other pitchers step it up if Wayne is to make a run to its third straight state tournament. Frederick needs to show more of the form that helped Eastern Wayne to its successful season. Mozingo could use a repeat performance of his outing in the state 3-A title series. Jesse Randolph has been effective for the most part, and Wooten should be able to provide solid late-inning relief.
Anything can happen in a short series, and Wayne could be out after one round, but even a mediocre run of starting pitching combined with a solid offense could propel one of the state’s best programs to yet another successful postseason run.
e diel, 28 qershor 2009
Kinston Rolls to Regular Season Title
Kinston Routs New Bern
Nothing.
That's exactly what Post 24 coach Gary Smith wants his players to take from Sunday's 15-1 loss to Kinston Post 43. Smith said he'd prefer everyone forget about the game.
"I don't think there's anything positive that a player can gain from this," Smith said. "So you've got to move on."
Playing for the Area 1 East Southern Division championship, Post 24 (8-3, 5-3) never got into a rhythm against Kinston (12-3, 6-2). The offense managed just five hits, and the defense committed seven errors.
New Bern starting pitcher Shawn Armstrong allowed just two runs in five innings, but Post 43 unloaded for 13 runs in the final four innings.
"I think Shawn threw too many pitches, which hurt because we had to go to the bullpen earlier," New Bern coach Gary Smith said. "I can't put full blame on the kids coming out of the bullpen because we didn't make plays when we had a chance to make plays."
The final blow came in the top of the ninth, when Kinston's Mike Wetherington launched a three-run home run over the left-center field wall to cap off a six-run inning. Wetherington's solo shot in the top of the second broke the scoreless tie.
Nothing.
That's exactly what Post 24 coach Gary Smith wants his players to take from Sunday's 15-1 loss to Kinston Post 43. Smith said he'd prefer everyone forget about the game.
"I don't think there's anything positive that a player can gain from this," Smith said. "So you've got to move on."
Playing for the Area 1 East Southern Division championship, Post 24 (8-3, 5-3) never got into a rhythm against Kinston (12-3, 6-2). The offense managed just five hits, and the defense committed seven errors.
New Bern starting pitcher Shawn Armstrong allowed just two runs in five innings, but Post 43 unloaded for 13 runs in the final four innings.
"I think Shawn threw too many pitches, which hurt because we had to go to the bullpen earlier," New Bern coach Gary Smith said. "I can't put full blame on the kids coming out of the bullpen because we didn't make plays when we had a chance to make plays."
The final blow came in the top of the ninth, when Kinston's Mike Wetherington launched a three-run home run over the left-center field wall to cap off a six-run inning. Wetherington's solo shot in the top of the second broke the scoreless tie.
e shtunë, 27 qershor 2009
Wayne Rallies for Split with Ahoskie
Season totals later today. I'll have a playoff preview on Tuesday.
Check out this photo on the front page of NC Preps
First Game
Second Game
14 Game Totals
15 Game Totals
Ahoskie Post 102 had a one-run lead on Wayne County Post 11 in the second game of their American Legion non-conference doubleheader at Mount Olive College Saturday afternoon when Tyler Edwards led off the sixth with a double. Next up was John Wooten, who already had six hits in seven at-bats. Wooten drew an intentional pass. Not a bad strategy, considering that Wooten had hit a 400 foot-plus home run in his previous plate appearance.
But the guy behind him is no slouch, either. Cambric Moye came through with his third hit of the game to tie it, and Cody Richards followed one out later with an RBI single as Wayne went on to win 7-6 and salvage a split. Ahoskie cranked out 16 hits in the opener on its way to a 7-4 victory.
Wayne (9-6) will open the Area I East playoffs at home Tuesday against Edenton in a best-of-five series. Ahoskie, which finished fourth in the North Division, will face the loser of tonight's Kinston-New Bern game.
In the second game, the top of the Post 11 order had its most productive game of the season after coach Brad Reaves reconfigured the lineup. Edwards, Wooten and Moye combined to score all of the Wayne runs, produced nine hits and drove in seven runs.
Wooten reached on an infield hit in the first and scored on Moye's double to the left-center field gap. Edwards and Wooten singled with two out in the second, worked a double steal and came home on a ground ball single to left by Moye for a 3-3 tie.
Wooten followed a one-out double by Edwards in the third with a massive shot to center off a first-pitch breaking ball to make it 5-4. Ahoskie again tied it in the fifth on consecutive doubles by Kyle Hayes and Dylan Rouse, then went ahead in the sixth.
Edwards went to the mound that inning but couldn't duplicate his success at the plate as he walked the leadoff batter and gave up a double to Edward Joyner. Wooten relieved him, and Aaron Hoggard drove in the go-ahead run with a hit to left. Ahoskie later failed on a suicide squeeze to help Wayne get out of the inning. Post 11 then make its comback.
In the opener, Ahoskie put together four hits in the first for two runs, then added three in the second. Haggard, who had six hits for the afternoon, drove in two runs with a two-out single through the left side of the infield. It was the beginning of a trend in which the visitors hit the ball where the defense wasn't.
"I thought we were in Texas with the Texas Leaguers," said Wayne coach Brad Reaves. "They didn't hit but about two hard .... And if we'd been playing back at (Southern Wayne High School) we would have had about six home runs. Tyler Edwards hit two or three that would have been out, but you live and die at Scarborough."
Wayne got two runs back in the third. Josh Frederick walked, Edwards doubled and Nick McGee walked to load the bases with none out. That set up the potential for a big inning, but it didn't happen. Wooten hit into a force play, and Scott Holloman hit a sacrifice fly for the second run.
Richards hit a solo home run in the fourth to make it 6-3. Ahoskie led by four going into the seventh but had to hold off a late rally. After the first two batters went down on fly balls, Wooten smashed a triple to center. Holloman reached on an error as Wooten scored. Moye kept Wayne alive with a hit to center but reliever Brent Bowen ended the game with a strikeout.
Wayne went 22-for-55 in the two games, Reaves said his players couldn't get the hits at the right time. "The problem was that we couldn't string the hits together, the big ones. Then we couldn't get a stop."
Ahoskie did even better in the hit column with 27. "I thought it was their day, especially with some of (the hits.) I thought Matt Neal was okay. Taylor (Allen) didn't have good stuff, but I think it was a combination. I think it was their day and our pitching was not real sharp."
Check out this photo on the front page of NC Preps
First Game
Second Game
14 Game Totals
15 Game Totals
Ahoskie Post 102 had a one-run lead on Wayne County Post 11 in the second game of their American Legion non-conference doubleheader at Mount Olive College Saturday afternoon when Tyler Edwards led off the sixth with a double. Next up was John Wooten, who already had six hits in seven at-bats. Wooten drew an intentional pass. Not a bad strategy, considering that Wooten had hit a 400 foot-plus home run in his previous plate appearance.
But the guy behind him is no slouch, either. Cambric Moye came through with his third hit of the game to tie it, and Cody Richards followed one out later with an RBI single as Wayne went on to win 7-6 and salvage a split. Ahoskie cranked out 16 hits in the opener on its way to a 7-4 victory.
Wayne (9-6) will open the Area I East playoffs at home Tuesday against Edenton in a best-of-five series. Ahoskie, which finished fourth in the North Division, will face the loser of tonight's Kinston-New Bern game.
In the second game, the top of the Post 11 order had its most productive game of the season after coach Brad Reaves reconfigured the lineup. Edwards, Wooten and Moye combined to score all of the Wayne runs, produced nine hits and drove in seven runs.
Wooten reached on an infield hit in the first and scored on Moye's double to the left-center field gap. Edwards and Wooten singled with two out in the second, worked a double steal and came home on a ground ball single to left by Moye for a 3-3 tie.
Wooten followed a one-out double by Edwards in the third with a massive shot to center off a first-pitch breaking ball to make it 5-4. Ahoskie again tied it in the fifth on consecutive doubles by Kyle Hayes and Dylan Rouse, then went ahead in the sixth.
Edwards went to the mound that inning but couldn't duplicate his success at the plate as he walked the leadoff batter and gave up a double to Edward Joyner. Wooten relieved him, and Aaron Hoggard drove in the go-ahead run with a hit to left. Ahoskie later failed on a suicide squeeze to help Wayne get out of the inning. Post 11 then make its comback.
In the opener, Ahoskie put together four hits in the first for two runs, then added three in the second. Haggard, who had six hits for the afternoon, drove in two runs with a two-out single through the left side of the infield. It was the beginning of a trend in which the visitors hit the ball where the defense wasn't.
"I thought we were in Texas with the Texas Leaguers," said Wayne coach Brad Reaves. "They didn't hit but about two hard .... And if we'd been playing back at (Southern Wayne High School) we would have had about six home runs. Tyler Edwards hit two or three that would have been out, but you live and die at Scarborough."
Wayne got two runs back in the third. Josh Frederick walked, Edwards doubled and Nick McGee walked to load the bases with none out. That set up the potential for a big inning, but it didn't happen. Wooten hit into a force play, and Scott Holloman hit a sacrifice fly for the second run.
Richards hit a solo home run in the fourth to make it 6-3. Ahoskie led by four going into the seventh but had to hold off a late rally. After the first two batters went down on fly balls, Wooten smashed a triple to center. Holloman reached on an error as Wooten scored. Moye kept Wayne alive with a hit to center but reliever Brent Bowen ended the game with a strikeout.
Wayne went 22-for-55 in the two games, Reaves said his players couldn't get the hits at the right time. "The problem was that we couldn't string the hits together, the big ones. Then we couldn't get a stop."
Ahoskie did even better in the hit column with 27. "I thought it was their day, especially with some of (the hits.) I thought Matt Neal was okay. Taylor (Allen) didn't have good stuff, but I think it was a combination. I think it was their day and our pitching was not real sharp."
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