Revenge comes for Wayne County in 12-1 rout of Wilson Post 13

The Wilson American Legion baseball was schooled in its Area I East Division showdown on a hot Saturday night in Fleming Stadium. Wayne County, with the temperature soaring above 90 degrees, conducted a clinic in a 12-1 rout after losing twice to Post 13 in non-division play.

The outcome left Wilson in a steep uphill battle with its hopes of claiming division regular-season supremacy. Going into the final week of the regular season, Post 13 occupies third place at 4-2, while Pitt County, through Friday’s games, stood 6-0. Second place belongs to Wayne County at 4-0.

Wilson has four division games remaining — including the last two home tests against Ahoskie on Monday and Roanoke on Wednesday. Wayne has six more division games remaining. Post 11 is in action Sunday and is scheduled for a game each night Monday through Friday — twice opposing Pitt County.

“It’s imperative we win those two (home) games,” Post 13 assistant coach Tom Riddle emphasized.

“We were scheduled to play 15 (originally 16) games in 20 days (to wrap up the regular season. None of the guys are as sharp as they were a few weeks ago. This is a lot to ask of high school kids. They are all about out of gas.”

The third time certainly was not a charm for the Wilson team that dropped to 13-5 overall. Post 11 departed 17-6.

“We lost to this team two times,” Wayne County winning pitcher Gabe Adams confirmed. “We had some energy behind us. We wanted to get some revenge. There is some background to this game.”

The rivalry has been frisky, and rhubarbs occurred as early as the second inning with the Wilson coaches not pleased with a couple of controversial calls that went against Post 13. However, the season’s largest turnout for a division game in Fleming Stadium became subdued after Post 11 nicked Wilson mound ace Landon Coleman for a run in each of the first two innings. The game was shortened an inning because of the 10-run lead rule.

Coleman (3-1) lasted just three innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs.

“I didn’t think Landon gave up a lot of hard-hit balls,” said Post 13 head coach Matthew Ballance. “They were getting seeing-eye hits.”

But Adams (4-0) was in command, stopping Wilson on five hits through five innings. The right-hander, a junior from Wayne Country Day, issued three walks and struck out six. His  fastball reached 90 mph and Post 13 hitters also had to look for the fastball, slider and change-up.

“My curve worked very well,” Adams reviewed. “I set them up with my fastball, but I threw the slider more the second time through their batting order. I wanted to pitch until I couldn’t, but (Eric Rosas) always does well.”

Wilson wound up with seven hits. Coleman was not sharp. The defense committed two errors and failed to make tough plays on outfield flies and grounders squibbed between home plate and the mound. However, Post 11 beautifully executed its bunts the first three innings.

“I didn’t see this coming,”admitted third baseman Mason Sasser, who drove in Wilson’s only run and batted 2 for 2. “We were lackadaisical before the game and came out flat. We left runners on and never got the big hit. Maybe we learned our lesson this week — being punched in the mouth twice.

“We can’t come out lackadaisical and expect to win. We have been a little complacent.”

Of batting against Adams, Sasser remarked: “I poked the ball and let his velocity be my power. He was not as good as we made him look.”

Wayne County peppered Coleman, Reed Willoughby and Barnes Willoughby for 13 hits, including three triples. They rode the strong mound performance from Adams and the defense played errorlessly and heads-up. Batters were tough outs, constantly fouling off pitches against the three Post 13 right-handers.

In the first inning, shortstop Davis Albert tripled on a blast some 400 feet to dead center field and scored on first baseman Rhett Johnson’s grounder. In the second, left fielder Myles Hamm tripled to the foot of the left-field wall and scrambled home on center fielder Drew Sweet’s squeeze bunt.

The four-run outburst in the third began with a Wilson error and included singles from Albert, Johnson and designated hitter Joseph Buckley.

“We got a lot of big hits, good at-bats and made great plays in the field,” Adams confirmed. “Overall, the outcome was great, but I was a little shaky as far as accuracy. But we opened it up a lot with the four runs in the third; that helped.

“I felt comfortable and didn’t feel like I had to throw perfect. I was loose and relaxed.”

Wayne County’s lead became 9-0 with three runs in the fourth and 12-0 with three runs in the sixth. Pinch hitter Garrett Byrd’s two-run home run boosted the score to 11-0 and created the possibility of the mercy rule being enforced.

Wilson stranded a runner at third base in the first, could not capitalize despite three base runners in the second and had a runner cut down at the plate in the third on a blistering throw from Post 11 right fielder Colin Woolard.

Post 13 averted the shutout with its run in the bottom of the sixth against Rosas. Designated hitter Peyton Clay singled, moved to second on a balk,to third on a passed ball and trotted home on Sasser’s opposite-field single. But a fly ball to right field ended the game.

“We show up not prepared, skate by and expect to keep doing it,” the dejected Ballance said. “We need to find a way to start showing up at the ballpark and start playing baseball again.”

Added Sasser: I think we should feel embarrassed as a team to come out and get beat like this on our home field.”

“It will be a lot tougher for us next time,” Post 11 head coach Adam Pate warned.

Wilson ends the season with a rematch at Wayne County, and Ballance challenges: “We need to find a love for the game a little more. I am not mad, but I am disappointed. It’s a lot tougher for me to get over being disappointed.”

Score by innings:

Post 11 114 303 — 12

Post 13 000 001 — 1

W-Gabe Adams (4-0) 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO. L-Landon Coleman (3-1) 3 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO.

LEADING HITTERS — Wayne County: Garrett Byrd 1-1, HR, 2 RBIs; Chandler Hill 1-1, Rhett Johnson 3-4, 3B, 2B, 2 RBIs, 3 R; Davis Albert 3-4, 3B, 3 R; Myles Hamm 2-2, 3B, RBI, 2 R; Joseph Bickley 2-3, 2 RBIs; Drew Sweet 1-3, 2 RBIs. Wilson: Mason Sasser 2-2, RBI; Nick Worrrell 2-3, Peyton Clay 2-3, Gage Lockhart 2-3.

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