Post 13 evens series by blanking Pitt Co. 3-0

It ain’t over! The Wilson American Legion baseball team will be back in action in Fleming Stadium on Friday night.

That’s because Post 13 forced at least a game 4 in the best-of-five semifinals in the Area I East Division playoffs with a staggering turnaround 3-0 victory against No. 2 seeded Pitt County on Wednesday night to even the series at 1-1.

Wilson bounced back from a humbling 15-1 loss at South Central High on Tuesday to  defeat Post 39 for the first time in four tries this season. The teams return to Wilson and Fleming Stadium on Friday for game 4.

In snapping a four-game slide, No. 3 seeded Post 13 boosted its record to 15-9, while Pitt County fell to 12-6.

“They’re a good team,” Post 39 head coach Christian Stokes said of Wilson. “I can’t believe we won as many games against them as we did before losing. With a team like that, you never know.”

Commented elated Post 13 head coach Matt Ballance: “Heckuva turnaround! I’ve seen a lot this summer. As compared to last night, the morale and mentality we showed up with was different as night and day.

“Hats off to Gage (Lockhart) and Mason (Sasser). They did exactly what we asked of them.”

Lockhart, a left-handed pitcher and the starter; and right-hander Sasser, in relief, combined to blank Post 39 on seven hits, while allowing six walks.

Lockhart, five innings and 100 pitches later, emerged the winner, allowing five hits and three walks. He struck out four and kept Pitt County hitters guessing by mixing his curve and fastball and constantly changing speeds.

“It seems, when we have a really rough game, Gage does a good job of answering,” Ballance explained. “He was not happy after pitching against Pitt County two weeks ago, and I knew he wanted to be out there. He didn’t make it easy on himself but doggoned if he didn’t get himself out of every jam. He was just wild enough to be effective.

Relying on his slider, Sasser earned the save after yielding two hits and one walk, and striking out a pair in two innings. Sasser escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh.

“He has said he wants to be in there in tough situations,” Ballance noted of Sasser. “With the 3-0 lead (going into the top of the sixth), I knew he wanted the ball. He did a good job of keeping their hitters off-balance with his slider. And he was sneaking the fastball by them.”

Wilson was out hit 7-3, but the base knocks were a two-run home run and two doubles. Wilson capitalized on two of the walks from Post 39 right-hander Christian Chance, who lost a quickly played duel (an hour an 50 minutes) to Lockhart and Sasser.

Chance pitched all six innings, issuing four walks and striking out eight.

“He threw really well,” Stokes commended his pitcher. “He walked two because of missed location — and they scored. (Chance) was throwing the breaking ball (two versions) 55-60% of the time; he was feeling it tonight. He threw up four zeroes (scoreless innings), and that’s all we can expect. He just had to match what their pitchers were doing.”

Wilson scored first in the bottom of the first inning. Center fielder Aydn Gooding led off with a walk, stole second base and staked Post 13 to a 1-0 lead when right fielder Peyton Clay ripped a double along the right-field line, delighting Ballance.

In the third with one out, Gooding again worked Chance for a walk. Ballance suggested to Worrell, up next, that he look for the fastball. On the first pitch, Worrell, who struck out his first at-bat, slugged the pitch over the left-field fence for his first 2024 home run and Post 13’s sixth of the season.

“I gave him a down-the-middle fastball. Missed location,” Chance said.

“Nick did a really good job of making the adjustment from the first time,” Ballance pointed out. “He has been close (to hitting a homer) and he finally got one. I’m sure that was a good feeling.”

Mistakes on the basepaths cost Post 13 an even bigger lead in the third.

Catcher Seth Scott broke too early on an attempted steal and was nabbed to open the inning.

Then, with one out, came two mistakes on the same play.  Clay drew a walk. Shortstop J.D. Graziani connected for a double. Graziani was cut down trying to stretch the double into a triple. Clay had rounded third and would have easily scored.However, his pace slowed as he approached home plate and he did not reach the plate before Graziani was thrown out.

“I was bringing him,” Ballance said of Graziani’s dash toward third. “It had to be a great play; and it was. I will take the blame for that.”

For Wilson, Lockhart worked around Post 13’s only error and a two-out single in the first. The Post 13 defense turned a slick double play in the second. A walk and stolen base did no harm in the third. Two strikeouts helped Lockhart survive a walk and two-out single in the fourth. Post 39 managed three hits, but didn’t score in the fifth.

Huge was cutting down Post 39 speedster Rakeem Williams, almost automatic on steal attempts, trying to swipe third base for the second out.

“Wilson catcher Seth Scott came out firing,” Stokes observed. “That was textbook from him.”

“This was the sharpest we have been defensively for the last two weeks,” Ballance expressed. “Seth did a great job behind the plate.”

By then, Lockhart had thrown 100 pitches. And with 105 pitches being the Legion limit, he was through. The left-hander traveled some 2 1/2 hours from a beach to make the start, and admitted he felt a little bit of shoulder discomfort.

“I was mainly focusing on the fastball and curve,” Lockhart reviewed. “I tried to locate more than put speed on my pitches. I threw a couple of pitches here and there that the umpire didn’t call. I located depending upon whether the hitter was a righty or lefty. With a lefty, I tried to saw or cut him off a little bit, and I wanted to go outside against the righty.”

Lockhart simply shook his head when asked about the team going from a 15-1 loser to a 3-0 winner the next game.

“It’s part of the game,” he responded. “Not every team is going to be on every single night. Tonight, we were on.”

Lockhart then headed back to the beach.

Sasser appeared to have his rhythm. He allowed a two-out single in the sixth. But in the seventh, Post 39 loaded the bases with two outs on singles by left fielder Josh Tripp and third baseman Mason Hobbs and a two-out walk. First baseman Max Mason attacked the first pitch, lofting a fly to deep center field that Gooding easily snared.

“Mason is a very good hitter,” Stokes assured. “He might be one of our most consistent hitters. I had all the confidence in him; he keeps the bat in the zone. He has all the confidence in the world, and he put a charge into it.”

So, after losing 15-1 on the road Tuesday, Wilson won 3-0 in Fleming Stadium about 24 hours later. That’s baseball!

Score by innings:

Post 39 000 000 0 — 0

Post 13 102 000 x — 3

W-Gage Lockhart 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 SO. L-Christian Chance 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 8 SO. S-Mason Sasser 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO.

LEADING HITTERS — Pitt County: Mason Hobbs 2-4, Ray Shaw 2-3, Brody Stallings 1-4, Rakeem Williams 1-3, Josh Tripp 1-3. Wilson: Nick Worrell 1-3, HR, 2 RBIs; Peyton Clay 1-2, 2B, RBI; JD Graziani 1-3, 2B.

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