Babe Ruth 10Us fall to West Raleigh

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on July 24, 2007 1:48 PM

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WASHINGTON -- Wayne County's quest for the Eastern N.C. Babe Ruth 10U State tournament championship ended with a 7-4 loss to West Raleigh.

Brannon Presson doubled and finished with two hits. Ryan Faucette and Tyler Powell each singled twice. Bobby Hampton, Noah West and Jordan Gurley contributed one hit apiece.

Gurley threw three innings, while Powell and Faucette combined for two innings of three-hit relief.

"Our pitching and hitting was solid throughout the tournament," said Wayne County head coach Heath Smitherman. "Defensively, we made a couple of costly errors at the wrong time and that made the difference.

"We also left too many runners on base. But, there was never any quit in this team."

Wayne County lost to West Raleigh in opening-round play, but responded with four consecutive wins to reach the tournament final.

"Overall, it was a great effort by a special group of players," said Smitherman. "I've had a team that is as versatile as these 12. This runner-up finish was a total team contribution and is something that Wayne County Babe Ruth should be proud of."