Warriors hold off Saints in ECC opener

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on March 19, 2009 1:46 PM

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One game doesn't make or break your season.

Southern Wayne head baseball coach Trae McKee delivered that post-game message to his team Wednesday evening.

But one inning certainly made a difference against county rival Eastern Wayne. A defensive miscue fueled a three-run, fifth inning as the Warriors upended the Saints 3-2 in Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference action.

Eastern Wayne (6-0 overall) claimed its second consecutive comeback decision.

Colton Fulghum drew a lead-off walk to start the Warriors' game-winning rally. John Wooten singled and Fulghum scored on an outfield error. With Wooten at third, McKee called upon reliever Ray Velazquez to silence the comeback.

Cambric Moye drove in Wooten with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2-2. Robert Faucette slugged a solo home run to cap Eastern Wayne's offensive surge.

"Wooten, Moye and Faucette really had some key hits in that fifth inning," said Warriors head coach Jabo Fulghum. "I thought those guys really squared some balls up to put us over the hump."

Josh Frederick (2-0) surrendered two earned runs on four hits, yielded three walks and recorded five strikeouts for the Warriors. The left-hander picked off three Saints base runners.

Wooten tossed two innings of one-hit, shutout relief to earn the save. The East Carolina signee breezed through the heart of the Saints' lineup in the sixth inning and stranded the game-tying run in the seventh.

"We felt like we played a really good ballgame, we came up short," said McKee. "We've got to capitalize on the opportunities we have to score. We just have to keep moving forward, maturing and getting better."

Winn's two-run, fourth-inning homer broke a scoreless tie. The freshman finished the day 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Saints' starter Phil Howell induced a fly ball and groundout to avoid first-inning trouble. The lanky hurler gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits. He allowed five walks and posted three strikeouts in the no-decision.

Southern Wayne entertains Wallace-Rose Hill today, while Eastern Wayne continues ECC play Friday at Wilson Hunt.