Eastern Wayne holds-off New Hanover

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on April 30, 2009 1:47 PM

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The result didn't disappoint.

But the effort disheartened Eastern Wayne on Wednesday afternoon.

Listless after a loss 24 hours earlier to their archrival, the Warriors squandered a first-inning, three-run lead. However, they responded with a game-winning, seventh-inning rally and dumped Wilmington New Hanover 6-5 in non-conference action on the New Hope diamond.

The Wildcats led 5-3 after 6 1/2 innings.

Reliever Storm Wardenfelt plunked Hunter Newsome to start the Warriors' seventh. Josh Frederick drew a walk and Walker Gourley's bloop single loaded the sacks with no outs.

Newsome scored on a wild pitch and Colton Fulghum plated the game-tying run with an RBI single up the middle.

Wardenfelt intentionally walked John Wooten to load the bases for the forceout, but issued an RBI bases-loaded walk to Cambric Moye. It was Moye's second game-winning, walk-off RBI -- off a bases-loaded free pass -- this season.

"We were patient at the plate in the seventh," said Eastern Wayne head coach Jabo Fulghum. We didn't swing at bad pitches and we were fortunate to be where we were at the end."

Eastern Wayne (15-3 overall) scored three first-inning runs, but managed just one hit the next five innings. The Warriors committed three errors for the second consecutive ballgame and displayed a visible lack of intensity after their defeat to archrival Charles B. Aycock.

"We just didn't have the intensity," said Fulghum. "We've got to come to the park ready to play every day and we weren't ready to play today. Not to the point of getting out here and having that bulldog tenacity. This was one of our worst efforts."

Michael Fields allowed an unearned run on two hits in three innings of relief behind starter Zach Beachem. Fields stranded three New Hanover runners during that stretch.

"Michael did a superb job," said Fulghum. "He came in and kept them in check. The run they scored was a throwing error, and he came in and threw extremely well."

Wooten and Moye clubbed back-to-back, solo home runs and Zach Mozingo supplied an RBI single in the first inning. New Hanover pulled within 3-2 in the third inning and took the lead in the middle innings before Eastern Wayne's game-winning rally.

Gourley emerged the lone Warrior to collect two hits.

Eastern Wayne concludes regular-season play at home Friday against Kinston. First pitch is 7 p.m.

"We've got to find a way to do something different as far as intensity wise," said Fulghum. "We've got to play better than this in order to succeed. If we don't have a different mentality (against Kinston) we'll get our tails beat. It's plain and simple."