Wayne County Post 11 tops Clayton

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on June 20, 2009 11:16 PM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Those rowdy young'uns strike again.

Three first-year starters helped stage a late-inning offensive uprising as Wayne County Post 11 topped Clayton 7-3 in their Senior American Legion baseball contest Friday evening.

It was a rematch of the 2008 Area I championship series won by Wayne County. Post 11 claimed its second straight triumph over Clayton and third overall in the last four meetings.

Deadlocked in a 2-2 stalemate through 6 1/2 innings, newcomer Collin DuBose started Wayne County's seventh inning with a lead-off single. After a balk and groundout, DuBose tallied the game-winning run on Tyler Edwards' triple into right center field.

In the eighth inning, Post 11 loaded the sacks on two hits and an infield error. Robert Faucette, also a newcomer, cleared the diamond with a three-RBI double to make it 6-2. Kevin Wise, the No. 9 batter, supplied an RBI double to conclude Wayne County's scoring.

DuBose, Faucette and Wise combined for five hits and five RBI.

"I like them young kids at the bottom of the lineup," said Post 11 manager Brad Reaves. "It seems like they made something happen all night. Faucette come up with a big knock. The chemistry is getting close."

However, Wayne County (5-3 overall) continued to seek its identity on the mound. Reaves employed eight hurlers who combined for six scoreless innings in a 10-hit performance.

Clayton collected two unearned runs.

Michael Douglas started for Post 11 and worked a team-high two innings. Reaves threw a different pitcher in each of the final seven innings. Edwards earned the mound win and John Wooten, in his first Legion appearance of the season, tossed the ninth.

"We looked OK, but we've been off for awhile and they all needed a little bit of work," said Reaves of his pitching corps. "We've got a big stretch coming up and wanted to give everybody a little mound time."

Wayne County traveled to New Bern on Saturday and is the guest of Pitt County 160 today. Post 11 is off Monday, but will play three consecutive days beginning Tuesday at home against Pitt County 160.