Taylor, Grant combine for 4-hitter in Post 11 road win at West Craven

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on June 7, 2012 1:48 PM

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VANCEBORO -- Jeremy Taylor is quietly making a strong case to become Wayne County Post 11's top ace on the mound this summer.

West Craven could do nothing to trump him.

Taylor threw a nifty three-hitter in six-plus innings and Post 11 pounded out an 11-0, mercy-rule victory over Post 539 in the Area I East South Division opener for both teams Wednesday evening.

It was West Craven's first-ever Senior Legion contest.

"I was just trying to stay down in the strike zone and let the defense work," Taylor said. "I could place my fastballs in and out, and that's a majority of what I was doing. I threw a few breaking balls and a change-up, but that's about it.

"I can count on one hand how many curveballs I threw tonight."

Taylor threw a first-pitch strike to the first 17 batters he faced and 21 overall in his 62/3 innings on the rubber. The right-hander benefited from a fifth-inning double play and retired six of the final eight batters he faced.

Ryan Grant tossed 11/3 innings of two-strike relief.

West Craven (0-1 overall, 0-1 South) stranded six runners with three in scoring position. Post 539 scratched out four hits in the contest shortened to eight innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.

"Jeremy, again, was outstanding. He hit his spots and threw strikes," Post 11 head coach Jason Sherrer said. "Ryan came in and threw a good inning and a third."

Wayne County (4-1, 1-0) gave Taylor plenty of working room during its first at-bat. Collin DuBose and Zack Mozingo drew back-to-back one-out walks from Post 539 right-hander Jake Brinson.

Jacob Sasser loaded the bases with a single and Hunter Barnett plated the eventual game-winning run with a base knock up the middle. Barnett concluded the night 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.

Tyler Gainey scored Mozingo with a sacrifice fly to center field and catcher Ashton Cox capped the four-run outburst with a two-RBI single to left field.

Post 11 tacked on an unearned run in the second and Gainey swatted a solo home run -- his first of the season -- in the third. The soon-to-be Southern Wayne graduate added a two-run single in the fourth behind Barnett's run-scoring double.

Tyler Huetter induced the mercy rule with a two-run, two-out single in the eighth.

"That's a good job by Tyler," Sherrer said.

Wayne County finished with 10 hits.

"I think we swung at a few balls and gave them some outs, but for the most part we hit some line drives and hard ground balls, which all I can ever ask for," Sherrer said. "We're not punching out too much and everything is working offensively. If we can just put it together, not leave many base runners on and put teams away when we have the chance, we'll be just fine."