Aycock closes the door on an opponent this time

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 3, 2013 1:47 PM

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WINTERVILLE -- C.B. Aycock closed the door this time.

Adam Pate retired seven of the final eight batters he faced and the Golden Falcons snapped a frustrating three-game skid with a come-from-behind, 3-2 conquest of West Craven on the final day of the 2013 Pitt County Classic.

Aycock climbed to 2-4 in one-run games this season.

"It's not that we've been playing bad, we haven't caught the breaks at the right times and we haven't finished games," said Pate, who earned a nod on the All-Classic team along with bullpen mate Gregory Johnson.

"We've played good one through six (innings) and in the seventh, fell apart. Tonight was big, to get a win was huge because that's a good ball team."

West Craven seized a 2-0 lead during its first at-bat on Michael Coombs' two-out RBI single up the middle and an outfield error. Pate (5-2) kept his composure and scattered five hits over the next six innings.

The senior right-hander struck out five, walked five and benefited from a sixth-inning double play. It was the Golden Falcons' fourth DP in a two-day period.

Pate threw his first complete game of the season.

"They hit the ball really good early on and I had to settle in, block everything else out," Pate said. "I don't really know their hitters, so I tried to get ahead with a fastball, but that didn't work.

"I had to pitch backwards ... start them with off-speed stuff and see how they would react to it. Luckily, my curveball was working good, and me and (catcher) Noah (West) were locked in tonight."

The Golden Falcons (11-5 overall) managed just three hits against the right-handed Coombs, who surrendered three runs (one earned) and recorded five strikeouts.

Garrett Joyner scored Aycock's first run on a first-inning wild pitch.

Two infield errors, a wild pitch and Jacob Naughton's base hit up the middle enabled the Golden Falcons to grab a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Aycock, however, left three runners in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings combined.

West Craven stranded the game-tying run at second base in the sixth inning.

"We struggled through a win tonight," CBA head coach Charles Davis said. "We found a way to win and that was a positive. Adam got sharper as the game went on and that's what you want to see out of senior leadership.

"We played good defense again."

Aycock returns to action Apr. 9 at North Lenoir.