Robertson's diving catch preserves Aycock's win over archrival

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on May 7, 2014 1:48 PM

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aetzler@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- Before each inning starts Charles B. Aycock pitcher Bobby Hampton walks out near second base and points to his centerfielder Charlie Robertson.

It's their little way of letting each other know they're ready and the defense has Hampton's back.

Robertson held true to his word Tuesday evening.

With the tying run on third base and the go-ahead run on second, Eastern Wayne shortstop Zach Smith drove slicing fly ball into left center field. Robertson read it off the bat, dove and caught the ball to preserve the Golden Falcons' 1-0 win over county archrival Eastern Wayne on Tuesday evening.

"It's something me and Adam Pate started last year and we just kept doing it," Hampton said of the routine. "It's kind of a superstition, but he proved he was ready tonight. That (catch) was amazing."

C.B. Aycock earned the No. 1 playoff seed from the 3-A portion of the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference. Eastern Wayne dropped to No. 2 and Southern Wayne is No. 3.

Hampton and Eastern Wayne pitcher Ryan Faucette dueled all evening with neither one willing to give an inch.

Usually a fast starter, Hampton had to battle out of trouble during each of the first three innings. He stranded five Warriors in that stretch. The left-hander found a groove in the fourth and retired nine of the last 11 batters he faced. Two Warriors reached base on walks.

Faucette didn't encounter any trouble until the fifth inning.

Hank Smitherman reached base on his lead off bunt. A sacrifice bunt and wild pitch moved Smitherman to third. Faucette had began to lose some control of his off-speed pitches and Fulghum went to the mound to talk with his ace.

"I was proud of how he responded," Fulghum said. "That was probably the best I've seen him pitch."

Trent Herndon came to the plate for the Golden Falcons with the go-ahead run 90 feet away.

He hit a fly ball to left field that Eastern Wayne's Tanner Wells came in on to make the grab and threw the ball to the plate. Smitherman saw the throw took catcher Ryan Warren about a foot to his right, so he avoided the tag by sliding under Warren's out-stretched glove for the eventual game-winning run.

"It was a good throw, but luckily it was just a little bit off the line and it just went right for us," Smitherman said.

Faucette allowed three hits, struck out three and walked one in a complete-game effort.

Brandon Johnson's seventh-inning double put runners on second and third with one out for the Warriors. Hampton forced Ryan Warren to pop up before Robertson made his game-saving play in the outfield.

Lee Daniels had two hits for the Warriors.

The Golden Falcons entertain Southern Wayne on Thursday, while the Warriors play host to South Central. Neither game counts toward the ECC standings.