Talented Post 11 starting to find an identity
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on June 12, 2014 1:48 PM
rcoggins@newsargus.com
DUDLEY -- Eight games into the season, the pieces of the puzzle are finally starting to come together for Wayne County Post 11.
The team learned more about its identity as well.
Post 11 finally showed some grit and grinded out a 6-3 decision over nemesis Wilson Post 13 in Area I East Division play on a muggy, wet Tuesday evening.
"A good team win," Post 11 head coach Jason Sherrer said. "We're still kind of feeling out some spots, getting some guys in here and there, trying to find our true identity as far as whose role is what.
"Guys are out of position and they're still playing, not complaining so it's a good deal right now."
Wayne County (4-3-1 overall, 3-1 East) got three extra-base hits from second-year starter Garrett Joyner and avenged a regular-season loss against Post 13 from a year ago.
Jackson Hayes overcame a shaky start to record his longest outing of the season -- a seven-inning stint that surpassed his 61/3-inning effort six days ago against Pitt County. Hayes (2-0) permitted one earned run on eight hits and fanned three Post 13 batters.
Tim Naughton tossed two innings of perfect relief and struck out the side in the ninth for his first save of the season.
"Typical Jackson, finally settled in and threw well," Sherrer said. "It helps when your lead-off batter (Joyner) has a couple of doubles, a walk and a long at-bat that set the table for us and helped get us going offensively."
Wilson (3-7, 2-2) profited from an infield error that sparked a three-run, second-inning uprising. Caleb Sharp supplied a two-RBI base knock and Nick Sanders capped the scoring with a seeing-eye RBI single to left field.
Hayes induced a double-play grounder to escape further damage.
Post 11 pulled to within 3-2 on DJ Graham's two-strike, two-out RBI single in the fourth inning. Joyner's lead-off triple ignited a fifth-inning outburst that gave Hayes more than enough working room on the bump.
Joyner notched the game-tying run on a passed ball. Two outs later, Noah West drove in Kevin Williams (walk) and Zack Smith (single) with a two-RBI shot to right field.
It was West's lone hit of the game.
"We finally had a big inning," Sherrer said.
Wayne County tacked on its final run in the sixth -- an RBI double from Ryan Faucette.
Post 11 finished with 13 hits, including two each from Faucette, Smith and Chad Spurgeon. Seven of nine starters recorded at least one hit for Wayne County, which improved to 70-40 all-time against Wilson Post 13.