Post 11 explodes late against Windsor Post 37

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on June 19, 2014 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- The casual observer could look at Wayne County Post 11's mercy-rule victory over Windsor Post 37 as a routine day at the park.

This one was closer than it looks on paper.

Wayne County erupted for nine runs in the sixth and seventh innings combined during its 13-3 triumph on the Area I East Division scene Wednesday evening. Post 11 extended its win streak to four games and took a one-half game lead over Pitt County in the standings.

"They battled a couple of innings, we got out of a couple of jams ... made it close and towards the end we scored some runs to put it away," third-year Wayne County head coach Jason Sherrer said. "We swung it (the bats) OK, but it took a while to get things going and put things together. Luckily, our defense was there to hold them down and we kept plugging along until we got that big knock."

The big knock came from Ryan Faucette.

The Eastern Wayne grad connected on a second-inning, grand slam home run -- the first of his Senior Legion career -- and ended the night 2-for-5 with six RBI.

"I didn't really think it was going to go out," Faucette said. "It just kept carrying and carrying. It was a fastball ... little out and up. I guess I got it good."

Faucette's bases-clearing shot accounted for Wayne County's lone offense through five-plus innings. Windsor left-hander Dallas Belch consistently worked the outside part of the plate and retired 10 of 12 batters he faced after Faucette's homer.

Post 11 had just two base runners during that stretch and stranded both at second base. Overall, Wayne County batted 8 for 17 (.471) with men in scoring position on the night.

"Their pitcher was throwing strikes, getting the calls and we weren't swinging at the strikes, we were swinging at the balls," Sherrer said. "We were making contact on pitches early that we shouldn't have, and we were taking pitches late that we should put the bat on the ball.

"It comes to the approach of how he got you out during your previous at-bat and then adjusting from there for the next time."

Wayne County southpaw Logan Miller, who hadn't thrown since the Garner game, earned some redemption. He yielded two earned runs on five hits and recorded one strikeout during a five-inning stint.

Terrence Jackson had Windsor's lone hit with a runner in scoring position -- an RBI double in the third. Miller issued a bases-loaded, two-out walk in the sixth.

"The last time I pitched, I didn't do too good so I just wanted to come out here and keep the ball low and away ... pitch to contact, which is what I did most of the night," said Miller, whose defense played error-free ball behind him.

"I think I had just one strikeout tonight, so I really wasn't blowing it by people ... just pitch it to where they'd hit a ground ball and let the defense do the work."

Wayne County (6-3-1 overall, 5-1 East) finally chased Belch in the bottom of the sixth. Faucette drove in lead-off batter Garrett Joyner and Kevin Williams, who each walked, to make it 8-2.

Faucette scored on Chad Spurgeon's third hit of the game -- a sharp single to right field. Spurgeon crossed the plate on Hank Smitherman's RBI groundout.

Joyner slid home safely on a squeeze bunt in the seventh. Three errors and one out later, Smitherman induced the mercy rule with a walk-off, two-RBI single that bounced over the third baseman's head into shallow left field.

Six of nine starters had at least one hit for Post 11, which had four players miss the game. Zack Smith, Noah West and Jacob Hollingsworth are participating in the Powerade State Games, while Tim Naughton continues to recover from a strained right knee.

"It was a good team win today," Sherrer said.