Post 11 defeats Post 37 in bizarre fashion

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on July 8, 2014 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

rcoggins@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- Zack Smith did his job.

He just didn't expect the bizarre ending.

The Wayne County Post 11 first baseman mashed a walk-off, inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap an 8-7 comeback victory over Windsor Post 37 on Monday evening.

Trailing 7-5, catcher Kevin Williams reached on an infield error and took second on a passed ball. Ryan Faucette drew a walk and Windsor's assistant coach called timeout as he strolled to the mound to talk with reliever Austin Lee.

"I went down to (Post 11) Coach (Jason) Sherrer and he said just look for a fastball and put a good swing on it," Smith said.

He did.

Post 37 center fielder Terrence Jackson crashed into the fence as he tracked the ball. He crumpled to the ground as left fielder Jack Downum Jr. rushed to pick up the ball and throw it back toward the infield.

By that time, Ryan Kelly (Williams' courtesy runner), Faucette and Smith had crossed the plate. Windsor's players tossed their gloves and rushed toward the outfield to check on Jackson, who lay motionless on the ground but never lost consciousness.

"When I hit it and saw him running back, I was hoping it was going over," said Smith, a rising junior at Eastern Wayne. "But, then I saw him getting to it pretty quickly and I thought he had it for a second. Then I saw it hit the ground and ran as fast as I could.

"We definitely got lucky today."

Lucky, indeed.

Top-seeded Wayne County (11-5-1 overall) overcame three base-running mistakes, a pair of defensive bobbles and a couple of wild pitches to prevent fourth-seeded Windsor (4-9) from pulling a stunning upset.

The teams travel to Bertie High School today for game two in their best-of-five Area I East semifinal series. First pitch is 7 p.m.

"We had some bad base-running mistakes and we couldn't take advantage of the spots where we had (chances to score)," Post 11 head coach Jason Sherrer said. "I felt like our swings were a little big at times and both of their pitchers did a great job keeping us off balance the whole time.

"We just couldn't make the adjustment."

Post 11 collected 10 hits against Post 37 right-hander Cole Woolard, but put just four runs on the board. DJ Graham poked an RBI single into right field in the second inning, and later scored on Garrett Joyner's home run over the center-field fence.

Smith provided a fifth-inning RBI sacrifice fly.

Woolard picked off runners in the first, third and fourth innings to help keep Windsor within striking distance. Post 37 eventually knotted the game at 5-5 with a three-run, seventh-inning uprising against Post 11 starter Reed Howell.

Howell surrendered a two-RBI single to lead-off batter Lawrence Smith. Two pitches later, Smith trotted home on Jackson's single past the out-stretched glove of Wayne County third baseman Hank Smitherman.

"Reed threw great, just got tired at the end," Sherrer said. "Maybe I could have stopped the bleeding early with a fresh arm. It's probably 100 percent my fault leaving him in too long."

Named to the N.C. Baseball Coaches Association all-state 1-A team earlier in the day, Howell permitted five runs (three earned) on eight hits and logged seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

Windsor grabbed its first lead, 7-5, on Adam Cowan's RBI double and a Post 11 infield error in the eighth. Wayne County reliever Ben Rouse induced an inning-ending groundout and retired Post 37 in order in the ninth.

That set the stage for Smith's freakish finish.

"We figured we'd come out here and beat them like we did last time," said Smith, who referred to a pair of mercy-rule victories over Post 37 during regular-season play.

"We're going to have to come out tomorrow, get that focus and intensity the last time (we played them)."