Wayne - Kinston Legion Game

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on June 26, 2015 1:48 PM

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KINSTON - For the second night in a row, Wayne County Post 11 got off to a slow start.

But for a second night in a row, a big sixth inning propelled the team to a crucial division win.

After going down 3-0 in the first inning, Wayne County rallied to outscore Kinston Post 43 10-1 the rest of the way in route to a 10-4 victory at Grainger Stadium on Thursday night.

Eastern Wayne pitcher Tanner Wells started the game on the mound for Wayne County. Having not pitched in over a week, Wells showed some rust, allowing three runs on four hits while walking a batter all in the first inning. Kinston sent all nine batters to the plate in the inning.

"In his nature, he's not used to that [long of break]," Wayne County head coach Jason Sherrer said. "He usually pitches a couple of innings here or there, maybe two or three times a week.

"It was a little different for him - it took him a little while to get going and once he did, we just so happened to be down 3-0."

Wells did eventually settle in, pitching 4 2/3 innings while allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out four and walked three Kinston batters before Jake Naughton was called upon to finish the game in relief.

"[Tanner] eventually found his stuff, pitched, and kept us in the ball game," Sherrer added. "And then Jake came in and did his job."

Naughton was especially impressive on the mound, allowing two hits while striking out eight batters in 4 1/3 innings pitched. He looked especially strong in the final two innings, striking out four of Kinston's last six batters.

At the plate, Wayne County benefited from another big inning late in the game. Bobby Hampton was the offensive catalyst on the night, going 2-6 with two doubles and three RBI. Zack Smith and Chad Spurgeon also got in on the action, each with doubles and RBI's of their own.

"You know, it was another slow start," Sherrer said. "But again - we were down three, we scored, they scored again, we answered. It turned into a ball game a lot faster this time."

A scary moment came in the top of the 7th inning. In to face his first batter of the game, Kinston pitcher Drew Rodgers was hit in the face on a line drive off the bat of Naughton. Rodgers immediately fell to the ground, where he lay motionless for several minutes.

The game stopped as teammates and family members rushed to Rodger's aid. Aftter half an hour or so, Rodgers was able to get up and walk off the field with the assitance of coaches and medical staff. He was taken to the hospital and treated for facial wounds as well as a concussion.

"You know, unfortunately it's a part of the game," Sherrer added. "You never want to see anything like that happen to anybody, whether it's your team or their team. It's just something that's very unfortunate."

The game resumed some time after, with Wayne County scoring one more run in the 8th on an RBI tripple from Wells. The tripple capped off what was another impressive, albeit late-starting offensive performance from Post 11.

"The last couple games we've been able to back up hits with hits," Sherrer said, "and walks with hits too. It was good to see that we trusted our approach and that it actually worked out."