Era ends in Eastern Wayne baseball

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on May 11, 2016 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

HILLSBOROUGH --An era in Eastern Wayne baseball came to an emotional close Tuesday evening.

His ballcap in his left hand, Jabo Fulghum gathered with his seniors for one final talk. Each fought back tears as their long-time coach, friend and teacher told them they would remember this game for the rest of their lives.

Not because it ended their prep careers.

Or because Orange High School right-hander Bryse Wilson, in front of Major League Baseball scouts, threw a perfect game -- a 2-0 decision in opening-round action of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A playoffs.

It was about heart, grit, determination -- and the pride that comes from wearing the blue and old gold.

"I told them it's not the end of the world," said an emotional and teary-eyed Fulghum, who coached his final game which ended a stellar 24-year career in the Warriors' dugout.

"You're going to never forget this game. You're going to remember you fought hard, that you faced a pitcher that's pretty dang good and you played as a team. You played the way the game is supposed to be played. We laid it all out on the field. We couldn't ask for anything more. It just didn't fall your way."

Indeed.

Headed to the University of North Carolina, Wilson (9-2) was as good as advertised. With a delivery as slick as a used car salesman, he worked his fastball in and out of the zone, painted the corners with precision strokes like Rembrandt and changed speeds like a NASCAR driver navigating lapped traffic on a short track.

The result?

An efficient 66-pitch outing that resulted in six strikeouts, seven ground-ball outs and eight flyouts. The only time Wilson held his breath was when the Warriors' Tanner Wells mashed a deep fly ball to center field that the Panthers' Johnny Flynn caught at the fence.

Wilson extended the Warriors' string of scoreless innings to 34. EW endured its fourth consecutive shutout loss and seventh overall.

"It was a great game," Wilson said. "I threw one of my better games, but not my best. I fell behind in the count with some hitters and got into some three-ball counts that I was able to work out of.

"My defense played great. Center field had three good catches, second base and shortstop had good plays."

Eastern Wayne right-hander Zack Smith was equally as effective. The University of Charlotte signee scattered five hits in a complete-game performance and got a flawless effort from his defense.

Third baseman Carlyle Smith made two highlight-reel plays, including gunning down Wilson at the plate on a second-inning fielder's choice.

Catcher Ryan Warren smoked a runner attempting to steal third base in the fourth inning. Center fielder KK Best got on his horse and tracked down a fly ball in the gap that robbed the Panthers of a potential run-scoring double to end the fourth.

Smith worked four shutout innings.

"Tanner threw 70 pitches on Saturday and I asked Zack if he wanted the ball, and he said 'absolutely,'" Fulghum grinned. "He came out and he battled. They got a couple of hard-hit balls. I'd venture to say we had more hard-hit balls than they did, ours just didn't find the hole."

Fifth-seeded Orange finally scratched in the fifth.

Chandler Compton and Jason Slaughter raced home on Cameron Mehl's two-RBI double that bounced all the way to the wall in left field. The two-run cushion was more than enough for Wilson, who threw his 10th complete game -- and sixth shutout -- of the season.

"Coming into the game I knew they had a good team because they competed in a really good 3-A/4-A conference with D.H. Conley, New Bern and C.B. Aycock that all have good pitching staffs," said Wilson, who was recruited by Wake Forest head football coach Dave Clausen to play linebacker.

"I knew we were going to have to play very well and we did just that. I knew they were gonna be a good scrappy team, and we were able to get two runs and win the game."

Wilson consistently registered between 93 and 95 mph on the radar gun during the 78-minute affair. The 28th-seeded Warriors (13-10) spent Monday's practice widening and shortening their approaches at the plate.

"The kids bought into it," Fulghum said. "The first two innings, he kind of mowed us down. We kept believing, kept working and kept doing some things that are going to win games. For us to face a guy (like Wilson) on the road in a hostile environment, we didn't bow down."

A Warrior never does.