LEGION: Pitt County takes 2-0 lead in best-of-5 series

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on July 15, 2016 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- Mental and physical errors have haunted Wayne County Post 11 all season on the baseball diamond.

Thursday evening was a nightmarish episode.

Five defensive miscues led to seven unearned runs during a 13-4 setback to Pitt County Post 39 in Game 2 of the Area I East Division championship series at Scarborough Field.

Post 39 can sew up the best-of-five series with a win today at Minges-Overton Field in Winterville. First pitch is 7 p.m.

"Dropped ball in left field, dropped ball in right ... two balls that I felt like we should have caught," WC head coach Jason Sherrer said. "Not playing the aggressive way that we should and trying to make plays, especially when we're struggling pitching-wise.

"(Our) baseball smarts just wasn't there tonight."

Seven of nine starters contributed to Pitt County's 16-hit parade, including four-hit efforts from lead-off man Clay Wilson and clean-up hitter Steven Edmundson (three RBI).

Wilson and King combined for an eight-hitter and four strikeouts on the bump. King held Post 11 to one hit over the final 31/3 innings as Post 39 moved to within one game of reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2013 and third time overall in the past five years.

"They played well, they hit the ball... no question," Sherrer said.

Pitt County (20-5 overall) carried a four-run lead into the bottom half of the sixth when Wayne County (17-9) finally caught its first defensive break in the series.

Derek Neal reached on a lead-off walk. Matt Daughtry was plunked by King with two outs and Lee Daniels knocked in Neal with a single. Two batters later, Post 39's infield committed a two-base throwing error that scored Daughtry and Daniels, and enabled Post 11 to pull within 5-4.

"We made it close," Sherrer said.

Only if it's horse shoes.

A pitching injury to right-hander Jack Casbarro, who relieved starter Ethan Chapin, forced a myriad of defensive changes for Post 11. Sherrer got a combined four innings from Carlyle Smith and Lance Wise. The duo surrendered nine runs (three earned) in four innings of work.

The dropped fly ball at the warning track in left field allowed Pitt County to break open the game in the eighth inning. Post 11 committed its fifth error in the ninth.

"Not to take anything away from them, we were right in the ballgame," Sherrer said. "Five errors, you can't win with that. That team (Pitt) is way too good to sit back and not take the game to them.

"We'll see what kind of fight we've got (today). We're down, but we can definitely do it. We've got the offense to do it. We've got the defense to do it. We've pitching to do it.

"We've just got to put it together."

Chad Spurgeon paced Wayne County's offense with two hits. Daniels, JP Peacock, Zack Smith, Carlyle Smith, Chapin and Chandler Matthews provided one hit apiece.