Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Post 58 tops Wilson Co. by a touchdown, 17-10

By Tom Ham
Wilson Daily Times

WILSON - Credit the Wilson American Legion baseball team with enough moxie to avoid being victimized by the 10-run lead rule Tuesday night.

Otherwise, Post 13's 2007 miseries in Fleming Stadium continued with a 17-10 Area One Eastern Division North Conference loss to Post 58 of Rocky Mount-Nash County. Nine Wilson errors led to 13 unearned Post 58 runs as Post 13 tumbled to 5-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference.

Post 58, undefeated in four games, pounded three Wilson pitchers for 15 hits in notching its second conference victory.

"We can't play at home," Wilson head coach Rusty Dail flatly said. "We just can't play right now. It's frustrating.

"We have to make up our minds to come to play. Some of us are just going through the motions. I don't have the answer. If I'd had nine more (players) I would have put them out there."

The contest lingered nearly three hours and the regulation nine innings as the result of Wilson, down 17-4, scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Down to its last out, Post 13 forced the ninth inning on center fielder Zach Moore's two-run single.Leading 10-4, Post 58 sent 11 batters to the plate in pouring across seven runs in the top of the eighth.

Third baseman Chris Berry batted 3-for-6 and drove in three runs for Post 58. Center fielder Daniel Moore, shortstop Andrew Webb, second baseman Brian Allen, right fielder Xavier Macklin and left fielder Dillon Cockrell each collected two hits. Allen scored four runs and Daniel Moore, Webb and Gay three each.

Gay doubled in a run and scored on Macklin's single to stake Post 58 to a 2-0 lead in the top of the opening inning against starting Post 13 pitcher Matthew Watson, a left-hander.But Wilson retaliated with four runs in the bottom of the first.

The bases were loaded when first baseman Thomas Moore cleared them with a one-out triple.
Third baseman Brett Allen singled in Moore.

Post 58 reclaimed the lead for keeps with three unearned runs in the top of the second. The bases were loaded but wound up empty when Watson's pick-off throw toward first base wound up in the right-field corner.

After the opening inning, Post 58 starting pitcher Zach Woodley blanked Wilson on three hits the next six innings. Woodley completed his evening's work by working out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. Woodley, 2-0, had thrown just six pitches the previous three games.

"I hadn't thrown in four weeks (except for the six pitches) and you've got to find your rhythm," Woodley reasoned. The right-hander noted the approach is different for nine-inning Legion games as compared to seven-inning outings on the mound for Northern Nash High.

"I would have liked to have done a little better," Woodley evaluated. "I threw a lot of off-speed pitches after the first inning because I couldn't get the fastball in the zone. I had to try something. We won, we're 4-0 — I'll take it."

Wilson wound up with 11 hits, including two each from Zach Moore, second baseman Joseph Toler and Thomas Moore. Toler also tripled. Designated hitter-right fielder Jacob Davis scored three runs.

Watson, Post 13's ace last season, took the loss to even his mark at 1-1. Right-handers Jeremy Efird and Tony Whitehead followed him to the mound.

"We are just as good as they are," Dail insisted. "They threw their best and we put the ball in play. But we were passive at the plate and you're not going to win against anybody when you commit nine errors."

Wilson steps outside the conference to welcome New Bern this evening at 7 in Fleming Stadium.

Dail's post-game message to his player was brief: "Be here at 4:30."

Post 58 17
Wilson 10

POST 58 WILSON Post 13

AB R H BI AB R H BI
D Moore 5 3 2 0 Moore 4 2 2 2

Webb ss 5 3 2 2 Toler 2b-ss 4 1 2 1
Bn Allen 2b 4 4 2 0 Lamm c 5 0 0 0
Gay 1b 4 3 1 1 Davis dh-rf 4 3 1 0
Macklin rf 5 0 2 2 T Moore 1b 3 1 2 3
Jhnson pr-rf 1 1 0 0 Emdn ph-1b 2 1 1 1
Pierce c 5 1 1 1 Taylor lf 3 0 0 0
Berry 3b 6 1 3 3 Nygard ph-lf 2 1 1 0
Hodges dh 5 0 0 0 Bt Allen 3b 3 0 1 1
Woodley p 0 0 0 0 Jones ss 4 1 1 1
Womble p 0 0 0 0 Massey 2b 1 0 0 0
Joyner p 0 0 0 0 Whithd rf-p 4 0 0 0
Cockrell lf 5 1 2 2
Totals 45 17 15 11 Totals 39 10 11 9

Score by innings:

Post 58 230 023 070 — 17
Wilson 400 000 051 — 10

E-Watson 2, Bt. Allen 3, Lamm, T. Moore, Toler 2, Berry, Webb, Pierce. DP-Post 58. LOB-Post 58, Wilson 7. 2B-Gay, Berry. 3B-T. Moore, Bn. Allen, Toler. SB-Bn. Allen, Macklin, D. Moore 2. S-Webb.

Pitching

IP H R ER BB SO

Post 58
Woodley (W 2-0) 7 6 4 2 3 3
Womble 1 4 5 2 1 2
Joyner 1 1 1 0 1 0

Wilson
Watson (L) 42/3 7 7 2 3 7
Efird 21/3 4 7 2 2 0
Whitehead 2 4 3 0 0 0

HBP-D. Moore (by Efird), Gay (by Efird). WP-Joyner. PB-Pierce 2.

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