Carolina Athletic Park—-Goldsboro — Wayne County(15-2) was able to avenge one of their only losses on the year using 8 hits including several key bunts to outlast Post 39, 11-10 last night at Carolina Athletic Park.
Post 11 took advantage of 3 walks in the 1st as a Carter Adams sac fly would make it 1-0 early.
Post 39 would take the 2-1 lead in their half of the 2nd when starting pitcher Rahkeem Williams would help his own cause with a 2 run single with the bases loaded off Wayne starter Blake Easom. Easom was able to work out of what could have been a bigger inning for Pitt.
The boys from Post 11 stormed right back in bottom of the 2nd when Joseph Buckley led off with a walk and stole 2nd. After Williams issued a walk to Garrett Byrd, Cameron Aycock laid down the first of several key bunts to an unprepared Pitt defense for a base hit to load the bases. Lawson Tyndall then lifted the sac fly to left to tie the score at 2. A wild pitch would move the runners to second and third. Then a chopper to third off the bat of Wyatt Lassiter would be misplayed as the throw would sail wide of the bag pulling the first baseman off and allowed both Byrd and Aycock to score making it 4-2 Good Guys after 2.
Pitt cut the lead to 4-3 off reliever Sam Lopez in the 3rd on a Ryker Butcher rbi double.
Post 39 reliever Suiter Howard took over in the 3rd and began by issuing walks to Noah Price and Charlie Scott to start the frame. After a Buckley ground ball to first moved the runners up, Byrd would drop another critical bunt towards third for a single, scoring CJ Radford who pinch ran for the catcher Price and it’s 5-3 after 3.
But here comes Pitt County again in the 4th. Max Mason drives the single to left followed by a bunt by Williams to put runners on 2nd and third with 1 out. Colby Jones then laced the single to center to tie the game again at 5.
After lead off walks in the Wayne 4th to Lassiter and Thad Parker, Post 39 would go to the pen and righty Max Mason. A ground ball to 3rd off the bat of Price would get thrown into right field and both Lassiter and Parker would come all the way around to make it 7-5. With Price on third after the error Buckley would lay down a bunt that would be mishandled by Mason and Price would score to make it an 8-5 game after 4.
Reliever Brayden McKee kept Pitt off the board in the fifth. Post 11 added another run in their fifth after Lassiter reached on a shortstop error and a Chandler Hill double to left center who had pinch hit for Parker.
Post 39 wasn’t done. They would score 4 in the 6th. A 2 run homer off the bat of Ryker Butcher that left the yard quick cut the lead to 9-8. After a walk, Chase White tripled to tie the game at 9. In comes reliever Baines Raynor who induced the ground ball and leave White at 3rd.
Wayne County took the 10-9 lead in their half of the 6th. Charlie Scott led off with a single and stole 2nd. A Buckley ground ball would mover Scott to 3rd. A Byrd sac fly would make 10-9 after 6.
With 2 outs in the 7th Pitt centerfielder Joyner Haddock drilled a solo homerun to right center to tie the game at 10
Wayne County would then handle business quickly in the bottom of the 7th. Tyndall immediately drove a pitch to the fence in left center off Mason for a double and Pitt went to the pen to bring in the hard throwing Colby Jones. A wild pitch would move Tyndall to 3rd and Pitt would bring the infield in to face Lassiter. But that didn’t matter as Lassiter would smack the 2-2 offering from Jones over the head of the leftfielder to score Tyndall and give Wayne County the 11-10 walk-off win!
Raynor got the win for Wayne County. Mason took the loss for Pitt as Tyndall the runner belonged to him.
Wayne County returns to action at home tonight against Wilson Post 13 at 7:30pm at Carolina Athletic Park.
