Wayne County Post 11 head coach Adam Pate gives a signal to a runner at first base during a recent game. Post 11 dropped a 4-1 road decision at Fuquay-Varina Post 116 Thursday evening and fell behind 2-0 in the best-of-five, Area I West championship series. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
BUIES CREEK — Wayne County Post 11 faces an uphill climb in the 2023 Area I West championship series.
Pierre Bouman threw a complete-game, four-hit gem as Fuquay-Varina Post 116 prevailed 4-1 at Jim Perry Stadium on the Campbell University campus Thursday evening.
Up 2-0 and with weather permitting, Post 116 can clinch the best-of-five series today on the C35 Complex diamond. First pitch is 7:30 p.m.
Bouman handcuffed a Wayne County offense that entered the game batting .348 as a team. He permitted an earned run, walked two and retired nine Post 11 batters on strikeouts.
Wayne County (28-5 overall) has logged a total of 16 strikeouts in the scorebook during the series.
Will Lassiter, Lane McLean, Alex Ferrell and Collin Woodard collected one hit apiece for Post 11. Mason Moffett accounted for the lone run — a sixth-inning, RBI sacrifice fly that scored Lassiter. It was his 27th RBI of the season.
McLean increased his stolen-base total to 25.
Carter Gipson endured the mound loss. Fuquay-Varina tagged the right-hander for two earned runs on four hits and a walk in two-plus innings.
Gabe Adams hurled three-plus innings of four-hit, three-strikeout relief.
Chase Chapin, Jake Barbour and Matthew Vannoy (two RBI) paced Fuquay-Varina’s attack with two hits apiece. Shirley Dail provided an RBI.
