
Wayne County Post 11’s Nate Smith squares up for a bunt during early-inning action against Kinston Post 43 Wednesday evening. Smith batted 3-for-3 in Wayne County’s 8-3 win that secured a berth in next week’s state tournament at Campbell University. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
KINSTON — Buies Creek here we come!
After a one-year absence, Wayne County Post 11 is returning to the N.C. Senior American Legion Baseball state tournament.
Mason Moffett crushed a two-RBI home run and the bullpen combined for a four-hitter during an 8-3 conquest of long-time nemesis Kinston Post 43 on Wednesday evening.
WC head coach Adam Pate is taking his second team to Campbell University, host site for the six-day, eight-team event. Play begins July 24 at Jim Perry Stadium.
“Yeah, it feels really good,” Pate said. “Obviously, this crowd right here is full of good kids, good parents, good families. I’m happy for the kids. These kids work their butts off…really good players and you always hope the best for kids that are good kids and good players.”
For the second straight night, the Area I rivals posted zeros on the scoreboard after two innings of play.
That changed in the third.
McLean reached base on a perfectly-executed bunt.
Moffett followed with his first bases-clearing blast of the season that sparked a four-run outburst.
“The goal was just to foul off what I could, see a bunch of pitches,” said Moffett, who is headed to Ferrum College in the fall. “By that point in the at-bat, I had seen all of his pitches…just using my eyes and finding the barrel.”
Pate described the swing as a “game changer.”
Davis Albert walked and stole second base with teammate Braeden Collins down 0-2 in the count. Collins delivered a single, which plated Albert to make it 3-0.
Nate Smith plated Collins with an RBI triple.
WC led 4-0.
Post 11 right-hander Will Pennington encountered a little trouble in the fourth. Kinston closed to within 4-3 on two bases-loaded walks and a single off reliever Carter Gipson.
“That’s kind of my role to come in, get out of bad innings…throw strikes and get ground balls,” said Gipson, who entered the game with the bases loaded. “It’s always good to have a great team behind you that’s going to have your back.”
Kinston’s momentum quickly disappeared.
Albert and Collins reached safely on back-to-back singles. Smith drove in Albert. Collins and Smith executed a double steal and Collins raced home on Landon Sutton’s sacrifice bunt down the first-base line.
Smith scored on a passed ball.
“That was huge,” Pate said. “Any time you can answer when the other team scores, whether it’s one run or several runs like they did, it’s kind of a solidification that we still had the game in the bag, had control.”
Wayne County (30-6 overall) extended its advantage to 8-3 and eventually wrapped up its sixth consecutive win over Kinston.
Cameron Aycock (1-for-4) swiped two bases and moved into a four-way tie with McLean, Derek Matthews and Walker Gourley as the program’s all-time leaders with 45 stolen bags apiece.
Aycock holds the single-season record with 43.
Smith concluded the night 3-for-3 with two RBI. Albert and Collins (RBI) each supplied two hits. Lassiter, McLean, Moffett and Alex Ferrell each contributed one hit.
Pennington toed the rubber for three-plus innings and emerged as the winning pitcher. He, along with Gipson and closer Jason Jenkins, combined for eight strikeouts in the two-hour, 48-minute affair.
“Penny had one bad inning, but at the same time, all three of them did a great job tonight,” Pate said.