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Mar 18, 2023

Post 13 skid at 5 with loss to F

By Paul Durham | on June 07, 2023

By Paul Durham | on June 07, 2023

A particularly grueling stretch of the early season schedule left the Wilson American Legion Post 13 baseball looking for relief after taking its fifth consecutive loss Tuesday night.

Three-time Area I champion Fuquay-Varina Post 116 Nationals delivered the worst loss of the season to Post 13 in a 10-0 romp in five innings on the Beddingfield High diamond. The loss left Wilson 2-5 but came with a silver lining.

"The good thing is we open Area I East play Thursday," reasoned Post 13 head coach Matt Ballance. "You’ve got to take tonight with a grain of salt and really focus on Thursday night. Thursday and Friday are two big games for us."

Wilson plays East Division foes Kinston Post 43 on Thursday at Kinston High and Martin County Post 164 on Friday at Fleming Stadium. Ballance hopes the recent stretch of games capped by a run-rule loss to the three-time defending Area I champion will get his squad in gear for division games. Wilson also lost two in a row to long-time East rival Wayne County Post 11, playing in the West Division this summer, to start the skid. Less than 12 hours after the second loss to Wayne County, Post 13 was taking the field Saturday morning to meet state Legion powerhouse Wilmington Post 10 in the first of two games at the Pitt County Post 39 Showcase at Pitt Community College. Wilson fell 3-2 to Wilmington before succumbing 12-5 to Post 39 in the finale.

"We played really good against Wilmington. We had a few opportunities but we were lacking that big hit," Ballance surmised, adding that his guys were pretty much gassed by the nightcap loss to Pitt County.

"We were tired on arms, it was just a long weekend," he said. "I’m really hoping running through that gauntlet that we’re a little bit better. We at least got to see some pitching we won't see again."

That came Tuesday in the person of Post 116 starting pitcher Henry Good, who permitted just two hits in the four-inning stint. He walked two and struck out four.

Wilson left fielder Peyton Clay led off the bottom of the first inning with a single but couldn't score. Second baseman Jake Flowers doubled down the left-field line to start the bottom of the third inning for Wilson's other hit.

Ballance elected to use five pitchers on 30-pitch counts, starting with Fike High senior Hunter Lewis, who took the loss after giving up three runs in the first inning, courtesy of a bases-loaded triple off the bat of Fuquay-Varina first baseman Chace Chaplin.

Bryson Jenkins worked the second and third innings, surrendering a home run to Post 116 second baseman Jalen Evans in the third. Tristan Stancil pitched the fourth and Flowers tossed the final inning for Wilson.

Ballance pointed out that Wilson had just 10 players available due to Hunt High awards night and other school-related activities going on Tuesday evening. Post 13 has less than two weeks until the final roster is submitted.

"We’ve got to put our heads to the grindstone," he said. "By the 19th, we need to have our solid core group filled in and ready to finish the back half of the season, which is conference play and going to the playoffs."

Score by innings:

F-V 321 22 — 10 10 0

Wilson 000 00 — 0 2 1

W-Henry Good 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO. L-Hunter Lewis 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO.

LEADING HITTERS — Fuquay-Varina: Jalen Evans 2-3, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBIs; Chace Chaplin 2-2, 3B, 3 RBIs. Wilson: Payton Clay 1-3; Jake Flowers 1-3, 2B.