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Wednesday, June 18, 2008 10:58 AM Post 13 puts on rally caps to beat Kinston Wilson scores 5 in 8th to erase 3-run deficit By Michael Lindsay | Times Staff Writer For seven innings Tuesday night, the Wilson American Legion Post 13 baseball team seemed vulnerable to its first losing streak of the season. But one inning fixed that. Post 13 scored five runs in the eighth inning to erase a three-run deficit and beat Kinston Post 43, 8-6, in Fleming Stadium. After suffering its first loss against Post 43 on June 9, Wilson (11-2) exacted revenge by handing Kinston -- the last of the state's undefeated teams -- its first loss. "Because they gave us our first loss, and we wanted to return the favor," Post 13 second baseman Brett Allen said. After Post 43 (10-1) scored three runs in the top of the inning to lead 6-3, Wilson loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the eighth. David Gibbons and Jordan Carr roped back-to-back singles to lead off the inning, followed by a Chris Johnson walk. Then, after Zach Moore walked to score one, Allen sliced a double down the right-field line to score two more runs and tie the score 6-6. "It's always good to get the leadoff hitters on," Allen said. "They did good to get on base, did their job, and I just came up at the right time and got the right pitch." Wilson took its first lead when Jacob Davis followed with an RBI single and Mitchell Wheeler laid down a squeeze bunt for an 8-6 lead heading into the ninth. "We hung in there, made some adjustments at the plate, started hitting some good pitches and things started going our way a little bit," Post 13 head coach Rusty Dail said. Kyle Shields picked up the win -- his first of the season -- in relief of starter Justin Nygard. Shields gave way to Jeremy Efird with two-on, one-out in the ninth, wrapping up his second save with the final two outs. Kinston, however, led almost the entire game, grabbing a 1-0 lead in the first, leading 3-1 in the fifth and 6-3 in the eighth for its largest lead. In the eighth, Post 43 loaded the bases with one out, scoring runs on RBI singles by Grant Williams and Billy Dudding, followed by a Brandon Sutton sacrifice fly. "No lead was safe, but after we got that lead, we felt a little more comfortable, thinking, 'OK, now we've got the game back in our control,'" Kinston head coach Ronnie Battle said. "And we did in control, but our last reliever wasn't able to throw strikes. He was airing it out. "Give Wilson credit, though; they waited for pitches in the zone and hit them well." Dudding (0-1) came on to pitch the eighth but lasted just 2/3 of an inning after he gave up four hits and three walks. "The guys hung in there," Dail said. "They started getting guys on base and getting them in. I think the key was pitch selection -- not swinging at pitches out of the strike zone and waiting for good pitches to hit." The teams combined for six errors, leading to three unearned runs, over the first six innings. Possibly a carryover from its loss against Rocky Mount on Sunday, Post 13 struggled early to keep pace with Kinston. "And I thought to myself, 'Here we go again,'" Dail said. "We were kind of going backwards when we want to go forwards after we started off so good." But Wilson rebounded when it needed, getting back on the right track before heading to Benson Post 109 on Thursday at South Johnston High and returning to Area One East Division play Friday against Ahoskie in Fleming Stadium. "It's always good to get a win after a loss, especially to your rival in Rocky Mount," Allen said. "It's just great, the team played good -- an all-around good win." mlindsay@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807 |
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