Wayne County, Garner start Area One tilt

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on July 26, 2004 1:56 PM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- One part has been accomplished, but a few tasks remain unfinished for the Wayne County Post 11 baseball team.

Less than a week after claiming its sixth Area I East championship since 1994, Wayne County begins the second leg of its postseason journey this evening. Post 11 entertains long-time rival Garner for game one of the Area I Championship series at 7 p.m.

Both teams have already secured berths in next week's state tournament at Shelby. However, a higher seeding is at stake when the best-of-three series kicks off at Scarborough Field.

Wayne County reached the Area I finals with a 3-0 sweep against Wilson, while Garner swept Wake Forest.

In its last four trips to the Area I finals, Post 11 has emerged victorious with titles in 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2002. Wayne County has won 12 straight games during that stretch, with its last loss occurring in game seven of the 1994 finals against Garner.

The teams are meeting for the Area I championship for the third time since 1994 and Wayne County (25-7) owns the home field advantage.

Game two is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Garner High School with a third game, if necessary, slated for 7 p.m. at Mount Olive College on Wednesday.