Allen's triple sparks Junior Legion team

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on July 17, 2007 1:48 PM

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CARY -- Taylor Allen's first-inning triple accounted for the game-winning run as Wayne County South's Junior American Legion baseball team turned back Morehead City 6-1 on a balmy Sunday afternoon.

The victory vaulted Post 11, directed by head coach Chuck Crumpler, into the state tournament, which begins July 26 at Cherryville.

With one out, Jordan Hood reached on an error and moved into scoring position on Tyler Edwards' base hit. Jordan Williams, a rising junior at Southern Wayne, plated Hood with a game-tying sacrifice fly to right field.

Edwards trotted home on Allen's triple and Cody Richards concluded the first-inning uprising with an RBI triple. Allen and Richards helped Rosewood qualify for the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A playoffs this past spring.

Williams, Allen and Scott Holloman each pounded out a third-inning which boosted Wayne County's advantage to 5-1. Williams provided his second RBI hit, a sixth-inning single, which sealed Post 11's return trip to the state tournament.

Neal threw a perfect fifth and sixth inning, and logged a three-hitter on the USA National Baseball Training Complex diamond. He fanned two Morehead City batters and retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced.

Wayne County South (15-14 overall) began its quick journey through the losers' bracket with a 9-3 shelling of Hope Mills. Allen's one-out, two-RBI single and a Hope Mills error spearheaded a three-run, second-inning outburst.

Edwards and Williams smacked back-to-back, run-scoring doubles in the fourth. Richards' RBI double and Hood's two-RBI single, both in the sixth inning, eliminated Hope Mills from tournament play.

Allen emerged the lone multiple-hit performer, while Michael Douglas claimed the mound win. Douglas scattered six hits and yielded single runs in the third, fourth and seventh innings.

Post 11 started tournament play with an 11-2 setback against Cary Post 67.

The teams battled through 4 ? scoreless innings until Cary manufactured seven runs off three walks, two hit batters, two errors and three hits. The offensive outburst occurred against Allen, who started, and relieves Will Beasley and Raymond Velasquez.

Wayne County South responded with two runs in the sixth. Edwards plated Neal, who walked, with a one-strike triple to right field. Williams plated Edwards to pull Post 11 within 7-2.

Cary added five runs in the sixth inning.