South Lenoir breaks slump, defeats Southern Wayne
South Lenoir’s Jon Howard threw a complete game to help the Blue Devils defeat Southern Wayne 7-2 in the Lenoir-Wayne Easter Tournament Tuesday. Photo by William ‘Bud’ Hardy / Neuse News
By Junious Smith III
LA GRANGE — South Lenoir finally caught some breaks Tuesday.
The Blue Devils dispatched Southern Wayne 7-2 in the Lenoir-Wayne Easter Tournament at North Lenoir. One day after falling 8-1 to Eastern Wayne, South Lenoir (5-11) scored five runs in the second and never looked back to snap a five-game losing streak.
“I thought we put pressure on their defense and everyone did their job,” South Lenoir coach David Combs said. “We were aggressive on the bases and were able to get timely hits when we needed it. Of course, I can’t say enough about (starting pitcher) Jon (Howard) — he threw his tail off and defensively, we were able to make some great plays.”
After a scoreless first, South Lenoir batted around in the second as Everett Oliver and Luke Thigpen started with consecutive singles. An error on a Chase Strain grounder brought in the first run and a wild pitch put the Blue Devils ahead 2-0 before Cannon Davis’ RBI single. Jensen Barwick’s grounder plated another run and when Gavin Harrell hit an RBI double, the Blue Devils were ahead 5-0.
Southern Wayne (4-17) came back in the bottom of the third as Justin Edwards hit a 2-run blast, but Howard didn’t allow much more. The freshman threw a complete game, scattering five hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
“I just kept throwing and I knew I had the guys behind me to help out,” Howard said. “I was able to get my breaking ball to work and just hit my spots where I needed to.”
South Lenoir would add a run in the sixth on a wild pitch and another in the seventh on Strain’s RBI single.
Barwick said the win will help the team build confidence heading into the final week of the season. The Blue Devils face North Lenoir on the road April 30, followed by a home game with Spring Creek May 2.
“It was a good win and we hadn’t had one of those in a while,” Barwick said. “We executed the whole game and we were able to get some good hits throughout.”
