Ayden-Grifton coach Corey Skinner talks to his team after the Chargers fell to Washington in the second round of the NCHSAA 2A state playoffs. Photo by Junious Smith III / Neuse News

By Junious Smith III

WASHINGTON | Unfortunately for Ayden-Grifton, lightning couldn’t strike twice and the season was cut short.

The Chargers fell to Washington 13-12 Friday in the second round of the NCHSAA 2A state playoffs. The teams split the two games in the regular season, with Ayden-Grifton (17-9) capturing the first meeting 12-0 on March 19 in large part to a nine-run inning in the fourth.

Ayden-Grifton scored nine in the third Friday, but Washington (18-5) chipped away, ending the game on the walkoff and earning the right to host North Johnston in the third round Tuesday.

“We got down but the guys never gave up,” Washington coach Kevin Leggett said. “We weren’t able to pitch our No. 1 guy tonight, Logan Everette, due to arm soreness and the last time that happened Ayden-Grifton scored nine runs on us in that 12-0 game. This time, we were able to battle back and fought all the way.”

Jeremiah Moore’s RBI single in the bottom of the first gave Washington the early lead, but Ayden-Grifton exploded in the third, batting around without an out to start the frame and sending 14 men to the plate. Blake McLawhorn started the scoring with an RBI double and Jordan Atkinson followed with a run-scoring single with an error making it 3-1. Two run-scoring wild pitches, a 3-run error on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice and McLawhorn’s RBI single put Ayden-Grifton ahead 9-1.

Washington chipped into the lead in the bottom of the third with an RBI grounder from Hunter Hall and a base knock by Moore, but Ayden-Grifton’s Brandon Benfield answered with a towering 3-run shot to left field in the top of the fifth to give the Chargers a 12-3 advantage. Washington would get a Moore RBI single and a 2-run hit from Robert Pollock in the bottom of the frame before Will Crisp’s 2-run single in the sixth made it 12-8.

In the seventh, the Chargers never recorded an out. An error and two singles loaded the bases before a run scored on a balk. Everette followed with a 2-run double before Hall’s RBI single tied the game, setting up the stage for Pollock, who delivered with a base hit to end the game and set off a wild celebration.

“It was just a crazy end,” Pollock said. “I thought I would get a curveball, but the pitcher threw a fastball that I liked, and I just went for it.”

Despite a disappointing end to the season, Ayden-Grifton coach Corey Skinner said there was plenty the senior class could celebrate. The Chargers won 46 games over the previous three years, including three playoff games — advancing to the third round in 2017 and winning 11-1 over North Lenoir Tuesday.

“This season had its ups and downs, but the team came together at the right time,” Skinner said. “They played hard and I learned a lot from them this season. We had the seniors for the better part of three years, and they’ve certainly accomplished a lot over that time period.”