Kinston Post 43 ties series with Pitt County Post 39

Kinston Post 43's Trey McLawhorn hit two home runs in Wednesday's Game 2 win over Pitt County Post 39. Photo by William 'Bud' Hardy / Neuse News

By Junious Smith III

WINTERVILLE — At least this time around, one game was played.

Kinston Post 43 took Game 2 of the American Legion Area 1 East Finals 7-5 over Pitt County Post 39 Wednesday at Pitt Community College. A doubleheader was scheduled, but Game 3 was rained out.

The teams will play Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-five series in a doubleheader today at the Ronnie Battle Baseball Complex at Kinston High School.

"We played our butts off and were able to get momentum going in that first game," Kinston Post 43 coach Ty Eason said. "After that, we weren't able to get the second game in before the rain fell."

Jalin Connor set the tone with a leadoff home run on the game's first pitch for Kinston Post 43. Malik Dixon added an RBI single in the first, but Pitt County Post 39 tied it in the bottom of the third with a 2-run homer from Grant Jarman, followed by an RBI double by Ryker Galaska to take the lead.

Kinston Post 43 responded with a Cameron Butler RBI single in the fourth to tie the game before Trey McLawhorn unloaded on a pitch in the fifth for a 2-run shot to put the team ahead 5-3. Pitt County Post 39 tied the game up in the bottom of the frame, but McLawhorn responded with another two-run blast in the sixth to close the scoring.

Now, the pressure is on the weather to hold off, as well as Game 3 in Kinston Post 43's favor. In a pact agreed on by all teams before the season, there are six days granted to play the Area 1 East Finals. If only one or two games are played, the team who won Game 1 advances to States, and if three or four games are played, the team who had a 2-1 advantage after Game 3 moves on.

"We're definitely hoping everything works out in our favor and we can finish this series," Eason said. "I know we all agreed to it, but it would hurt to see the season end in this manner."