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By: SEAN ROCCA and STEVE BARNES

For The Washington Daily News

Summer baseball is back in Beaufort County for the first time since 2017 Washington’s Junior American Legion Post 15 team opened its season with an 11-0 victory over Ahoskie #2 at Washington High School.

Post 15 took advantage of eight walks, six wild pitches and three Ahoskie errors in the bottom of the first inning to score nine runs. Jackson Harding drove in a run with an infield single and Bryce Williams hit a two-RBI single to center. Those were the only hits in the inning for Post 15.

They would get two more runs in the bottom of the 4th. After Evan Woolard and Trenton Allen were hit by pitches, Caleb Grandy scored both of them with a single. The game ended in the 5th inning by the 10-run mercy rule. Normally, the teams play seven innings. It is a league rule that if a team leads by 10 runs or more, the game will end in the 5th inning instead of the 7th.

“We had good fundamentals tonight,” head coach Bobby Boyd said. “We ran the bases well, we hit with runners in scoring position and our defense was solid.”

Four pitchers combined for a one-hitter.  Williams pitched the first two innings while Luke Bullock, Tanner Moore, and Cutter Williams all threw an inning.

“If we pitch like this in every game, we will be in Cherryville for the state tournament,” head coach Bobby Boyd said. “We’d like to use four pitchers in every game to take advantage of our depth.”

12 of the 16 players on the roster can pitch, which is an advantage with 18 regular season games in a five week span.

Local American Legion post commander Philip Mobley and second vice commander Stan Edwards were in attendance for the first Legion game in six years.

“We knew coach Boyd from previous seasons and we’re proud to sponsor his team,” Mobley said. “We’re glad that he’s bringing Legion baseball back to Beaufort County because it’s all about the kids for us.”

“It’s a great way to spend the summer if you’re a kid,” Edwards added. “I really enjoyed it when I played and It’s good for our community to have it back.”

Post 15 will be back home on Thursday against Riverside.