By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
GREENVILLE — Maybe a little batting practice early Monday morning will help.
Washington’s bats were cold on a frigid Saturday afternoon in the opener of the Hot Stove Baseball Tournament at Guy Smith Stadium. The Pam Pack fell 10-1 to Wake County as Warrior pitcher Bobby Craig kept Washington off balance all game. Craig went the distance, striking out eight in the process.
Coach Darin Vaughan is hoping a little BP before Monday’s noon game against the Riverside-Kempsville loser will help cure the Pack of some hitting woes.
Washington senior Trent Whitehead made his first start on the mound. The lefty went 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits. Whitehead struck out five and walked two.
Brandon Thomas pitched the final 2 2/3 innings for Washington. He gave up five runs (two earned) on seven hits, striking out five and walking one.
Wake took a 1-0 lead in the first. Craig, who was hit by a pitch to get aboard, scored on a wild pitch.
An RBI-single by Jacob Goetze in the second made it 2-0. Goetze later scored on one of five Washington error’s for a 3-0 advantage.
Bryan Stephenson hit an RBI-single and Goetze drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to extend Wake’s lead to 5-0.
Stephenson’s two-run double in the sixth gave the Warriors a 7-0 advantage.
The Pack got on the board in the bottom half. Jeffrey Boyd laced an RBI-double into center to score Austin Thompson, who had reached on a fielder’s choice.
The Warriors tacked on three more runs in the seventh, the key blow coming on a two-run homer by Daniel Rosoff. Ricky Rueda, who went 4-for-5, capped the scoring when he crossed home after Washington’s fifth error.
The teams had to play in windy and cold conditions. Washington’s players saw snow flurries while driving into Greenville.
Wake County 120 022 3 — 10 14 1
Washington 000 001 0 — 1 5 5
WP: Bobby Craig; LP: Trent Whitehead
Hitters: Wake — Ricky Rueda 4-5 (2B, 3 runs), Bryan Stephenson 2-3 (2B, 3 RBIs), Daniel Rosoff 2-5 (HR, 3 RBIs), Jacob Goetze 2-4 (2 RBIs), Caleb Furlough 2-5, Bobby Craig 1-4, Chase Hall 1-4; Was — Lee Watkins 2-3, Jeffrey Boyd 1-3 (2B, RBI), Trent Whitehead 1-3, Tyler Coward 1-3.