To play at Edenton Holmes tonight

By DAN BISER

Whiteville High pitcher Robbie Penny saw plenty of East Duplin baserunners Tuesday night. Twelve, to be exact.

However, none of those runners crossed home plate as the junior righthander pitched a three-hit shutout in the Wolfpack’s 2-0 victory over the East Duplin Panthers in the opening round of the state 2A high school baseball playoffs at Legion Stadium.

Penny struck out 11 batters and walked eight (one intentionally) while pitching his third straight complete-game shutout. Alex Hooks and Quan Gaddy each had two hits for Whiteville with Hooks and Ben Deans each ripping a double. Penny, Cameron White and Lloyd Enzor also had hits as the Waccamaw Conference co-champion Whiteville squad put its season record at 15-9.

Whiteville is traveling to Edenton today to take on Northeast-Albemarle Conference champion Edenton Holmes (21-2) tonight a 6. Holmes defeated Richlands 3-0 in Tuesday’s first round. A Whiteville win would have the Wolfpack traveling to meet the St. Pauls-South Lenoir winner next Tuesday in third-round play.

Penny threw 112 pitches, as he battled various periods of wildness. East Duplin left 12 runners on base for the night, including eight in the first four innings. He retired the side with the bases loaded in the second and sixth innings as his season mound record moved to 9-1.

“That’s what makes Robbie such a good pitcher,” said WHS coach Brett Harwood. “ Even when he’s not at his best, he is still going to battle and keep coming after people. He kept his composure tonight and got us some big outs.”

The win marked the first homefield playoff victory for the Wolfpack since 2002.

Penny said his arm grew tired in the late innings, but that he was determined to stay on the mound.

“I wanted to finish it out,” he said. “All the guys on the team kept encouraging me to keep going, to pitch my game.”

Travis Aldridge, son of former Whiteville High football coach Brian Aldridge, was the losing pitcher for East Duplin. The Panthers,runner-up finishers in the East Central Conference, closed their season with a 14-9 record.

Shane Kennedy, Aaron Miller and Dustin Hatcher had the East Duplin hits.

Whiteville scored its first run in the second inning after White led off with a walk and moved to third on a single to left field by Enzor and a bunt single by Gaddy. A wild pitch allowed White to sprint home.

In the third inning, Scott Stephens led off with a walk, took second on a hit-and-run groundout by Penny and scored on a White single to left field.

Another Whiteville run was aborted in the sixth inning when a strong relay throw by East Duplin shortstop Aaron Miller cut down Gaddy at the plate following Deans’ double to center.

“I’m pleased with the way we swung the bats,” Coach Harwood said. “We should have scored more runs, but all our guys went after the baseball tonight.”

Whiteville has moved on to the second round of the playoffs for the second straight season. In last year’s second round, the Wolfpack went on the road to defeat Richlands 6-1.

Aldridge, S. Kennedy (4) and J. Kennedy, Aldridge (5); Penny and Hooks.