Wolfpack uses sixth-inning surge to defeat West Bladen

By DAN BISER
Sports Editor

Whiteville High School senior pitching Robbie Penny is the first to admit that he occasionally encounters control problems while on the mound, but he always feels it is something he can work his way out of.

“I sometimes give up more walks than I need to, but I just concentrate on working hard and battling my way back,” said Penny, following his two-hit, nine strike-out performance in the Wolfpack’s 3-0 shutout over West Bladen in the second round of the state 2A baseball playoffs at Legion Stadium.

While Penny’s pitching was a big factor in the win, it was ultimately his bat that provided the difference.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Penny drove a two-strike double to left field to score courtesy runner Ian Hooks from first base and break a 0-0 tie. On the next pitch, the Wolfpack’s Michael Wright belted a towering home run to centerfield to make the score 3-0. Wright, who started at shortstop for the first time this season, went 3-for-3 for the night.

Penny retired the side in order in the top of the seventh inning for his 10th mound win of the season.

Whiteville, now holding a 20-5 record, will entertain East Duplin tonight at 7 in third-round play. East Duplin (19-5) advanced Tuesday with an 8-6 victory over First Flight. The Wolfpack defeated East Duplin 2-0 in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

Penny issued four walks during the game, including two in the second inning when the visiting Knight squad loaded the bases with one out. Penny got the next two batters on a pop-up to third and a strikeout to get out of the jam.

In the meantime, West Bladen got a stellar pitching performance by Jonathan Locklear and a rock-solid effort by its defense.

Locklear allowed three hits and did not give up a walk in the first five innings. He threw three pitches in the fifth inning and eight pitches each in the third and fourth innings. The Knight infield robbed the Wolfpack of at least four would-be hits, including two grabs of line drives by first baseman Jon Sweeney.

“We’re fortunate tonight,” said WHS head coach Brett Harwood, whose team took its third win in four games over the West Bladen team this season. “They played as solid a defensive game as I’ve ever seen. They were really making the plays, and Locklear really threw well.

“We beat a very good baseball team,” Harwood added.

Whiteville also relied on some good defensive play, including a peg from rightfielder Zach Stanley to Trey Nye that nabbed Blake Sykes at third base following a fourth-inning single by James Davis.

Nye led off the bottom of the sixth inning for Whiteville and was hit by a pitch. Hooks came on as a pinch runner and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Stanley and moved to third when Quan Gaddy grounded out to the pitcher.

Penny came to the plate and worked the count to 1-2 after checking his swing on the third pitch. He then roped his state-leading 21st double of the season to leftfield for the game-deciding run. Wright’s homer applied the finishing touches as the Wolfpack chalked up its second 20-win season in three years.

It was Penny’s final-inning double that gave the Wolfpack a 6-5 win over the Knights in the semi-finals of last month’s Jiggs Powers Memorial Tournament.

Locklear and Davis; Penny and Enzor.