By DAN BISER
Sports Editor

Whiteville High’s Robbie Penny had pitched seven big innings just three nights before, and North Lenoir coach Jim Montague was well aware of it.

“Robbie’s a great pitcher, but he had just thrown on Tuesday to beat South Lenoir,” Montague said. “We knew he would probably have to come back and throw tonight, but fortunately we were up by a game in the series, and we were able to be a little more conservative with our pitching.”

Penny, whose season stats have had him ranked high among the state’s top high-school pitchers all season, stayed on the mound for more than five innings as he tried to keep his tiring arm in the thick of the ball game with the Wolfpack holding a 3-2 lead after four innings.

But in the end, the two-time defending state 2A champion North Lenoir Hawks took a 7-3 victory for the Eastern N.C. championship. The North Lenoir squad had opened the best-of-three series Thursday with a 16-4 thumping of the Wolfpack at LaGrange (see story on 2B).

North Lenoir, now with a 27-3 record, will take on East Rutherford (29-1) in the best-of-three state 2A championship series this Friday and Saturday at Zebulon’s Five-County Stadium.

Whiteville closed its season with a 22-7 record, having made its 11th appearance in the Eastern Regional championship round since 1982.

Whiteville outhit the Hawks 7-6 for the night, but the North Lenoir squad took charge with three runs in the fifth inning and two in the sixth. Hawk lead-off hitter Brandon Sutton went 4-for-4 with a double to lead the attack.

Penny struck out eight batters in five innings but also yielded five walks and hit a batter. He was relieved by Michael Wright with one out in the sixth. He closed his senior season with an 11-3 record, including three wins in the state playoffs

“Robbie gave it all he had,” said WHS coach Brett Harwood, who has guided the Wolfpack to a total of 57 victories in his first three years at the helm. “He didn’t want me to take the ball from him, but it had just reached that point.

“Everybody on our team gave it all they had tonight,” Harwood added. “We got beat bad last night and came back and made a game of it tonight.

“North Lenoir has a solid program,” Harwood said. “They are solid everywhere. They are at the level that we want our program to be, We’re getting closer.”

Sthil Sowers, the ace of the Hawk pitching staff, made his only mound appearance of the series when he threw the final two innings, striking out six batters. Dewitt Pope was credited with the win after relieving starter John Alphin. Sowers had pitched the Hawks 10-0 fourth-round win over Cedar Ridge on Tuesday.

Whiteville trailed 2-1 in the third inning but took the lead in the third when Wright hit a one-out single, Lloyd Enzor drew a walk, and Charlie Gore followed with a two-run single.

North Lenoir regained the lead in the fifth inning when Sutton led off with a single, Sowers drew a walk, and both scored when a shallow fly ball to rightfield by Andrew Manning dropped between WHS second baseman Ben Deans and righfielder Zach Stanley for an error. Manning later scored from third on a wild pitch to make the score 5-3.

Two more Hawk runs scored in the sixth inning behind Sutton’s fourth hit of the game.

Sutton had led off the game with a single to ignite North Lenoir’s two-run first inning. Whiteville got a run back in the bottom of the first when Gaddy reached base on an infield single and scored on a two-out single by Enzor.

Enzor and Trey Nye each had two hits for Whiteville.

Whiteville, the champion of the Waccamaw Conference, opened the playoffs with a 4-2 win over Jacksonville Northside, followed by wins of 3-0 over West Bladen, 6-5 over East Duplin and 4-3 over South Lenoir.

North Lenoir, the Eastern Plains champ, entered the regional series having outscored its opponents of the first four rounds by a combined 34-1 margin.

Whiteville also advanced to the Eastern N.C. finals in 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998 . 2000 and 2002. It won regional titles in 1983, 1985, 1989, 1991. 1992 and 1998 and went on to claim state championships in 1983, 1985, 1989 and 1991

The Wolfpack has advanced to the state baseball playoffs 24 times in the last 27 seasons.

Alphin, Pope (4), Sowers (6) and Smith; Penny, Wright (6) and Enzor.