Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

North's 'E's put Wayne at ease

Fourth-ranked Warriors clinch GWOC East Division championship thanks in part to nine errors by the 10th-ranked Panthers.

North picked the wrong time to have a bad day defensively.

With their Greater Western Ohio Conference East Division title hopes still alive, the Division I 10th-ranked Panthers made nine errors as they fell to fourth-ranked Wayne 15-5 in six innings at North High School on Thursday.

"Our youth showed through today," said North coach Mark Stoll. "You have to make the routine plays. We didn't make the routine plays today."

North sophomore Julius Storey went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Junior Dustin Borders went 3-for-3, and junior Andy Payton added a home run.

With the win, Wayne clinched its second consecutive GWOC East title and improved to 20-1 overall and 10-1 in the conference.

North fell to 19-4 and 8-4 in the GWOC East.

"We feel very fortunate to win today," said Wayne coach Tony Ferraro. "They're a very well-coached team. They've got the best offense we've seen all season."

A North win and a Wayne loss to Beavercreek today would have allowed the Panthers to earn a share of the title.

North had two errors in the first inning, allowing the Warriors to take a quick 3-0 lead. Wayne added two more runs in the third inning.

Wayne poured it on in the fourth inning, scoring six runs on four hits and three North errors to take an 11-0 lead.

Meanwhile, North left two runners on base in both the second and third.

"They took advantage of some of our miscues," Stoll said. "That's what a championship team does."

The Panthers got to Wayne pitcher Jordan Wolfe, who had given up just two runs in 36 innings this season, in the fourth inning. A single by Dustin Borders and back-to-back walks to Kurt Lemmert and Brian Weems led to a bases-clearing double by Storey.

North got two more runs back in the fifth inning, thanks to a home run by Payton and an RBI double by sophomore Mitchell Monke.

Wolfe, who will pitch at Wright State next year, struck out 10 in five innings.

Despite the loss, Stoll said the game was a valuable learning experience for his young team. The Panthers, who begin play in the sectional tournament Wednesday against South or Piqua, will return all but three players from this year's team.

"I'm proud of them for not rolling over," Stoll said. "They all played hard. We just didn't field the ball well enough to win today."