Published: May 03, 2008 11:57 pm         

Flying Eagles exact revenge with pair of wins

Woodrow Wilson took out a double dose of revenge Saturday afternoon.

Derek Stegel held Fayetteville to four hits and an unearned run as the Flying Eagles routed the Pirates 11-1 in five innings in Beckley.

The win avenged a 5-1 Fayetteville win over Woodrow on March 27.

Earlier Saturday, Woodrow pounded Princeton 13-0, also in five innings. Woodrow had lost 7-6 to the Tigers on April 2 to start a nine-game losing streak.

Woodrow now has won three of its last four going into the start of sectional play Tuesday.

“We’re happy because we’re starting to get a little healthy,” Woodrow coach Mark Daniel said. “We’re making the routine plays, hitting the ball a little bit better. But there is always room for improvement.”

Stegel (1-1) pitched well in his first appearance since a relief outing April 7 against Riverside.

The senior right-hander, who has missed most of the season with an elbow injury, took the loss against the Pirates in March.

His biggest hurdle came in the fifth, when Fayetteville loaded the bases with two out. Stegel struck out Alex Preast to end the threat.

“I thought Derek threw the ball well,” Daniel said. “That was going to be his last inning. ... He was starting to get up with his (pitch count). But he was around the plate and he was close all night. That’s all you can ask. He got a little tired, but he needed some work.”

Stegel was backed by an 11-hit attack by the Woodrow offense. Jimmy Earp and David Allen drove in three runs apiece, including Allen’s RBI single to deep center field that scored Meadows with the game-ending run in the fifth.

Woodrow (8-18) went ahead 2-0 in the first on Allen’s run-scoring hit and L.G. Shea’s sacrifice fly. The Eagles scored again in the second on Earp’s single.

Fayetteville (13-12) scored its run in the third. Nick Carte reached on an error and later came around on a single by K.C. Dempsey.

“Once we got down 3-1, Beckley is a hard team to claw your way back against,” Fayetteville coach Richie Spearen said. “They never had the lead (in Fayetteville’s win). That’s what helped us in that game.”

Preast pitched well before the fifth. The left-hander finished with five strikeouts and allowed five hits over the first four innings but could not record an out in the fifth.

“The hits finally started falling our way, but I thought Preast pitched a real good game,” Daniel said. “He’s a good lefty. We would take him in a heartbeat.”

Sectional play begins Monday around the area, but Woodrow and Fayetteville both start Tuesday. The Eagles travel to Nicholas County at 6 p.m. in the Class AAA Region 3, Section 1 tournament, while the Pirates play either Midland Trail or Meadow Bridge at 5 p.m. in the Class A Region 3, Section 3 tournament.

Ryan Stafford limited Princeton to three hits in Saturday’s first game. The junior also drove in two runs.

Earp was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Meadows added three hits.

Sean Williams went 2-for-3 for the Tigers.

— E-mail:

gfauber@register-herald.com



Woodrow Wilson 13, Princeton 0,

5 innings

P: 000 00 — 0 3 2

WW: 237 1x — 13 12 2

P: Aaron Heslep, Cameron Mallory (2), Jon Shoda (3) and A. Bailey, WW: Ryan Stafford and Lanny Meadows. WP — Stafford. LP — Heslep. Hitting — P: Sean Williams 2-3, WW: Meadows 3-4 (2b, rbi), Jimmy Earp 3-3 (2 rbi), Stafford (2 rbi), Tyler Bowyer 2-2, David Allen (rbi).



Woodrow Wilson 11, Fayetteville 1, 5 innings

F: 001 00 — 1 4 2

WW: 210 08 — 11 11 3

F: Alex Preast, Brandon Fox (5) and Troy Hopkins, WW: Derek Stegel and Lanny Meadows. WP — Stegel. LP — Preast. Hitting — F: K.C. Dempsey 2-3 (rbi), WW: Meadows 2-2 (rbi), Jimmy Earp 3-3 (3 rbi), David Allen 2-3 (3 rbi), Ryan Stafford (rbi), L.G. Shea (2 rbi), Hunter Cline (rbi).

Records: F: 13-12; WW: 8-18.