Staff report

CHERRYVILLE — Perennial powerhouse Wilmington Post 10 won the 2018 and 2019 American Legion state tournaments.

COVID stopped Legion baseball in 2020, but now Wilmington is trying to resume its tournament streak. Post 10 routed Kannapolis 15-1 late Friday and advanced into a semifinal tonight, a 7 p.m. showdown against another frequent state champion — Cherryville Post 100.

Benjamin Whitehurst, an uncommitted left-hander, keyed Friday’s victory for Post 10, throwing a complete game and holding Kannapolis (12-7) to five hits.

Everyone swung a hot bat for Wilmington, which got 20 or 22 hits, depending on which team’s scoring you preferred. Kannapolis credited Wilmington with 20.

Future Charlotte 49ers catcher Drew Tyndall homered off the right-field scoreboard for Post 10.

Jake Dameron had two of the Towelers’ five hits.

Kannapolis, making its first state tournament appearance since 2006, tried four pitchers, but Wilmington scored runs against all of them.

Wilmington scored twice in the top of the first. It was still a 2-0 game heading to the fourth, but Wilmington scored multiple runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth, and then piled on with five in the seventh.

With Kannapolis down 10-0 in the sixth, Cale Oehler’s single scored Dameron and staved off the 10-run rule.

The loss left Kannapolis 1-2 in pool play and ended the season for the Towelers. Wilmington went 2-1 in pool play.

 

Wilmington      200  242   5    — 15   20   1

Kannapolis       000  001   0    — 1     5     3

W — Whitehurst. L —Chris Allen (0-3).

HR — Wilmington: Tyndall.