AHOSKIE – Kinston Post 43 overcame a slow start before powering their way to a 9-2 victory over Ahoskie Post 102 in the first round opener of the senior American Legion Area-1 baseball playoffs here Tuesday night.

A late afternoon rain didn’t damper the crowd of 100 who turned out for the post-Independence Day best-two-of-three affair. Showers re-appeared around the scheduled start time causing a 40-minute delay before the game got underway.

Ahoskie opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Michael Scott drew a walk, stole second base and later scored on an error during his steal of third. Post 102 was ahead 1-0 after the first inning of play.

Kinston got the equalizer off starter Jarrett Harrell with a run in the top of the second inning, knotting the score at 1-1 after two innings.

Post 43 added another run in the top of the fourth to take the lead for good at 2-1 after four complete.

Kinston opened things up with three more runs in the top of the fifth inning for a 5-1 lead after five.

Ahoskie got a run back in the bottom of the sixth when Parker Cline doubled to right field and went to third on a Slade Cowan groundout. Cline would score on Nick Horvath’s RBI single to centerfield. Horvath would later steal second and after Matthew Weaver walked, Post 102 had two runners on base. However, Kinston would get a strikeout to end Ahoskie’s threat, and maintain a 5-2 lead after six.

Kinston then scored three more runs in the top of the seventh and plated their final run in the top of the eighth for a 9-2 bulge after seven-and-a-half innings.

In the bottom of the eighth inning both Chuck Lee and Horvath drew no-out walks, but Post 102 could not capitalize and remained in a seven-run hole entering the ninth. In the bottom of that frame, the Ahoskie batters were retired in order, giving Post 43 the first game in the three-game set.

Jarrett Harrell pitched five innings and took the loss while Slade Cowan came on to pitch the last four innings in relief.

Ahoskie had five hits: Scott, Lee, Cline, Horvath, and Tyler Jones with one hit apiece.

Ahoskie moved to 0-1 in the post-season and 8-10 overall on the year. Game two of the series was played Wednesday night at Kinston’s Grainger Stadium with Ahoskie needing a win to keep its hopes alive with a return game back in Ahoskie on Thursday night (tonight) at 7 p.m. However, the second game was not completed by press-time.